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February 25, 2014

Cultivating the Magic of Theater By Jenny Foreman

A theater has always been a magical place for me – but not in the sense that something appears out of nowhere – it is a grueling task to conjure another time and place and bring a story alive in front of an audience. The magic lies in the imaginations of those who choose to participate in that process – the individuals involved and the group they become. After all of the hours of rehearsal, the troubleshooting of costume, set, and prop design elements, the worries and woes of getting everything together in time – it is truly a pleasure for me as the director to open my arms and hand the show over to the kids. That moment of relinquishing my “control” over the play is the ultimate ensemble moment – when the core of the production must shift to the group of performers and crew members behind the scenes, not an outside “eye” offering constant critique and reminders of the choreography and blocking. Like the menacing plant at the centerpiece of this year’s production, the actors

must be hungry to arrive at the next level, performance after performance, despite fatigue and the mounting pressures of the closing of the

academic term.

There is a misconception, I find, that those who like to perform “love it” and therefore find it easy, effortless, a “vacation” from the rest of living – but, to me, the very best achievements are acquired through long, arduous hours of rehearsing one moment over and over, practicing that set change again and again until a certain rhythm and flow is achieved – cultivating a heightened sense of living for an audience to feed off of and enjoy. Theater is work, and without the full investment of each person involved, the magic is lost. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of joy and

passion put into the process as well. But a production is like anything that needs nurturing. We must constantly feed it so that it can grow!

That moment of relinquishing my

“control” over the play is the

ultimate ensem-ble moment –

when the core of the production

must shift to the group of per-formers and

crew members behind the

scenes”

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From time to time, one must fully indulge in a rock horror comedy musical featuring a man eating plant to truly appreciate the good in his or her life. Thanks to the theatrical genius (there! I said it! The woman is brilliant!) of Jenny Foreman, Little Shop of Horrors came to life in the FAB and had audience members on their feet by the final bow, whistling the tune to “Skid Row” as they left the building. Talia Cohen had her Dublin acting debut as the curmudgeonly Mrs. Mushnik. Freshman Cam Harrington and senior Adam Bloom split the role of the naïve yet endearing Seymour. Anna Rozier and Daria Gross dazzled on the stage as Audrey I; their comedic timing was spot on- as was their singing. Jesse Garrett-Larsen played the leather jacket wearing, abusive dentist who falls victim to man eating plant from space first. Maja Hardikar, Kit Brisson, and Moly Hope Forgaard set the solid foundation throughout the play as Chiffon, Chrystal, and Ronette, the down and out Skid Row posse with a knack for smart talk. Our very own Paul Sigel (library) wowed the crowd as the mystery voice within Audrey II and paired perfectly with Julia Marcou’s masterful puppetry. Anna Sigel, Quinn Thomson, Fiona Johnson, Kenny Nevado, Noelia Calcano, Brianna Moore, and Candice Urman formed the ensemble and dazzled on stage as well. Little Shop established that the Performing Arts at Dublin remain in their prime, set to compete in quality with many college productions. From the crew of students backstage to the leadership efforts of Jenny Foreman and Mario Flores, Dublin theater can do nothing but shine. In the words of Foreman, “Having too many talented kids is always a great problem.” To read more about Little Shop, click here to read the review in the Monadnock Ledger Transcript: http://www.ledgertranscript.com/home/10746607-95/shop-til-you-drop.

“Thank you to all of the parents, especially Jamie Bascom who was

the major organizer, for the delicious baked goods at intermission.

We appreciate all of your support!”

-The Cast of Little Shop of

Horror

Little Shop of Horrors Rocks the House

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The Week in Review February 18th– February 25th

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! No: It’s the Robot!

In a wonderfully endearing display of social awkwardness, (and mass intelligence) the Robotics Team assembled onstage to present to the school their fully functioning robot. There was much ooohhing and ahhhhing. Watch out, Silicon Valley: these kids are coming for you.

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2 Glee Club Solos were announced!

On behalf of the cast and crew of Little Shop of Hor-rors, we would like to nominate Katia for a shamrock shirt. She has been a huge help back-stage, always willing to go the extra mile to help any-one who needs it. Her pos-itive attitude willingness to lend a hand made her a vital and lovely part of the show, and we think it mer-its a shirt.

3 Shamrock Shirts Galore!

Well done, young

Padawans.

21-guns solos: Solo 1- Hope Fowler, Sabrina Hayden, Solo 2: Tali Cohen, Molly Hope, Solo 3: Suk Hun Cho, Kenny Navedo, Solo 4: Kit Brisson and Clare Halacey.

Bravado solos Solo 1: Daria Gross Solo 2: Sydney Clarke

On behalf of the cast and crew of Little Shop of Horrors, we would like to nominate Peter Imhoff for a shamrock shirt for the incredible amount of time, effort and creativity he put into building the centerpiece of our set. We really appreciate his generosity and dedication and want to recognize him for all he has done to make this year's production a success!

Congratulations again to the entire cast and crew of

Little Shop of Horror!

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Mr. Adams's class might be called "Math on Every Surface" because that is what you see when you walk in: problems are on the board, of course, but there are also smaller boards on the tables, leaning against the walls, at every student's place. Prob-lems are in colors, there are graphs and diagrams; more problems are being projected. Math problems cover the windows too, so you look out at the world through equations, steps, and students' thinking. The visible presence of the math is impressive but what is even more so is the culture of thinking cultivated in Mr. Adams's classes. Students are given time to think, to try approaches, to collaborate and to ask questions. The right an-swer is not the point, but the path to it. To observe Mr. Adams's class is to experience a complete re-orientation to Math and to education. The broader effect is the experience of taking a class with Mr. Adams has yet to be established but no student leaves his course unchanged.

To read more from Sarah Doenmez’s blog on education, click here: http://www.dublinschool.org/academic-deans-blog-on-educati/

Math on Every Surface By Sarah Doenmez

Academics

Monday

9 am English 1 pm World Language

Tuesday

9 am Science 1 pm History

Wednesday

9 am Math 1 pm Conflict Exams

Exams Begin Next Week!!!

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Dublin Parents Committee presents “A Parent’s Guide to the Teenage Brain”

March 25, 5:30 pm, Schoolhouse All parents are invited to attend a special presentation on Tuesday, March 25 (boarding school students return to school) featuring Andrew Watson, M.Ed., M.A., an educational consultant specializing in the application of current neuroscience research to improve understanding of teenage brains. Mr. Watson, a former boarding school teacher, will be working with Dublin faculty during the day on ways to translate the language of neuroscience into practical application in the class-room. At 5:30 pm, Mr. Watson will then offer an hour-long presentation to Dublin parents offering insight about teen behavior and learning habits. His talk will focus on the neurological and psy-chological developments of adolescence and offer approaches informed by research and experi-ence, to help us better understand and work with our teenagers. Who among doesn’t need some of that insight? Snacks and beverages will be provided.

Voices in our Heads: Metaphysics with Lillian Campbell

Be sure to tune in each month to deconstruct the great mysteries of the universe with sophomore Lillian Campbell. Students and faculty have already submitted their metaphysical maladies to Lillian, including: “If deadlines are social constructs, then why must I still turn in my lab report on time?” and “How can I find motivation to prepare myself for the future if I do not believe in ontological self-determination?” So, join the fun and email Lillian at l_campbell@dublinschool.org with your own philosophical conundrums. Trust us, no question is too weird.

February’s Question: How does one think?

This a question I have been asking myself for as long as I can remember. Not why (I’ve thought about that too) but how.. Where did I learn to think? For me, thinking has a few different stages or levels, but I (as difficult as it is to admit it) talk inside my head. I am not insane, not for this reason at least, but when I think through a math problem, do a puzzle, or draw a picture, there is a commentary of me explain-ing what I am doing to my-self. Do you do this as well? Is it possible we all think in different ways?

When people start-ed researching this ques-tion, one thing became

very evident: we do not do this naturally. We are not necessarily born to think at ourselves because in order to consciously think these

higher level thoughts, we must be able to first speak. So does higher thinking start when our speech is developed? Would this explain why we don’t have many early memories? Perhaps we simply didn’t have a way to catalogue them without these words to first form thoughts to tag these memories in our minds. What do you think?

A Message from the Parents’ Association

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Besides being just a really nice young man, freshman Quinn Thomson is an aspiring comic book artist. He can be seen walking around campus with his trusty sketch pad in hand, ready to draw any spurt of inspiration at a moment’s notice. This is his “This I Believe” essay modeled after NPR’s running radio series of the same name. When I was six years old, I was convinced that if I faced the wrong way when I fell asleep, a ghostly force would somehow hypnotize me into walking out in the forest, where an equally ghostly alien moth-man would fly off with me. As you can guess, I had a very overactive imagination as a kid. I still do. I don't believe in the hypnotizing alien ghost moth anymore, but I still, in a sense, believe in potential for the fantastic. Along with the alien ghost moth, I had many imaginary friends and enemies when I was younger. Among them were a trio of small, insect-like robots who scuttled around the house when I was in bed, a mysterious robe-wearing creature who lived in the apartment next to our house, and a monstrous specter who inhabited the dark depths of our (at the time unfinished) basement. I never saw any of these beings in person, but just imagined their presence. Strangely, I had these creatures envisioned in my mind; the robots kind of looked like vintage diving suits with claw hands and crab-like legs; the thing in the apartment vaguely resembled a Tusken Raider from Star Wars IV: A New Hope; and, the basement specter was a floating demon face who probably spoke in a hammy, over-the-top villain voice. They may have been a bit spooky, but they never seemed to bother me much. Now that I'm fifteen, I've forgotten most of these imagined beings, but I still have that sense of whim-sy in my life. As many of you (my friends) know, I make comics. It might be seen by some as a silly hobby, or a waste of time, but I see it as a way to express my imagination, a sort of fantastical cathar-sis if you will. I have a whole imaginary world inside my head, so I can't just keep it all cooped up in there! Most of my comics are set in a single collective world, a surreal, fantastical retro-future in-spired by the old sci-fi movies I liked. This world, and the comic it features in, has become a good replacement for my currently forgotten imaginary beings, and just like them, the comic world is a strange but wonderful thing. This sense of fantastic potential also creeps into other things, such as my views of the future. I've al-ways felt like even though the world is a bit of a mess now, but that it can and will get better if we try hard enough. A lot of people these days think the world sucks and will only continue to get worse, until it reaches the breaking point. I think that society as we know it will become unrecognizable, but due to a scientific enlightenment rather than an apocalyptic disaster. If you allow the whimsy in your life to set you free, you can see it too: the future is going to be fantastic.

Quinn Thomson

This I Believe By Quinn Thomson