Productions
In addition to end-of-term recitals and final graduation performances for the students of our Full-Time Program, Steiner School of Speech Arts produces ensemble-driven theatrical productions for our community. Would you like to perform with us? Click on a theatrical genre to learn more.
Rudolf Steiner’s
Mystery Dramas
For four years, Rudolf Steiner wrote one Mystery Drama per year: The Portal of Initiation (1910), The Trial of the Soul (1911), The Guardian of the Threshold (1912), and The Souls’ Awakening (1913). These plays show the soul journeys of four central characters, dramatizing reincarnation on the stage for the first time in history.
Set in modern times, the plays show the karmic connections of these characters over several lifetimes and how past lives influence their present incarnations.
These plays demand a great deal of concentration and commitment to study and produce, opening the reader, actor, and audience to questions of inner development and personal karma.
Community Theater
Who doesn’t love the communal experience of being in a play? The Steiner School of Speech Arts has taken on many of the various community productions that happen in and around the Threefold Educational Foundation.
During the Advent/Christmas season, we put on a heart-warming, humor-filled, and reverent Shepherds’ Play. Performed in many Waldorf and Anthroposophical institutions for over a century, it continues to be a beloved addition to the season. These plays come out of the medieval traditions of eastern Europe, originating in Oberufer, a village nestled on an island in the Danube River. Sometimes we also add The Paradise Play – the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden – and/or The Kings’ Play, which tells the story of the Magi’s journey to the Jesus Child. In addition, we have also now gifted the community with a sung pageant telling the story of the three Magi. These productions warm hearts and bring joy.
Some years, we also produce a Shakespeare play, typically in the spring. Who can surpass Shakespeare in the creative use of the English language and the masterful building of character? In recent years we have mounted productions of As You Like It, The Tempest, and performances of various scenes and monologues by The Bard. These lively performances are a source of fun and community bonding, and they give our students opportunity to exercise their speech skills.