Eighth Graders Bring ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ to Life
Eighth graders who had been reading William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in their English language arts classes worked together to put on a performance on June 6 as a culmination to their reading unit.
“The students were able to bring the performance to life and truly understand a complex text,” said English teacher Tara Chillemi, who teaches the unit along with Regan DiMenna and Linda Palumbo. “They each stepped out of their comfort zone and became actors. They learned how to block, how to project, how to react to other actors on the stage and how gestures coincide with feelings.”
Assisted by props and costumes, the students acted out scenes from the play to express their creativity and demonstrate their understanding of the difficult vocabulary. To prepare for their performance, they collaborated with theater educator Peter Royston, whose visit was sponsored by the Irvington Education Foundation through a generous grant.
“It was a challenging process to memorize lines, especially in a language that seems foreign to many,” Palumbo said. “However, Mr. Royston took the time to explain the words to the students and helped them to think about what they were saying, why they were saying it, and what impact those words had on the rest of the scenes in the play.”
Students said they loved being on stage with their classmates and immersing themselves in the Shakespearean times.
“It was a valuable experience to participate in a unit that includes not only the writing and reading, and interpreting aspects, but also teaches us how to perform on stage in character, and gives us lessons on how to efficiently speak in public, which is a lesson that will be essential for the rest of our lives,” eighth grader Talia Ruoff said.
Other students said the interactive experience boosted their confidence and helped further their understanding of the play.
“I really enjoyed our Shakespeare unit and performance because it was a fun and different way to look at a text, especially such a long and difficult one,” eighth grader Anastasia Boldyrev said.