Under the guidance of our experienced theater faculty, students have a big hand in everything from set building to adapting a script to lighting the stage. Some children act, dance, or sing. Others design costumes or stage sets. Several choose to join the stage crew. Everyone who wants to participate finds a role. All students have the opportunity to create, play, and perform in the WallyPAC, our state-of-the-art performing arts center.
In our performing arts curriculum (introductory theater and music classes for the younger grades and advanced electives for the older grades), children discover and refine numerous talents. Students also develop key strengths through the performing arts. Writing a monologue or practicing an instrument requires determination, and performing in front of one’s peers builds confidence.
Music plays a key role at NCS, and children are encouraged to set and reach musical goals. Younger students take several introductory classes: singing, sight-reading, ear training, and music theory. Older students have their choice of electives: chorus, band, songwriting, audio production, and music theory. Additionally, private lessons are offered for a wide variety of instruments.
FALL AND SPRING PRODUCTIONS
Every year, students at North Country School put on plays in fall and spring. The productions highlight the wide-ranging creativity, ingenuity, and talent of our students, who work hard to ensure the acting, stage designs, music, and lighting are all top-notch for showtime. Those who choose not to sing, act, or dance can help design original sets and costumes, perform instrumental music, or oversee lighting, sound, and effects.
Fall productions are showcased the week before Thanksgiving during Family Weekend. The main fall production stems from children’s work in the Impact! theater class, in which they write and produce a play.
The spring performance is a decades-long tradition that brings together our student community for a collaborative capstone event that features our children’s talents. For many students, this play is a much-anticipated opportunity to be part of a musical production and employ the techniques they have been practicing in their performing arts classes.