The book that they read came to life on stage in front of them—thanks to the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Theatre Arts.
The cast and crew who just starred in the Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s Theatre Arts production of The Outsiders returned on stage on Wednesday, December 10.
But this auditorium for this performance was located in the Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School.
Heather Diaforli-Day, the Director of Theatre Arts at the high school, brought her students, who thrived on stage when The Outsiders was performed in the high school auditorium on Thursday, December 4, through Saturday, December 6, to the Middle School on December 10 to act out a few selected segments.
Their audience was the entire 8th Grade student body, who have read The Outsiders in their English Language Arts classes.
Ms. Diaforli-Day, who may be teaching theatre to some of these students next year, explained the reason why the cast and crew made the short trip to the Middle School.
“One of the reasons I chose The Outsiders as our fall play was because our students read the novel in 8th Grade and it resonates deeply with them. I wanted our cast to create a piece that their peers would be excited to experience live,” Ms. Diaforli-Day said.
“When several teachers at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School reached out about the possibility of offering a performance for the 8th Graders, we were eager to find a way to make it happen. Thanks to the support and collaboration of many hands, we were able to take a modified version of our production on the road,’’ she revealed.
Suzanne Wooby, who is the Supervisor of English Language Arts for Grades 5-8 in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, stated that “the performance allows them to meet New Jersey Student Learning Standards, comparing and contrasting an original work with a performance of it in a different medium.”
Ms. Diaforli-Day added:
“It was truly a gift to watch students connect what they had read on the page with the story brought to life on stage. Our hope was not only to share this powerful story but also to show students the value of theatre and the incredible impact it can have.”
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