Oct 09, 2008 - 04:06:00 CDT
Fourth-grader Emily Mizell struts onto stage with a red feather boa.Roosters have feathers, after all.
Her classmates make up an assortment of insects, weeds and other aspects of the heavens and Earth. They hamper the progress of a pair of mischievous girls on the lookout for a watermelon. Hence, the Roosevelt Elementary School fourth-grade play, "Watermelon Belly." The class performs the play at 7 tonight at Horizon Middle School.
The play is one of five short plays presented by the different grades that have a food theme.
"They're all about food, getting food or getting eaten," said Karen Van Fossan. The latter is about a hungry dragon.
Van Fossan is part of the Dragon Jane Theater Company. She and other members of the company are working with the Roosevelt students as part of a North Dakota Council for the Arts grant that brings drama to schools. The plays come from a selection of plays written by Van Fossan.
The students help decide the choreography, and can add lines. They're also responsible for making costumes. The antennae of the cockroaches, for instance, look remarkably like reindeer antlers.
"It's fun," said Emily. She and her friend Megan Griffin practice their parts together at lunch. Megan is part of the river.
"I just like being in a play," Megan said.
In addition to students, the teachers, principal and some parents are in on the act.
(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@bismarcktribune.com.)
Comments are reviewed for taste, tone and language before posting.
Some comments may be used in the Tribune's print edition.
We value and respect your privacy, but The Bismarck Tribune might
disclose certain information to governmental entities if served with subpoena.