Every year the CMS chorus puts on a play; which is led by chorus teacher, Mrs. Castner. Since the 3 years that I have been a student at Couch, the chorus has successfully put on Annie Jr., The Suessical (a Dr. Suess musical). However, the chorus’ production of Lion King Jr. was the best performance I have seen CMS put on. The performance showcased not only Couch’s great voices, but also their choreography, costumes, and ability to work as whole.
While I attended the performance I was able to talk with some of the performers/ classmates and got in-site on what all took place behind the scenes. To begin, the chorus started preparing for the play since November of last fall. Each student would arrive bright and early at 7:30 until school began, which is 9:00. Not to mention the practices they attended after school, which was from 4:00 to 6:00. This is a huge commitment considering many of us have after school activities and attend early morning clubs or meetings.
While at the performance I had asked some of the performers what was their favorite performance that they have participated in with the CMS chorus. No surprise, they all agreed on the Lion King Jr. being their favorite. Which led me to ask what was their favorite part about the play. Sara Brown who played a hyena and Kai Pope who played a bird said that they loved choreography and the costumes. Rayne Jones, who played a lead role as Simba, really enjoyed the choreography and the music of the play. Many members of the chorus agreed that the music was more upbeat and fun to sing to.
I think the reason why not only the play, but the chorus preforms so well and is successful is due to the fact of our school being so cohesive. Each person and part came together like pieces of a puzzle. For example, the art department at Couch, which is taught by Ms. Dopson, created parts of the costumes and props used for Lion King Jr. I had asked some of the 6th grade students at our school what they did to contribute to play. As for the 6th grade art students, they created the parts to the hyena’s costumes and added details to some of the props and costumes to give it more of a realistic effect, such as faux fur.
You are probably still thinking that this was your typical middle school play, however it really was much more than that. Not only have I seen the Couch Middle School production of the Lion King, but I have also seen the Broadway production of the Lion King. And I have to say, Lion King Jr. really did live up to my expectations. Both plays showcased authenticity, which really brought each performance to life.
Watching my classmates preform as we were all approaching the end of our middle school career led me to think of how far we had all come. Realizing how capable we are of taking on leads not only in a play, but in our own lives. Now, I’m not saying we are ready to go live on our own, but Couch Middle School has allowed us to continue to grow into the students we will soon become at Grayson High School. I highly recommend seeing Couch Middle School’s performance next year!
*** You can now start communicating with What Goes Around… now!! Any comments, suggestions, and/or questions, email What Goes Around at: Whatgoesaroundcitizen@gmail.com. Soraya Bagheri is an up and coming freshman at Grayson High School.
