Administrators

February 2015

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 6

PAGE 1

Nita L. Page
Principal
Herman Norris
Assistant Principal
Kimberly Little
Assistant Principal
Cherie Pace
Assistant Principal

Friday, January 16 January 18, 2015, the Theatre Arts department transformed the Bulldog
Auditorium into a local Disney soundstage. In a production of more than 60 cast and crew, the

Tamika Dees
Assistant Principal
Patrick Lamers
Dean of Curriculum

Eveman Theatre Department performed the Emmy award-winning High School Musical for the
student body, community members, family and friends. In addition to the student cast
members, three staffulty members Susan Mackey, Alvin Thomas, and Tammy Turntine delivered
surprise performances in their portrayal Ms. Darbus, Coach Bolton, and Ms. Tennyson. The
Everman musical was produced by Bethany White-Turner, choreographed by Ryan Machen, and
directed by White-Turner and Machen. The vocal coach was Melodie Brookins.
According to the Disney Channel website, In this contemporary musical comedy, a
popular high school basketball star and a shy, academically gifted newcomer discover they share
a secret passion for singing. When they sign up together to audition for the lead roles in the

Inside this issue

1 High School Musical

school musical, it threatens East High's rigid social order and sends their peers into an uproar.
Disneys High School Musical is based on a Disney Channel original movie written by Peter
Barsocchini. Originally released January 20, 2006, High School Musical has produced two
sequels and was nominated for more than two dozen awards.

2 Healing Through the

Arts workshop

The Bulldog Theatre Departments production delivered an hour and half of great
singing, synchronized dancing, and praise-worthy acting. The culmination of the show brought
the Bulldog audience to their feet in thunderous applause to the cast and crew for a job
superbly done! Nina Robinson

The Bulldog

February 2015 Page 2

Born in the late 90s, the cast

of High School Musical has grown up
being entertained by the comedy FOX
sitcoms Martin and Living Single. The
young artists learned cultural awareness from NBC sitcom A Different
World and saw minority actors such as
themselves in the lead roles of a
primetime series for the first time in
New York Undercover. Right before
their eyes, many of the budding thespians saw one of the most versatile
and successful actors in Hollywood,
Tommy Ford. On January 15, 2015 in
The Bulldog Auditorium, Ford
emerged from the illusive TV Land as
a character on their small screens to
center stage of their acting careers as
their mentor in his workshop Healing
High School Musical cast and directors poses with actor Tommy Ford following their matinee performance Through the Arts.
and their Healing Through the Arts workshop with Ford.
According to the PDL Educational Consulting and Technology website, Healing Through the Arts is a program designed to deliver tangible keys to
healthy living and conflict resolution through acting and performing arts techniques, exercises and formats. With a philosophy to educate through entertainment, Healing Through the Arts guides participants through a soul-searching journey to
take a look at their true selves in order to
take steps toward becoming as talented as
their favorite entertainer.
The High School Musical students
were challenged with the task of identifying
themselves not necessarily by their titles, aspirations, vices, or whatever the case may
have been, but to identify the essence of who
they are as persons. Sitting in a circle in the
middle of the dimmed calmness of Bulldog
stage, the students learned that their identifies were less about the words or adjectives
that describe them and more about the actions and choices that they made in their
lives.
Although he is a trained human rights
specialist through the non-profit organization
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMUNITY
AND JUSTICE, Ford acknowledges that often
hearing the ordeals and struggles that many
of his younger participants endure can be
Ford working with High School Musical cast members prior to opening-night performances.
challenging and painful, even for him. Often,
Healing Through the Arts workshops with children and adults unleash a well of emotions neither the facilitator nor the participants expected. Nevertheless, with each workshop, Ford asserts, I cant promise you that after this acting workshop that
you will win an Academy Award, Emmy, or Tony Award. However, I do guarantee that the actor that walked IN that door
will not be the same artist that walks OUT of that door! Nina Robinson