Congratulations to 2023 Graduates
Friends is proud to announce the college matriculation of the class of 2023. Click here to see where this year's senior class will be headed in the fall. Their graduation ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 8 at 1:30 PM at SummerStage in Central Park. Read the Student Artist Spotlight that features two seniors.
The Fiddler Plays On
This year’s spring musical, Fiddler on the Roof, performed five sold out shows to standing ovations at the Vineyard Theatre on April 14-16. In the Fall, when the show was chosen, there was consensus that it showcased students’ talent. The Head of Performing Arts Steve Borowka adds, “The rise in antisemitism and other forms of hate also made this an opportune choice.” This production marks the 20th production that Steve has directed at Friends.
The challenge was how to make the musical, set in 1905 Imperial Russia, feel contemporary. The cast and crew discussed how a parent’s objection to a child marrying outside their expectation is relatable. They also considered issues of identity and asked, "Can you play a Jewish matchmaker if you’re not Jewish?" Guest speaker Zachary Piser, an Asian Jewish actor who starred in Dear Evan Hansen talked about representation. He explained to students, “Love is common to all of us, and it’s a story we all get to tell.” Students also heard from Shayna De Lowe, Senior Cantor from Rodeph Sholom, who is gay. She talked to students about how one can be traditional and modern at the same time. Steve comments, “Giving students the opportunity to reflect on the play’s universal themes with real world perspective was energizing.”
Unlike most classic American musicals, Fiddler on the Roof ends with a quiet exodus, rather than a grand finale. Steve explains, “Although the characters are hopeful, we know that it doesn’t end happily ever after.” Steve added a twist of his own in the final moments when the constable smashes the fiddle and the fiddler starts to whistle – showing you can’t take his music away. The Ukrainian flag superimposed on the backdrop at the end was a closing reminder to audiences that persecution continues.
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Upper School Student Travel South to Learn US History
By Kara Kutner, Director of the Center for Peace, Equity & Justice
In April, 15 Upper School students traveled to Memphis, Jackson and New Orleans for an immersive experience entitled Civil Rights and Music: Blues, Jazz and the Politics of Race, sponsored by the Center for Peace, Equity and Justice. The experience provided an opportunity to examine—and in some cases to see first hand—painful pieces of the country’s history, from slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow to the Civil Rights Movement and the present day. A thread that unified this history was the powerful current of Black music and the ways that Black people have created and used music to signify, communicate, celebrate and protest throughout the struggle. The music, the art, the history, the people, the experience of walking the land and simply watching it go by from the bus window all had an impact.
Click here to learn more.
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