For many students at Uniondale’s Grand Avenue Elementary School, stepping onto a stage for the first time was intimidating. But when the lights came on for the school’s production of “Cinderella, If the Shoe Fits,” those nerves disappeared and were replaced by confidence, teamwork and a sense of belonging.
The May 28 performance marked the school’s first full-staged theatrical production, featuring students from multiple grade levels and the debut season of a new drama club.
The program has already created new opportunities for students. Grand Avenue recently received a Disney Broadway Junior Grant that provides performance rights, scripts, rehearsal materials, choreography videos and other resources for next year’s production of “The Lion King,” which also fits in with the school’s mascot Leo the Lion.
“‘The Lion King’ allows for such dancing and musicality,” drama teacher Ellie Iconis said. “It can really allow us to showcase those skills.”
The drama club, which includes third, fourth and fifth grade students, began meeting before school in October. Along with rehearsing lines and songs, students learned musical theater jazz and the waltz as they prepared for the production.
“Since this was our first year, we haven’t had a chance to establish a budget or find all of the costumes,” Iconis said. “Costumes were provided by myself and my husband, and part of producing the show involved securing the performance rights.”
While third-grade students presented a curriculum-based musical last year, “Cinderella, If the Shoe Fits” marked Grand Avenue’s first fully staged production and the first to involve students from multiple grade levels with over two dozen students. Iconis, who has spent about 15 years teaching theater and musical theater across Long Island, proposed creating the club after joining the school this year.
“When I came to the school, I asked if they had a drama club,” she said. “I was told they didn’t, so that was started this year.”
Weather-related school closures and holidays challenged the club throughout the year, requiring students and staff to adjust rehearsal plans. Students used online rehearsal videos and practice materials, often spending recess and free time working on their roles.
“When school was canceled, I thought the kids would be excited to have a snow day,” Iconis said. “Instead, I was flooded with messages asking if we were still going to have drama club and how we were going to rehearse.”
Students first performed for their classmates during the school day before taking the stage in front of family members that evening. Summer Matthews, 11, who portrayed Cinderella’s stepmother, said the earlier performance helped calm any remaining nerves.
“We had already done the show in the morning, so there was nothing to worry about,” Summer said.
Students applied to join the club and auditioned for their roles. According to Iconis, the process helped identify students willing to commit extra time and effort.
“Some students came in with their auditions memorized,” she said. “It was clear which students were ready to really put that extra time in.”
Summer, who had participated in theater camps before, said this production stood apart from her previous experiences.
“It was a really good play,” she said. “I’ve been in many shows before, but this one just felt different. Everybody was so nice, and the dances and the singing made it feel alive.”
She added that her favorite part of playing the stepmother was “singing, dancing and being mean.”
For fifth grader Braxton Garcia-Becker, who portrayed the steward, the production was equally memorable.
“I felt like I was in an actual movie,” he said. “It was just fun to dance and learn.”
Fifth grader Noelle Sharpe said rehearsals initially felt intimidating because the school had never attempted a production of this scale. Noelle expressed sadness that she won’t be in the performances next year because she’s a rising sixth grader.
“At first, it was scary because we’d never done it at our school before,” she said. “But once I got into it, I started feeling better and not getting really nervous.”
Beyond singing and acting, students developed communication skills, confidence and empathy, according to Iconis.
“We worked on eye contact, projection and pacing,” she said. “We also worked on emotions and understanding why characters feel the way they do. It helps them view the world from different perspectives.”
Inclusivity was also a focus of the program, with Iconis adapting materials for students with different learning needs, including creating rehearsal videos with voiceovers so students could practice independently.
For Iconis, the most rewarding part of the experience was watching students grow into confident performers.
“As a theater teacher, you’re looking for a little spark,” she said. “So many of the students had that spark. I knew with a little molding they were going to get there.”
