Home
| |
Upper School Musical - "Xanadu" |
 |
|
|
 XANADU, the Upper School musical presented by the AIS Repertory Company, follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980 on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time - the first ROLLER DISCO! (Hey, it's 1980!) But, when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds.
It's hilarity on wheels for adults, children and anyone who has ever wanted to feel inspired, as one of Broadway's master storytellers, Douglas Carter Beane, weaves a moving, electrifying tale of endless fun that will keep you in stitches, while the original, legendary chart-topping tunes lift you out of your seat. You'll want to keep the music in your head, and XANADU in your heart, forever." |
| |
| |
Remembering Jean Wike Faust |
|
|
|
It is with gratitude that Agnes Irwin dedicates the 2011-2012 Arts Season to Jean Wike Faust, Class of 1949. In the 1949 yearbook, Jean Wike Faust is described as having "an unusual flair for dramatics and the Wike charm that makes people positive she is the most scintillating girl they've ever met." In the 62 years since she graduated from AIS, Mrs. Faust transformed her love of the theater into a legacy that has impacted the dramatic arts and every day life at Agnes Irwin for decades.
The West-Wike Theater was built in the early 1980’s with the generous support of Jean Wike Faust's family. It was the first theater on Agnes Irwin's campus and enabled girls to work the sound board and light system during productions. Since that time, in addition to the many plays, musicals and arts performances the theater has played host to, every Agnes Irwin girl who has graduated in the past thirty years has given her senior assembly on the stage of the West-Wike in one of the most enduring milestones of an Agnes Irwin education.
In 1991, Mrs. Faust and her husband, Dr. Herbert A. Faust, established the Jean Wike Faust One Act Plays Fund as a permanent legacy to her love of theater. In acknowledging Mrs. Faust's generosity, Penney Moss, 10th Head of School wrote, "I am touched that your own theatrical experiences at Irwin's meant so much to you. Through the establishment of this fund you are providing similar opportunities for today's budding thespians. I cannot imagine a more energizing and inspiring message from an alumna!"
In recent years, Dr. and Mrs. Faust continued their support of dramatic arts at Agnes Irwin by recognizing two students annually through the Jean Wike Faust ’49 Opportunity Fund, bestowing on each a grant to further her dramatic education. Supporting Bill Esher, Head of the Arts Department and Agnes Irwin's philosophy that "theater does not happen without an ensemble," the awards have been given to two members of the dramatic ensemble, one whose outstanding acting merits recognition and one whose technical expertise merits recognition. Bill Esher has said the opportunity fund the Fausts have established allowed several of our girls study opportunities which truly impact the entire program.
In 1991, Mrs. Faust commented that dramatic productions were the aspect of Agnes Irwin life in which she participated most fully. Her love of the theater models Agnes Irwin’s belief that the visual, musical and dramatic arts inspire our girls to explore, discover and create something new. Just as Mrs. Faust the student experienced in the 1940’s, girls today learn to move beyond their boundaries and employ their imaginations, senses and dreams to make a statement that is uniquely their own. Mrs. Faust passed away on October 17, 2011. We are proud to celebrate her legacy, which is so integral to the success of the dramatic arts at Agnes Irwin. |
| |
| |
8th Grade Drama Quarterly Performances |
|
|
|
Middle School History & Theater teacher Anne Ramsey's 8th grade Drama Quarterly class has been working on play writing this term, through a series of writing prompts. After a class trip to NYC, the students wrote monologues or dialogues based on their History and English research on immigration. Each girl chose a real immigrant and wrote a fictional story to support that character. Students combined those pieces with contemporary photography and performed "Immigrant Voices" at the Middle School Assembly on November 4th. Audience members agreed that the performances were very moving and it was a powerful assembly.
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
Agnes Irwin
2011 Winner
Best Drama
|
| |
| | | | | December 9th NEW YORK CITY TRIP
Media Arts, Photography and Theatre students will have a specific assignment to complete while in the city, utilizing skills that they have been learning in class. They will visit MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art), Museum of Art & Design, and ICP (The International Center of Photography). | | |
| | | | |
December 12, 7 p.m. • The Buck
MIDDLE SCHOOL/UPPER SCHOOL
WINTER CONCERT
| | |
| | | | | December 13, 8:30 a.m. • The Buck
LOWER SCHOOL WINTER CONCERT "The Miserable Muse,"
An original musical by Murray Savar, Musical Coordinator at AIS Interweaving the muses of mythology into a contemporary musical, Mr. Savar has creatively involved every student in the AIS Lower School. | | |
| | | | | January 20, 7 p.m. • The Moran Gallery
IMPULSE ARTS NIGHT
We kick off Arts Week with this open mic evening where anything goes – music, poetry, drama - set in a relaxed cabaret. | | |
| | | | | January 23-27 • Various Locations on Campus ARTS WEEK
In an effort to promote the arts at AIS and to the community more broadly, the student-run Arts Board is dedicating a week in January to showcase the various disciplines in Agnes Irwin's Arts department. Previous Arts Weeks have included workshops with visiting artists, visual arts activities and performances by the Bell Cantos and Haverford Notables. | | |
| | | | | January 27-28, 7 p.m. • West-Wike Theater
UPPER SCHOOL DRAMA
"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)"
| | |
| |
Half the Sky |
|
|
|
On November 2, Studio Art and Art History students and two of our international students were given a private tour by Drexel Art and Art History Chair Dr. Joseph Gregory of the exhibition “Half the Sky: Women in the New Art of China,” co-curated by the National Art Museum of China and the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery of Drexel University. The first of its kind in the United States, the exhibition includes more than 60 artworks by 22 contemporary Chinese women artists, working in a wide range of media.
|
| |
|
|