Arts and Music — The St. Marker

by Lily Oh '27

On January 26th and 27th, the 2024 WICK Choral Music Festival was held in the Class of '45 Hall in the Putnam Family Arts Center. The festival featured groups from St. Mark's, Middlesex, Algonquin Regional High School, Tufts University, Roxbury Latin, The Wheeler School, Noble & Greenough School, and Boston College. We thank Roxbury Latin and Middlesex for their continued dedication to the WICK festival and also other schools that show wonderful performances! Brianna Kivugo '27 elaborated that the concert aroused her interest in acapella concerts and that she liked the atmosphere where everyone was enjoying and welcoming the music.

The Wick Choral Festival was first established in 1992 through the generosity of the Wick family and friends to honor Myron A. Wick '33. The Festival was first arranged as a music competition, but as time passed, it transformed into a Choral Music Festival concentrated on acapella so that everyone could enjoy the music.

Mr. Fontes, the director of the music department, said that it is important to continue the WICK Choral festival as an annual tradition so that students gain motivation to continue their dedication to music and to feel inspired watching performances from other schools.

We thank all the faculty members and students who worked hard to organize and make this festival such a success. We hope the WICK Choral Festival continues as a core tradition at St. Mark's!

by Hannah Cha’25

The annual Fall Play is back! Directed by Mr. Kent, the art department head at St. Mark’s, this year’s play is Geek!, a comedy-drama play written by Crystal Skillman. Geek! It is a fast-paced, hilarious play expressing the dynamic world of cosplays and fictional anime.

A provided summary of the story is the following:

“To score a rare meeting with their comic book idol, teenage outcasts Danya and Honey will take on obsessive magic players, Jedis and elves, cosplayers and anime convention guards - through all nine flights of Ohio's Dante's Fire-Con. But when the dark nature of their quest breaks through the fantasy of their cosplaying— they find that no game can mask the deep loss they’ve recently shared… unless they truly discover who they are” (Crystal Skillman).

Geek! takes place at a comic convention for fans of an imaginary manga called Dante’s Fire. At Dante’s Fire Con, the two teenagers, Danya and Honey, are on a quest to meet Samagashi, the author of the anime. Despite starting with such a playful and joyous note, this show aims to approach more complex themes as reflected in the background of these two characters. Even though cosplay might be a unfamiliar to the audience, the play contains common issues that all people can relate to and think about. Many relatable topics can be found, such as fear, friendship, vulnerability, and courage, can be found.

Geek! had its opening night on November 15th in the Black Box Theater, and the production week lasted until the 17th. Various students and faculty members attended the performances. Thanks to all who came! The show was a culmination of hard work, dedication, and creative brilliance of all cast and crew who have been pouring their hearts to bring this play to life. Even though some unexpected situations happened, such as the main door breaking the last night, with the cooperation and improvisation of the cast and crew, they successfully ended the show. The collaborative energy seen through the show was truly memorable, as was the theatrical venture undertaken by Geek! lingered in various audiences’ hearts.