Even with virtual school for the first two weeks of the winter term, Groton’s music, dance, theater, and visual arts programs are busy planning their undertakings. Here’s an overview of the art showcases, performances, and activities to watch out for in the upcoming weeks.

Theater 

The theater department will release weekly episodes of scenes 1-5 from The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe. During the fall term, Theater performed scene 6 live in the CPAC. While still at school, the cast also recorded audio for the first 4 scenes of the play for these episodes in the Pratt Rink. For scene 5, Theater prefect Caroline Drapeau ‘21, who plays one of the lead roles, will record the scene in video form at home. 

As these scenes from the play are not going to be in-person, the cast and crew adapted the episodes to resemble a live performance in a variety of ways. “We tried our best to make the audio dynamic, playing some actual soccer and doing some exercises as we spoke, using the Pratt space to run around and stretch as much as possible, etc,” Caroline said. Later, designers edited the audio of these scenes and also added visuals to accompany the audio. The visuals include a mix of some clips of the cast, along with fitting images and text. 

“The scenes should be a really interesting experience for the viewer/listener,” Caroline added, “and if you came to watch our performance in the CPAC and are curious about what led up to that scene, or even if you couldn’t make it to the performance, the episodes will be fun to listen to.”

The episodes will be released sometime soon. 

Dance

Although Groton Dance won’t be doing a formal performance, there will be Zoom masterclasses and also another Dance Series in this period between Thanksgiving and Christmas Break. 

The masterclasses will essentially take the format of a virtual dance class. The students will be taught a piece of choreography, and can perform it through the Zoom camera to receive constructive feedback, along with other general tips.The classes serve as a chance to learn about dance technique, but also gives some time to just dance. Zara Williams, math teacher and dance instructor, describes the masterclasses as “an opportunity to dance and get some exercise in.” 

A Dance Series is also being offered during the start of winter with Olivia Blaisedell (also known as Olivia Moon). Blaisedell, a multidisciplinary artist focusing on photography, film, and dance in particular, uses her self-identity as a queer, female-identifying, Asian-American woman to enhance her artistry. She works to utilize her platform to help spotlight suppressed voices. 

Like the previous Dance Series in the fall term, attendees can watch and listen to a presentation on Blaisedell’s personal dance journey, highlighting her experiences and struggles from where she started to where she is now. As usual, the series will be a great opportunity to see and hear a passionate and multi-talented artist’s unique perspective and path in the dance world. And this time it can be watched right through a computer.

Music 

In the past years, Groton Pops, a lively concert with performances from Groton’s music groups, has taken place in the forum during the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas break. This winter, in place of the usual concert, music prefects Jane Park ‘21 and Anna Pimentel ‘21 plan to host a virtual holiday themed Groton Pops on December 19th with pieces submitted by students at home. Similar to a normal Open Mic, people can perform with anything from singing to playing an instrument to dancing. “Like a casual at-home Groton Pops,” Jane commented. The concert will still be an engaging and fun experience for the Groton community to enjoy. 

Visual arts

“Because our time between the Thanksgiving and Christmas break comes and goes in a blink of an eye,” Jennifer Ho, visual arts teacher and co-director of the Christopher Brodigan Gallery said, “we honor the start to winter term by holding all visual art events when we return to campus. That way any showcases can be appreciated as the term rolls along.” However, Groton art can still look forward to welcoming this year’s Mudge Fellow, Sobia Ahmad, later in the winter term.