Theater — The Value, the Magic
Watch video excerpts of this year's play.
Every year in March, the school presents a theater production of the life of a great soul. Past plays have portrayed the lives of St. Francis, Joan of Arc, Moses, Jesus, Krishna, Paramhansa Yogananda, Hafiz, and Quan Yin. In 2006, the children presented the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The 2007 Theater Magic event will be Prince Siddhartha: The Life of Buddha. (Continued below...)
See posters of previous Theater Magic events.
For the children, the process of putting on a long, elaborate theater production is a living laboratory in which they learn about the history of the age and land described in the play, and they acquire priceless skills of poise and cooperation. Not to mention the inspiration of fully immersing themselves in the lives of a great human being.
The youngest children overcome the challenge to learn their dances and cooperate with the other performers on stage. The older children develop concentration by memorizing their lines. A boy who had a large speaking part in the play was later daunted by the task of memorizing his multiplication tables. His teacher said, “Anyone who can memorize that many lines can surely learn his multiplication facts.” The boy was surprised and encouraged, and learned his "timeses" successfully.
All of the children face the challenge of performing before a packed hall of over 250 adults and visiting children. Standing alone onstage while delivering lines with creative feeling is a test of poise, and a great accomplishment. A mother remarked after her daughter's performance, “I couldn’t have done that. I never would have believed that she could. She has always been so shy. You have no idea what a transformation this is.”
