Much Ado about the Arts
This weekend, Annie Wright Schools present William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. This innovative performance, featuring girls and boys from Grades 8 to 12, trims this delightful comedy to one hour and engages audiences intimately with staging in the round. This play is not about nothing. Like all Shakespeare comedies, it is about love…with a little mischief thrown in for good measure. Performances are Thursday, December 12, at 2:15 pm, Friday, December 13 at 7:00 pm and Saturday, December 14 at 2:00 pm.
Much Ado follows a busy semester rich in the arts throughout the schools. Here are some highlights:
- Kindergarten students learned about Pablo Picasso and how to express themselves through their “Emotional Roosters” ink and watercolor project. They also explored how Henri Matisse uses shapes to create feeling.
- Twenty-nine Lower School students from Kindergarten to Grade 5 performed Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book in November, with backstage support and management from Middle and Upper School students. This adaptation of the classic short story collection used Kipling’s original 1894 language.
- Middle School design students are in the midst of a project to design videos promoting the work of non-profits. After learning filmmaking skills, including shooting video and editing, students connect with their chosen organization and build relationships in the community. See a sample of some of these videos from previous Grade 7 students here.
- The Upper School orchestra performed the challenging “Five Pieces for String Orchestra” (1927) by Paul Hindemith during the Fall Concert, offset by a rousing rendition of “Sweet Child O Mine” by Guns N’ Roses.
- Six artist laureates in the Upper School for Girls, selected through a rigorous application process last spring, are currently exhibiting samples of their collections in the International Baccalaureate Visual Art Gallery in Klarsch Hall. An opening reception took place in November, with artists speaking about their visions and processes. The success of this program has inspired a new music laureate program starting this spring.
