Made In America

arts

An interview with Mr. Hengst: The Farnsworth Invention

Russell Yoh ’24

After the success of last year’s Something Rotten! and Peter and the Starcatcher, this year the drama department will present The Farnsworth Invention, a play that follows Philo Farnsworth, who comes up with the idea for the first all-electronic television. However, the president of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), David Sarnoff, steals the idea.

Mr. Darren Hengst, The Grace and Mahlon Buck Chair in Performing Arts and the production’s director, is excited to get started on the show.

“We have a ton of talented gentlemen, very dedicated to the program, so I wanted to do a show that highlighted as many of them as possible,” Mr. Hengst said. “This is a great story, it has great characters, but also there’s a lot of roles, so it’s gonna highlight a lot of guys.”

Mr. Hengst is most looking forward to working on such a dynamic and entertaining script.

“I love the script, and I love the writer himself, it’s Aaron Sorkin, who wrote The West Wing and A Few Good Men… I love the way he writes dialogue, so that’s exciting that we get to work on one of his scripts,” he said. “I love historical drama, and this is an event that took place that I wasn’t really aware of, so I loved researching that and getting to know more about that event, the creation of the television.”

With rehearsals only just beginning, there’s still much work to do before the final product takes Centennial Hall’s stage in November. For many, the preparation grows enjoyable as things begin to fall into place as the weeks roll by.

Mr. Hengst most appreciates the final week, where students put their weeks of practice into a last week of rehearsal before showtime.

“The most rewarding part of the process in pretty much any show I’ve done is during tech week when the students feel comfortable with the script and in their intentions of the characters, [so they are] basically comfortable with everything they’re doing in the show,” Mr. Hengst said. “They make it their own show, rather than something they’ve been rehearsing.”

RUSSELL YOH ’24

Students audtion for The Farnsworth Invention, September 19, 2022

Students share mixed feelings for Made in America 2022

Russell Yoh ’24

Every Labor Day weekend, high schoolers and college students gather to watch their favorite artists take the stage at the Made in America festival on Center City’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Originally created by entertainer Jay-Z, the festival has come to Philadelphia every year since 2012, excluding 2020 due to the pandemic. This year’s lineup consisted of headliners Bad Bunny and Tyler, the Creator, along with other acts like Lil Uzi Vert, Jazmine Sullivan, Burna Boy, and more. Several Haverford students were in attendance this year, leaving the festival with mixed feelings.

“I was with my friends and some of my family members and we just all had fun and we hung out, listened to good music, and had a good time,” Carter said. “I got to meet and see new people, and hang out with people I haven’t seen all summer, so I really liked going.”

Many also decided not to go this year, mostly due to the lineup.

“I didn’t go because the lineup wasn’t that good this year. There was Tyler the Creator, and Lil Uzi Vert, some good artists, but the lineup wasn’t that good,” Fifth Former Brady Stallkamp said.

Fifth Former Noah Trexler agreed, saying, “I did not go to Made in America because the music selection wasn’t as good as it has been in previous years. There’s a possibility that I go next year, but first I have to see the artists that are performing, and also if my friends are going.”

Those who went, however, seemed to have had a great time.

“My favorite performer was Tyler, the Creator by far. He had the best set out of everybody. He had costumes and different dancers, he was putting on a show. He had lights, fireworks, it was just really high production value,” Carter said. “But last year was much more fun.… They had better people, more suited for my personal music taste than this year.”

“I didn’t go because the lineup wasn’t that good this year. There was Tyler the Creator, and Lil Uzi Vert, some good artists, but the lineup wasn’t that good.”

BRADY STALLKAMP ‘24