A ragtag group of fifth-graders lines up on the stage at the Ocean City Intermediate School.
Then the mostly unlikely of things starts to happen. With some highly technical instruction — “Your right foot is pretty chill” and “Your line moves a little bit like a Tetris block” … and arm positions pointing to the map coordinates of “Philly, Boston and BaltimiMO’ ” — the group moves through the choreography of the opening number of Cole Porter’s Broadway musical “Kiss Me, Kate.”
And it doesn’t look half bad — even on just the second day of practice. The simple instructions and visual cues are clearly working.
The after-school activity is part of a new drama class sponsored with financial support from the Sea Isle City Board of Education and taught by members of the Ocean City Theatre Company, including Artistic Director Michael Hartman.
The free extracurricular activity exposes students to theater games, musical theater, improvisational activities, basic stage directions, creative writing, imagination activities, skits, readers’ theater and more. The week-long sessions end with informal showcases for families and friends.
The first session ran last week for fifth-graders in the Ocean City School District. Three more session are as follows:
- Session Two — 3rd Grade: January 12 – 16, 2015; 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. with the informal showcase on Jan. 16, 2015, 4:30 to 5 p.m.
- Session Three — 4th Grade: February 23 – 27, 2015; 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. with the informal showcase on Feb. 27, 2015, 3:30– 4 p.m.
- Session Four —2nd Grade: March 16-20, 2015; 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. with the informal showcase on March 20, 2015, 4:30 to 5 p.m.
This program is designed for students with no experience in theater or for children who already have a passion for the stage, according to Hartman.
Students interested in participating can sign up in their school’s main office. For more information on OCTC, visit http://
