June 15, 2007

Laurelwood’s “Good Books” play a hit with parents, friends

By Diego Abeloos
Editor

There was plenty of singing and laughing all around on May 31 as a standing room-only crowd packed the multipurpose room of Laurelwood Elementary School to view the school’s annual production, “Good Books.”

From left: William Nguyen, Alycia Earl, Jenesis Merriman and April Craighead perform in “Good Books” at Laurelwood Elementary School on May 31.

The play, which has been held annually since 2003, featured the story of two children who are transported into a fairytale book world inhabited by a lonely, sweet princess, played by April Craighead, and her grumpy father, the king, played by Anuj Dave.

The play featured numerous jokes and songs, as well as a knight with an endless appetite, played by Briggs Dunford, and a band of rowdy pirates looking to wreak havoc. As has been the case in the past, the 2007 version of “Good Books” was performed by the third grade classes of Ned Zuparko, Ashley Morefield and Sarah Drake.

The play, which mixed comedic elements with a message on the importance of reading and using one’s imagination, was a hit with parents, friends, and school staff members.

“The parents were thrilled,” said Morefield. “The parents really enjoyed seeing their kids in the production and they, as a group, really looked forward to seeing their kids up on stage and seeing them do something they haven’t seen their kids do before.”

All told, said Zuparko, a total of 60 students from the three third grade classes took part in the play, from being onstage to working as a part of the stage crew. The teachers and students began preparing for the play in February. Zuparko noted that the play is flexible for all students, regardless of their personalities.

“It really has a part for everybody,” said Zuparko, who created CDs with the play’s numerous songs for each student to practice in preparing for the production. “If you’re shy and you want to work on the stage crew, you can do that. If you can sing, if you can just act, if you’re just a rowdy pirate, there’s something for everybody.”

Always teachers first, Morefield and Zuparko noted that the play also stresses the importance, and fun, of reading.
“When we first introduced the play to the children, at the third grade level, eight and nine-year-olds don’t necessarily get the overall theme of the play without some direct teaching and some explanation of what is happening in this play,” Morefield said. “But they definitely get the picture in the end and they really can see all the facets of reading.”

That lesson, Zuparko noted, begins as soon as the students begin memorizing their lines for the play.

“It actually becomes almost a reading lesson,” Zuparko said. “We’ll take out our scripts in each class, go through the lines with the kids, and we’ll explain vocabulary, or we’ll explain some of the jokes.”

In addition, Zuparko and Morefield said, the play also teaches the value of teamwork, and the concept that everyone plays an important role in the grand scheme of things.

“I think it’s really important that all the kids have a significant part,” Morefield said. “There are no small parts in this play. Without the pirates, it wouldn’t happen. Without the stage crew, it wouldn’t happen. Without the chorus, it wouldn’t be the same play. I think that’s something really important for the kids to know and that we really work hard on that understanding.”