Middle School Mounts Tempest in the Black Box

The tale of shipwreck and magic, monsters and spirits, might seem an ambitious undertaking for middle schoolers. Drama and performing arts teacher Diane DeVore, who directed the show, explained that the spring production alternates, from year to year, between musicals and non-musicals. This was a non-musical year, but some students wanted a play with a musical component; moreover, since all comers are given the opportunity to appear on stage, the show must be flexible enough to include a large ensemble, if need be. The Tempest, with its songs and its expandable cast of mariners and spirits, fit the bill on both counts.

DeVore approached Dan Shaud, at the Rivers School Conservatory, about collaborating on the music, and, she says, “It took off from there.” Not only were some of the play’s well-known verses set to tunes, but jazzy incidental music that set an eldritch tone was provided by a live band of five students, conducted by faculty member John Bower. A wedding dance and other memorably choreographed scenes also enlivened the proceedings.

Taking on any Shakespeare play is an impressive endeavor for middle schoolers. “The themes of mercy and forgiveness—for kids, that’s a lot of big ideas to wrap themselves around. And the language, the sheer process of memorization, is challenging for them,” said DeVore, who pointed out that it’s not really possible to ad lib or improvise within a Shakespeare play. “If someone drops a line, you just have to get back on track.” But line-dropping was not in evidence, and the lead roles were capably handled by Crystie Frometa ’23 as Prospera (the exigencies of casting necessitated some gender shifts), Leila Saponaro ’24 as Miranda, Cristina Gomez ’23 as Ariel, and Rinny Leeming ’23 as Caliban.

DeVore said that the production’s many moving parts also made it challenging. Because of the inherent limits to the Black Box Theater’s size and availability, rehearsal time was a bit limited, and the pieces didn’t all come together until the technical run-through, just days before the first performance. Given that, says DeVore, “I was surprised at how seamless it was.”

Also gratifying, she says, was watching the play evolve from the first dress rehearsal on Monday to the last performance on Saturday. “It grew and changed every time, with more depth, and it continued to improve throughout the week,” DeVore said. “They really did a wonderful job.”

To see a SmugMug gallery of photos from the show, click here.