As we prepare to enter our 10th anniversary season of APR theatre, I've been reflecting on where we started and how far we've come in just nine years. I came to APR entrusted by Spencer Blasdale and Piel Hollingsworth to start a theatre program. What began with teaching middle school drama classes during the day and a handful of dramatic high school students after school has blossomed into something amazing. We started with an empty small cafeteria and roughly 15 students who wanted to put together some simple productions, which is how The Dining Room came to be, with a borrowed table and china cabinet and some rented portable stage lights. Within 2 years, we founded our own HS Thespian Troupe with just a few members and started a winter tradition of student directors experimenting with writing and directing one act productions. In 2008, we made our next big leap by purchasing our own portable stage, curtains, and expanding our lighting system to accommodate our new shared performance space in a new Multipurpose Room (a.k.a. the "Great Room"). And as we moved into our 2009-10 season, we launched our next expansion of our theatre program offerings with Zoom Into Productions by Students (ZIPS) allowing our HS Thespians an opportunity to have complete creative control in their own spring productions.
Who would have believed that a small charter public school in Hyde Park, MA could come so far in so little time. I find myself standing in awe and so proud of what we, together as a school community, have built and where we are going in the years to come.
Many thanks to everyone, current students & families, alumni, and our adoring fans at APR!
It sounds like you're really committed to the theater! I'd love to see one of your shows! Your blog looks great. I love the color scheme and background. It reminds me of lights on a stage!
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