Theatre
Our Mission
The mission of the Baychester Middle School Theatre Department is to be an all-inclusive program that inspires its participants and audiences to appreciate and understand the arts through quality live productions and educational opportunities.
Musicals
Studies have shown that students with sustained involvement in theatre show substantial improvement in reading-proficiency, self-concept and motivation, and higher levels of empathy for others. At Baychester, we have witnessed first-hand the confidence that is built, the friendships that are formed, and the passions that are developed within our program.
2021 Concert
We entered the school year still under strict COVID-19 precautions. For this reason, we opted to perform our 8th annual musical virtually. "This Is Us: A 10 Year Celebration of Joy, Pursuing Dreams, and Being True to Ourselves" was a cabaret that included songs from all of our favorite Broadway musicals. By inviting past alumni to participate with our current students, it was the perfect way to celebrate Baychester's tenth year as a school!
2021: Virtual Performance
Legally Blonde
Our 7th annual musical was “Legally Blonde.”
Due to COVID-19 school closures, we never got to present the final production to a live audience.
Despite our disappointment, we rallied together to record a virtual concert, which was shared with our school and families. This production will still go down in Baychester history as another excellent piece of musical theatre. The cast was incredible, the crew worked very hard, and we are so proud of what we accomplished.
“Theatre doesn’t last. Only in people’s memories and in their hearts. That’s the beauty and sadness of it. But that’s life. Beauty and sadness. And that is why theatre is life.”
2020: Legally Blonde
2019: The Lion King
2018: Hairspray
2017: Grease
2016: Shrek the Musical
2015: The Little Mermaid
2014: The Wiz
Black Box Shows
The Baychester Black Box theatre was conceived and implemented in 2018. Its goal is to provide students a non-musical theatre experience that exposes them to a wide range of writing and acting styles, as well as a vast array of subject matters.
2019: Arsenic & Old Lace
2018: A Raisin In the Sun
Mr. Andrulonis, Founding Theatre Teacher
Mr. Andrulonis is originally from Oklahoma, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Theatre Education and his Master's degree in Secondary Education. After teaching in Oklahoma for 4 years, he moved to NYC and became the founding theatre teacher at Baychester Middle School. Over the course of his 8 years at Baychester, Mr. Andrulonis wrote and developed curriculum for the theatre courses, transformed the classroom space into a blackbox theatre, and directed 8 school musicals along with Mrs. Salemi. He also raised approximately $50,000 for theatre projects.