Visual & Performing Arts
MUSIC
CREATIVE EXPRESSION
Working In Harmony Teachers Collaborate to Compose Fall Musical
| THEATER | STUDIO
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new sister act on Sing Your Song, hosted by local celebrity Kip Kiley. After weeks of searching, the three final singing sister acts are to appear on the finals of this contest, sponsored by Huckleberry Foods, to be broadcast nationally. by Amanda Mahnke Three sets of sisters — the Wright Sisters (Catherine de When the time has come to choose a fall musical for the Upper Lacoste-Azizi, Naomi Paradis, Gigi Gardner) from Chicago, the School to produce, what’s an Agnes Irwin director to do when he O’Donnell Sisters (Abby Rubin, Ellie Damstra, Connie Thompcan’t find an enticing story with strong female leads? son) from Philadelphia, and the Moore Sisters (Dejah Bradshaw, Well, write one, of course. Sanaiyah Watt, Acacia Pressley) from Detroit — are to compete. That’s the story behind In Harmony, this year’s fall musical, to The musical follows the finals of the search for the new sister act: be performed November 19, 20 and 21. With an original script the rehearsal week in the first act and the live broadcast in and music written by longtime collaborators Bill Esher, Visual the second. and Performing Arts Department The play calls for a few musical Chair, and music teacher Jerry Kapral, numbers with a medley of songs from UPPER SCHOOL In Harmony tells the story of a telethe time period — including “Do You vised 1962 competition between three Love Me?” and “Mashed Potato” — as VISUAL & PREFORMING ARTS sister singing groups. well as about nine original songs, writ~ PRESENTS ~ “Beginning in the 1940s and conten by Kapral. tinuing through the 1960s, sister singThe script was such a hit that stuing groups were incredibly popular,” dents opted to nominate In Harmony Esher explained. After watching a for this year’s Cappie Awards, a studocumentary on the craze, he came up dent-led program in which area with an idea: What if these sister acts theater students review productions became the basis for an Upper School and vote on accolades, Academy production? Awards style. Each school can nomiEsher approached Kapral in July nate only one production; usually, about working with him on the fall Agnes Irwin students nominate the musical. Having worked together on spring play. more than 30 productions in the past “It’s exciting because we’re the orig— including one full-length musical — inal cast,” said Abby Rubin ‘16, who they saw the partnership as a plays Mary Kathleen O’Donnell, the no-brainer. oldest of the O’Donnell sisters. “We all “We have the same kind of vision in love the script: the plot is great — it’s what and how we write,” Kapral said. witty and charming, and the musical “At this point, it’s become one of numbers are going to be really fun.” NOVEMBER 19-21, 2015 those collaborations where you can “It made me laugh out loud when finish sentences or help complete a reading it,” said Connie Thompson ‘16, thought,” Esher added. “When one of who plays Abby’s younger sister, Mary us is stuck, we’re able to say, ‘This is the thought I had’ and the Frances O’Donnell. other person is able to step in, help think it through and develop Thompson said that because In Harmony is an original piece, it. It becomes an easy partnership.” the actors don’t need to guess about their characters’ motivation. The pair set to work outlining the show in early July, develop“Mr. Esher knows these roles by heart, and is able to give great ing the shape of the narrative and researching songs from the critiques and tips for portraying our parts,” she said. Plus, Esher early 1960s. July and August were spent writing the script and and Kapral can add, deduct, modify and finesse songs and diathe music, and auditions were held in early September. logue as they see fit. “That’s part of the beauty of having control The story goes like this: It is 1962 in Cincinnati, OH, and of the show itself,” Esher said. “We can make decisions in the WKRC-TV, an ABC affiliate, is hosting a contest to find the next editing process as we want to.”
In Harmony
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AGNES IRWIN MAGAZINE
FALL 2015
