A Day in the Arts 3/11/16
On Friday, March 11, 2016, the Andrew L. Hicks, Jr. Foundation held the fourth A Day in the Arts event. West Chester B. Reed Henderson High School hosted the event for the 5th grade class of Chester Charter School for the Arts (CCSA) for the second year in a row. This was a special day for the kids from Chester as they got to not only see a stage first hand, but they got to perform on it at the end of the day! For a link of the performances, CLICK HERE!
A Day in the Arts is a Senior Project event lead this year by Karly Thomas (far left). She and her friends (from left to right: Brenna Eadie, Lauren Bergeman, Jessica Nichter, Em Mossblad, Rachel Kobernick, & Audrey Voltz) put together an amazing day full of singing, acting and dancing. Em recorded and edited the video so the kids, their teachers and parents can all enjoy the performances.
After Vice Principle of Henderson Mr. Andy Grear welcomed the group and introduced them to their Henderson “teachers” for the day, the kids were invited on stage by Ms. Beverly Rigby, the Drama teacher at CCSA. She was able to bring to life the lessons she taught about the different parts of a stage, how the curtains work, and what the wings are used for. The Henderson Drama Team just wrapped up their production of Cinderella, so it was neat to see all of the props stored in the wings! The tour gave way to an icebreaker to help everyone get to know each other and feel more comfortable. The kids spread out into a big circle on stage and whoever was in the middle made a statement about themselves, such as “I love mac and cheese.” If it was true for those standing in the circle, they had to take a step towards the middle. It didn’t take long for everyone to be in the middle as they all had more in common than they realized!
Now the CCSA students were ready to get to work! They divided into three groups and took turns rotating through different workshops: Choreography, Chorus, and Acting. The kids were very attentive to the pointers and tips offered by their Henderson workshop instructors. Once the workshops were finished, it was time for lunch – and nothing like a Chick-fil-A sandwich, an apple, a bag of chips, a cookie and sweet tea to refuel the budding artists!
Once lunch was over, they went into serious rehearsal mode. This year, the CCSA is performing The Little Mermaid for their own school play – so one group practiced a choreographed dance to “Human Stuff,” one group rehearsed some scenes from the play, and the third group practiced singing and dancing along to “Under the Sea.” As rehearsals wrapped up, the groups took to the stage – and they did NOT disappoint! It was great to see all their hard work had paid off with some amazing performances! There are definitely some future entertainers in this group! (To see a video recap of the day’s workshops put together by Henderson student Em Mossblad, CLICK HERE!)
The day wrapped up with a curtain call for the Henderson students and of course, Ms. Rigby. It was only a half-day event, but we’re pretty sure the fun and the memories made at this year’s A Day in the Arts will last far longer!
Special Thanks:
Henderson High School
Chester Charter School for the Arts
Krapf Bus Company
Chick-Fil-A
West Chester Food Bank
Em Mossblad, video production
