Wind in the Willows
performed by Excelsior Academy
By Rachel Haynie

Kathy Aluri, Lily Aluria, Christian Klott, Davi Robles and Rebecca Robles put finishing touches on props just in time for Excelsior Academy's dress rehearsal for Wind in the Willows.

Excelsior Academy's drama teacher, also the artistic director of Absolute Theatre Company in Irmo, did not even choose what play home- schooled students would tackle until after she had seem them audition. "When I saw what kind of talent we had, I chose Wind in the Willows , Kenneth Grahame's 1908 classic. I adapted it for these students and, believe me, this was no children's play," Brighton said. "These kids performed it as a serious piece of literature."

The cast of Wind and the Willows were all Excelsior Academy students. Home- schooled other days of the week, students converge on shared educational space at Park Street Baptist Church on Tuesdays to immerse themselves in various aspects of fine arts.

The school's fine art teacher Sonia Neale said some of the talent she saw and cultivated during art classes was amplified by work on huge stage sets.

Brighton, who got the production off to a head start by lending Absolute Theatre sets and props, said students got help from parents, too. "Parents were involved in many aspects of the staging, from costume construction to set preparations," said the director who brought her professional experience with the Disney enterprise home to the Midlands a few years ago when her own parents were facing transitions.

"All the props moved and had multiple uses," Brighton explained, making physics and logistics lessons learned along with drama, literature, and oratory.

Problem solving was inherent in the learning experience. "One student, with her mother's help, stuffed the tail of Ratty's costume with millet so it would move naturally while she was on stage."

Choosing a classic piece of literature made the project a good fit with students' class work. The initiative was part of their course work, so they were able to earn credit for their involvement. The production was extra curricular in that rehearsals and other preparations were scheduled for non- academic hours.

By affording home- schooled students an opportunity to work with a professional director, Excelsior Academy enriched students' academic experience.

Performances were held in Forum Theatre on the South Carolina Mental Health campus. For information about Excelsior Academy, call Diane Stevenson, director, at 803-748-9230.