Students from the Klamath Union High School and Eagle Ridge New Tech High School Theater brought stories to life Friday afternoon during a special performance at Conger Elementary School, giving students an energetic introduction to live theater.
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The theater group includes 19 Klamath Union students and five Eagle Ridge New Tech students.
Together, the KU/ERNTHS drama class presented a reader’s theater-style performance featuring familiar fairy tale pieces, including The Little Piggies, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, The Lion and the Mouse, Hansel and Gretel, and The Billy Goats Gruff, using expressive voices, movement, and humor to engage their elementary audience.
“You never really know what little kids are going to say or how they’re going to react,” theater instructor Jackie Lancaster said. “That can make students nervous, but it’s also a great learning experience. Performing for a live audience teaches them things you just can’t replicate.”
Lancaster explained the group practiced for several weeks before beginning performances, but spacing between rehearsals challenged students to quickly refocus and project their voices without microphones.
“It’s tough for students to understand how much work goes into getting to the point where you really feel confident on stage,” Lancaster said. “Some students have very strong projection, and others are still developing that skill. Performing in different spaces helps them recognize how sound travels and how they need to adjust.”
Following the performance, students reflected on how the show went, celebrating successes while identifying areas for growth. Several students noted how responsive the elementary audience was, something they hadn’t fully expected.
“I was kind of scared at first,” one student shared. “I thought the kids might just stare at us, but they actually reacted and laughed”
At the same time, the theater students acknowledged areas they want to improve before their next showcase, including stronger memorization and tighter pacing. Klamath Union and Eagle Ridge New Tech Theater will have a chance to perform in front of family and friends in its Theater Showcase starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, January 22 at the James Ivory Arts Center.
“Every performance helps you grow,” Lancaster said. “You take what you learned, refocus, and make the next one even better.”
Lancaster said she is especially pleased with how students from Klamath Union and Eagle Ridge New Tech have come together as one theater group. While bringing the two schools together took some initial coordination, she said the students are now connected and supporting one another on stage.
“It took a little bit of coordination in my mind at first to join the two schools, but now they’re really connected,” Lancaster said. “The students fed off each other’s energy. Today, they learned new things such as waiting until there is room to give their next line after an audience laughs or cheers. Sebastian did a great job with his expressions, and students like Silas, Draven and Danny really projected well. I was proud of all of them today.”
