Buckley's theater program enables boys to experience public speaking and dramatic production in every grade, building their confidence and love of the performing arts.
Every boy from Beginners through Academy Year performs for his schoolmates and family members in an annual class play. A valued tradition at Buckley for as long as can be remembered, these plays range from slapstick screwball comedies to modern-day fairy tales and tense courtroom dramas. They are directed (and occasionally written) by the individual homeroom teachers with the aid of a professional drama teacher. Each play is fully costumed, and the boys help with set design and painting, lighting, sound, and stage management as appropriate.
Along with class plays, there are several other mainstay performances every year. Boys in Class I perform in the yearly Nativity Play and Hanukkah Story, a Buckley holiday tradition, and Class II boys sing the songs that accompany it. Boys in Class VI and Class VIII perform annual musicals. Recent operettas, as we call them, have included Nonsense in the North Woods, Peter Pan, 1777, Little Shop of Horrors, and Newsies. The Operettas are also performed in the evening, for parents and friends, and are an important rallying point for the Buckley community each year.
