Performing Arts
Drama is an expressive art that is intricately woven through the Aurora curriculum. Teachers use drama as a tool to deepen the students' understanding of social studies, math, and science concepts. They use drama-based activities to inspire creative story writing in Writers' Workshop classes. Dramatic role-plays are used as a means for helping students gain self awareness, empathy, and conflict resolution skills, which are practiced during regular class meetings and often presented at the all school weekly assemblies.
A highlight of the school year is the annual stage performance. Students learn to work together to create a project much bigger than themselves, engaging in their own creative process of shaping the material they are learning. They take on leadership roles and actively participate in creating the choreography for their play contributing movement ideas, teaching and learning from each other as they shape their class projects.
Through these performances, the children gain first hand experience as actors, singers, dancers, set and costume designers, and stagehands. They learn basic dramatic skills including voice projection and intonation, improvisation, elements of choreography, physical expression and spatial awareness. The children also learn to be comfortable speaking and performing in front of an audience.
Recent Performances
K/1 Plays:
- How Iwariwa Learned to Share
- The Kapok Tree
- The Great Barried Reef
- The Rumpus in the Rainforest
2/3 Plays:
- There's No Place Like Oakland - a original musical about the history of Oakland
- The Poetry Café - a family evening of poetry sharing, recitations and artistic exchange
4/5 Plays:
- T is for Trouble - an original musical about the Boston Tea Party
- What's the Rush - an original musical about the California Gold Rush
A parent of an Aurora graduate now entering Columbia University described her son's fondest memory while attending the School:
"He loved being in the school plays. He really liked performing in the production, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "The Wiz". It was a lot of work, but it was very meaningful for him. It's so very true, there's something about theater that brings in all types of learning. You have to work together as a team, memorize lines, be organized... Sometimes the plays were written by the students. It's fantastic when the cast can actually project something logical to the audience through the medium of the stage; the whole process is very exciting!"