Curtain Call

Quest to Learn's end of trimester Boss Levels, concluded on March 26, with the presentation of seven plays—written, performed, directed and designed by the schools sixth grade students. The performances were the culmination of two weeks of immersion into the art of theater and storytelling, in particular performance, acting and scriptwriting. The visual design and behind-the-scenes elements of theatrical productions were also explored and students worked in small groups to paint scenery and create of unique sound effects, costumes and a playbill for each play.

Days before the performance of the plays, just when they were in the throes of rehearsals and last minute script changes, the students were asked to stop and reflect on their roles and experiences. Some of the questions and issues they pondered, included, What did the production of a play entail? What was the significance of each area they had explored during the last week? Could the theater or the production of a play be described as a system? If so, how might you identify this system’s elements and their relationships?

Designed to both synthesize and assess a trimester-long focus on teamwork and the relationships between elements of a system, each group’s findings were shared with the audience before the presentation of their play. Although these analyses served to create a space for reflection, the plays and the moments that followed were all celebration as the students stepped into the roles of directors, foley artists, back stage technicians, divas and comedians!