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February 2012 Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 4   Home Middle School Takes on Comic Opera "The Pirates of Penzance, Jr." Under the direction of Middle School drama teacher Ann Ramsey, more than half of the 7th and 8th grades will perform in a 65-minute abridgment of the classic Gilbert and Sullivan opera, The Pirates of Penzance - as produced on the Broadway stage by Joseph Papp in 1981.   Wacky, irreverent and entertaining, The Pirates of Penzance, Jr. spins a hilarious farce of sentimental pirates, bumbling policemen, dim-witted young lovers, dewy-eyed daughters and an eccentric Major General, all morally bound to the often-ridiculous dictates of honor and duty. The students have been rehearsing since January – Tuesday afternoons, Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings.   Ramsey encourages everyone to attend, as the students have really thrown themselves into their characters. “We invite the entire Agnes Irwin community to come and laugh with the rollicking pirates, the bevy of beautiful maidens, the undaunted policemen, and of course, the Modern Major General!” Musical direction is under Middle School music teacher Cara Latham. Costume and publicity crews are advised by Middle School English teacher Erica Novak, with the set, lights, and sound crews monitored by instrumental music teacher Ben Vaughan.   Reviews Are In... “Congratulations to Bill Esher and the entire cast and crew (of 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)!' They took on an extremely challenging piece and the execution was superb. It was wonderful to see the entire theater laughing out loud!” - Head of School Dr. Mary Seppala on the Upper School Drama The AIS Repertory Company's January 27-28 drama production was a resounding success. But don’t just take our word for it. Sitting in the audience were 32 critics from the Cappies, a Critics and Awards Program for high school theater, who reviewed the show. (See What are the Cappies?) Here are the thoughts of two reviewers:   "Thirty-seven Shakespeare plays in 90 minutes: The Agnes Irwin School achieved this lofty goal this weekend in their production of 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)'…. Across the board the acting was truly impressive. Particularly noteworthy was Alicen Davis. Her portrayal of Hamlet, specifically the portion that was acted backwards, was hilarious. In addition, Meridith Pollie did a wonderful dramatic interpretation of the famous 'To Be or Not To Be' speech. Her physical humor throughout the whole show was also very funny." - Nina Gurak of Conestoga High School   "Playing themselves and shattering the 'fourth wall,' the girls of Agnes Irwin took turns embodying every critical Shakespearian character from Romeo to Hamlet, cheekily poking fun at the tragedy, romance and sexual jokes that come with Shakespeare’s work. Titus Andronicus hosted a cooking show, King Henry played football with King Lear, and nobody escaped a proper satirical skewering as the night progressed." - Dan Crawford of Ridley High School   Winter Instrumental Music Expo Hits High Note On January 20, instrumental music instructor Ben Vaughan, who teaches in all three divisions, led students through several performances, including the debut of the 3rd grade violinists and cellists. Also featured were the 4th grade violinists, Middle School Ensemble and Upper School Ensemble. Prior to each selection, Vaughan gave a short description of how the piece related to the educational content taught during rehearsals. The ensembles performed short excerpts illustrating the application of concepts to the repertoire. New to the strings program in Lower School this year is the cello! See images in the Media Gallery.   January Student Photography Exhibit Upper School photography students exhibited work from their semester portfolios in January.     Click here to view some of the fascinating photographic work by Agnes Irwin students. STILL LIFE: Sixth grader Mikaela Thomas paints a cerulean background for her vibrant rendering of a cyclamen in ink and tempera. Coming Up February 15: Global Girls Cinema Series, Pushing the Elephant @ 5-7 p.m., West-Wike Theatre   ~   March 2-3: Middle School Musical, The Pirates of Penzance Jr. @ 7 p.m., West-Wike Theatre   March 7-20: Inter-Ac Art Show Students from AIS, Haverford, Baldwin, EA, Shipley and Friends Central display their works. Opening Reception 4-6 p.m., The Baldwin School   March 15-16: Dance Motion @ 7 p.m., West-Wike Theatre   March 17: Broadway Dreams Triple Threat Workshop Performance Broadway professionals will perform along with AIS students from workshop. @ 7 p.m., West-Wike Theatre   March 20: AIS/Haverford/Baldwin Upper School Concert @ 7 p.m., Centennial Hall, The Haverford School   ~   April 12: PreK & K Spring Sing @ 8:30 a.m., LTB '49 Pavilion InterAcappella Concert The combined choirs of AIS, Baldwin, Haverford and Shipley perform. @ 7:30 p.m., Episcopal Academy   April 13: Lower School Grades 1-4 Spring Sing @ 8:30 a.m., LTB '49 Pavilion April 16: Spring Instrumental Concert @ 7 p.m., West-Wike Theatre   April 17: Global Girls Cinema Series,  A Powerful Noise @ 5-7 p.m., West-Wike Theatre April 25: AIS/Church Farm School Combined Concert @ 7:30 p.m., LTB '49 Pavilion