About 40 students from Milam Magnet Elementary School fell down the rabbit hole for the 10th time Tuesday in a production of Alice in Wonderland Jr.
Performances are being held through Thursday in the auditorium of neighboring Blackshear Magnet Elementary. The production is directed by Michelle Keast, musical director at Milam.
Milam Principal Natalie Fitzgerald said there will be 13 performances and Tuesday’s was No. 10. There will be two more Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and one more at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
Fitzgerald said there are about 40 third, fourth and fifth-grade students in the cast. She added that they auditioned for the parts.
She said they don’t have a stage or auditorium at Milam, so they’ve been performing at Blackshear. Students from elementary schools across Ector County ISD are attending. For some, this was their first bus ride due to COVID and the first time they had seen a live theatrical performance.
Fitzgerald said the production is amazing.
“They did a great job,” she said.
The choreographer and director are currently both out on maternity leave. Fitzgerald said her musical director and the rest of the fine arts staff really stepped up.
Keast said they chose Alice in Wonderland Jr., even before COVID started. The junior designation means it’s shorter than the full version at about an hour.
“… We had it chosen way in the day. We just love the story. We just love the idea of Alice and it kind of coincided with what they were doing with the art museum, as well, so it kind of worked together …,” Keast said.
Students weren’t really familiar with the story, so Keast said she talked to them about it, read books in class and showed videos for them.
“And now they know the story very, very well,” Keast said.
Like Fitzgerald, she said the students have done a great job.
“… Since this is our first time in two years doing a show, we have started from scratch, I feel, but the kids have picked it up very fast. We have three kids that have done a show before. Every other kid is brand- new to theater and … they have done phenomenal on being able to do 13 shows. They’ve really stepped up for us,” Keast added.
They have been working on the production since October. She said she has a team of fine arts teachers that have helped manage the actors.
“We come in and we work together as a team,” Keast said. “My art teacher is a piano teacher and drama teacher. They all come in; we work together to make sure the kids are where they’re supposed to be … Everyone has a job …”
“I love for them to get exposed to the arts. I love them just to get a love of what we do. I love for them to get to see what we are at Milam and see everything that we have here,” Keast said.
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