Trimester 2 wrapped up with fantastic performances by Williston visual and performing artists:
From February 18-20, Williston students presented the annual Winter Theatre Lab performance, this year entitled “Fish Out of Water.” See photos here.
At “Songs of Then and Now,” a Winter Choral Coffeehouse, students performed a variety of songs, from pop music to madrigals. See photos from the February 26 event here.
Dance and choreography students presented their work in an afternoon performance in the Chapel on Monday, February 29.
This Thursday, March 3 in the Grubbs Gallery, the Trimester 2 Arts Walk will offer an opportunity to see student work in the Grubbs Gallery and hallways of Reed Campus Center, from 6:30 – 7:45 p.m.
Student directors have selected one-act plays dealing with characters who, in one way or another, don’t quite fit in. Theatre Lab productions will be brought to life by student teams of directors, designers, actors, and stage managers.
This year’s one-acts are directed by Alara Akisik, Makenna Hambley, Neha Nascimento, Charles Raffetto, Caleb Stern, and Trixie Willems.
Dates: Thursday, Febbruary 18 through Saturday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Williston Theater. On Friday night, February 19, Williston Scholars performing arts students will present their works before and after the play.
On Wednesday January 21st the cast of In the Heights took a research trip to New York City. The play takes place in Washington Heights, a predominantly Dominican neighborhood in upper Manhattan, so it was only natural that we should visit the neighborhood and learn all we could about life between 155th and 181st streets. Neha Nascimento ’17 (who plays salon owner Daniela in our production) said, “It is one thing to look at pictures of the neighborhood. It’s another thing to actually experience and see it face to face.” Not only did we take in the neighborhood, we soaked up all of the information we could with a visit to CUNY, lunch with members of the original Broadway cast of In the Heights, and a performance of Fun Home on Broadway.
We started the day at CUNY’s Dominican Studies Institute around 10am, which houses a library and archives. We were lucky enough to talk with Assistant Professor Anthony Stevens, librarian Jhensen Ortiz, and archivist Jessy Perez. There was a plethora of incredible information they passed along to us, most notably about the strong community ties in Washington heights and the impact those ties had on changing the political landscape of New York City and empowering the residents of Washington Heights. This is part of the reason that the neighborhood, despite rampant poverty, emerged after the devastation of the 1980’s crack epidemic as a strong and stable neighborhood. The power of community is a central theme in In the Heights so the cast found this point particularly compelling. We also learned about the role music plays in Dominican culture (a huge one), and the Dominican hero, the first non-Native American resident of what would become New York City, Juan Rodriguez, who arrived in 1613 on a ship belonging to Dutch merchants.
Anthony Stevens of CUNY’s Dominican Studies Institute recounts the history of Juan Rodriguez to the cast of IN THE HEIGHTS.
After our work at CUNY was done we made our way to Times Square to meet Eliseo Roman and Robin de Jesus, who originated the roles of Piragua Guy and Sonny, respectively, in the original Broadway production of In the Heights. Our choroepgrapher Debra Vega organized the lunch with Mr. Roman- the two used to do theatre together in the early 2000’s. Mr. Roman is currently on Broadway in On Your Feet, a musical based on the life of Gloria and Emilio Estefan. Mr. de Jesus is currently in Wicked, and has been nominated for two Tony awards (the first nomination was for his role in In the Heights). It was unbelievable to hear these two Broadway veterans talk about bringing the original production of In the Heights to life, and how the play evolved throughout the workshop process (Piragua Guy’s song was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda on a fifteen-minute break). They left us with some incredible stories. During the off-Broadway run of In the Heights there were only two dressing rooms- one for the guys and one for the girls. The actors were shoulder to shoulder every day before the show started. Sharing stories while getting into costume, hair and make-up brought the cast together. They became a family. The sense of community was palpable for the audience, and was part of what made the show so special. When the show moved to Broadway, the dressing rooms were spread out all over the Richard Rogers Theatre. Many actors would not see their costars until they got onstage. Mr. de Jesus told us that Christopher Jackson, (who played Benny and is now on Broadway playing George Washington in Hamilton) organized a group prayer before each show to allow the actors to connect before they got onstage to keep their connection alive. Mr. de Jesus implored the cast to get to know one another and not be shy about making new friends- an invaluable life lesson- and something that will make the show come alive. Both Mr. de Jesus and Mr. Roman spoke about how In the Heights made Latino stories visible on Broadway for the first time. To be a part of that experience was life-changing for both of them. For the first time they played characters whose stories were similar to their own and they were not playing stereotypes. After lunch, Mr. Roman left for a wig fitting before his 2pm performance and Mr. de Jesus prepared to take in a movie on a rare Wednesday off. To see these actors, who by all accounts are at the top of their field, so open to talk to us and genuinely excited about our production, was inspiring and humbling.
Robin de Jesus and Eliseo Roman share memories of bringing the original production of IN THE HEIGHTS to life.
After lunch we rushed a few blocks north to the Circle in the Square Theatre to see Fun Home, which won the Tony in 2015 for Best Musical. The show is based on Allison Bechdel’s autobiographical graphic novel which follows a young Allison as she navigates a childhood raised in a funeral home, her college years as she comes to grips with her sexuality, and her adult years as she processes her relationship with her father. Her own fully out of the closet life contributed to her father, a closeted gay man, having a nervous breakdown. The story, told in snapshots as an adult Allison struggles to write her graphic novel, moves seamlessly through time and space and does not fit neatly into categories. It is a family story told through music, where you find yourself laughing and crying at the same time. It was amazing for our young actors to see Broadway vets Michael Cerveris (who plays Allison’s father Bruce) and Judy Kuhn (playing Allison’s mother Helen) along with a cast made of many newcomers (including a cohort of child actors) give their all to their roles and bring such specificity to each character choice.
The cast outside Circle in the Square Theatre before our matinee of FUN HOME.
Our day finished with a trip uptown on the A train to Washington Heights itself. We got off at 168th Street and Broadway, walked west towards Jumel Place, and back toward Broadway and 175th. We were able to see Caridad restaurant (referenced in the play), a number of Bodegas (we visited my old favorite on 168th), and took in a breathtaking view of the George Washington Bridge. We were treated well at El Malecon, a Washington Heights establishment, for dinner. It would be hard to pick a favorite part of the meal, but I’d have to say the coconut flan was an overall favorite.
We left the city a little before 7pm. Tired, but enriched and ready to pour ourselves into the story of In the Heights.
In the Heights runs April 25-27 and May 5-7 at the Williston Theatre. Tickets will go on sale in early April.
The production team would like to thank the Dean’s Office, the Athletic Department, and the parents of our cast for helping to make this trip a success.
This trip was made possible in part by a gift to the theatre program from Austin Sarat and Stephanie Sandler. We are very grateful for their support.
For a student perspective on the trip, please see Nate Gordon’s article in The Willistonian.
Emily, 11, poses for a photo with her fellow competitors. Emily is not pleased with the outcome of this pageant– she had hoped to get a higher title. Emily Dextraze is an eleven-year-old beauty pageant competitor who lives in Westfield, Massachusetts, a small town of 42,000 people in Western New England located about two hours west of Boston, Massachusetts. The beauty pageant industry in the United States is estimated to be worth 5 billion U.S. dollars annually; the estimated number of pageants in the U.S. ranges from 5,000 to 100,000, according to an Internet search. It is conservatively estimated that 2.5 million American girls, from babies to teenagers, participate. The cost to a family for a daughter to participate in a pageant ranges from $1500 to considerably more. Entry fees, elaborate costumes, makeup, hairdressing, artificial tans and weeks of professional coaching contribute to the high cost. Photo by Ilana Panich-Linsman
Ever since Ilana Panich-Linsman graduated from the Williston Northampton School in 2002, her career as a photographer has been on an amazing upward trajectory.
A former student of photography teacher Ed Hing, Ms. Panich-Linsman earned her bachelor’s degree at Scripps College before completing the Eddie Adams Workshop, earning a master’s degree in photojournalism and documentary photography from University of the Arts, London, and graduating from the International Center of Photography’s photojournalism program, where she received a Director’s Fellowship.
Mr. Hing noted that, even as a high school sophomore, Ms. Panich-Linsman started at a higher level than most students.
“Ilana was a student that always took her photography a step beyond expectations,” he wrote in an email. “The imagery was personal and inventive and she was willing to push herself outside of her comfort zone.”
Mr. Hing recalled a biography assignment that Ms. Panich-Linsman completed with flair by calling the subject, noted photojournalist Mary Ellen Mark, for an interview.
“I knew she had the determination to make things happen,” Mr. Hing wrote. “We’ve talked at many points throughout her career building years and it’s been amazing to be able to watch her succeed.”
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – M.P., 21, waits with her 2 year old daughter at the San Antonio Greyhound Bus Station for a bus to Houston where she has family. November 10, 2015: Asylum-seeking women, most of them with children, have been bussed to San Antonio’s central bus station from Dilley Residential Center or Karnes County Residential Center. Organizations including the Interfaith Welcome Coalition and the Red Cross greet the majority of women at the Greyhound Bus Station and assist the women in traveling on or offer temporary shelter in San Antonio. From here, many will transport to family members throughout the country. Others will go to Raices House, a shelter in San Antonio, where they will be assisted. Most women are forced to wear electronic ankle monitors. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times
On January 21, Ms. Panich-Linsman will return to Williston to talk about her documentary photography, as well as working for such clients as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, NBC News, The Boston Globe, Al Jazeera America, and CNN.
“It’s a thrill to see her credit line on a regular basis in The New York Times,” Mr. Hing wrote. “I’m not surprised by what she’s accomplished so far. She’s telling thoughtful and interesting stories with her images and she’s still in the early stages of her career.”
Ms. Panich-Linsman was named one of Magnum Photo’s 30 under 30 2014, and received the Multimedia Award at the 2010 Lumix Festival for Young Photojournalism. She was nominated for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass and participated in the VII Mentorship Program, assisting Stephanie Sinclair and Donna Ferrato.
The lecture will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Dodge Room, Reed Campus Center, and like all the talks in the series, is free and open to the public.
Winter is one of my favorite times of the year. When most of us are hunkering down, sipping cider, and lamenting the lack of sunlight the actors, designers, and technicians at Williston are revving their engines for a marathon of theatre-making. The list of things going on is even too long for a blog post so here are a few highlights:
CHRIS PERRY VISITS WILLISTON
Former Pixar animator and Hampshire College professor Chris Perry will be on campus this Monday to discuss how to make an animated T.V. series. He will be talking about his latest project which features voice work by Williston seniors Calvin Ticknor-Swanson and Leeanna Albanese. Those two will be on-hand with Mr. Perry who may give us a sneak peak into what’s next for the project. Williston Theatre students will be attending the event but it is open to all Williston students, families, and faculty. Join us at 6:30 in the Williston Theatre on Monday December 14th.
IN THE HEIGHTS AUDITIONS
We have spent the last two night auditioning for our spring musical, In the Heights. We had forty-four students show up to auditions– about ten percent of the student body! That nearly beats our record of 54 for Pippin auditions in 2009. On Tuesday students learned about the show and read scenes for the production team. Debra Vega’s choreography, which students learned and presented last night, was meant to give our dancers a run for their money. The piece required students to demonstrate skills in hip-hop, salsa, and traditional Broadway moves. It kept everyone on their toes (literally and figuratively). Ms. Vega and I were both impressed by the energy and zest the crowd brought to their dance auditions! Tonight they will learn music from the show and present sixteen bars to Joshua Harper (our wonderful Director of Choirs and Music Director of In the Heights). While there certainly will be some disappointed students when the cast list goes up Monday (there are only 21 or so roles in the play) it’s good to know our campus is overflowing with talent.
THEATRE LAB IS UP AND RUNNING
Williston’s Theatre Lab program, where students are at the helm of a one-act festival that performs at the end of February, launched in November. A strong cohort of middle and upper school students have officially taken over the Williston Theatre (under the watchful eye of Technical Director Charles Raffetto). Described by Mr. Raffetto as energetic, collaborative, inspiring, and supportive, working with the theme Fish Out Of Water, this year’s Theatre Lab is certain to be both entertaining and thought-provoking.
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These are just a few of the amazing things going on at Williston as we launch the second trimester. Check back soon to hear about the “tinydance project” visiting the Williston Scholars performing arts class and our trip to A.R.T in Boston to see Obie-Award-winning Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, an immersive theatre experience.
Students in Williston’s Acting and Theatre I class have been hard at work since day one mastering the elements of acting. Using techniques developed by the great Stella Adler and Uta Hagen, students learned about the imaginary circumstances, character objectives, and the other building blocks of creating a role. They applied these skills to a monologue…now they have the chance to work on those techniques with a partner.
One of the objectives of Acting and Theatre I is to examine the connection between plays and the time in which they were written. Each scene was chosen with that idea in mind. Some students are doing scenes from post-modern plays (The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and Members of Tectonic Theater Project) others from American Realism (Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge). Through these plays we get a glimpse of the time in which the pieces were written and gain a deeper understanding of history. Students are learning that playwrights often take stories that are invisible to mainstream America and make them visible to society for the first time. In order to do that effectively, as the father of modern acting Stanislavsky discovered, actors must endow their characters with as much truth as they can. This is where acting technique comes into play.
Students were excited to start these scenes- all trimester they’ve been waiting for the moment when they can play off each other and unearth that invisible truth. So how does one do this exactly? The secret is…listening. We’re working on a few ways to build what I like to call the “listening muscle.” Using exercises devised by two legends of acting, Sanford Meisner and Michael Chekhov, students practice listening to their scene partners and responding truthfully (as opposed to responding with something clever or an idea they planned ahead of time on their own). It takes more work than one would imagine, Meisner’s repetition exercise asks actors to repeat the last line their scene partner just said before responding with their own, but it’s well worth it. The results of this hard work will be evident in the final presentation of scenes during assessment week and I can hardly wait.
Henning Fischel ’17 and Kira Bixby ’19 use Meisner’s Repetition Exercise while rehearsing their scene from Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. Photo by Joanna Chattman.
On Display: November 2-January 5
Reception: Saturday, November 7 from 1:00-3:30 p.m.
Working with prints and collage, Linda Batchelor explores the emotional harmonies created through colors and patterns. Her work ranges from stylized bottles and figures to the most abstract. After focusing on monotypes and collages, Ms. Batchelor has recently been working on larger scale pieces.
In her artist statement, Ms. Batchelor notes her earliest efforts at collage were “jazzy and colorful with a sense of humor,” but that she has lately increased her focus on straight monotypes.
“These new pieces combine composition skills honed through years of collaging with a freer, more experimental, approach to transferring ink to paper via a press,” she writes. “The pieces can be quieter and more contemplative. I think of them as my northern work.”
The award-winning artist, who includes a merit prize from the Smithsonian American Museum of Art among her various accolades, has exhibited both regionally and nationally. Ms. Batchelor’s work is featured in collections at the Boston Public Library, Baltimore City College, and Fidelity Investments. She attended Brown University and Maryland Institute of Art and has a studio at One Cottage Street, Easthampton.
It’s always bittersweet to say goodbye to a show. Strike, the process of taking down the set and restoring the space to neutral, gives the cast and crew that opportunity. Arriving early on a chilly Tuesday morning, the folks who worked on The Trojan Women picked up power tools, crow bars, ladders, and mops and started this old theatre tradition.
We had a pretty fun time of it- although those relegated to dumpster duty (carrying loads of trash to the dumpster) might say otherwise. (We reuse everything we can but some pieces of wood were just too broken down to keep!). Here are a few shots of the morning. By the end of the day the stage was clean enough for the marley (dance floor) which will be used in Untamed, the upcoming dance concert.
An empty trash can waiting to be filled.Long Nguyen ’16 and AK Hafez ’16 remove the first layer of the main wall.Leeanna Albanese ’16 replaces belts in the costume shop.Love seeing the layers of the set coming off…amazing to see past shows coming through. The roof for All My Sons (fall ’15) brought back to life as a wall for The Trojan Women.Cast and crew work together to dismantle the main wall.Netting (almost) stored and ready for reuse.Stage Manager Khanh Pham works on a particularly stubborn piece of wood. Eventually he got it out of the floor!Dressing rooms cleaned and ready for what’s next.
The Trojan Women opened last weekend and it was amazing to finally share our work with audiences. It didn’t surprise us that reactions to the play were strong. Each night the theatre was filled with silence when the final blackout came. It took the audience a few seconds to start their applause.
In our talk-backs audience members said they couldn’t applaud because they were processing all they had seen- it was so emotional that they needed a few seconds to come back into the real world. Greek Tragedy does this to audiences. It was created with the singular purpose to make audiences experience catharsis- an intense purging of emotions that the playwrights hoped would keep the audience from making the same mistakes the characters made. With The Trojan Women, Euripides made his voice heard: we must end the violence. While our audiences were quiet at first, they opened up in the talk-backs following the show. They were struck by how real the show felt, and were moved to draw connections to the current refugee crisis. In our own small corner of the world, catharsis worked and Euripides’ message was heard loud and clear.
Tonight we perform for the entire ninth grade class. They have studied Homer’s The Odyssey (the journey that Cassandra predicts during the play) and will, no doubt, bring their expertise to our post-show talk back.
There are still three more opportunities to catch the show this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. To learn more or order tickets visit our website.
Photo by Bonica Ayala of Bonica Ayala Photography, courtesy of Roomful of Teeth
Members of a Grammy award-winning ensemble will bring their unique sound to the Williston Northampton campus on October 20 as part of an hour-long workshop with the school’s choral ensembles.
Roomful of Teeth will teach the Caterwaulers and Widdigers new techniques, talk about their process, and perform a private concert for the students.
“I’m hoping the students’ idea of a choir or vocal ensemble can be expanded in a way they’ve never thought about,” Director of Choirs Joshua Harper wrote in an email about the visit. “This ensemble defies every genre line for singing, and what they do is very groundbreaking and very fresh.”
Roomful of Teeth is an eight-voice ensemble that was founded in 2009 and incorporates singing traditions and techniques from around the world. In their biography, they note that their repertoire includes such styles as Tuvan throat singing, yodeling, Sardinian cantu a tenore, Hindustani, Persian classical, Inuit throat singing, and Korean P’ansori.
