Schools
Lawrence Middle School Presents "Kilroy was Here"
Seventh- and eighth-graders will perform the play, which is set in World War II, this Friday and Saturday, March 4-5, in the auditorium at Lawrence Middle School.
Students at Lawrence Middle School will perform the play “Kilroy was Here” in the school auditorium at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 4, and Saturday, March 5. Tickets are $5 each and will be available at the door. Tickets are free to military, police, firefighters and other service personnel and scouts in uniform.
“Kilroy was a symbol of the GI’s from World War II. We are going back in time a bit,” David Kelly, music teacher at Lawrence Middle School, said when he introduced the play to a group of seventh and eighth grade students recently.
The play takes place in 1942 at a USO Club that is every soldier’s home away from home and where “everyone has got to do her share.”
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About 60 seventh- and eighth-graders will be involved in the production, including about 35 who will sing and dance on stage while the rest work behind the scenes, according to Priscilla Taylor, gifted and talented teacher at LMS.
“The kids were responsible for their own costumes. They researched 1940s uniforms, dresses, hair and shows” then they shopped at the Costume Scene in Trenton, Harry’s Army Navy in Hamilton, the Goodwill store and even on eBay to find just the right look for their character, she said, adding that the girls are excited to be able to wear bright red lipstick, which was the style of the day.
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Bridget Baill, French teacher at LMS, said teachers used the play as opportunity to teach the students about that period in history. She said the students viewed videos from the 1940s to get a better idea of how the war impacted lives, from the soldiers overseas to “Rosie the Riveter” doing her part back home.
Melissa Clark, music teacher at LMS, said she is very “proud of the middle school students for all their hard work. For most of these students, this is their first theatrical performance experience. I hope they have wonderful memories of this production.”
Students began rehearsing in December, often staying after school until 5 p.m. to practice. If a recent preview performance is anything to judge from, the students’ hard work has paid off.
While the play features toe-tapping music and inspirational messages about life in the 1940s, the story is very relevant to today. The play will pay tribute to the men and women of the United States armed forces, both past and present.
