A "Fabul(ist)" Show

Dear Friends-

Our Upstairs Spring Show was last Friday, and I could easily spend this entire note glowing about the final results. I could talk about the sophistication of the music, the inventiveness of the costumes, and the beauty of the set and backdrops. I could tell you about how each moment seemed stolen from a Wes Anderson movie, presented and performed in a style author Michael Chabon has described as “fabul(ist)”. The show was perfectly awesome and breathtakingly precious.

I could tell you about all that.

What would be left out, however, would be the incredible journey that led to the show. You wouldn’t know that the entire script was written by the students. In some incredible bit of teaching magic, Claire gathered input from every single one of our Upstairs kids about what type of character they would like to play. She then worked incredibly hard with them to piece together a plot that not only made sense, but was also clever, humorous, and built around a profound message about conservation. You wouldn’t know that students and their parents spent the week before the show piecing together materials for costumes that came out perfect in every way. You wouldn’t know that Gina was working for months on music for the show that was pushing the boundaries of what our students had previously been capable of. The final, jubilant song of the show featured richly layered vocal parts and a complex 5/4 rhythm that the students handled like pros!

Thanks to all who attended and especially to all the teachers and parents for their help!

Happy spring!!

Be well,

Ben