Greek Drama in New Theatre

This past week, both Seventh Grade sections presented dramatic performances, in conjunction with their study of Ancient Greece's contributions to the formation of Western democracy and culture.

In last week's The Trial of Socrates, 7 Pi provided a historical reenactment of the Greek philosopher's trial, based on the writings of Plato, who was present at the trial.

Today, 7 Theta performed Sophocles' Antigone, the third and final part of the Oedipus series.

These productions explore the values and moral questions posed by Greek philosophers, who examined humans' relationships with the gods and with each other in society.

Congratulations to the boys and their directors, teachers Jim Barbieri and Joe Kilkeary. The tradition of the Greek Plays in Seventh Grade was brought to the school by Mr. Kilkeary in 1986 with the production of Sophocles' Ajax. This year, for the first time in Saint David's history, the boys performed in a state-of-the-art professionally equipped theater, our new Otto-Bernstein Performing Arts Theatre, with the entire Upper School and parents able to attend.

What an enhancement to our already strong drama program, which enables our boys to step out of their comfort zones, cultivate empathy, and explore emotions--all essential for their well-being.

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OLIVER!

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!

Fascinating Art Talk by Michelle Marder Kamhi at Grandparents Event

Yesterday evening, independent scholar and critic Michelle Marder Kamhi ( www.mmkamhi.com ), co-editor with husband Louis Torres of Aristos , an online review of arts; author of Who Says That's Art? A Commonsense View of the Visual Arts ; and grandmother of two Saint David's boys, gave a thought provoking talk on art for our grandparent community. An advocate of objective standards in arts scholarship and criticism, Ms. Kamhi focused her talk on the ways in which art critics such as Clement Greenberg promoted the shift from representational art to abstraction. Kamhi argues that the abstract and post-modern art prevalent today, which often requires explanation by docents in order to be understood, goes against art's purpose. Taking issue with Greenberg's contention that representation is an expendable convention of painting, she quoted the late art critic John Canaday: "Art is the tangible expression of the intangible values that men live by." ...

NE Patriot Tom Brady at Saint David’s

Last night, Saint David’s was honored to have one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, four time Superbowl champion and three-time MVP winner Tom Brady, as the guest speaker for our Alumni Parents Council Lecture Series. Tom, who is the father of one of our Saint David's boys, addressed a standing-room-only audience in Hyman Hall comprised of our eighth graders, alumni, alumni parents and faculty. Friendly, introspective, witty, and wise, he directed his talk to the delighted eighth graders in the front of the room, and focused on the topic of leadership. “You are the young men and leaders of Saint David’s,” he noted. Tom debunked the perception that leaders are born not made, and credited his leadership abilities to “standing up to and facing fears” and to “cultivating a mental strength,” which he cited as “more important than being physically strong.” He also stressed the importance of working hard, honoring teamwork, believing in oneself and being a good lis...

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