On April 10, the community at Garden City Elementary School was treated to a special performance as the students in the after school theater program showcased a theatrical show they created themselves.

The show also served as a dress rehearsal before an evening performance that would be taking place on the stage at Hope Highlands Middle School later that day.

Principal Bryan Byerlee welcomed the audience members to the performance and shared that there had been several after school programs taking place in addition to the theater program, including dance, and martial arts for example.

Jordan Butterfield, Trinity Rep’s director of education and accessibility, worked with the students in the program and expressed her pride before the performance began.

“These students have had 12 rehearsals only,” she said. “They wrote the play five rehearsals in and it was their original idea that they voted on. They created all of the characters and set the scenes.”

She went on to ask the audience to use their imaginations as they watched the show, and to picture a museum with a variety of rooms inside – an enchanted room with an enchanted princess, a room filled with wax figures, and a room that was haunted and contained zombies and dolls.

“They have worked very hard on this and only got their scripts a few weeks ago,” Butterfield said.

“Night at the Living Museum” featured statues coming to life and spells being cast as two siblings sneak off and visit the museum, with several near-miss run-ins with security along the way.

Following a round of applause for the actors and actresses and a full-cast bow, Byerlee took to the stage again with a special announcement.

Byerlee said the school’s Family Engagement Network, or FEN, had purchased Garden City Bulldog T-shirts for every student that would be worn as a sign of community spirit in the coming days.

“It’s one thing we can do to celebrate what a special group we are,” he said.