Students at West Manor Elementary School Perform in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

A cast of sixty-four students from West Manor Elementary School, a southwest Atlanta Public School, will present their first Shakespearean production – A Midsummer Night’s Dream.   The performance will take place on Thursday, November 29 at 10:00 a.m. at West Manor School located at 570 Lynhurst Dr. SW; Atlanta, GA.  On Friday, November 30, the production will move to Benjamin E. Mays High School Auditorium, 3450 Benjamin E. Mays Drive, at 7:30 p.m., giving the Atlanta community a chance to see the students perform.    The one-act production will be the traditional Elizabethan script interspersed with modern-day dialog and commentary, set in Athens, Greece.

Sponsored by the West Manor PTA, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is under the direction of Allen O’Reilly, the education director of the Georgia Shakespeare Theatre Company.  Students from Oglethorpe University are working with the eight-week Shakespeare study project and rehearsing the students for the performance.

“The purpose of the Shakespeare residence at West Manor is to build appreciation and awareness of the arts and introduce our students to the works of one of most renowned poets and playwrights of all times,” said Pamela Williams-Phelps, president of the PTA.  “We hope to attract as many people as possible from the surrounding neighborhoods to come and see the play and to learn more about what’s going on at West Manor; and we want to encourage other schools to bring their students in order to expose more young people to Shakespeare,” Williams-Phelps added.

The Shakespearean Residency, which includes the performance, is being funded by the PTA.  Funds raised from the ticket sales and other concessions, will be used to pay the $2,000 plus cost for the production.  The dress rehearsal on Thursday (at 10:00 a.m.) is free for West Manor students and staff; tickets for Friday evening are $5.00 for students and adults.  Tickets can be purchased in advance at Capitol City Bank & Trust Company, Cascade Branch offices, at the November 13th PTA meeting, at the West Manor School office, and at the door.  Call 404-668-9524 for more information.

About West Manor Elementary School

West Manor Elementary School has an enrollment of 350 students, offers a rigorous schedule of core subjects complemented by Spanish at all grade levels, and consistently makes AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress).  Extracurricular activities include chess, karate, dance, band and robotics.  Dr. Reginald Lawrence is the principal.