Most of the students from GMUHS can say that they know the classic story of the patriot, Benedict Arnold. In eighth grade, students work together to put on a production under the direction of middle school teachers Mr. Merrill and Mr. Hill. The play has been an annual tradition for years. Students study the American Revolution and read the book The Notorious Benedict Arnold written by Steve Sheinkin. From this book, the students then write the play themselves to later perform for their families and friends, as well as any members of the school who would like to watch.
This year, the morning classes read and performed from a different book Guns for General Washington written by Seymour Reit. This was a very entertaining and new story for the crowd to watch. Both productions took about three months to practice and perfect, especially with adding the aspects of lights, sounds, curtains, and costumes. The two groups of students put on successful shows to share the important stories of the American Revolution with the audience.
Guns for General Washington
Guns for General Washington is a book about Will Knox and Colonel Henry Knox who conducted the journey to acquire cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Cambridge. These cannons were vital as they were needed for America so they could successfully defeat the British. The expedition covered three hundred miles and was not expected to be rewarding. However, they succeeded and it became a key event in winning the American Revolution.
The story was brought to life by the actors on the stage, with students embodying the characters of soldiers, officers, and important messengers. The narrator, Old Toby, portrayed by Jada Chase, recalled the revolution and his part in it. Olivia Rebetz played the compelling commander, Henry Knox, and “led the soldiers to victory” on stage. Putting on a production takes time and can be difficult, and the students had another aspect to tackle: writing scenes for the script that accurately followed the book. Olivia said it was “hard to write a whole different story. We couldn’t base it on what we saw from the last year, it had to be a completely different play.” For some people in the audience, it was the first time they had ever heard the story and were happy to experience something new that they had never seen before.
Camp Saratoga
The Notorious Benedict Arnold is about Benedict Arnold, who is arguably one of the greatest heroes or the biggest traitor of the American revolution. He led many important battles at Fort Ticonderoga, Valcour Island, and Saratoga. However, Arnold did not get the respect and recognition that he thought he deserved. He then turned to plot with a British officer, John Andre but became unsuccessful.
Although the story is one of seriousness and sorrows, the production was full of jokes and laughs. The story was narrated by a hilarious camp counselor, Gladiazs, played by Bonnie Crowley with the help of her campers. Philip Malazarte played the complex and challenging role of Benedict Arnold. He didn’t just learn about the revolution in this process, he also expanded upon his acting and had fun getting to know his character. He said, “During plays, you get to see into the minds of all of the characters, you have to speak about them and emulate them… I think [Arnold] was a good man who was misguided by the bad stuff Congress did to him and what other people did to him.” He also noticed how everyone improved in projecting their voices and was happy to watch others grow throughout the experience.
Both Olivia and Philip agreed that putting on the show helped them learn in ways that a simple textbook could not. Olivia claimed that performing “definitely helped teach the story a little better because you are acting it out and performing it. And [while] writing it, you had to make sure that you knew all of the content from the book to write the script.” Not only did the students learn about the American Revolution and about public speaking, but they also put on very successful productions that were entertaining for the audience!
-Rosie Saccardo
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