INSPIRED. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish...Go Fish!
A seven-legged octopus. A tuna that can't carry a tune. A blowfish with debilitating allergies. A tiger shark who faces criticism for befriending non-sharks.
“Go Fish” – a musical production currently set to be staged at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12 by a group of about 50 third, fourth and fifth graders from J. Glenn Edwards Elementary – is all about accepting yourself and celebrating diversity.
“It's a musical that talks about everybody's differences,” said Scott Hurdt, a fifth-grade teacher at Edwards. “In the end, it talks about how everybody has their differences, but you can be friends with anybody you want.”
The production, which has been in the works since January, was the brainchild of Hurdt – who as a teacher at B.T. Bullock Elementary staged a similar production of “The Jungle Book” two years ago – and Nicole Sommers, a music teacher at Edwards.
“When I was at Bullock, we did 'The Jungle Book,' and it was a really good experience that brought in lots of people,” Hurdt said. “And so when I got to Edwards I knew I wanted to do something like that again, but I took a year to figure out if there was interest in it from the kids. We started this year by forming a Drama Club to see who would want to do this, and it was hilarious. There were kids that were normally so quiet being so loud and outgoing.”
Once the Drama Club was up and running, the logical next step was staging a production, and “Go Fish” was a perfect fit. In addition to the children acting on stage, other members are filling technical roles so that everyone is exposed to all of the opportunities theatre arts offer.
Sommers said that while Edwards students have staged concerts before, she thinks “Go Fish” is the first musical play the school has put on. She said learning the demands of a theatrical production has been a valuable experience for the children.
“You have this musical about getting along with each other, and you're seeing these students becoming leaders in their classrooms and standing up for the other kids.”
Hurdt said he applied for a grant through Central Electric Membership Corporation – a similar grant funded “The Jungle Book” – but that he didn't receive it this year. That said, he won a $100 gift card in the process, which effectively paid for the entire production, thanks to partnerships with organizations like the Dancer's Workshop, which helped with much of the scenery. The students – as well as Hurdt, Sommers, teacher Evan McSorley, art teacher Michelle Pinto, parent Chanel Simpson and parent Christine Kastendike – created everything else.
Hurdt said that getting kids involved in drama at such an early age has given many of them an opportunity to possibly find their passion.
“We found so many kids who just aren't into sports or other things, and they just opened up for this,” he said. “You can definitely pick out the ones that are going to be into this. And even though we limited the production to third grade and up, we heard about second graders saying they were too young to try out, but they were looking forward to doing it next year.”
“Go Fish” is a free show – held at Lee County High School’s McLeod Auditorium – but donations to the school’s Drama Club are welcome.
Inspired is a digital digest published each week during the academic year by Lee County Schools to highlight accomplishments of students, faculty and staff.
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