This year, the fourth graders performed in A Night at the Art Museum: a Musical Mystery. This original play, created by one of our Lower School Drama teachers, brings a bus load of school children into an art museum for a special sleepover field trip. Along the way, the students learn to “take a journey deep into a painting,” as they mingle with masterworks from such artists as Georgia O’Keeffe, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, among others. The spirits of these artists also pay a magical visit as they love to see the look in children’s eyes as they first encounter their paintings. In the midst of exploring the artwork, the students stumble upon a real mystery when a spooky, cloaked figure enters and steals Edvard Munch’s piece, The Scream. The children in the show play a pivotal role in capturing the thief and restoring order in the museum.
In the fourth grade musical, every student plays a significant role. There are no tryouts, but rather a drawing to choose roles, and it is the responsibility of the whole cast to support each actor in doing his or her very best. The material is compelling and challenging, and through this process, so many students uncover hidden talents. This year, students were heard celebrating the way one of their classmates ad-libbed brilliantly to stall when one of the songs didn’t get started on time. Once again, the fourth grade students succeeded in impressing their families, former teachers, and all of the younger students at MICDS.
