DANBURY—A group of elementary school students at St. Joseph School in Danbury had a vision of writing and performing in their very own school production. In May of 2016, they set to work on writing an original play that they hoped would one day be performed on the St. Joseph School stage.
An idea nearly twelve months in the making came to life on May 11, 2017, opening night of St. Joseph’s student-produced musical, “Destiny Diner.” A cast of over seventy students spanning grades 1-8 performed in four sold-out shows of a play that celebrated the ordinary things in daily life and how to make them extraordinary.
The process began with a group of students who shared and listened to each other as they came up with a story. Another group of students used their artistic talents to create the set and logo for the show. In late September 2016, students presented the original script to school principal, Lisa Lanni, and were given permission to proceed with the production.
Parents and alumni played an instrumental part in playwright editing, building sets, making costumes and organizing rehearsals. Under the direction of music teacher Jennifer Doherty, parents also assisted in writing the music and lyrics for the show.
“This has been such a fun experience,” remarked alumna Emily Grenier, who worked on the stage crew. “I enjoyed working with the younger students and watching them become their characters. They are an amazing group!”
This is the first year we had students write their own drama club production,” remarked Principal Lanni. “I knew they were a talented group of students but I was in awe after each of the four performances! Whit, humor and personality shone in every aspect of Destiny Diner. We laughed, we cried—we learned that our Destiny is to be great in the eyes of God.”
