BI-CULTURAL HEBREW ACADEMY

Theater Program

Everybody loves a BCHA school show!  Always many months in the making and running for several performances, these greatly-anticipated annual theatrical productions–usually a musical but sometimes a drama–are first-rate, under the expert guiding hand of the school’s gifted theater director, Janice Chaikelson, an accomplished actress herself, who has the knack for building the confidence of student performers and tapping talents they (and their proud parents and teachers) never imagined they had.

The theater experience at BCHA can open the door to future performance opportunities, as real skills are developed in acting, singing, and dancing, as well as self-expression and public speaking. Here, students can experience the sheer joy of the spotlight and the exhilaration of the applause of the crowd. Stagecraft is also emphasized, and students can participate in costume design, set design, stage managing, directing, lighting and sound. All of it can be carried forward into high school, college and beyond.

“Students in grades five through 12 are able to participate and the camaraderie that develops across many grade levels is really something special to see, as more experienced members of the troupe take younger cast members under their wings and help them along,” Ms. Chaikelson explained. “The shows are both fun and serious business, requiring students to balance their homework with the demands of rehearsals, but the learning, the growth, the pride and the friendships are quite extraordinary for our students.”

It may not take you to Broadway, but the benefits of the BCHA Theater Program can be more important than meets the eye. For a young person, there is a lot to be said for fifteen minutes of fame.