6th Grade Performs Plays about Ancient India

For the first time, 6th graders wrote and performed two plays about Ancient India. The first was adapted from a Sanskrit poem called the Mahābhārata, a Hindu text that taught readers how to be good people. From the text came the story of Savitri and Satyavan, which was the title of the play performed by 6H.

The second play—performed by 6J—was an original story titled The Legend of King Ashoka, rooted in the morality and worldview of India’s Buddhist monks. The play begins with the start of Chandragupta Maurya’s empire and then transitions to the future where his grandson, Ashoka the Great, becomes the focus of the story. Ashoka is a violent king, looking to expand his empire and often ignores the teachings of the monks. As time passes, he learns the way to be a good king is to be a good person.

The student performances were exciting and it was an amazing experience having families watch in-person again. “What a fantastic job everyone did!” said Mr. Donaldson and he added that he was proud of the students for adapting on the fly and responding to the energy of a live audience. A special thanks is also in order for Mr. Collazo, who helped create a musical score for the shows, Mr. Delacey who helped students design and paint the sets, and Ms. Rodriguez who handled the audio and visual aspects of the performances. For anyone who was not able to attend or wishes to rewatch the performances, the recording can be found here.