On Thursday, April 25th, student theatre groups from schools and colleges across New England and New York participated in Mt. Holyoke College’s 36th Annual German Theatre Festival and Competition. Students in the senior German class from the Waldorf School of Garden City received first place for their play “Rumpelstilzchen” an adaptation of the Grimm’s fairy tale. The event was co-sponsored by the Goethe Institute Boston, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Boston and the Department of German Studies at Mount Holyoke College.

Said Waldorf’s High School Chair and German class teacher Roland Rothenbucher: “The Waldorf School has been participating in the German Theater Festival and Competition at Mount Holyoke College for the past 20 years; this year’s play, “Rumpelstilzchen”, was full of rollicking good fun, humor and energy. The winners’ outstanding achievement is a testimony to their dedication over years of foreign language study.” Over 150 students from New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island participated in the day-long festivities.

Chartered by the New York State Board of Regents and accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools and Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, the Waldorf School of Garden City is a coeducational day school with classes from nursery through twelfth grade. At the Waldorf School, students begin studying both French and German in grade one and continue in both languages until 8th grade. Beyond the evident goal of learning foreign languages, students develop a flexibility of perspective. In high school, students have the opportunity to choose French, German or Spanish.

Update: The Germany Missions in the United States also covered the event and had this review of it.