Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Drama: One Year Later (UPDATED)
By: David McKibbin Apr. 15, 2019
UPDATE (3/26/2019): Thespian Troupe 4879's Production of The M Word recently took home Straight Superior Ratings and Top Honors at the Florida State Thespian One Act Festival. Students in Troupe 4879 also took home Top Honors and Straight Superiors in Ensemble Acting at the Individual Events Festival.
UPDATE (4/10/2019): Douglas Drama's production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was nominated for 21 South Florida Cappie Awards, including Best Play and Best Critic Team. https://www.cappies.com/sfc/nom2019
UPDATE (4/15/2019): Douglas Drama presents The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical in concert, April 25 and 26. Tickets are available on seatyourself.biz.
UPDATE (5/16/2019): Douglas Drama's production of The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time won eight South Florida Cappie Awards, including Best Play. Douglas senior Dylan Redshaw also earned a Cappie award for Best Senior Critic at the South Florida Cappie gala.
On February 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz entered the campus of Marjory Ston
eman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. After setting off an alarm, Cruz opened fire at students and teachers, killing 17 people. Melody Herzfeld, Douglas' theatre teacher, hid 65 of her students in a tiny office for two hours before law enforcement arrived.
Herzfeld has led the theatre department at Douglas since 2003. She has directed over 50 plays and musicals at the school and sponsors its Thespian Troupe, Troupe 4879. As an educator, Herzfeld used the performing arts to empower her students as they moved forward following the Valentine's Day tragedy. Herzfeld was presented the Excellence in Theatre Award at last year's Tony Awards and has also received the Thespis Award from the Educational Theatre Association.
In the past year, Herzfeld's students continue to shine in Douglas' drama program and Troupe 4879, emulating the true meaning of #MSDStrong. Last fall, Douglas staged The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and The M Word. The latter production received Critics Choice at the District 7 Thespian One-Act Festival and was given Top Honors at the Florida State Thespian Festival. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time recently won eight South Florida Cappie Awards, including Best Play. This past spring, Douglas Drama presented A Rockin' Midsummer Night's Dream and a concert production of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.
Following the shooting, a group of Douglas alumni and Parkland residents established the Broadway Bound Shining Stars Foundation. This foundation provides scholarships for Douglas graduates pursuing degrees in music, theatre, and dance. Last year, three scholarships were awarded: one in the amount of $3000 and two in the amount of $1000. One of last year's scholarship recipients, Kali Clougherty, is currently a freshman in the BFA musical theatre program at Elon University. For more information on the Broadway Bound Shining Stars Foundation, please go online to broadwayshiningstars.org.
If you wish to donate to the Broadway Bound Shining Stars Foundation, please go online to www.donorbox.org/bbssf, or mail your check to:
The Broadway Bound Shining Stars Foundation
9715 West Sample Road
Coral Springs, FL 33065.
We at BroadwayWorld.com send our support to the loved ones of last year's mass shooting victims. We also praise Mrs. Herzfeld and Douglas' drama students for continuing to show their strength in the face of adversity.
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