We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Details: Created on Friday, 20 March 2015 14:39; Written by Emma Kaplan

LYNDONVILLE- Riverside School in Lyndonville is getting ready to put on their ninth annual school play, but there is something different abut this school's play than most; it is completely student run.

Every year the students pick a different play to perform, but they also make the costumes, sets, and choreograph the play with only the help of their own peers. "They're learning a lot of great things, about how and when everybody works together, you can put on a play," said Rebecca Hill-Larsen, a Riverside parent. This year's play is the Wizard of Oz.

The play premieres tonight, and while they have been preparing for it since they returned from their winter break, this weeks process of getting everything together is known as play week. Not everyone gets to participate; putting on this production is left up to the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, but everyone is excited.

"Play week gets the younger kids excited too because they are able to watch some of the process happen on campus and know they will have a play when they're that age," Hill-Larsen told us.

For the older grades, play week is filled with excitement and some stress. As she was painting the set, eighth grader Ainsley Larsen told us, "Every year it's a little stressful during play week because you don't have as many things finished or even started, but usually everything wraps up by the time the show starts." Larsen has another important role this year, she is Glenda the Good Witch.

Hill-Larsen agreed, stating "On Monday of play week, it never looks like it's going to happen on Friday, but they work hard and everything starts getting done and the bit list of things to do just melts away."

The teachers and several parents of students are there to support and lend a helping hand if needed, but the majority of the work is done by the students. "Come Friday and Saturday night, there aren't adults backstage telling them what to do, this is 100 percent their show," Latin and Spanish teacher Roy Starling told us. "The leadership in running these electives, the fact that it's a small enough school that every student has a role in this production is great."

"We learn a lot of acting skills and depending on which elective you choose, you can learn how to make costumes, or build or paint, or do publicity," Larsen said.

These skills also include designing the sets. Student leader of set design and building Gage Hale spoke of the difficulties of getting the students to listen while building the sets, but they work together to finish them in time. "I like making it unique to what it should be and taking input from everyone else to make it really cool."

For the eighth graders in their final year at Riverside, play week is bittersweet. "I'm kind of sad to be leaving Riverside and play week and all of the excitement that comes with it," said Larsen. "But sometimes a bird has to leave its nest eventually and I guess I'm excited for what's coming."