Eisenhower Intermediate School

The curtain was raised during the autumn at the Eisenhower Intermediate School.

It was during the start of the new school year when students took to the stage to compete for parts in the Eisenhower Intermediate School Drama Club’s production of Alice in Wonderland Jr. 

Flip the calendar to April and over 50 students combined from the 5th and 6th Grades at Eisenhower will take center stage–and backstage, too–to present  Alice in Wonderland Jr. on Wednesday, April 9, and Thursday, April 10, in the school’s gymnasium. The show will start at 7 p.m. each day.

The three advisors of the Eisenhower Drama Club and the directors of the show—-Kristin Sarboukh, Madison Kaminsky and Jessica Reynolds—reported on the process that was launched months ago.

“In the fall, students went through an audition process to give them an idea of what auditioning for a show is like. They were asked to sing a song of their choice from a selected few, perform a short choreographed dance, and read sides that included a role they were interested in. Select students then participated in a callback where they were asked to read, sing, and dance again to solidify roles,” Ms. Sarboukh, Ms. Kaminsky and Ms. Reynolds stated.

 They revealed that “the cast began rehearsing in late December every Tuesday and Thursday under their three advisors.”

The three advisors explained the timeline and the valuable experience that the students picked up.

“They learned the ins and outs of theatre from stage directions and terms to what “tech week” is. Over the course of a little over three months, they rehearsed, memorized, blocked, sang, danced, and everything in between.”

 “As of last year, Eisenhower also added a stage crew and this year, we have eleven students that make up our crew to help with the show. Some of their responsibilities included painting the set, creating props, organizing scene changes during performances, helping the cast with any costume changes, and anything else that goes on "behind the scenes.”

 One student who enjoyed the entire process is Alyssa Barnhart, a 5th Grader who is playing the role of the lead character, Alice.

“I like it a lot being the lead character,’’ Alyssa responded during a rehearsal on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 1, in the gymnasium. “I was a little nervous at the start but I feel much better.”

She was not acting when she added:

“I'm having fun, too.”

Ms. Sarboukh, Ms. Kaminsky and Ms. Reynolds believe that all of the tireless preparation over the course of months will be rewarded on stage during the evenings of April 9 and 10.

“With the help of both teacher and parent volunteers, all of this hard work will culminate in a spectacular performance the students will never forget!” 

Below are the names of the students in the cast and the stage crew and their roles in the Eisenhower Intermediate School Drama Club’s production of Alice in Wonderland Jr.