Wick Choral Festival 2018

by Luke Lee '21

On Friday, January 26th, the school received the biggest number of visitors it has had for a school musical event this year. The parking spaces were filled with cars and school buses. The campus was packed with students from other high schools and even a few universities. They were all dressed sharply, wearing coat and tie or dresses. Everyone seemed excited and confident. Over two days, January 26th and 27th, St. Mark’s held the annual Wick Choral Festival at the Class of 1945 Hall of Putnam Family Arts Center.

The Wick Choral Festival was established to remember St. Mark's  alumnus Myron A. Wick and to honor his lifelong passion for singing. Performances were held on Friday evening and Saturday evening. A total of of 8 high schools sent their A Capella groups: Algonquin Regional High School, Middlesex School, Noble and Greenough School, Northfield Mount Hermon School, Pomfret School, Roxbury Latin School, the Wheeler School, and Groton School. A Capella groups from two colleges, Northeastern University and University of Richmond, also offered marvelous performances to the audience.

Alumni, parents from other schools, the acapella groups, and students were waiting in the audience. The Royal Blues were the first to perform. As Mo Liu, the head of Royal Blues, returned to her group after hitting the note on the piano to find the right pitch, the audience was watching them with great anticipation. At first, the girls seemed slightly nervous. The Royal Blues started out with Sigrid’s “Don’t Kill My Vibe.” Sure enough, their first song was a success. There was uproarious applause and also a few shoutouts after which their stiff faces seemed to soften a bit. Then they continued, singing Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," Clean Bandit's "Symphony," and VV Brown's "Shark in the Water". In between the songs,  Paula Hornbostel '20, Frances Hornbostel '21, Maeve Ahern '20, Kaela Dunne '18, Katherine Ewald '19, and Caitlin Lochhead '19 all had some incredible solos.

After the Royal Blues exited, the Marksmen stepped onto the stage. Watching the Royals Blues, the expectations from the audience were high. They kicked off their set with Ben E. King's "Stand by Me” and Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls," with Reily Scott '21 and Conrad Krapf '21 as soloists. Because those two songs were well-known, many students and faculties smiled when they heard the two songs. Some shifted their bodies to the rhythm of the songs. Then, they sang Bastille's “Pompeii”; with Steven Burke ‘18 as the soloist. The audience was stunned by his high voice. The highlight of their performance was their last song, “Classic” by MKTO. Jon Shakespeare ‘19 rocked the stage, going up to a girl and singing to her. Tommy Flathers ‘21 ended the song with his rap. It was awesome how he used his crutches to dance to the rhythm. It was wonderful to see the other groups too. Their performances were superb. The acapella groups from Northeastern University and the University of Richmond were at another level. It was great to see Blake Normandin ‘15 back in the Wick Festival.

A Curious Winter Play

by Lauren Menjivar '18

Mark your calendars everyone! The winter play is just around the corner. There is much to anticipate for the new production because it is  like nothing we have ever done in the past.

This winter, the cast is performing The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time based on the national bestseller novel by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens. The plot revolves around a young, intelligent fifteen-year old boy named Christopher Boone (played by Angela Li ‘19), who finds himself at the front lawn of his neighbor’s house one night, staring down at the dog who was recently murdered. No one knows who may have killed the neighbor’s dog, so Christopher decides to investigate on it himself, and throughout his journey, he discovers a secret that changes his life forever.

For the last two months and a half, actors Grace D. ‘18, Kaela D. ‘18, Rachel H. ‘18, Alex Jeong ‘18, Caroline M. ‘18, Reevie F. ‘19, Angela L. ‘19, Anuoluwa A. ‘20, William L. ‘20, Illia R. ‘20, Alex C ‘21, and Rebecca W. ‘21, Mr. Kent, and the stage crew have been working non-stop to give the best performances for the St. Mark’s community. Unlike past plays, there is no set change, but instead the whole play is performed in the round, and for the first time in a couple of years, we are finally opening the fourth side of the black box for the audience. There are also many lights and music cues that set the stage of the mood perfectly. The actors have been polishing up their British and Irish accents for their characters. There will be a couple of intense sequences to watch out for by the cast. You will be amazed!

Come out and support the St. Mark’s theater production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time! The cast will perform it from February 28-March 3. Reserve your tickets by emailing back to Mr. Kent. We added an additional night instead of the usual three performances, and the fourth night is open to the public so spread the word! We hope to see you all at the Black Box Theater!