Mr. Shapiro: Hey, Ms. E! What’s the Operetta this year?

Ms. Ehrlich: Thanks for asking! This year, the Operetta is a mashup of "Wicked" and "The Wizard of Oz." The students really wanted to stage the latter, and I added in "Wicked" for three reasons: 1) it made it more interesting by bringing the story into the 21st century (Wizard feels a little dated at this point); 2) while there are actually a lot of parts in Wizard, there are actually very few solo songs, and we wanted to give more people opportunities to shine; and 3) by adding Wicked we invite students to think critically about the roles we play in the stories we tell. By doing both, they are tasked with examining what finding “home” really means and why it’s necessary to challenge the narratives with which we are presented.

Mr. Shapiro: That idea of considering what “home” means sounds like it might tie into learning from other classes.

Ms. Ehrlich: Yes! It’s the theme of their term papers for your writing class. It was a point of discussion in Ms. Steele’s Reading class when they participated in book clubs around the stories of various refugee experiences; and the whole inspiration for many of the Nesharim (Eagles) classes that seventh and eighth graders take, specifically Zionism with Ms. Bernstein and Science and Torah, Madah, and Chesed with Mr. Sosa.

Ms. Shapiro: What have the eighth graders been doing of late to prepare for the Operetta?

Ms. Ehrlich: They are expending a lot of energy around learning lines and understanding their characters’ relationships with each other, props and costumes are being created, students have conceptualized set pieces and are hard at work building and painting them, and the publicity and dramaturgy teams are encapsulating the cast’s take on the meaning of the play for student and parents audiences.

Mr. Shapiro: Sounds like quite an undertaking. I bet the Operetta is going to be incredible.

Ms. Ehrlich: You bet! Everyone should get excited about seeing it the week of April 8. You are strongly encouraged to come in costume!