From the Beacon: Mean Girls Will Be Totally Fetch!
Colin Harkins ’23
Get in losers, Shipley’s Spring Musical is Mean Girls! In November, the Theater Department announced that this year’s musical is Mean Girls, a modern adaptation of the classic movie from 2004. The show follows Cady Heron as she navigates high school and its social challenges.
Surrounded by a cast of iconic characters, Cady is forced to find a way to fit in while trying to find herself in the process. The songs are catchy, the dance numbers are over-the-top, and the quotable catchphrases are infinite — essentially, it’s a must-watch.
After its successful run on Broadway, the show has finally become available for schools across the country, with Shipley being one of the first to stage the production. With over 50 students vying for the chance to portray iconic characters like Regina George and Janis Ian, the mid-December auditions saw one of the largest turnouts in recent Shipley memory.
Like always, students were cast in either the Main Cast or the Understudy Cast as a lead role or in both casts as a supporting character. Typically, seniors dominate the Main Cast, but with only a few participating this year, underclassmen deservedly filled many roles. Notably, the three “Mean Girls” — Regina, Karen, and Gretchen—are played by two juniors and a sophomore. (Avery Rehl ’24, Lola Troiano ’25, and Riley Medina ’24, respectively). Janis Ian, another lead part, is played by a Junior, Izzy Goldstein ’24. Other major roles such as Damian, Cady Heron, and Aaron Samuels are played by me, Caroline Kaye ’23, and Andrew McCarthy ’23, respectively.
Some may see Mean Girls as a controversial musical choice, as its dialogue and themes push the line of what’s traditionally deemed “school appropriate.” However, the content of the script is reflective of modern-day teens: we can be crude, rude, and flat-out evil, and it may be refreshing for audiences to watch a production that doesn’t shy away from the reality of high school. The dialogue also makes the show more enjoyable for the actors and actresses who feel more connected to their roles than ever before. Members of the cast find themselves relating to the emotions and experiences of their characters in ways that not many musicals can provide.
Mean Girls is set to be one of the most memorable moments of this school year. Student Government is already planning ways to boost anticipation for the performances, which run March 2 - 4. With the largest cast and most recognizable musical selection in years, Mean Girls has a lot to live up to. If you ask me, I’d say Mean Girls will be totally fetch!
"How can we use the language of art to explore our feelings and beliefs? What do I care about and how can I bring that idea to life? What do I want to communicate?" These are just a few of the questions that Shipley’s Studio Art 3 Honors students grappled with as they completed their protest art assignments. Learn more about this project and how students discover their voice as artists to speak about something they care about.
The Shipley Honors Combo won first place in the Small Ensemble Division 2 category at the National Jazz Festival, held April 22 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Trumpeter Aidan Peterson ‘24 won an Outstanding Musician Award and also earned the Judge’s Choice Award.
Shipley’s Lower School music program offers a one-of-a-kind musical education to its young learners, culminating in an authentic music ensemble experience. In fourth grade, students can learn to play three different instruments. The long-term benefits and goals of the program are many, extending beyond the classroom and into the lives of students and their families.
This year’s Upper School Spring Musical is Mean Girls, a modern adaptation of the classic movie from 2004. Shipley theater star and Beacon writer Colin Harkins ’23 tells us why audiences should be excited to see the show March 2-4, 2023 in Riely Theatre.
Shipley’s theater program is excited to announce that it will partner with Broadway Green Alliance, a corporation that tries to bring more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices into theaters all around the country. Read more in this article originally published in the Beacon student newspaper.
After rigorous auditions, five Shipley musicians have been accepted into auditioned choral and band ensembles including the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 11 Chorus, the American Choral Directors Association National Honors Choir, and the Philadelphia Youth Symphonic Band.
View a performance of the Lunar New Year Overture by Shipley's Chamber Orchestra, in an arrangement by Richard Liu ’25 and Bambi Tang ’23, and conducted by Mr. Jhonnatan Mata. The performance was organized by the Asian Student Alliance and the Chamber Orchestra in celebration of Lantern Festival, or the end of Lunar New Year.
You can see Lower School Art Teacher Bonnie Goldstein's new work in "Beyond Boundaries" an exhibit on display at 705 West Printshop + Gallery in Jenkintown. An opening reception is being held on Sunday, December 4 from 2:00 - 5:00 pm.
Catch Theater Director Phillip Brown as he stars in the Lantern Theater Company’s Philadelphia premiere production of The Royale by Marco Ramirez, onstage through December 11, 2022, at St. Stephen’s Theater.
When Upper School Art Teacher Tania O’Donnell’s design was selected as the next traffic calming mural in Media, she knew she had to involve her art students in the process.
Congratulations to Director of Choirs, Carlos Casilla, for receiving The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Outstanding Young Conductor Award, which recognizes the efforts of a new or aspiring choral director who, in their first 3 to 5 years of experience has already demonstrated outstanding leadership or musicianship in the field of choral music.
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.
Students in Chris Oatts’ Advanced Music Composition and Production class don’t just learn about the theory and building blocks of writing music. Starting early in the year, the advanced music students compose songs that actually get played by Shipley’s music ensembles. Oatts, an experienced professional musician, knows that “The most fun part of being a composer is actually hearing your music playing.”
“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.
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.