Kindergarten Plays

Kindergarten plays are an emergent and collaborative endeavor during which students write and perform an original dramatic production for their families and the entire Lower School. Each January, the kindergarten students go on a field trip to the Arden Theater to see a play.

(High five for Peter Pan after the performance at the Arden)

We discuss elements of a good story, creating a setting, costumes, and acting techniques. The students become highly motivated to create their own production. We brainstorm ideas, write them down, and collaborate, cooperate, and compromise to determine characters and a plot. Then we develop ideas for costumes and set creation. Once a script is completed, we begin the work of figuring out stage directions and spoken lines. We encourage those who are nervous about being on stage to be courageous and take risks. We also honor their feelings, and we do not force children to speak if they are not comfortable doing so. We emphasize the importance of helping each other to ensure the success of the group. This creates a deeper sense of community. We perform the play during a Lower School Assembly and invite the kindergarten families.


 The performance is followed by a cast party in the classrooms to celebrate the success of the performance and all of the hard work by the students. The children then write about their experience, often focusing on their favorite part of the play.