Thanks to some clever video editing by drama teacher Paul Barker and lots of creativity and heart, middle school students at Clairbourn found a new way to perform their annual Pooh Play while in remote-learning mode.
This year’s play featured a fresh story concept developed by Mr. Barker inspired by A. A. Milne’s characters from the Winnie the Pooh series. In the play, Roo and Tigger get into lots of trouble, including becoming stuck in the tree-tops, while other characters have crossed-path adventures throughout the Hundred Acre Wood.
Clairbourn middle school students in the drama elective found a way to perform their annual Pooh Play for the younger students, while in remote-learning mode, thanks to clever coordination and editing of filmed clips by drama and computer teacher Paul Barker. Here is a 30 second teaser of the 20 minute play from December of 2020.
Watch this teaser clip from the full 20-minute play shown in December of 2020. Cast Members: Sarah I. as Winnie the Pooh, Vanessa H. as Piglet, Jake J. as Owl, Parisa B. as Rabbit, Anthony C. Eeyore, Faith C. as Kanga, Natalie A. as Roo and Mikey F. as Tigger.Continue reading “Pooh Play Tradition Goes Virtual for 2020”
Students from Preschool through Grade 5 attended a warm, and literally fuzzy, Winnie The Pooh play put on by Clairbournmiddle school students who signed up for the elective. Drama teacher Paul Barker authored and directed the show, and the concept was inspired by A. A. Milne’s characters from the Winnie the Pooh series. This funny and whimsical play was entitled, “A House is Built on Pooh Corner.” The storyline covers the antics of Pooh, Piglet, and friends working together to build Eeyore a new house—which may have been his old house rebuilt.
Clairbourn School’s Music and Drama Awards are held on the last week of each school year during the Morning Assembly. The Music and Drama Awards are a way for Clairbourn School to honor its students who diligently practice their music and drama skills, as they grow into well-rounded individuals.
Clairbourn’s school community was treated to an unforgettable production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night performed by Clairbourn 6th-8th grade students in early March. This crowd-pleasing show took place in an Old Globe Theater setting, constructed in the school’s gymnasium. Over three consecutive show dates, the production featured a variety of humorous antics, stage fighting, great costumes, original music and stand-out performances. It is noteworthy that this unabridged, unedited production was offered by young people between the ages of eleven and fourteen.
Estella B. plays “Maria, secretary to Olivia.”
The Roaring Twenties setting dazzled the audience with its costuming and jazzy tunes. Singing, live student accompaniment, dancing and action sequences—for instance, the comic boxing match—appealed to first grade students on up to adults. The young students who attended sat in the “groundlings” section where they were right on top of the action and thrills.
Clairbourn’s English teacher Janet Taylor provides an academic foundation for the production. Well before auditions occur, students learn the storyline and character relationships in English classes, and work through the meaning of unfamiliar words and terms. By the time the student-actors face their first show date, they have a good understanding of their lines (including some elements of rhetorical structure), and they have the tools to bring their performances to life with the humor and wit required of a Shakespearean comedy.
