Some of BMHS' student actors have been spending time off campus bringing live theatre to our partner school students. A four-member cast entertains 7th and 8th graders with a modern adaptation of Everyman, arguably the best known Medieval morality play.
In the play, Everyman is called by Death to give his accounts to the "true judge" and the audience follows his odyssey to discover who he can count on in time of need. A significant work in theatre history, Everyman also has veins in world history, literature, and religious doctrine. But, with modern day references, a nod to pop culture, and audience participation, it is a fun an entertaining experience for today's middle schoolers.
Earlier this month, on March 3, the drama students took their show to Visitation School in Westchester (bottom right). On Thursday, March 20 they performed for the 7th and 8th graders at Nativity School in Torrance (top right). With a short 40-minute run time and the flexibility to adapt to any school environment (classroom, auditorium, or blacktop), Everyman offers a fantastic opportunity for younger students to share in a live theatre production.
In addition to offering a traveling Everyman troupe, Bishop Montgomery's Drama Lab also presents four full-scale productions a year, each with a four-day run in BMHS' own Thomas More Hall blackbox theatre. The productions span all theatre genres from drama, to musical, to classical, to comedy revue, and include the participation of over 120 BMHS students annually. With opportunities for acting, set design, prop-building, costume-making, lighting and sound, Drama Lab provides learning experiences for Bishop students both on the stage and behind it. Bishop's Drama Lab is also home to ComedySportz, an improvisational comedy group that welcomes students of all grades and comedic abilities to practice improv, hone their skills, and have a good laugh. The ComedySportz team competes against other South Bay high school teams throughout the school year.