Students can practice their acting skills in an entertaining school pageant.
Putting on a school pageant is a great way to showcase students' talents in front of a crowd. Plan your school pageant themes well in advance to ensure things go smoothly on the night of the production, and notify parents, faculty and community members so they know to mark their calendars and turn up for show time.
Holiday Pageant
Holiday pageants are a popular tradition at many schools, so get students excited for the season with an entertaining holiday theme. It can be tricky to do a strictly Christmas pageant in public schools, so if you decide to go that route, include other seasonal celebrations like Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. f you want to avoid a play that revolves around religious celebrations altogether, shift your focus to Thanksgiving instead and reenact the first Thanksgiving celebration between the pilgrims and Native Americans. Include several acts, and switch back and forth between spoken and musical parts. Encourage the entire school to participate by contributing a special act, and reach out to parent volunteers to help with the scenery, props and costumes.
Anti-Drug Pageant
While the subject of substance abuse isn't the most uplifting topic, it is crucial for kids to begin learning about ways to avoid drugs and alcohol. Hosting a school pageant that covers these topics can be useful for older students to actively demonstrate concepts they've learned about avoiding the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Have the students perform motivational songs and act out scenes where a protagonist is able to successfully say no to illegal substances. In between scenes, consider having a student or group of students read out useful information like statistics or strategies to stay drug and alcohol-free.
Patriotic Pageant
A patriotic pageant is a great way to demonstrate national pride, and can be a platform to reenact famous historical scenes like the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Plan out some events that you would like to highlight in the pageant, and then figure out what kinds of materials you will need to make scenery, props and historically accurate costumes. If you have a low budget, skip the historical scenes and simply use a lot of red, white and blue for stage decorations and costumes. Have the students rehearse patriotic songs like the National Anthem to perform on the big night.
Career Pageant
Inspire students to start thinking about the future with a pageant that revolves around different career paths. Assign diverse roles ranging from doctors to bakers to politicians, and then create musical numbers that reflect each group's profession. Emphasize that kids can be whatever they want if they work hard enough, and tie in the importance of studying and staying motivated to inspire the students and the audience. Finish off the pageant by allowing the students to go around and state their career intentions on stage.
