The fourth grade theatre project, an unusual creative drama enrichment program for Island school children led by the Vineyard Playhouse for the past 17 years, will be suspended this year, playhouse director MJ Bruder Munafo said this week.

Ms. Bruder Munafo said she was surprised and baffled to learn that the Vineyard elementary schools had decided not to participate in the project, which through the years has given some 2,000 fourth graders the hands-on experience of writing, producing, directing, staging and performing an original play.

“We are deeply disappointed that the Vineyard schools (except for the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School) have decided not to participate in our Fourth Grade Theatre Project,” Ms. Bruder Munafo wrote in a letter to the editor that appears in today’s Gazette. “We believe that arts in education are extremely important — in fact we believe that creativity for children is paramount to their education.”

Reached by telephone, Ms. Bruder Munafo said she was at a bit of a loss to explain what happened. “I don’t really know,” she said. “We send the schools a letter at the beginning of each school year, with a proposed schedule of when we like to start and usually meet with teachers. I got an immediate reply saying they were looking into alternate programs. It was very abrupt and it was a bit of a shock,” she said, adding: “I know there is a lot of pressure on the schools to perform on tests and so forth and I’m just sorry that it had to happen this way. I will just miss working with the kids.”

Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss offered a slightly different view. “All is not quite as painted in the letter [from Ms. Bruder Munafo],” Mr. Weiss said. Among other things, he said he understood Oak Bluffs School principal Richard Smith still hoped to have his fourth grade participate in the theatre project this year.

Mr. Weiss praised the theatre project as “unique,” but also said scheduling time for children to travel from their schools to the playhouse had become problematic. “We love the program, it’s just that we are trying to be very efficient with our time and scheduling has become a nightmare for us,” Mr. Weiss said.

He said the elementary schools are exploring alternative drama enrichment programs that can take place in the schools — hopefully with the playhouse. He admitted that there is increasing pressure in the schools to meet the demands of state-mandated testing programs, and on top of that he said the Vineyard schools are already flush with enrichment programs.

“We have the strings program, which is incredible. We have the Yard. We have the drumming program, the band program and the Cape Cod Symphony program. We have an outdoor skills program and a skiing program for our middle schoolers,” the superintendent said, noting that was just the short list. “In no way are we lessening the kinds of arts programs our kids have — we are just trying to be more efficient in doing it.”

Mr. Weiss did not shy from the notion that No Child Left Behind and other education reform laws are creating enormous pressure for teachers and administrators alike, but he said it is only the tip of the iceberg. “Certainly that is a concern, but it’s much broader than that,” the superintendent said. “If you look at the number of things schools are asked to do, it’s the same box and we are cramming more and more into it. We need to find a way to make better use of our time, and one of my projects with the all-Island school committee this year is to find ways to be more flexible with our time.

“I have this idea that we could work with our staff to have some people come in an hour early and others come in later and stay an hour after school. I’d like to think about an expanded way of dealing with our time. These are the kinds of things we are beginning to look at.”

In a story in the Gazette in February 2010, fourth graders talked about their own experiences with the theatre project.

“I knew I was sort of good at acting,” said Curtis Fisher of Vineyard Haven, “but I did not know I could really act in front of a lot of people.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Bruder Munafo said the playhouse would move up its schedule to begin a renovation project on the playhouse building on Church street in Vineyard Haven earlier than planned this year. “We’re moving on and we are going to be in construction earlier and we will do something with the charter school next year,” she said. “We’ve loved doing it; it’s been the greatest thing, but for various reasons I guess the schools are doing their own thing.”