Big Lake drama club going strong

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

BIG LAKE - "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." Shakespeare said it first, more than 400 years ago. Today, Big Lake Elementary School students are living out those famous words during a weekly after-school drama club.

Under the leadership of longtime teacher Marilyn White, roughly 50 kids, grades 3-5, voluntarily stay after school to read scripts, rehearse lines and practice using their voices in strange and unusual ways.

White doesn't have much formal theater experience, but she loves acting and draws from her experiences performing in piano recitals in high school and playing for musicals in college.

For nearly 30 years, White has made it a point to incorporate drama into her classroom lessons. Whether it be reading, science or social studies, White could find the dramatic moments. When studying light and shadows, White would have her students make shadow puppets and give performances.

About four years ago, several students approached her with the idea of starting a club so that more kids could experience drama.

The club usually meets every Thursday night, packing into a small classroom to rehearse myriad roles. On any given club night, kids are working on skits, learning acting techniques and practicing good eye contact and voice projection.

During the meetings, White usually runs a tight ship.

"I'm not as relaxed in drama class because they're more wired," she said. "I lead pretty strongly but the kids begin taking ownership once they start practicing."

A lot of kids come out at the beginning of the year, but a few always drop out after finding out how much work it takes. For those that stay on, the drama club brings rewards.

White said one of the most rewarding aspects of the drama club is watching the kids come into their own.

"I like watching them succeed," she said. "I like watching them pretend to be other things and I love showing them how to use funny voices to make things fun."

None of it would be possible, though, if not for the volunteer parents who sew costumes, make posters, paint sets and coach kids through their various roles.

"We couldn't do this without parents," White said. "They're always there helping out, especially right before a performance."

In addition to parents, former drama club members who are now in middle school come over after school to help out. Sets and costumes are paid for through fund-raisers and donations. Club members also scrape together odd items from around their homes that might be used later for performances.

The club tries to put on three shows a year. Last week, members held their first major production of the new year, a dessert-theatre combination, held in the school gymnasium.

Four plays were performed Thursday night for the Big Lake community and followed up Friday with a performance for the school.

In the days leading up to the show, White said kids came in to rehearse lines before school, after school and during recess, not to mention hours spent working on lines at home. A few kids even came to practice during teacher in-service days.

"They love this and I try really hard to teach them how to express their part, where to stand on stage and how to play to the audience," White said. "I also try to teach them how to think on their feet and work as a team."

White is impressed by how many of the actors have grown as thespians over the last four years and she's the first to admit she's also learning.

"I'm the director, but I'm still learning how you do this; each time we try something different," she said.

The most recent show consisted of four separate plays: "The Three Apprentices," "The Mystery of the Gumdrop Dragon," "The Lollipop Princess," and "Winter's Vacation."

The goal is to have as many speaking parts as possible so that everyone gets a chance to act in a live performance situation.

"This is real theater and the purpose is to help them be on stage," White said. "We use lights and everything."

During the show, cast members who weren't performing walked through the audience serving brownies, pie, cookies and cake. Hot drinks and punch were also available for the crowd, consisting mostly of friends and family members.

"Watching the kids on stage is a real treat," White said. "Every year you see some kids who really know how to get into it and they just love it. The rest are learning."

While the group is reserved for grades 3-5, White said parents tell her that younger kids are regularly begging to join.

"It's definitely something they look forward to," she said.

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.