Theatre

Our Mission

The mission of the Baychester Middle School Theatre Department is to be an all-inclusive program that inspires its participants and audiences to appreciate and understand the arts through quality live productions and educational opportunities.

Musicals

Studies have shown that students with sustained involvement in theatre show substantial improvement in reading-proficiency, self-concept and motivation, and higher levels of empathy for others.  At Baychester, we have witnessed first-hand the confidence that is built, the friendships that are formed, and the passions that are developed within our program. 

2022-2023

There is a proud tradition of theatre at Baychester Middle School! For years, the theatre program has been supporting students’ creativity and imagination through our Spring Musicals and Fall Plays. This past Fall we performed Clue, based on the movie (and board game) and this Spring we are mounting Annie, Jr! The theatre program gives students a platform to explore the possibilities of their imaginations and helps build self confidence through the discovery of their  talents and the fulfillment of creating something with others. 

2021 Concert

We entered the school year still under strict COVID-19 precautions.  For this reason, we opted to perform our 8th annual musical virtually.  "This Is Us: A 10 Year Celebration of Joy, Pursuing Dreams, and Being True to Ourselves" was a cabaret that included songs from all of our favorite Broadway musicals.  By inviting past alumni to participate with our current students, it was the perfect way to celebrate Baychester's tenth year as a school!

2021: Virtual Performance

  • Student enters on the red carpet.
  • Student in black suit poses in front of Baychester backdrop
  • Student in red suit poses with the peace sign in front of Baychester backdrop
  • Student in black suit poses with arms crossed in front of Baychester backdrop
  • Girl in beige plaid dress poses in front of Baychester backdrop
  • Girl in light pink dress poses in front of Baychester backdrop
  • Two staff members pose in front of Baychester Backdrop.
  • Students and staff members pose in front of Baychester backdrop

Legally Blonde

Our 7th annual musical was “Legally Blonde.”

Due to COVID-19 school closures, we never got to present the final production to a live audience.

Despite our disappointment, we rallied together to record a virtual concert, which was shared with our school and families. This production will still go down in Baychester history as another excellent piece of musical theatre. The cast was incredible, the crew worked very hard, and we are so proud of what we accomplished.

“Theatre doesn’t last. Only in people’s memories and in their hearts. That’s the beauty and sadness of it. But that’s life. Beauty and sadness. And that is why theatre is life.”

2020: Legally Blonde

  • Students in virtual screen boxes in a sorority house
  • Students in virtual screen boxes in a clothing store
  • Two students in virtual screen boxes in front in a fancy restaurant
  • Students in virtual screen boxes in front of a split-screen background of a beach and sorority house
  • Students singing in virtual screen boxes in a nice house
  • Thirteen students singing in virtual screen boxes in a nice house
  • Students singing in virtual screen boxes in front of a split-screen of a nice house and a gym
  • Students displayed in virtual screen boxes in a hair salon
  • Students singing in virtual screen boxes in a hair salon
  • American flag salute in a hair salon

2019: The Lion King

  • Actor reaching hands up
  • Lifting up baby Simba
  • Green light overlay on scene
  • Green overlay on dance scene
  • Actors gathered onstage
  • Scene with actors on stairs
  • Scene with actors dancing on colorful stage
  • Actor singing with hands up in the air
  • Students with lion masks over heads
  • Actor as lion onstage

2018: Hairspray

  • Student with bowtie
  • Student posing with white shirt
  • Student in light blue sweater jumping
  • Student in yellow cardigan in front of Hairspray background
  • Student in yellow outfit with hands framing face
  • Actor in tulle skirt twirling
  • Student tilted to the side in front of Hairspray background
  • Student posing in front of Hairspray background
  • Actor with suspenders
  • Actor in front of red light posing
  • Student in green shirt jumping
  • Actor in khaki pants jumping up in the air
  • Three actors in blue dresses posing with one another
  • Student posing against show backdrop
  • Student pointing to audience and holding microphone

2017: Grease

  • Sandy with actors on stage
  • Character holding up Grease sign
  • Students dancing on stage together
  • Student with pink belt singing
  • Students on stage with one another
  • Actor at desk on stage
  • Actors in Grease during scene
  • Actor in green pencil skirt standing with hand on hip
  • Students gathered for musical number in Grease
  • Students on stage in Grease
  • Student in bright blue outfit on stage with other actors
  • Students dancing on stage in Grease

2016: Shrek the Musical

  • Shrek looking at other character onstage
  • Royal figure surrounded by actors
  • Shrek dancing with Donkey
  • Shrek singing with Princess Fiona
  • Characters with hands lifted on stage
  • Curtain Call after the show
  • Shrek on stage listening in scene
  • Group of actors dancing in white shirts
  • Actors with hands raised during song
  • Shrek posing on stage

2015: The Little Mermaid

  • Students dressed as mermaids singing
  • Student as Prince Eric and others as sailors listen to an actor dressed as an elderly man
  • Students dancing dressed in white dresses and striped stockings
  • Student dressed as Ariel speaks to another dressed as Flounder
  • Actress dressed as the Little Mermaid singing
  • Students dressed as underwater creatures and coral dancing
  • Flounder dancing with other mermaids
  • Student dressed as Ursula singing
  • Actor dressed as a waiter holding a fish
  • Merfolk singing to Ariel and Prince Eric

2014: The Wiz

  • Actors seated and standing in front of house set
  • Students dancing together in scene of The Wiz
  • Student on stage in front of colorful swirls
  • Actor with scarecrow hat
  • Student being carried across stage in scene
  • Student dancing on stage
  • Students together on stage
  • Students standing up on stage for scene
  • Showing the ruby red slippers
  • Students gathered together on stage

Black Box Shows

The Baychester Black Box theatre was conceived and implemented in 2018. Its goal is to provide students a non-musical theatre experience that exposes them to a wide range of writing and acting styles, as well as a vast array of subject matters.

2019: Arsenic & Old Lace

  • Actors dressed as two police officers
  • Actress addresses an actor dressed in a suit laying on a couch
  • Three actors dressed as two elderly women and a man with a mustache
  • Two actresses dressed as elderly women sit on a couch facing away from the other
  • Actor dressed in a red flannel approaches an actress with her hands up
  • Actor in a red flannel reclines on a couch
  • Three actors listen to as an actress dressed as an elderly woman speak
  • Actor in a red flannel holds back an actress in a navy dress
  • Actress dressed as a police detective sits on a couch
  • Actor is restrained by two other students dressed as police officers

2018: A Raisin In the Sun

  • Actor dressed in a waistcoat standing in front of a dining table
  • Actress in a blue dress on her knees in front of a formally dressed actor
  • Student dressed as an elderly woman listened to another dressed in an apron speak
  • Actor wearing a waistcoat holds a white box
  • Actress in a polka dot dress and gray wig
  • Actor caresses the face of an actress in a blue dress holding a laundry basket
  • Two actors dance together
  • Two actors as engaged in intense conversation
  • Actor with his arms draped around a younger man
  • Two actors and a younger child take things out of a cardboard box

Mr. Briggs

Mr. Briggs is originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico and has lived in NYC for 19 years. Northern New Mexico is steeped in Spanish Catholic traditions and Pueblo and Navajo Indian culture, and as such lent him a profound respect for cultural diversity and how a life blessed with deep artistic and cultural influences is all the more rich and beautiful.  As a teacher, Mr. Briggs hopes to help students forge an identity as artists, as proud learners of their accomplishments, and as people capable of important contributions beyond themselves. Both of his parents were teachers, and he is proud to carry on this tradition, and hopes to be an inspiration to many young people!