Children light up a chilly evening at ISD

Babette Van Der Wielen was terrible and really really mean. She was the most despicable headmistress you could imagine.

She ran a dark and miserable school where the students weren't allowed to smile or have fun. She even hated Christmas! Who does that, right?

You must have started hating her by now. Hold your horses; don't be so quick to judge her already.

After all she's just a fourth-grader from International School Dhaka (ISD).

Confused?

Let me rephrase the opening line, Babette Van Der Wielen convincingly pretending to be an old and mean headmistress named Ivy Loops.

Babette, along with many other primary level students of the school, performed in a school production as part of their spectacular drama series on the chilly evening of Wednesday, 14 December 2022.

The drama titled 'A Christmas Carol: A School Remix' was a school version of original Christmas classic 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens.

Created by the CREATIVE Primary Literacy Group of the UK, the play set in a Christmas Eve, portrays the story of the miserable headmistress Ivy Loops.

Well, what else could be better than ‘A Christmas Carol' to kindle the spirit of festivity and joy, when Christmas is right around the corner.

There were Santa Claus, elves and even ghosts. Children played in the snow to create the festive setting of the Christmas on the stage.

It was all the more enjoyable as it was brought to life by children. The whole play came together nicely with the help of the teachers.

Every detail starting from the sound to lighting, music to dance choreography, costumes to make-up, props to stage decoration was on point.

The lively performance from the children accompanied by the delightful music arrangements, especially the soulful notes of the flute created a magical ambiance around the auditorium.

The children burst into sprightly song and danced in between the scenes. Even the teachers joined in at one point. The kids knew their lines and did their job perfectly, they were so invested in the play.

Yet, they didn’t forget to have fun themselves. Most importantly, they seemed to be enjoying their parts. Even after the play had ended, the kids kept jumping and goofing around the stage with their peers.

We found the super-excited narrator of the play Ibby with her friend Sabrina, who played the ghost of the former headmistress, on the stage having fun as their infectious laughter spread through the room.

When asked if she enjoyed being mean on stage, Babette replied with a big ‘no’. In fact, she said she felt like dancing with the other kids but had to stop herself from doing so as she wasn’t supposed to.  

Jay Paguyo, the director of the play and primary school drama teacher at ISD said, "This is a very significant experience for students not just to perform on stage but more importantly that they understand the real meaning of sharing and kindness to others as the message of the story.

“We hope we can build a culture of performing with a purpose so it becomes relevant to the lives of the students and to the audiences as well.”

“The students had so much fun learning how to perform on stage, their social skills were challenged and they definitely showed a lot of teamwork and problem-solving,” she added.

ISD students participate in the annual stage production as part of their curricular activities. Apart from developing students’ social skills, this poses an opportunity to discover their hidden talents.

And most importantly of all, the children had a chance to enjoy themselves before the holidays!