Paduan Players

The mission of the Paduan Players at St. Anthony of Padua School is to offer a high quality Performing Arts education by engaging students in theatre, music, and dance.

The Paduan Players enables students to celebrate the arts, explore their creativity, and share their talent with our community. Our goal of producing excellent performances instills major life long lessons among students such as: working together, becoming empathetic toward others, and striving towards their personal best.

Being involved in Paduan Players is about:

• Faith: Learning to have faith in others, working together, and problem solving.
• Hope: Performing our personal best at all times so we can achieve our goals.
• Love: Striving toward empathy, compassion, and kindness to all people.
• Joy: Expressing creativity through many different disciplines to glorify our Lord.

Most importantly, in all that we do and perform, we hope our actions and performances point to God and show His goodness and love for His people.

Performing Arts Philosophy

Shakespeare always knew his plays were meant to be seen, not read.  Likewise, a performing arts philosophy is difficult to articulate through words.  Therefore, through these wonderful selections of songs from some of the most powerful musicals of all time, I hope to convey our Performing Arts Philosophy and what I aim to teach the students.

DEFY GRAVITY

In the world-renowned musical, Wicked, Elphaba sings about Defying Gravity.  I hope that I can instill the drive and dedication in my students so they will want to go for their impossible dreams and goals, even if it is not always the popular way to go.  I also hope that I can teach them to look past what is on the outside and instead look deep within people to find out who that person truly is.  Lastly, I hope to encourage them to use empathy, look past propaganda, and be willing to look at different points of view.

I’m through accepting limits, cause someone says they’re so.  Some things I cannot change, but ’till I try I’ll never know.  So if you care to find me, look to the sky, as someone told me lately: “Everyone deserves a chance to fly!”  To those who’ve ground me, take a message back for me.  Tell them how I am defying gravity, I’m flying high defying gravity, and soon I’ll match them in renown.  And nobody is every going to bring me down! – Elphaba, Wicked

CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN

My favorite musical is The Sound of Music.  I hope to teach the students more than the subject matter.  While the students learn, they should also be growing spiritually in their love for God and in their ability to be God’s hands and feet.  I hope to teach them to look and pray for what God wants them to do with their life.  This broken world needs dedicated, hopeful, and loving people to do the work of Christ.  Through my classes, I hope to encourage them to climb every mountain, until they find their vocation and their dream.

A dream that will need, all the love you can give, everyday of your life, for as long as you live.  Climb every mountain, ford every steam, follow every rainbow, ’till you find your dream! – Reverend Mother, The Sound of Music

TO LOVE ANOTHER PERSON…IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD

In the immortal words from Les Miserables, recognizing God’s goodness in others and realizing that our actions towards one another reflect God’s love is vital.  I hope to make students see that when we love another and do something in God’s name, He is right there with us.  When I teach, I try to envision each student as a child of God.  I firmly believe each one of them has a special purpose and call.

Take my hand and lead me to salvation, take my love, for love is everlasting.  And remember the truth that once was spoken, to love another person is to see the face of God. – Valjean, Fantine, and Eponine, Les Miserables

HE LIVES IN YOU!

Lastly, I aim to remind student’s everyday why they were put on Earth: to be God’s hands, legs, and feet.  I hope to remind them daily that God lives in each and every one of us.  We must strive to be instruments of His peace, as is shown in the monumental performance of The Lion King.

Hear these words and have faith.  He lives in you, he lives in me, he watches over, everything we see, into the water, into the truth, in your reflection, he lives in you. – Rafiki, The Lion King

Theatre Arts: The students will learn the basics of acting, performing, directing, writing, and tech theatre.

3-8 Theatre Arts Students Will:

• Students can identify theatrical terminology.  This includes stage directions, areas of the theater, acting terms, and having an understanding of technical theatre.
• Students can create and prepare a musical theatre show.  This will include rehearsals, memorizing lines, and performing their show.
• Students can evaluate a theatrical work in the areas of form, content, technique, and purpose.
• Student can discover a variety of theatrical styles.
• Students can assess how theatre reflects and influences culture.
• Students can demonstrate the ability to be responsible and to work successfully with his/her peers.
• Students can perform in a classic stage musical.
• Students can design the set, lights, and costumes of a show.
• Students can produce smooth transitions during the play as stage managers, lights, sound, and stage crew.

Program Description

The Paduan Players is an after school program designed for students to learn about music, theatre, and dance by participating in a musical.  Each year we have an end of the year Spring Musical Performance.  Our past performances have been:

• 2014: Annie Jr.
• 2015: Getting to Know the Sound of Music
• 2016: The Lion King Jr.
• 2017: Beauty and the Beast Jr.
• 2018: Singin’ in the Rain Jr.
• 2019: Aladdin Jr.
• 2022: Frozen Jr.
• 2023: Newsies Jr.
• 2024:  Beauty and the Beast Jr.