The 20th Century Revisited

Last week the sixth graders took us back to the 1900s in For Though They May Be Parted, an original play with music that tracks some of the defining and most powerful moments of the 20th century through the experiences of multiple generations of a fictional family.

The play was written by former faculty member Wil Lobko with revisions by current faculty Karen Davis, Emily Einhorn, Jeffrey Moore and Joe Shapiro. It weaves together iconic music, poetry, oratory and history from the century to tell its story, opening at the end of World War I and concluding with the fall of the Berlin Wall. The boys are able to internalize multiple perspectives as their characters move through the defining issues of different decades.

This production is mounted in conjunction with the Sixth Grade's signature interdisciplinary unit "The 20th Century Kaleidoscope," in which the boys examine the century's events through a kaleidoscope of perspectives and primary sources that include songs, poems, and historical documents.

Congratulations to all of the boys, who outdid themselves in their recitations, acting, and singing!

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This morning our fifth graders continued a great year-end tradition at Saint David's, The Fifth Grade Musical. The boys performed Oliver! and they were fantastic, providing impressive performances and demonstrating great vocal ability. They have been mastering the dialogue and musical numbers for weeks, and clearly gave it their all. Congratulations to the cast on a job well done, and to their Producers/Teachers James Hubbard and Jamie MacNeille, Director Phyllis Clark, Musical Conductor Jeff Moore, and the Parent Committee of Cynthia Chapman, Susan Kissane, Tara Neumann, Joyce Restituto, and Ann Roberts. Musical theater is alive and well at Saint David's!

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