91̽��

91̽��’s jazz program hosts A Celebration of South African Jazz this Thursday evening in the Kellner Performing Arts Center. Led by music faculty member, Bob Sinicrope, 91̽��’s Advanced Jazz students will perform a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela, honoring the 100th anniversary of his birth.

The group has been feverishly preparing for the concert event over the last few weeks in Mr. Sinicrope’s Kellner classroom. Sounds of Free Nelson Mandela,��Bring Back Nelson Mandela,��Mandela by Abdullah Ibrahim and Full Nelson can be heard from the Arts Commons as students rehearse a medley of these songs. The group is also planning to play other Abdullah Ibrahim songs including The Wedding, The Mountain,�����ڰ������������Ѳ�������, Soweto is Where It’s At, Mannenberg�����Ի���Tsakwe/Royal Blue. Also included on the bill are Meadowlands, Yakhal Inkomo and a special version of The Lion Sleeps Tonight/Mbube.

The concert, beginning at 7:45 p.m. on October 18 in King Theatre, is free and open to the public. No advanced tickets are required. If you are on campus, please join us in celebrating South African jazz and Mandela’s centenary.

91̽��’s performing arts department has announced its fall productions. In addition to the Class IV Follies, students in Classes I–III will present The Addams Family and Antigone during the fall semester.

The Addams Family is a musical comedy and Antigone, a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles, will be presented as a 1212 Play. The 1212 play is a 91̽�� tradition, offering an intimate theater experience, typically involving small casts, minimal technical demands, and often challenging material for the performers and the audience.

No prior experience is necessary for any of the fall productions. All Class IV students interested in the Class IV Follies will be accepted. Click here to download the Class IV Follies flyer.

What do a couple of ogres, an ensemble of fairytale characters, a magical curse, an evil lord, and a Pulitizer Prize-winning 91̽�� alumnus have in common?

They will all be part of 91̽��’s production of Shrek The Musical, which opens Thursday, May 17, in King Theatre. David Lindsay-Abaire ’88, who wrote the Tony-nominated book and lyrics to the musical, is scheduled to attend the final performance and spend some time with the cast.

“There’s some pride among the cast and crew in knowing that he is one of us,” says director Peter Parisi, chair of 91̽��’s performing arts department. “It is a little intimidating to perform for the person who created the show, but it’s exciting for the students because they have 91̽�� in common.”

Shrek The Musical, based on the popular 2001 movie, follows the adventures of a solitary (and surly) ogre named Shrek, who—with a chatty donkey named “Donkey”—reluctantly urges the evil Lord Farquaad to reverse a kingdom-wide ban on fairytale creatures. Shrek ends up saving the beautiful Princess Fiona, who has been cursed to turn into an ogre every night until she falls in love.

“When people hear that we’re doing Shrek, they think we’re doing this fluffy, light show,” Peter says. “But there are some really moving parts of the show. It’s about belonging, it’s about friendship, it’s about love. There is a song at the end of the first act that can really break your heart. Shrek dares to dream, but then he stops himself. It’s so beautiful and sad.

“But it’s a fairy tale story,” Peter adds. “So there’s always a happy ending.”

Ricky Lin (II) is playing Shrek; Fiona is played by Sophie Clivio (I); Donkey is played by Dylan Volman (I) and Esteban Gutierrez (II) is playing Lord Farquaad.

To show the insecure lord’s short stature, Esteban plays the entire show on his knees.

“I’ve found it incredibly fun to tackle the whole role on my knees. From the singing to the acting and to the dancing, Farquaad has been my favorite role at 91̽��,” Esteban says. “Farquaad is so much fun to play since he’s the complete opposite from who I am in real life. He has such an attitude in everything he does, and I find it so much fun to embrace that aspect of the character.”

“I love Fiona’s story,” Sophie says. “She goes on this incredible journey of self-acceptance, and through that journey, she learns to love the ‘ogre’ parts of her just as much as the ‘princess’ parts. I love that Fiona can be fun-loving and free-wheeling, but she gets down to business when it comes to her happiness and what she wants.”

Shrek is a complex production—many of the supporting cast members play two roles and the play calls for elaborate costuming and set design, as well as puppetry. It’s an “all hands on deck” show, with performing arts faculty members Ted Whalen, Kelli Edwards and Dar Anastas directing music, dance and stage design, respectively; Pam Walker designing costumes; science faculty member Gabrielle Hunt assisting and mathematics faculty member Michael Kassatly in the role of “Papa Ogre.”

“I hope that if anyone takes away anything from the show it is this: do not love yourself or others in spite of your flaws, love yourself, and them, including and because of those flaws,” Sophie says. “I hope the audience can see that everyone, no matter how put together they seem, is a weirdo, and that’s the beauty of life.”

In addition to the evening productions, Middle and Lower School students will be invited to witness the show’s dress rehearsal, which Peter says is “a really special way to include the whole community.” Shrek The Musical runs Thursday, May 17, through Saturday, May 19, at 7 p.m. in King Theatre.

More than 40 91̽�� students received recognition in the 2018 Massachusetts Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The students earned 78 Gold Key, Silver Key or Honorable Mention accolades in the competition, a “banner year” for the School, says English department faculty member Lisa Baker. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards began in 1923 and are considered the most prestigious awards for teenagers in the country. 91̽��’s 21 Gold Key pieces are submitted to the national Scholastic competition, and results for the national contest will be announced in March.

Hannah Neri ’18 received seven awards for painting and photography. Hannah says she is inspired to “define beauty for myself and find beauty in my surroundings.”

“My work, at least this year in oil painting, centers around creating confrontational and non-idealistic portraits and I think I do that well in my portrait of my friend, Hannah H. My photography, for the most part, takes place when I’m travelling. I love photography because it is one of the most portable forms of art. I don’t have a certain photography style; I just try to capture what I find interesting or beautiful. At 91̽��, I’ve become more relaxed as an artist. I’ve forced myself to work faster and more loosely, focusing more on elements of play and creation rather than tedious, but perfect, replication. Visual art challenges me to explore the unknown. When I start a painting, I have no idea how it will actually turn out. I can plan out the composition of the canvas, but when I go to create the colors I want or go to put paint on to canvas I can only hope that when I step back from the canvas, I’ve created something that I like.”

Adi Gandhi ’18 received two Gold Key awards, including one for a writing portfolio, along with an honorable mention for his poem “Mango Picking.” “Before coming to 91̽��, I was very interested in writing, and would write on my own, but without any professional guidance. 91̽�� has an outstanding English department and offers courses in creative writing. I took full advantage of these offers. My creative writing teacher, Mr. Connolly, has been fundamental to helping me grow as a writer. As he likes to say to his students, he is my ‘reader’ and not my teacher. The resources and support I found at 91̽�� have allowed me to grow so much as a writer.”

Complete list of award winners

(GK: Gold Key; SK: Silver Key; HM: Honorable Mention)

Ann-Josephine Auguste (I), HM Poetry: Black Girl

Eliza Barrett-Cotter (III), GK Poetry: Lies

Eliza Barrett-Cotter (III), SK Poetry: Ghazal for a Love Story

Erin Brady (II), SK Drawing and Illustration: Distorted Portrait

Andrew Chan (I) GK Poetry: Sonnet

Andrew Chan (I) GK Poetry: The Raven

Andrew Chan (I) GK Poetry: What I Own

Andrew Chan (I) SK Poetry: Exodus

Malia Chung (III) HM Poetry: The Art of Eight Limbs

Alyssa Dunn (II) GK Poetry: Dear Grandpa,

Serena Fernandopulle (II) SK Poetry: Hit Her

Aditya Gandhi (I) GK Poetry: Fasting during Navratri

Aditya Gandhi (I) GK Writing Portfolio: Scenes from a Black-and-White Western

Aditya Gandhi (I) HM Poetry: Mango Picking

Hannah Hachamovitch (I) SK Art Portfolio: My Art Canon.

Sophia Hitt (II) GK Printmaking: Save The Bees

Sophia Hitt (II) HM Photography: halibut #2

Sophia Hitt (II) SK Painting: self portrait

Sophia Hitt (II) SK Photography: alaska

Edowaye Idahor (I) SK Poetry: Police Brutality

Ainsley Iwanicki (III) SK Ceramics & Glass: Wood Waves

Kiely Johnson (II) SK Poetry: Old Friend

Dong Ju Kim (I) HM Painting: Play With Me

Lucy Landau (I) HM Mixed Media: Apples

Jiseo (Sophie) Lee (I) GK Sculpture: Meat Coat

Jiseo (Sophie) Lee (I) GK Drawing and Illustration: Nostalgia

Jiseo (Sophie) Lee (I) GK Printmaking: Kitty Cones

Jiseo (Sophie) Lee (I) SK Painting: Dew Drops

Jiseo (Sophie) Lee (I) Silver Key Painting: Rainy City

Jiseo (Sophie) Lee (I) Silver Key Sculpture: The Ecosystem

Jiseo (Sophie) Lee (I) Silver Key Design: Butterflies and Bees

Victoire Legrand (I) HM Poetry: Elegy for my Body

Victoire Legrand (I) HM Poetry: What I’m Sorry For

Max Li (I) SK Short Story: Blessings

Kelly Tsing Sum Lo (I) GK Poetry: a letter to the teachers who never did get my name right

Caroline McCarthy (I) HM Sculpture: The Playground

Tatiana Meyer (II) HM Poetry: Unbecoming

Tatiana Meyer (II) SK Poetry: Mix

Anna Mikhailova (II) HM Sculpture: Sagittarius

Alexandra Millard (I) SK Poetry: Husked

Edward Moreta Jr. (I) GK Poetry: Tuesday, May 30th, 1961

Hannah Neri (I) GK Painting: Gentle Stern

Hannah Neri (I) GK Painting: Squeeze

Hannah Neri (I) GK Photography: Death of Tsujiki

Hannah Neri (I) GK Photography: Family of Five

Hannah Neri (I) GK Photography: Oblivion

Hannah Neri (I) SK Painting: Pretty in Pink

Hannah Neri (I) SK Photography: Anchoring to Umapad

Beatrice Ojuri (I) SK Poetry: Take a Moment

Toya Ora (I) SK Poetry: Seven Trouble

Akua Owusu (II) SK Poetry: Bonding, Bleaching

Alexandra Paul (I) SK Poetry: Find Yourself

Jenna Peters (III) HM Poetry: College Graduate

Liv Pouliot (III) HM Poetry: Your Ring

Liv Pouliot (III) SK Poetry: Teddy Bear

Claire Raposo (I) SK Poetry: Rock City Road and Hartigan at 7:30

Amaya Sangurima-Jimenez (II) HM Painting: The Ecuadorian Working Girl

Navpreet Sekhon (I) HM Painting: Hot Cheeto

Nina Subkhanberdina (I) HM Painting: Koi Fish

Evita Thadhani (III) HM Poetry: Villanelle for a Hospital Waiting Room

Evita Thadhani (III) HM Poetry: Drunk

Alexandra Upton (I) HM Poetry: Parallelograms

Alexandra Upton (I) SK Short Story: Stars

Abigail Walker (I) HM Poetry: Last Sunday Night

Abigail Walker (I) SK Poetry: Euphemisms

Abigail Walker (I) SK Flash Fiction: Taking Out the Trash

Jessica Wang (I) GK Short Story: Child From the Stars

Jessica Wang (I) GK Poetry: Raw Meat

Jessica Wang (I) GK Writing Portfolio: Child From the Stars

Hannah Widerman (II) GK Poetry: Aubade

Hannah Widerman (II) HM Poetry: Half Daydreams

Hannah Widerman (II) HM Critical Essay: Boundaries

Peter (Young Yoon) Won (II) GK Ceramics & Glass: Don’t Stop Running

Jonathan WuWong (I) GK Ceramics & Glass: Nymphaeaceae

Jonathan WuWong (I) HM Ceramics & Glass: Stratus

Jonathan WuWong (I) SK Ceramics & Glass: Cornucopia

Erika Yip (III) HM Poetry: Princess

Erika Yip (III) SK Poetry: Penny Girl