A Class Act In Middle School Theatre

Middle school theater club isn’t quite like any other club. Most clubs involve some form of structure or goal, but theater club is just fun. You can tell that as soon as you walk in and see small clusters of kids scattered around the room, reading a script, or making up a skit.
Theater club is one of several new clubs that have been added to the middle school this year. They meet every Thursday from the end of school until 4:00. Fifth grade attends every other week, and alternates with sixth through eighth grade. The main activities they do are different improv games and script readings. The students break up into groups, learn a script, and act it out. After they act it out, the other groups critique each skit so that the students can learn how to be more effective the next time they do a scene.
The sponsor for middle school theater club is our new middle school counselor, Mr. Coleman. When asked why he wanted to start a theater club, he said, “I chose to do this club because I did a lot of theater while I was getting my undergrad.” He is involved with the kids, helping with their skits and giving advice to the groups. He also said, “I love to act and to make people laugh, so theater is perfect.”
This club is perfect practice for these kids, because most of them are involved in a play, or speech and debate. They learn techniques to not be afraid of making a fool of themselves in front of a crowd. It’s also great preparation for high school, because they are better equipped for participating in speech and acting in plays. Although it seems like all fun and games, this club is a great new addition to Fair Grove’s roster. This club is a great new addition to Fair Grove’s roster.