COVID-19 has restricted our ability to enjoy many of the activities that we loved pre-quarantine. Due to these restrictions, Shipley will not be able to have their fall performances, however, something else has come to fill their place: Beautiful Trouble.
Beautiful Trouble, directed by Ms. Gibson, the Upper School public speaking teacher, is a performance protest piece comprised of scenes, monologues, poetry, short films, and more. Beautiful Trouble hopes to raise awareness for issues that are close to our hearts.
Ms. Gibson remarks, “We were trying to find a way to create theatre in this new reality where public performance and gathering is not viable or safe. We were also trying to find a way to give voice to the many issues that have been at the forefront of our lives and have been magnified by the pandemic. Art, by allowing us to imagine a world that may not exist, is a remarkable resource for those wanting to instigate change. Beautiful Trouble feels like the right response at this time.”
The students involved will choose a topic that they are passionate about and create a piece commenting on it. These pieces will be prerecorded, edited together, and broadcasted on YouTube on November 20 at 7:30 pm. The project will remain on YouTube afterwards for those who are unable to attend the live broadcast. Ms. Gibson encourages all students to watch these performances and support their peers. It will be a night of raising awareness, education, and art.
This article was originally published in the October 2020 issue of The Beacon.
In April 2022, artist Peter Makela ’04 will travel to Nepal as a Fulbright Scholar. He’ll spend 10 months in the Kathmandu Valley pursuing his project, “The Radiant Emptiness of Space: Madhyamaka and Contemplative Perception,” while studying Madhyamaka philosophy at Rangjung Yeshe University, the world’s preeminent English-speaking Buddhist university. Learn more about Makela and his work.
“I’m not teaching drawing, painting, or printmaking. I’m teaching creative problem-solving,” says Upper School art teacher Meredith Turner. “My students may never draw, paint, or make a print again, but they’ll have to represent themselves both visually and verbally in the workplace. They’ll have to be willing to take risks, try new things, and make mistakes along the way in order to solve problems.”
Shipley senior Emma Lo has been recognized as a 2021 National YoungArts Foundation Winner in Classical Music (Piano). Through a rigorous audition process, she joins over 600of the most accomplished young visual, literary, and performing artists from across the country.
West Collection: Recent Acquisitions of Diverse Voices This exhibition focuses on nine visual artists who through their work are commenting on world issues ranging from the climate crisis, immigration and migration, and exposing human rights violations.
The Shipley School Performing Arts Department will present Beautiful Trouble to audiences everywhere on Friday, November 20 at 7:30 pm via the School's YouTube channel. The production replaces the traditional Fall Play and is a performance protest piece comprised of scenes, monologues, poetry, short films, and more. Beautiful Trouble hopes to raise awareness for issues that matter to students.
On Thursday, May 28 the Upper School virtually held their annual Closing Awards Ceremony. The Closing Awards celebrates student achievement in leadership, academics, and athletics. See the list of award recipients and descriptions of each award.
Eighth grader Aidan Peterson is living Shipley's mission of Compassionate Participation in the World. Since many of his concerts were canceled due to COVID-19, he recently played a "front porch" concert for an elderly couple in Bryn Mawr.
Shipley violinist Emma Lo ’21 recently participated in the PMEA (Pennsylvania Music Educators Association) District 11 Orchestra Festival and through a rigorous audition process, earned a seat at the Region VI Orchestra Festival.
Shipley violinist Saakshi Navile ’19 was selected to play in the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) 2018 All-National Honor Symphony Orchestra Ensemble. She is the first Shipley student to achieve this distinction.
Shipley Sixth-grader Annabella Asimos was selected to sing in the OAKE (Organization of American Kodaly Educators) National Youth Choir for the second year in a row.
During this February’s All School Assembly, Shipley’s 6th Grade School Choir performed “You Are Courageous to Me,” an original song with music and lyrics by Sarah Shoumer ’23, a new student at Shipley this year. In this post, Sarah tells us how she took her song from the page to the stage.
Two Shipley fifth graders, Elle Miller and Annabella Asimos, were recently selected to the OAKE (Organization of American Kodaly Educator’s) National Children’s Choir.
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.