A Theatrical Production Draws on the Collective Talents at Drew Charter School
Atlanta school uses book of the month as inspiration for a musical
The Charles R Drew WHAMD department recently used one of the school's books of the month, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe as the inspiration for a musical production.
The musical was written by Drew's drama teacher Ms. Iris Goode-Edmund, and the score was created by music teacher, Rick Turnbow. The choreography was created by dance teacher, Tambra Harris, and the set was designed by art teachers, Ms. Jennifer Mack and Ms. Beth Ensign.
The rest of the WHAMD department teachers, Ms. Maddox, Ms. Fisher, Ms. Ellis, Mr. Holloway and Ms. Duginske all assisted to make the production a successful event.
The beautiful set was created by students from Drew's primary academy. Students in the elementary academy
raised their voices as ensemble singers for the production. The junior academy supplied the wonderful singer/actor/dancers
for the lead and supporting roles. Students from the elementary and junior academies all worked to create the
more than one hundred costumes used in the show. Classroom teachers read the book to their students and used it as the basis of their social studies and literacy lessons, analyzing the concepts explored in the book. Students wrote reviews reflecting on the play and what they learned from it. The entire school community assisted in making the literacy building through the arts project an overwhelming hit.
