David A. Boody
Intermediate School for Magnet Studies (I.S. 228) staged its award-winning,
anti-bullying musical “Dragonslayer” for a second season. Students performed
the musical five times so far this spring.
At
the April 14 season premiere for parents and the public in the auditorium of
the Gravesend school, the cast of 18 sang, danced, argued, fought and
ultimately came together in their roles as bullies, nerds, gossips and popular
kids. The musical, created by Boody students and staff last year and refined
this year, touches on such contemporary topics as bullying, cyber-bullying,
gossip and peer pressure.
Based
on the Dragonslayer myth used in the Council for Unity’s initiation ceremony,
the play revolves around a digital dragon that commandeers a high-tech New York
school’s computer system and demands more computer power so it can take over
the city. The dragon kidnaps the school’s newscaster and a reluctant nerd must
rise to the occasion to become the dragon slayer. The play ends with students realizing
that they all played a role in creating the “dragon,” which turns out to have
been the work of a student who felt mistreated and ignored by her peers.
“The
play built a whole lot of confidence in the cast,” said Trey Rollins, who
portrayed the Dragonslayer. “Now we know that whenever a problem comes up, all
we’ve got to do is ‘slay the dragon.’” Trey is the recipient of the 2010
AUDELCO “Rising Star” Award.
Stanley
Chow portrayed a bully in the production and said the play was fun and carried
a powerful message. “The message is very important – people have to stick
together and work together in life,” he said.
Both
Stanley and Trey are eighth graders who will attend LaGuardia High School in
Manhattan next year.
In
addition to the main performance for the public, the musical was staged for
four District 21 elementary schools whose students will attend Boody for middle
school.
The
musical was created by faculty and students in conjunction with the Council for
Unity. CFU Founder Robert J. De Sena calls the musical “a contemporary
interpretation of a profound myth.” Last year, the CFU presented the musical
with numerous awards. Mr. De Sena said several schools with CFU chapters hope
to see the play this year.
The
CFU will highlight the anti-bullying campaign led by Principal Dominick A. D’Angelo at I.S. 228 during the
council’s Champions for Children Annual Gala May 4 at the Harvard Club.
This
year, the Dragonslayer production was co-directed by Cynthia Kostylo, who
directs the school’s vocal magnet, and Ronald Micca, a special education
teacher at I.S.228. Both have
extensive experience on stage in New York City.
Students
from the art, vocal, creative writing, dance, band, strings, computer, and
digital photography magnets also contributed to the play.
“This
remarkable musical demonstrates what can happen when you put talented
students in front of great teachers,” said Mr. D’Angelo. “When you’re watching
the play, it’s hard to believe that such a professional
production is being staged by middle school students." Mr.
D’Angelo said the musical is a key part of I.S. 228’s anti-bullying efforts. He said the school will make the script available to other schools that want to
use it.
