On stage — and off stage — CMS students explore theatre

Central Middle School Visual Arts teacher Shelby Anderson stood in the pool of light at the center of the Performing Arts Center stage. “Remember, everyone works hard at this!” she told her small group of students, who had gathered in the otherwise empty space, reminding them of the important role of an audience member. It was the first of three days of student-directed and acted shows put on by members of her eighth-grade Acting and Directing class. That Monday afternoon, the dark, cool auditorium was full of excitement as the first two groups of students performed their pieces: “Me, Myself & Myselfie” and “The Ghosts of Pineville.” As much as Anderson looked forward to the performances themselves, she was also excited to watch her students watch their peers: In the world of theatre, laughing, clapping and encouraging others were just as important as being in the spotlight.

“I work with students to build skills in inquiry, growth and authenticity,” Anderson said of the class. “With inquiry, I hope for them to develop thinking through the process of making their monologues and scenes, as well as helping other students through helpful and mindful critiques. With growth, I hope to see students show mindful progression in their journey while they are learning. And lastly, with authenticity, I want to see students not only show their true selves but also a genuine character as they perform.” The performances that afternoon were an opportunity for her students to exhibit the skills they’d been practicing.

“It’s cool to see over time how classes are improving our acting,” said eighth grader Hattie Farm, who first started taking theatre classes in sixth grade. Since that time, Hattie has developed her “inner acting voice” more thoroughly and been able to get in touch with different emotions as she performs. Eighth grader Charlotte Wilson also worked hard to channel that “inner voice” during her part in “The Ghosts of Pineville” as she played a nervous, but determined, investigator searching a haunted house. “There was a lot of practice,” she admitted.

For Charlotte and Hattie, acting classes at CMS were their first steps onto the stage. Two other students started their theatre journeys by jumping right into a full-scale theatre production! Eighth graders Sonakshi Dwivedi and Sreeram Pabbathi were now starring in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” CMS’s fall theater production, playing November 20-22. “It’s an interesting role,” Sonakshi said of playing the Witch. “The character is constantly changing her tone and actions.” Sreeram was playing the Lion, and was looking forward to it: “Getting to be on stage and seeing all of my friends in the audience” got him most excited..

Whether onstage, backstage or out in the audience, the four students agreed that friends were everywhere when it came to theatre. “It’s a really fun experience,” Sreeram said. They had learned skills like projecting their voices and expressing emotions through body language, but there was so much more to the art form, including the welcoming community that surrounded it. “I was most excited to see my students working together,” Anderson said of the performances. “Many students are used to working with certain people, so it was fun to see them out of the box in a new normal.” Ultimately, it was working together that helped students become “the best that they could be.”

See some of these students perform Nov. 20-22, 2025 in the CMS production of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"

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