Cleveland Playhouse Field Trip
By Sonya Morris
The junior high students at Newbury had the opportunity to see the Mark Twain classic, Huck Finn,performed on stage at the historic Cleveland Playhouse Theater.
The Reading and Language Arts classes have been studying all categories of literature throughout the school year. Over the last few weeks in my eighth grade class, we have examined Mark Twain as an author. We learned about his life, and examined and analyzed some of his short stories. Students evaluated his work, and debated whether or not his work should be considered controversial.
On Tuesday, January 26, 2010, the entire junior high boarded the buses for a field trip to see a theatrical adaptation of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The students enjoyed the authentic feel of the theater, and having the opportunity to see a professional play. The actors were incredibly devoted to their work, as shown through their brilliant performance and their willingness to participate in a question and answer session for our Newbury students at the end of the play.
The trip was a success, and I can only hope that it will be a memorable experience for our junior high students.
My eighth grade Language Arts class completed a study of entertainment reviews by reviewing "Huck Finn." Below you will read a review of the play, written by one of my students.
"Huckleberry Finn, Sink or Swim" by Mathew Stefancin
On January 26, I had the opportunity to see Huck Finn performed at the Cleveland Playhouse. The play was extremely good. The actors portrayed the characters really well. They did an exceptional job.
The story line behind Huckleberry Finnis a little complex. Huckleberry Finn is trying to reform himself into a respected and civilized person. All was well, until his father, Pap, comes to town. Huck fakes his own death to escape his father and the rest of the world. He travels down the river to Jackson Island. On the island, he meets up with Jim, a runaway slave. Jim believes Huck is dead, but soon finds out that he is not. Together they travel down the Mississippi River. They meet up with con-artists pretending to be a king and a duke. The king and duke cause trouble, but eventually Huck and his Friend, Tom, set things straight and free Jim.
The actors from the Cleveland Playhouse were exceptional. Their lines were spoken with enthusiasm. They acted with excitement and energy. The costumes were great, and went along with the time period perfectly. However, I think the stage could have used a little more scenery.
Overall, I would rate this play an A+. I would recommend this play, because it is funny, and has an engaging story line. I learned that it takes a lot of hard work, effort, and practice to perform a play of this stature.
