To a bunch of Roosevelt fourth-graders, hyper and jittery are two different emotions.

Both involve jumping, flailing hands and screaming. Only the pitch at which they scream, and the rate at which they jump differs.

Going through the emotions - like happy, sad and mad - was part of the dramatic training Roosevelt students received under the direction of Cory Wardner. Dakota Stage is presenting workshops and directing a student production of "Beauty and the Beast" as part of a North Dakota Council on the Arts grant.

Each grade is working with Wardner during school and after school the student cast is rehearsing with Amanda Irvine and Shireen Ghorbani at Dakota Stage. The play will be performed Friday.

"You get to express yourself doing different voices," Connor Hellman said.

The class sounded like human slide whistles as they "ahhed" their voices higher and lower. Wardner tried to show them they could get their normal voice from their throat, a higher pitch from their nasal area and a low pitch in their chest.

They used finger puppets and nursery rhymes to practice different voices and short skits to practice using non-verbal expression. Every student had a chance to try out different voices and make-believe they were someone else.

"You get to pretend you're in those people's shoes," Amber Jordan said. "It feels so good."

She used an old man voice when telling a nursery rhyme and acted as an excited grandmother in a short skit.

The skills they learn this week could serve them well later in life, Wardner said.

"They can be comfortable speaking in public," he said. "They are skills they learn and will use all their life."

He tells the students a story about a firefighter who is scared to go into burning buildings, but doesn't show it by acting brave, he said. He tells them that is one example of how people use acting every day.

There are 58 students in the play. Limited general admission tickets will be available at the door for the 7 p.m. Friday show at Dakota Stage. Tickets cannot be reserved. Tickets are $5 per person for non-Roosevelt families. There will be a 10 a.m. performance for the school and a 2 p.m. performance for Roosevelt families on Friday at Dakota Stage.

The students liked having the people from Dakota Stage working with them at the school.

"It means so much," Amber said. "It shows what I want to be."

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)