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Drexel Hill Middle School showcases 'Beauty and the Beast Jr.' and student-led theater tech
Summary
Principal Jill Palladino highlighted a 72-student production and praised student technical leadership, including a student lighting director who learned the lighting board; the program presented tokens of appreciation to board members.
Drexel Hill Middle School presented its theater program to the Upper Darby School District board on May 13, celebrating a spring production of Beauty and the Beast Junior that involved 72 students in grades six through eight, Principal Jill Palladino said.
"This year, 72 students in grades 6 through 8, ranging in all abilities, brought this to the stage a tale as old as time," Palladino said, describing the cast’s work and the program’s inclusiveness. She told the board the production drew strong family interest and that tech week — the multi‑day period of extended rehearsals for lights and sound — helped students see how a stage production comes together.
Students and staff described hands‑on learning in both performance and technical roles. A student who identified herself as Gwen learned to operate the lighting board and said she initially joined crew because she did not sing or dance. "I wanted to help out with the musical, but I didn't have singing or dancing ability. So, I decided to do crew, and I thought lights sounded neat," Gwen said. Other students described long rehearsal runs, costume changes and the fast pace of tech week as opportunities to develop staging, timing and collaboration.
Palladino noted the theater upgrades and thanked the board; student cast members presented small tokens of appreciation to board members and offered a production‑designed rose and shirts to the directors. "As a special thank you to our school board members for our new and vastly improved theater that our performers deserve, we have small tokens of appreciation for you," Palladino said. She asked the public to follow the program on social media at DHMS.theater and referenced next year’s production as "pending approval tonight."
The presentation emphasized the program’s role in building student confidence and technical skills in lighting, sound and stage management. No formal board action on the theater program was recorded at the May 13 meeting.
