Identity and History
Ninth graders went to Woolly Mammoth Theatre Wednesday to see the play Familiar written by the actress Danai Gurira. The story focuses on an immigrant Zimbabwean family preparing for the wedding of their eldest daughter. But when the bride insists on observing roora, a traditional bride-price ceremony, it opens a deep rift in the household. The story evaluates the issues of assimilation and identity, both themes students also touched on in their eighth grade classes. Ninth graders have recently completed the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Theater visits have been a common part of our field trip curriculum, with students in both the middle school and high school taking trips to Folger Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Arena Stage, and the Kennedy Center.
