The Arts are making their return at Agnes Irwin! Despite some COVID-related restrictions, Agnes Irwin’s Arts Department has successfully revived and reinvented several pre-COVID traditions. I spoke to Ms. Stait, the Upper School Theater teacher and director of Agnes Irwin’s fall and spring productions, to discuss the status of the performing arts at Agnes Irwin.
There is no question that the arts have undergone significant changes since the beginning of the pandemic, and according to Ms. Stait, this is largely due to a shift in people’s priorities. Ms. Stait feels that many people “got off the bandwagon of taking part in a lot of the extracurricular opportunities that [Agnes Irwin’s Arts Department] does offer, and they haven’t quite all come back on board.” However, Agnes Irwin has still accomplished numerous successful projects, such as last year’s virtual plays, which “[provided] a great outlet for those students who still wanted to take part in the arts.”
Ms. Stait discussed her experience directing Agnes Irwin’s fall production, The World Goes Round, in a time of heavy restriction and general uncertainty about the arts and theater. According to Ms. Stait, many people were very apprehensive about theater’s return in September, as no one quite knew how an in-person production would “play out;” even still, Ms. Stait aimed to put together as “big” a production as possible, especially considering the success Mamma Mia had in 2019. The World Goes Round was a “great choice” in the restrictive conditions. It’s a series of individual performances and a few short ensemble performances that involve little physical contact, enabling performers to maintain social distance. Ms. Stait was “a bit disappointed with the lack of interest” from students during the audition process, but she was pleased that rehearsals were able to “run as normal” and believes the show was an overall success because of the cast and crew’s adaptability.
The revival of theater is just one element of Agnes Irwin’s artistic renaissance. Arts Council is also reintroducing traditions that serve the school and spread joy via the arts; for example, during the holiday season we created and sold candy grams, each including an illustrated card, and organized the Holiday Cafe, an annual event that unites students in the love of artistic decorations and good food. In addition, Arts Council plans to paint a mural in one of Agnes Irwin’s stairwells. The image is still to be determined but will likely connect to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
From Dance Motion, Agnes Irwin’s dance group, we can expect one major recital in February. Ms. Stait is the director of Dance Motion and shared that the performance will include twelve dances of “a variety of styles, from K-pop, street, and classical Chinese to ballet, tap, and lyrical contemporary.” The recital will be on February 11 at 7:30. Following it will be the spring theater production, which will be a play rather than a musical; however, there will be “a musical opportunity” in the form of Mr. Savar’s Sondheim revue, a series of performances that will “celebrate the life and history of Sondheim’s work.”
As for how Agnes Irwin can continue to support the arts, Ms. Stait mentioned that the school could invest in “further developing the staffing requirements and the time that [the arts] are allotted in the school week.” Agnes Irwin currently provides three performance opportunities outside of school, and Ms. Stait says the best way theater can “progress” is to continue expanding outside of the “academic program.”
Overall it seems that the arts at Agnes Irwin receive wonderful attention, but can still be overshadowed by other requirements and programs. If you want to change that, the answer is simple: attend an event, see a show, or join an organization like Arts Council or RepCo. The fate of the arts lies in your hands. Come out and support!
