Twenty students were involved in our New School Showtime production, From Dio to Dawn. This was a script inspired by Euripides’ play, The Bacchae. However, ours was set in 1994 during the height of the rave culture which gave us great theatrical leeway in staging and costuming (and they liked the music). We read several plays before deciding that we would develop a new script.

The play itself was structured like a Greek tragedy: Dio (Dionysius) was the lead singer for the band, Mayhem, and the band took the place of the traditional chorus. Pentheus, the other lead character, was modeled after Donald Trump, a man who finds himself in a position of power, but doesn’t know how best to wield it. This play had quite a bit of comedy (unlike the original). One aspect we found especially satisfying was that the play crossed gender lines. Dio, a male character, was played by a female as were all the male members of Pentheus’ cabinet. The women playing these roles found it wildly satisfying.

Students acted and helped produce the play by designing the posters, programs, costumes, and tickets. Acting together in a play, helped students develop their cooperative and teamwork skills. Moreover, they gained self-confidence as they rose to the challenge they were given. The fact that they were all directly involved in the play enriched their classroom experience. They all said they felt more at ease when speaking in front of people and were thrilled with having had the opportunity to “perform,” to have stepped outside their comfort zone and created a character. The students’ first-hand experience in putting on a play helped them develop their creative skills and gave them an opportunity to put their talents into use. Being actively involved in all aspects of the production helped them develop their executive skills and inspire their desire to start projects on their own. They fell in love with themselves.