The Sagemont School boasts a critically acclaimed drama department.
Beginning in fourth grade, interested students are introduced to the
magic of musical theatre. By high school, Sagemont's award-winning
International Thespian Troupe performs to packed houses and takes top
honors at arts awards programs such as the Cappies and Florida State
Main Stage Festival.
Sagemont Theater Teacher Elizabeth
Garrard believes the drama department's success is due to its
progressive program. "At the elementary level, students begin to develop
a working vocabulary of the atrical terms, as well as a respect for the
art form and the technique that an actor must use on the stage."
A
unique partnership with the Fort Lauderdale Children's Theater provides
Sagemont Lower School students the opportunity to learn and train
alongside industry professionals.
"The Fort Lauderdale
Children's Theater runs our elementary school production and assists
with sets and costumes for the middle school and high school
productions," explains Garrard. "They also provide our students and
teachers access to knowledgeable theater artists and community
resources."
Once students enter middle school, they can
expand their knowledge by taking theatre classes as arts electives. "By
the time they enter high school, many students have already had five
years of training and are prepared to excel on the stage," states
Garrard. "The are able to incorporate more advanced techniques in
acting, voice and movement. Many of our graduates go on to study theatre
at some of the most prestigious programs in the world."
Senior
Jessie Jordan will attend the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
It is one of the nation's only universities dedicated solely to
educating students in the visual and performing arts. She believes her
training at Sagemont has prepared her for this opportunity. "I have
gained confidence as an artist and learned to collaborate with my peers
on creative projects."
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| The Sagemont drama department closed out the year with the Middle School production of Walt Disney’s The Little Mermaid. |
This year's high school drama
students performed Chicago, The Musical. The production was nominated
for seven Cappie Awards including Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Jessie
Jordan); Best Female Dancer (Susana Obando); Best Featured Actress in a
Musical (Erica Merlino); Best Set Design and Constructio (Dan
Entenberg, Victor Paes-Leme, Santiago Reyes-Retana and Crew); Best
Costumes (Taylor Briesemeister, Andres Hernandez and Crew); Best
Lighting Design (Arturo Fernandez, Skylar Scorca and Crew); and Senior
Critic (Claudia Moncaliano).
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| The Sagemont Upper School’s production of Chicago, The Musical received seven Cappie nominations. |
Garrard says she takes the potential to win awards
into account when selecting which plays to perform. "A great production
begins with selecting the right material. First I assess the skill level
of the current student body. The script should challenge them, while at
the same time being accessible to our audience base. I try to choose
material that has some level of literary merit and three dimensional
characters. I want the audience to be entertained, but the material
should also be thought provoking
She says she also
likes to look for pieces with historical significance. "I encourage the
students to do extensive background research, not only on the characters
and time period, but also on the significance of the script and
playwright," explains Garrard. "For Chicago, students researched the
significance of Bob Fosse's choreography, the rise and fall of
Vaudeville, sensationalist crime reporting, and the 1930's in America."
Sagemont's
Black Box Theatre was the perfect intimate setting to reflect the
cabaret feel needed for this production, decorated with red draperies
and twinkle lights. This is the second year the school has had its Black
Box Theatre on campus, and Garrard is grateful to have access to a
working theatre laboratory. "Students are able to experiment with
different styles, forms and techniques that go beyond the traditional
'proscenium' staging. For Chicago, I introduced students to the
three-quarters thrust staging devices, and incorporated a Brechtian
distancing effect into my direction of the piece," explains Garrard.
"The student lighting designers had the opportunity to put together a
three direction lighting plot, and students learned many new acting
techniques that they would otherwise not have had access to."
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| Mariah Pumphrey-Solomon as the Cat in the Hat in Seussical, Jr. |
The younger students also have the
opportunity perform in Sagemont's Black Box Theatre. Middle school
students were able to use their time in the "actor's studio" to work on
performance, song, set design, lighting and stage direction for their
produc-tion of The Little Mermaid. These talented young thespians
performed a spectacular production of the beloved story of a mermaid's
wish to become human. Fourth and fifth graders also brought a popular
children's story to life with Seus s ica l, Jr. , which brings the Cat
in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, and all of the favorite Dr. Seuss
characters to life onstage.
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| The fourth and fifth grade production of Seussical, Jr. featured elaborate costumes and set design. |
All three productions were
performed to packed houses and received rousing standing ovations a true
testament to Sagemont's successful drama season.
