Out in the gallery in front of the 800 seat
theater of Cicely Tyson High School, there were exhibits and
demonstrations arranged in what was billed as a "Pre
show."
As part of the "Pre show," the
Cicely Tyson Harp ensemble filled the air with harp music, under
the direction of Ms Cartier.
Parents and invited guests gathered around
displays, like this one set up by the Animation Department under
the direction of Mr. Patuto.
Mr. Wolf's Film and TV Department also had a
display showing the work of the students.
The Fine Arts Department, under the direction of
Mr. Coronado and Mr. Pleasants, filled the front museum with a
visual art display.
Eventually the audience made its way into the
theater for the Performing Arts part of the show. There were two
separate Open House performances by students. The Middle School
Program began at 6:00 PM and the High School program began at
7:00 PM.
Opening remarks for both programs were made by
Mrs. Bailey, P.T.O. President.
The Open House Concert is not just to show what
students are doing, but what their teachers are capable of
teaching them. Mr. Petty (oboe) and Mr. Field (piano) showed
their abilities by playing the Preludio from the Concerto Grosso in F Major
by Arcangelo Corelli.
This was followed by a Harp Solo played by Ms
Cartier.
The final teacher performance was a Trumpet solo
played by Ms Thompson. The teacher performances were the same for
both programs, but now we turn our attention to the performances
by the Middle School and High School students.
The Middle School Orchestra, under the direction
of Mr. Dillow, played London Bridge, an English Folk
song, which was presented as a "Counting Challenge."
The Middle School Theatre presented
"Lessons in Theatre" under the direction of Ms Powell.
A high school ensemble named "Rock
Kids" presented an original composition called Who Am I
, under the direction of Ms Thompson.
The Dance Department students performed Pandora's
Box under the direction of Ms Peets and Ms Sweet.
Representing the High School Theatre, Taira
Nails performed as the character Berniece in an excerpt from The
Piano Lesson by August Wilson, under the direction of
Mr. Lemon.
The High School Concert Choir, under the
direction of Ms Hughes, performed When You Believe, a choir arrangement of a song
composed by Stephen Schwartz for the 1998 DreamWorks animated
feature The Prince of Egypt.
The High School Musical Theatre performs Once Upon a Time, a song with music by
Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams from the 1962 musical All
American, under the direction of Mrs. Gorgone.
Although it was not mentioned in the printed
programme the audience received, both shows ended with a
performance by the East Orange Unified Marching Band, many of
whom can be seen in other ensemble photos.
This was followed by some words from the
Principal of Cicely Tyson, Dr. Stephen Cowan. After each program,
the audience was welcomed back into the gallery to see the
displays of the other departments in more detail and to take a
guided student tour of the building.
