by Jerry Berebitsky and Lori Lively
Charles Dickens’ classic play, A Christmas Carol, will be performed by 8th grade students from the Olympia Waldorf School (OWS) on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 8 and 9. Through a unique partnership between OWS and The Evergreen State College (TESC), the play will be performed at The Evergreen State College (TESC).
Theatrical endeavors like A Christmas Carol are an integral part of the curriculum in Waldorf schools, as are painting, singing, movement, handwork and orchestra. Every year, each class — from first to eighth grade — rehearses and performs a play appropriate to their age and abilities. Early grades typically enact a short fable or folk tale, and productions become increasingly complex as students move into upper grades.
Cast members from Waldorf include Leif Syversen as “Scrooge,” Ziya Maherali as “Bob Cratchet,” Ruby Davies as “Tiny Tim,” and Clio Morbello as “Mrs. Cratchet.”
“The students are really excited,” Sweekriti Apple, and eighth grade teacher at Waldorf said. “It’s their last year, and they want to give it their best.”
On Friday afternoon, Dec. 8, students will perform the play for students from the Wa He Lut Indian school. The performance is part of an ongoing relationship between the Wa He Lut School and OWS, which began when OWS students were invited to attend Wa He Lut’s first Salmon Ceremony. All other performances are open to the public. The play is donation-based, and funds collected will help support the eighth grade’s graduation field trip to Washington, D.C.
WHAT A Christmas Carol
WHEN 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7;
2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8
WHERE The Evergreen State College
COM Building: Experimental Theatre
2700 Evergreen Pkwy. NW, Olympia
LEARN MORE Olympiawaldorf.org