Sandy Spring Friends School has many performances throughout the year ranging from dance performances to public speaking performances. Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes and what the experience is like? Well this is the perfect article for you. I went around and asked a series of performers and audience members what they think of Sandy Spring Friends School performances based on their experience. This article will give you a sense of what it is like behind the scenes of the scenes.

Kennedy Reid, a current member of the Sandy Spring dance class has been in dance class for multiple years and has a strong passion for it. When asked about her perspective on SSFS showcases, she stated that, “the performances are of high quality and I enjoy performing.” She asserted that “the dancers perform really well and it is a great experience. The performers are well prepared before the showcases and I would recommend others to come and watch us.” My interview with Kennedy shed light on the positive perspectives that performers have on SSFS performances.

Then, I ventured out to interview Bella Vignola, a performer who has less experience at SSFS and is not enrolled in a performing arts class. She mentioned that she enjoyed performing, however, “there seems to be a lack of preparedness, all the performances come together last minute.” She felt that not everyone was ready and she had to do a lot of preparing on her own. Bella also noted that, “before one of my performances, I spent a lot of time practicing outside of rehearsals.“ She believes that it was well needed, not only for her but others, for the sake of the performance. This had me thinking that some students in the performance may lack the outside practice they need. Overall, Bella rated the quality of performances a 5 (1 being the highest ranking and 10 being the lowest). After my meeting with Bella, I concluded that from the audience’s perspective, SSFS performances look great, however, there are some loose ends on the backside.

Lastly, I interviewed Xander Eagle, a former member of the play production class with a lot of performance experience. He stated that, “class is well prepared for and has good resources and space for performing.” I was also informed that, “people are able to express themselves without fear of judgement.” Xander described the quality of the performances as “decent” and said that, “the school provides very good sets, tools, and resources to support to enhance the actors.” Additionally, Xander asserted that, “participating in SSFS performances is a great way to hone one’s skills because of the resources and support.” However, Xander also mentioned that, “not everyone can be involved in performances as much as they want to at SSFS due to schedule conflicts” – a problem he has faced himself. Even though this may be the case, Xander holds a positive perception of performances at SSFS.

Again and again, I was able to conclude that the students I interviewed have great experiences performing at Sandy Spring Friends School. But, I also noticed that there was a relationship between the different facts about the performers and their experiences of the performances. The people who were involved in a variety of performances tended to rate the quality of the performances lower. The people enrolled in classes tended to have better experiences than those who were not. Lastly, the more confident and passionate performers tended to enjoy SSFS performances more. Although there were mixed opinions about the quality of the performances, everyone said they would recommend the showcases to others. Although the few exceptions, Sandy Springs clearly makes an effort to give performers the best experience possible.