Organized and hosted by Western Civ teachers Dana Pattison and Linda Ryne, students “were required to make a primary source artifact ranging from 1933 to 1950,” according to Ms. Pattison, and “were supposed to zoom in on one particular aspect, a certain detail, rather than talk about the entire Holocaust.”

On May 4^th, students’ artifacts were put on display in Ms. Pattison’s room for other classes to view and admire.

“It was very informative,” said sophomore Brady Coggins, “the artifacts

[which the students made themselves] actually looked really realistic.”

And everyone else seemed to agree. “All the teachers would bring back multiple classes just because they loved it so much,” said sophomore Zach Klein.

It was so popular, Ms. Pattison said, that she “had to turn away teachers who wanted to bring their classes because all the slots were full.”

Students participating seemed to all appreciate the creativity of the assignment. “I thought it was a good way to understand the holocaust,” said Sarah Hoffman, one of Ms. Pattison’s students, “We had to do our research to understand the artifacts and make them look realistic.” Hoffman then added that she was glad they were able to share their work with other students. “I think it puts just how devastating the Holocaust was into perspective.”

In the end, The Holocaust Museum had none of the hitches one might expect for a project that has never been tried before and required such complete student participation. According to Ms. Pattison, “The students really rose to the challenge and created meaningful, poignant artifacts covering many aspects of the Holocaust.”

With the success of this years Holocaust Museum, it seems that an annual event has begun to both honor those lost in the Holocaust and to educate students on one of history’s darkest times.

Although Pattison has no personal connection to the Holocaust, she still believes it “must never be forgotten.”  She advises that not only must we “honor the memory of those who lost their lives,” but also educate ourselves.  “The Holocaust may be over,” says Pattison, “But persecution and discrimination remain.  By educating ourselves about the past, we can change the future.”

Ms. Pattison is looking forward to doing the project again next year and appreciates the worth of the project, saying, “The only way to tell the story of the Holocaust is through the voices of those who lived it. A museum brings to life what is a very meaningful human event.”

Though they served killer virgin piña coladas and strawberry daiquiris, the heavily lit room resulted in a spotlight on the people dancing. This made it awkward to even sway casually for fear that the person next to you could mock your dancing skills, or lack thereof. Besides the lighting issue, prom was great and it sent the seniors out in style.

Come see the hilarity that ensues when a wily Roman slave attempts to help his young master sail off into the sunset with the pretty (dumb) girl. Too bad Dad thinks she’s the accommodating new maid, and she’s already been promised off to a fiercely egotistical captain in the Roman army. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a fast – paced musical farce set in ancient Rome. You will laugh (a lot), cry (because you’re laughing), and groan like … well, you can imagine.

Some reviews from top critics:

“This is one rollicking, frolicking comedy.” – Virgil

“The live music of the orchestra led by Frank Moura will have you dancing in the aisles” – Cicero

“The comic genius of Zachary W. Abt is unparalleled…You will be rolling in your seats.” – Horace

“Fresh and Inspired direction” – Ovid

“It’s badass” –Catullus

Performance Dates:

Friday, March 12 @ 7pm
Saturday, March 13 @ 2pm & 7pm
Thursday, March 18 @ 7pm
Friday, March 19 @ 7pm
Saturday, March 20 @ 7pm

Tickets:
1st Time:

Adults – $12

Students – $10

12 & Under – $8.
Return Shows:

Adults – $8

Students – $5

12 & Under – $5.
Tickets are sold at the door.

Directors: Mrs. Peoples and Maya Lozinski
Stage Managers: Kendall Dubroff and Margaret Ringler
Choreographer: Vincent Leonin
Theater Manager and Lighting Design: Cara Arcuni

Cast:
Pseudolus………………Zach Abt
Hero……………………..Matt Schertler
Philia…………………….Claire Uschersohn
Senex……………………Keenan Rehlich
Domina………………….Kelly Davis
Hysterium………………Ali Candlin
Marcus Lycus………… Holly Smolik
Miles Gloriosus……….Henry Mouat (1st weekend), Michael Farzi (2nd weekend)
Erronius…………………Tom Liggett
Proteans…………………Claire Jungleib, Dana Rust, and Hanna Berggren
Tintinabula……………..Aili Jiaravanont
Panacea………………….Alyssa Westfield
Geminae…………………Maddie Napel and Maya Jevans
Vibrata……………………Danielle Hill
Gymnasia………………..Kristen Wong
Chorus……………………Aliya Hasoon, Libby Farel, Francesca Zaffirir-Suzarte, Hannah Schneider, Brooke Delly

Decorations never make or break an event, but when the decorations make up the ambiance and the mood setters they certainly make an impact. The black lights that earned the dance its “lights out” title had an amazing effect. Girls suddenly found that they didn’t need that trip to the tanning salon to look good in their dresses, and guys wearing classic white tops positively glowed. Unfortunately, both of the black light stands were stationed next to enormous, not to mention loud, speakers.

Maybe in a dark room they could have cast their eerie glow over the sea of dancers, but when competing with the Decathlon Club’s rather bright lighting, the lonely bulbs made hardly a puddle of purple. It is nobody at M-A’s fault that the lights stayed lit; even leadership students directly involved in planning the dance thought they would dim after the sports facility officially closed at nine. For those of us not confident enough in our dancing to bust a move when we know people can see us, getting our money’s worth out of formal required an abnormally high level of courage.

The upperclassmen were, as usual, underrepresented at this year’s winter formal. Most of those who did show up didn’t seem to find their niche on the dance floor. Instead many hung out at the tables around the sides and had more than a few of the incredible brownies and plentiful Shirley Temples. The dance void left by the absentee juniors and seniors quickly filled with more than enough ready and able freshmen. The music, DJed by Wild 94.9, received a warm welcome from the underclassmen, and the general feeling is that Thursday the eleventh was a good night to be a freshman.

Winter formal is the only fundraiser for the next year’s senior week, so by failing to buy tickets to the dance the class of 2011 committed itself to a low budget. However, this year’s profits from formal were much better than last year’s. Nonetheless, sophomores should make sure that they don’t become too cool for formal next year. The dance will be more fun if more people attend and so will your senior week.

The confederates in comedy, captained by senior Alexander Most, delivered an uproarious show that exceeded the expectations of even the most optimistic audience member.  Lunátics has struggled in the past to end skits on the downhill; thanks to interventions from referee Forrest Tiffany, Friday’s performance was happily free of such instances.  And instead of the customary awkwardness that often accompanies inexperience, the new team members exhibited the raw energy of someone who is telling jokes that are actually funny.

President Alexander Most, one of the few seasoned Lunátics members, was his usual good sport and provided a consistently comical performance, despite taunts about his weight-lifting capacity and inability to process gluten.  Many a Menlo kid was stereotyped in the “D****bag Contest” and many a child exploited in the hypothetical world of “if you know what I mean,” but these were justifiable sacrifices when considered against the beauty of senior Joseph Ocon rubbing himself with invisible money in his hands and a deadpan expression on his face, or the majesty of sophomore Michael Hester’s passionate impersonation of fellow member Sam Hausman. Though a newcomer to the program, senior Cameron Rowland provided well-timed interjections to keep the skits alive, a skill mirrored by Hausman, a junior.  There were gangster versions of Hotel for Dogs 2, offensively accurate Jewish accents (courtesy of sophomore Max Goldenstein), and interesting illustrations by senior scorekeeper Sam McClure galore in this smorgasbord of coarse humor. All this, compounded with sophomore Lucas Del Calvo’s inability to remember any of his fictitious names and junior Rob Davis’ many excellent one-liners, led to a show that I, at least, found hilarious.

So kudos to the entire Lunátics crew- the performance was truly a job well done.  Be sure to check out any more shows this year, for it promises to be a good one for Lunátics.

Rimers takes place in a dying coal town during the late 1960s. The people are also dying- dying to leave their crumbling town and their own depressing lives, and eager to blame others for their suffering. The play revolves around a mysterious event that is not revealed until the final scene.

The play is intense. It’s dark, and even somewhat disturbing.  However, all in all, it makes you think. The title is a tad deterring, but like they always say, don’t judge a book, or in this case a play- by its cover. I was immediately sucked in. (And the title actually turns out to be symbolic.)

Most mysteries are whodunits, focusing on solving a crime and finding the culprit. Rimers is a mystery, but it is distinct in that the mystery is not who did it, but what happened. It is actually a compilation of flashbacks, with overlapping dialogue forming verbal scene changes. The characters are introduced in short scenes that don’t seem to connect, but as the play goes on you begin to understand how each person is connected to the big scandal, and slowly begin to understand the whole event. Because you only get bits and pieces through each segment of dialogue, it makes the play all the more surprising in the final scenes.

Because there are so many small scenes, the play allows for a large number of cast members. Each person contributes hints about the final event, and because every hint is important, nobody has a small part. Several students who are new to drama stepped out of their comfort zones to be in this production and did an excellent job. Overall, the acting was superb; everyone clearly demonstrated passion for the stage.

This play made for an excellent first performance in the PAC, as it made use of fantastic lighting and set arrangement that would never have been accomplished in room C-16. Congratulations to the cast and crew for presenting such an excellent play.

I seriously recommend going to see The Rimer’s of Eldritch, maybe even seeing it twice. I guarantee that the final “aha!” moment will leave you satisfied.

Amanda Peoples is an amazing director who chose this play for a reason. When she was in high school in Texas, the students performed one short- act version of this play and she fell in love with it. This experience allowed her to connect to the actors and the play itself.

Michael Farzi, a student director, teamed up with stage manager Kelly Davis to really make this play amazing. Carl Payne, Zachary Clarence, and Maddie Napel are all stars in the upcoming play. Casaundra Nelson and Victoria Fakalata are both new to drama, but use their vibrant personalities to light up the stage.

This play was made possible not only by the talented actors, but by the generous support of the Foundation for the Future. The Rimers of Eldritch hosts its grand opening on Thursday, and will also have two matinees on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. on November 14th and 21st. Additional evening shows are at 7:00 on November 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th, and 21st. The show on the 19th will feature the understudy cast.

Children are welcome but parents must keep in mind that the drama staff rated this show “PG-13”. Tickets are $8.00 for children and $10 for adults.

Rimers of Eldritch Promotional Video from M-A Bear News on Vimeo.

Mr. Adams talks fondly about the “nice ethnically diverse body of students” he went to school with, but he was not impervious to what he calls a “disconnect between the areas served by the school.” Remember that he lived in West Menlo Park long before East Palo Alto was cleaned up. “No Ikeas, no HomeDepots,” but instead an area of urban squalor that had long since fallen to drugs and crime. Where now we have a Four Seasons, not long ago there were a few blocks called Whiskey Gulch- the epicenter of violence in the area with an alarmingly high murder rate- not unlike the neighborhood called “the lost and found” that Adams’ show focuses on.

Unlike the civil rights era of the sixties, Adams is quick to point out, students did not hate each other. They only lacked “a sense of really broad connection between east and west” when they were out of the classrooms and off the sports fields. Lost and Found is about the connections the school needed to prevent outbreaks like the race riot that went on his freshman year; connections that people in general need, like the one he formed with his multiracial rock band at M-A. “We sort of needed the relationships with one another,” he recalls. “Economically where we are isn’t really the thing. We need deep relationships, and we need meaningful relationships. We need hope. We need faith.”

It is this sentiment, rather than the basic plot of a kid growing up to outshine his small beginnings, that makes the show. Lost and Found focuses on a young black singer, Timothy (John Edwards), in an after-school music program run by Sara Foster (played by Adams’ wife Sheri Adams) when his life converges with that of popular opera singer Paul, played by Adams himself. Paul is an addict who starts working with Timothy while serving community service after being caught in a drug deal with Timothy’s brother, Titus (James Brown III), who evaded the police in the same bust. A lot of the show takes place in the classroom with an eclectic group of at-risk youth who seem to find their sound and style right before your eyes in each performance. Despite the predominantly minority driven cast, the play does not dwell on racial injustice or the poverty characteristic of an East Palo Alto like area. Adams wanted to “show the economic elements and sort of take them away” in favor of just talking about people who face challenging situations.

Though the feeling and some of the ideas are loosely based on Adams’ experiences, he says the actual events are not taken from his life. “Lost and Found,” he says, “was an attempt to tell a story.” Like his character Paul, Adams has been a professional opera singer, and knows people who struggle with addiction. His inspiration for the classroom came partly from the time he spends as a voice teacher when he is not performing, and partly from the three years he and his wife spent performing on a cruise ship with a wide diversity of co-workers who mirror the students in the after school center classroom. On a more serious note, Adams understands the demands of being a performer- an obstacle Paul struggles to cope with. “The cost is too high to put work in front of personal relationship,” Adams explains.

Because Lost and Found is an original script, it was particularly malleable throughout the rehearsal process. The cast had only three and a half weeks to rehearse, during which time Adams “was slipping in new pages to the script as late as a day before our preview.” We are privileged to have a cast so talented and experienced that they could not only roll with the punches, but actually bring new elements to the characters he originally envisioned. A few of the Broadway credits of the cast include Wicked, The Lion King, and The Color Purple, along with countless national tours, off-Broadway shows, and even movies like Hairspray. Most notable for his contribution to characterization is James Brown III, who plays Titus. He took a street tough guy and he brought “this whole element as someone who had a big heart for his brother and his grandmother,” someone who deals drugs “almost not because he wanted to but because he didn’t see a lot of choices.”

The characters fit the actors like gloves. They are almost inseparable, because their role reflects the actor’s choices- unlike what you would expect from a revival like Grease or Phantom of the Opera, where the actors must force themselves into rigid boundaries of the characters.

“The benefit [of putting on an original show] is that you have an unlimited amount of freedom. The challenge is that you are putting on a new show in 5 weeks,” says Rachel Bress, the choreographer whose Broadway credits (9 to 5 the Musical, The Pirate Queen, Dirty Blond) make up only a small portion of her impressive resume. “I met with [Adams] and the show kind of awed me.” While the music is diverse, the dance focuses mainly on Bress’ personal favorite, hip hop. Though she strove to create her own style, Bress loves hip hop staples like Justin Timberlake, and in its final number, Lost and Found takes on a distinctly MTV-esque performance style.

“I tried to make it come from the story, I didn’t want it to feel like they were breaking into dances. I tried to think about why each person was dancing in the first place,” Bress explains. In order to incorporate the dance, she transcended limitation by large musical numbers, saying, “I like to find new moments where you can use movement.” The result went from “a dramatic show that sang to a dramatic show that told the story through movement and song”- a captivating visual piece that, in every way, lives up to the original score.

“Darin went crazy with the music. As a choreographer that’s kind of a dream to have so much variety,” says Bress. Not only is there an impressive array of hip-hop, but the show featured a large gospel component (backed up by a local choir, including Menlo-Atherton student Isaiah Moody) and a sizable opera presence. Adams also composed an original Spanish opera piece for the show as well as mixing in classical influences. Unlike most musicals, which feature different writers for the story, script, and music, Adams was in charge of all three- a combination that led to a fluid, well-done show.

The script has been a work in process for almost ten years now, but this week’s performance has only been two years in the making. About that long ago Paul Gerber, local pediatric dentist and long-time friend of Adams’, saw a workshop performance of Lost and Found and “just fell in love with it.” A few weeks before rehearsals started, Gerber teamed up with Serve the Peninsula Foundation, a charity dedicated to supplementing the budget of local underprivileged schools, to bring Lost and Found back to its roots. “He called me and said, let’s get this here for this good reason.”

For Adams, being back at home has benefits aside from the premier of the culmination of his labor. He and his wife, Sheri, live in New York now, but he still has family and friends in the area. “I keep walking into the audience after the show and running into people I haven’t seen for 15 years,” he says of performing so close to his home town. Adams is excited to bring something experimental to the Bay Area, where we, unlike in NYC, are only used to seeing the standards.

Unfortunately, there was no guarantee that our new PAC would be finished in time to host Lost and Found; indeed, the PAC and Lost and Found both debuted on the same night. Instead, Adams chose Carrington Hall at Sequoia High school, a beautiful, old-style theater complete with a balcony. Adams did mention, however, that the PAC is the ideal size for a professional production, so there is hope for us yet if the show comes around again. For now, Adams’ dream for MA is to have excellent, high-level theater taking residence at our school, in the same way that Broadway by the Bay used the San Mateo High School theater. Meanwhile, Lost and Found will make its way back to New York where, after some time and a few rewrites, it will be put up as a showcase for producers to take a look at.

I am confident that, before long, Adams will be bringing Lost and Found back to the Bay in a Broadway touring cast. Any person who has ever had a relationship with another person will recognize someone in this show and will come out touched, uplifted, and eager to buy the CD.