Head of School's Blog

A triumph! Wow! A gift! These were my reactions to our students' recent performance of Hadestown. I spoke to the community in Monday’s Morning Meeting about my pride in the cast and crew after seeing the show Friday night. Zach and Brittney Redler worked tirelessly with our vocalists to bring out a perfect blend of professionalism and innocent emotion in their voices. As one senior said in their speech after the final performance, “Thank you for working with us so thoughtfully despite your being so overqualified for our production!”

Sophie Luxmoore calmly led her tech crew through months of preparation for the show. The set, painted by our students, was stunning and even included our very own rotating stage. The sound was beautifully produced, the lighting captured the atmosphere of the different moods of the sets, and the costumes made us all feel like we were watching a Broadway show.

I visited several rehearsals in the weeks leading up to the show. I have not been in a musical production since playing the character of “Brad the Blowfish” in my second-grade play, so I have a hard time understanding where a show is heading while witnessing the chaos inherent in these rehearsals. Jenny Foreman has so much skill in anticipating her cast, picking an appropriate play for the students and the moment, casting the play, coordinating the tech crew, musicians, and cast, and bringing out the very best in everyone on stage. Chaos does not deter her, and one quickly learns that there is much order to what is happening than what appears during my quick visits. The audience in the final shows commented on just how incredible the students were in their individual performances and the group ensembles.

One moment in the musical stood out above the others, and I could not stop thinking about it over the weekend. The singing and choreography of the song “Why We Build The Wall” struck me for its power and political relevance. The lighting, live band, full-cast involvement, and the moment's darkness left us gasping for air as we headed into intermission. The following day, I bought the Hadestown album online and listened to the whole thing. I had not purchased an album since my mother took me to downtown Concord, MA, in 1978 to buy the soundtrack to the movie Grease. Go, Grease Lightning! I found my new Hadestown album disappointing. The songs lacked the emotional depth that I had experienced the night before. I know I am biased about our students and staff, but the difference in quality felt real to me. Fortunately, I had a solution. I went back for two more shows and enjoyed every minute of each.

Theater is a gift. To see young people sharing something that is coming from deep inside of themselves reveals a vulnerability and generosity that is hard to replicate. Theater changes the actors involved and sometimes people like me who are fortunate enough to witness the triumph on stage. Every performance is different and reflects the back-and-forth interplay between the actors themselves and between the actors and the audience. Art also allows us to hold up a mirror to the political moment and think deeply about who we are and what we stand for. Thank you to everyone involved for this special gift! Wow.