School Daze- The Ins and Outs of the Upcoming Junior Play

The nervous excitement of the first days of middle school. Finding the right class, making the right friends, and the overall wonderful yet frightening experience of starting something new. School Daze, the upcoming Grade 7 and 8 play, focuses on just that: the faithful moments of the first day of junior high.

School Daze, written by Lindsay Price, consists of short scenes and a wide variety of characters. Each scene shares a short story of student experiences on their first day. The play maintains three core themes of change, identity, and self-image as watchers follow this engaging piece of theatre. 

“There are many relatable moments in the play,” Ms. Smith, one of the directors, commented. “We see the actors deal with the awkwardness of finding someone to sit with in the cafeteria. We see them rush to class (and get lost along the way). We see them celebrate the joys of cafeteria pizza. We're along for the ride as they try to figure out who they are and where they fit in.”

However, with COVID-19 protocols, the Junior Play looks quite different than what many Greenwood students are used to. Firstly, the audience will not be present, but instead tuning in from home through a livestream. Secondly, the play will consist of a mixture of live and pre-recorded scenes, with the pre-recorded sections utilizing multiple spaces in the school. And lastly, all the actors will be masked, which poses a new challenge for students.

“How do you convey the necessary emotion in a scene when half of your face is covered by a mask?” Ms. Smith asked, “Ms. Gottlieb (another director) and I have been so impressed by the perseverance and dedication of the cast and crew, especially given the unpredictability that is involved when putting on a play during a pandemic.”

Dedication has been a common theme throughout the making of this play. The student actors, set designers and crew have all worked extremely hard to put on their best work. A strong community has been created with all students encouraging each other. The love for theatre is palpable with this group of talented young performers. 

The Greenwood community can tune into the Junior Play in mid-December. Check your emails for more information to come!