BASIS Baton Rouge Materra brought its entire school community together with its recent production of Annie. The musical—which ran from Dec 12–15, 2024—featured performers from second grade all the way up to tenth grade.
Congratulations to the entire cast and crew for an incredible performing weekend!
Not only did this production give BASIS Materra students a chance to showcase their remarkable talents—it was also an opportunity for students to form lasting connections with their peers. Read on to learn more about the hard work that made Annie a reality!
Forming bonds across grade levels
The range of grade levels represented in the musical made the production truly unique and fostered a strong sense of excitement across campus as the performance dates approached.
Julie Horridge, drama teacher at BASIS Materra, explains that younger students played the child characters while high school students played the adult characters. “It was really special watching our performers build a community over the course of these past few months,” she says. “A lot of other extracurriculars are limited to students of a specific age, but with this show, we were able to include so many different grade levels. Students of all ages were brought together by a desire to perform and a shared love for theatre!”
Ms. Horridge says that the older performers quickly became mentors for the younger students. “Having this type of unity across grade levels did a lot for the social atmosphere on campus,” she says. “Even outside of rehearsals, I would often see our performers from different grades greeting each other with fist bumps when passing in the hallways. The campus was buzzing with energy leading up to this play!”
Building character through theatre performances
BASIS Materra’s recent production of Annie was a valuable experience for all of the student performers. In addition to honing skills such as singing, dancing, and acting, students learned many valuable life lessons during their time working on Annie.
“Theatre performances build resiliency, a great work ethic, teamwork skills, problem-solving skills, time management skills, social skills, and much more!” says Ms. Horridge. “Our Annie performers learned the importance of personal responsibility while also learning how to work as a team. They learned how to make props, care for their costumes, and perform their choreography. But most importantly, they encouraged and uplifted their fellow students every step of the way.”
BASIS Materra’s thriving performing arts programs
BASIS Materra’s annual fall musical is just one example of the school’s commitment to fine and performing arts. In the spring, drama students perform in a play and put on a dinner theatre fundraiser. The school also has several band and choir concerts each year.
Younger students at BASIS Materra develop their performance skills during the school’s Element Showcases, which are held twice a year. These fine arts showcases consist of singing and live instruments.
“Performing arts are a core part of our curriculum here at BASIS,” says Ms. Horridge. “In primary school, students are exposed to visual arts, music, and drama through weekly classes. In the upper grades, students are encouraged to continue pursuing performing arts as an elective.”
To keep the fun going all year long, BASIS Materra also holds a two-week drama camp in the summer. During this camp, students learn and perform a musical.
If you’d like to join BASIS Baton Rouge Materra (K–10, expanding to K–12) or its sister school BASIS Baton Rouge Primary Mid City (K–5) now’s your chance! Both schools are currently accepting applications for the 2025–26 school year. Apply today to secure your child’s seat for Fall 2025.
