END NOTE My love of theatre grew right along with me at AFS BY WHITNEY ESTRIN ’98 My first memory of live theatre is not about seeing a play, but about performing in one. Barbara Weaver’s first grade class was learning African fables and we performed a play about how the giraffe got its long neck. We made masks and scenery in art class. Students played the musical accompaniment on glockenspiels. The amazing Debbie Pizzi directed/conducted. I played the giraffe. I loved every minute of it. The first play I remember seeing was the AFS Middle School production of “The Wizard of Oz.” The Triangle Gym was transformed into a magical wonderland. I was 8. I was hooked. In fifth grade, Middle School Theatre Teacher Rita Burrows visited our class and taught us about “getting into character.” As we acted out scenes, I crawled around on the floor, determined to be the best wild boar Rita had ever seen. I must have done something right because in the years that followed, I would play a butterfly, an alligator and a rat in Middle School productions. By the time I graduated, I had read/studied/ memorized/performed nine of Shakespeare’s plays. I had no idea how rare this was until years later. And what was even more unusual was that the study of these plays was woven through our different disciplines, so that we were talking about Julius Caesar in English, social studies, theatre and Latin classes. Shakespeare became ingrained in me. I chose a liberal arts college with a professional Shakespeare theatre on its campus. In my junior year, I studied abroad in London and interned at Shakespeare’s Globe. I have worked for two major classical theatres. I think that can all be traced back to reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Bruce Brownell’s sixth grade English class and acting out the play within the play. As much as I loved performing, I did not apply to a BFA program when I went to college. I wanted to learn more about all the different elements of theatre-making and still take classes in English, art history, biology and Italian. That choice — to learn broadly, soak in as much as I could, knowing that all knowledge would 58 oak leaves spring 2017
be valuable as I formed my career in the theatre — was 100 percent because of AFS. When I got to college, I was surprised to find that most of my classmates had only performed in musicals, had only read Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet, and that their goal was to be on Broadway or win an Oscar. These things had honestly never occurred to me. At AFS, I had been taught and mentored by professionals who were working at theatres across Philadelphia. Fran Brooks, Darla Max, Megan Bellwoar Hollinger, Ken Bolinsky. They showed me a real picture of life as a professional in the arts. Because of them, I didn’t dream of being famous. I wanted to make a career out of making art, and I knew what that looked like when I was 16 years old. That exposure was a true gift. My teachers also gave me the personal attention I needed to build my confidence and self esteem. They practiced monologues with me on the weekends and introduced me to other professionals in the field. They were invested in me. We all know that small classrooms are a benefit of private education, but the dedication of my teachers at AFS went way beyond that. There are so many other ways that AFS laid the groundwork for my career in the arts: critical-thinking skills, the basic elements of storytelling, conflict resolution, how to craft a five paragraph essay. Many adults do not have these basics. And of course, Quaker values — you cannot put a price tag on the impact of being taught the principles of equality, simplicity, community, integrity, stewardship and peace from the age of 5 until age 18. Theatre-makers hold a mirror up to the world to educate, engage, entertain, empathize and enrich the lives of those who are watching. I would not do what I do the way that I do it, or be the person (let alone professional) that I am, if it were not for Abington Friends School. I am forever grateful. n Whitney Estrin is the Director of Development at Theatre for a New Audience, a modern classical theatre in Brooklyn. She earned a BA in Theatre Arts from Drew University and an MFA in Theatre Management from Yale School of Drama, and has worked in professional theatre, predominantly in arts administration, for her entire career.
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The Annual Fund helps make these student experiences possible. • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Upper School musicals Quaker Youth Leadership Conference Science Night Field trips and student assemblies The Eighth Grade Trip to Washington, D.C. Candlelight Dinner Varsity and junior varsity athletics The AFS arboretum Tree plantings on Arbor Day Eighth Grade Independent Study Night The Roobotics team Second Grade Egypt Night ECO Fest and Nature Playdate
Donations to the Annual Fund are unrestricted and support essential student programs from early childhood through grade 12.
Gifts are payable by June 30, 2017. Make your donation today to the Annual Fund at www.abingtonfriends.net/giveonline