5th Grade Bilingual Plays

On Friday, March 16, the 5th graders’ study of drama and language culminated in the presentation of two bilingual plays: A Gift for Pachacuti Inca by Brian and Cordenia's class and El Molinero Honesto by Amoramenkum and Natalie's class. Students applied their Spanish-speaking skills and learned the inner workings of putting on a show. It was a big push to curtain time, but the students delivered energetic shows!

Fifth graders were nervous as they approached the play experience; they knew they would need to develop their characters and stage presence and also memorize their lines in two languages. To deliver their lines convincingly, they would need to uncover subtext in the dialogue and focus in the moment with a keen awareness. Learning about stage management, costuming, scenery design, make-up, sound, and lighting would also be part of this completely immersive experience.

Elsa and Nathan described their experience designing scenery and costumes for A Gift for Pachacuti Inca as fun and creative. "We had a lot of choice," said Nathan. Abigail, Antonia, and Nora, who worked on set design and makeup for El Molinero Honesto, echoed the sentiment. Nora observed an extra benefit: "I thought everyone got a little closer." As they built deeper connections and exercised their leadership skills, the 5th graders definitely took ownership of both productions. Elias helped his classmates gain a deeper understanding of the Spanish language. Ezra and Paolo, who shared the lead role of the miller in El Molinero Honesto, enjoyed the experience even though it came with more responsibilities and required them to take some risks. "Taking risks came with a seriousness; you couldn't just goof around," said Paolo.

While each 5th grader seems to grow in confidence over the course of the production, some are lucky enough to discover they have a passion for acting. Though it was his debut on stage, Ezra's performance was stellar. "I think I'll act more," Ezra said. "It was really fun to put yourself in a different position and a different character."

As much as each individual 5th grader learned and contributed, the play’s success was ultimately a team effort. Many life lessons emerged as students built productive, working relationships and learned to trust and depend on one another both onstage and behind the scenes.