The Arts in South Plainfield 1958-2019 Jordan L., Mike S. Abigail - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Arts in South Plainfield

1958-2019

Jordan L., Mike S. Abigail L.

History of the Drama Department

➔ Some of the earliest mentions of a drama department begin in 1958 with the mention of the senior/freshman plays ➔ There used to be a spring musical and a fall play every year, on top of the summer drama workshop ➔ Based on the yearbooks from 1950 to modern day, there used to be a larger number of participants in theatre ➔ Additionally, there more classes offered to students such as theatre arts and a few acting classes ➔ There appeared to be an overall stronger support of the arts (such as more promotion and funding) 2

The Ring and the Look / Modern Interpretation of the Ballet

➔ In 1958, the drama club had a double performance

• f Mary Thurman Pyle’s The Ring and the Look as

well as a modern ballet ➔ It’s fascinating to see the diversity of productions that took place 3

The Night of January Sixteenth

➔ A senior play from 1960 ➔ It is a classic murder mystery story with an interesting twist: members are chosen at random from the audience to play the jury on stage 4

Julius Caesar

➔ Friday January 10, 1964 ➔ Preformed by “Shakespeare for Students Theatrical Company” ➔ Small set with only a few pieces ➔ Only one female in the cast ➔ It was designed to reinvigorate high school kids interest in shakespeare and theatre 5

The Music Man

➔ Summer Drama Production of The Music Man ➔ Directed by Norman Krisburg ➔ Lists who’s playing who in the cast ➔ Performances are July 26th, 27th, and August 2nd, 3rd, 4th 6

In The Heights

➔ Directed by Linda Viel ➔ Music directed by Dr. Donna Kregler and Mr. William Haughwout ➔ The story explores three days in the characters' lives in the New York City Latino neighbourhood

• f Washington Heights

➔ The score features hip-hop, salsa, merengue and soul music 7

History of Literary Works

❖ Two major school publications showcased students written work: Tiger’s Tale and the Tiger newspaper ❖ Tiger’s Tale- a club for students to display their creative writing and/or drawing talent ➢ a collect of their poems, short stories and art compiled into a book for the student body ❖ Tiger newspaper- a club for students to write about current events and/or for entertainment ➢ News topics were more controversial before the 2000s ❖ Both clubs still exist today 8

“Marching Band”

❖ Recognizes several important individuals who either took part in performing or directed ❖ Mentions the achievements the marching band was able to accomplish ❖ The staff reporter was able to record insight from younger members of the band as well as the director himself 9

In Touch With Your Inner Child

❖ Gives the audience a story of how a child comes to discover a cartoon ❖ References popular children’s shows such as the Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, and the Ninja Turtles ❖ Uses student testimonies to convey point that cartoons are relevant to kids as well as teens ❖ Provides a student made list of the top ten cartoon during that time 10

So What?

11 ➔ The arts give us a look into different cultures and help our understanding of the world grow ➔ On top of that, it develops extra skills that can be applied to fields beyond the arts ➔ Statistically speaking, most students who participate in music and theatre do better in school