01907_Summer_2019 WEB

SUMMER 2019 | 25
It ends with a production, between
45 minutes and an hour, that'll be
put on at the high school auditorium.
This year, it'll be an adaptation of
"Seussical," the musical based on
material by Theodor Seuss Geisel,
better known as "Dr. Seuss."
Pearse is the high school's director of
fine arts, choral director, drama advisor
and music teacher.
He believes the summer workshop
goes beyond teaching kids from grades 3
through 9 the ins and outs of theater.
"It's a way for kids to learn everyday
skills," he says. "In school, especially
as you go along, you need presentation
skills. I think our kids who have gone
through our program have an advantage
in these situations.
"Also," Pearse said, "you see some
kids develop a sense of confidence, and of
being self-assured."
The workshop, which Pearse conducts
with the help of Kathryn Thomas, head
of the Swampscott English Department,
focuses on singing, acting and dancing.
Most of the children who take part are
Swampscott residents. Members of the
current high school drama club also help
coach the kids.
"The thing that's really nice about this
is we catch kids who are young and in a
lot of cases they stay with us all the way
through," he said. "It's a great way to get
them started."
The result is that "I think we are
recognized in town for having a good
program," Pearse said. "I think for the
size of the school, we have an amazing
program. This is largely thanks to the
students themselves. They've been
amazing. The teachers too. They are
fantastic."
Pearse picks his shows based on what
they're about, and how much fun they
will be for the performers. And he feels
he can't go wrong with "Seussical," and
Dr. Seuss.
"It offers different things for people
to do," he said, "and it gets everyone
involved. We have kids who are just
happy to be on stage doing something.
For a lot of kids, maybe this is the first
show they've ever been in. So they're
happy just to be up there."
"Seussical" is built around "Horton
Hears a Who," one of Seuss's
many children's stories. However, it
incorporates themes from several others,
including "The Cat in the Hat" and
"Green Eggs and Ham."
The workshop began 19 years ago
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