STAGE successfully held auditions and callbacks for the Fall Productions, Songs for a New World and Check, Please! We had an amazing turnout of incoming freshmen among the group. Casting will be announced by the end of the year and we cannot wait to start these awesome plays to be performed in our new venue- 529 Main Street! Check, Please will be presented on November 8-10, 2024. We will be transforming 529 into a restaurant of sorts and letting the audience experience being in the scene with these series of hilarious blind dates. Two weeks later, we will perform Songs for a New World from November 22-24, 2024. We are so excited to perform this beautiful musical to our Sturgis audiences. Save the dates!
Zoë McInerney (East librarian/EE/Psychology) and Matt D’Innocenzo (West English/Theatre) took a group of students from both campuses to participate in an all day poetry slam workshop at Bourne High School on April 9th. The workshop was taught by two professional poets, Enzo Silon Surin and Michelle “La Poetica” Richardson. There were about 60 students participating in the workshop from schools all over the Cape. About 30 students participated in the day’s final event, a competitive poetry slam. The top two finishers were both from Sturgis! Amelia Stoots (9th grade West) came in second place and the winner of the poetry slam was Tilly Peet (10th grade, East)! It was a great day for all of our participating poets and we have plans to go back next year.
The music society had a very busy month. After the field trip was the Senior Recital, held at the Guyer Art Barn on Thursday March 21st. Senior IB music students from East and West celebrated the completion of their music portfolio work by sharing one song selection with friends and loved ones. It was a joyous occasion filled with beautiful moments, gratitude, and food!
Just before Spring Break, the music department hosted the Spring Concert Series for all East and West music ensembles. Highlights included a song from the Barbie movie from the a cappella group, “Shut up and Dance” from the Strings, Stevie Wonder from the jazz band, a Blues Brothers act from the Blues Band, and some slap bass from the IB Music Seniors playing Red Hot Chili Peppers! It was an impressive and fun evening.
The Sturgis Arts Festival 2024 was a HUGE success! Visual Art, Music and Theatre was beautifully represented on stage at the Cotuit Center for the Arts. Included in the day was a fabulous luncheon spread from SPA and a fan favorite faculty song performance!
IB art seniors, Lydia Young and Jillian Woodbury, just completed their CAS project, a beautification project requested by the owners of palio's pizza. Luyydia and Jillian, arranged all aspects of this project and turned a boring gray container into a fun and vibrant work of art.
Our artistic services were called upon again, Athena Spyrou, IB art junior, created this large scale painting representing the idea of Hope.This opportunity was requested by a local Hyannis organization for Behavioral Health and Outreach Services and Child & Family Services to be hung in their main hallway for all their clients to enjoy
45 IB music students from East and West took their annual field trip to Boston this month! They began their visit checking out the ancient instruments exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts where they discovered the many connections that exist between music and visual arts. Then, they watched a premiere of a newly commissioned piece based on a nonsense poem at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. After some free time, they broke into two groups, with half watching Tigran Hamasyan’s Armenian jazz trio at the Berklee performance center, and half watching “The Girl from the North Country”, the new Bob Dylan jukebox musical, at the Colonial Emerson Theatre.
It was a long but fulfilling day with a lot of new experiences for our students and a great opportunity to see music making and careers in action!
Massachusetts Music Educator Music Festival season is upon us! On January 5-6, seven East and West students represented Sturgis at the Southeast Senior District Festival at Canton High School. The conductors this round were fantastically knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and inspiring! The kids had a great time and came out of the event remembering their passion for music making.
As well, the local All Cape Festival took place February 1-3 at Barnstable High School. Of note this year is that Sturgis sent 20(!!) students (12 from East, 8 from West). That is the largest cohort in the history of the school! The students represented Sturgis in all four ensembles (band, orchestra, treble chorus, and mixed chorus) with several of them taking on featured roles (1st chair clarinet, 1st & 2nd chair cello, 2nd chair horn, and two featured vocalists) .
We are so proud of their achievements, which are pictured and highlighted in this Cape Cod Times article. As they got in the van at the end of the day, at least one of them said, “I don’t know why I didn’t do this every year of high school!”
The annual Winter Concerts took place this past week in our updated 529 Main space! Audiences were impressed with the improvements to the sound, curtains, and creative light displays. A great variety of performances were provided with some favorites being “Rather Be” & “Interstellar” from the Strings group, “Pick Up the Pieces” from the Jazz Big Band, “Somebody I Used to Know” from the East 9/10 Chorus, “Lovely Day” from the Sturgis Singers, “Run Run Rudolph” & “Christmas in Hollis” from the East IB Music students, a “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” finale showcasing all of the performers at East, a “Sweet Dreams/Seven Nation Army” mash-up from the West IB Music juniors, and a “Solsbury Hill” finale for West! Fun was had by all and the kids can’t wait for the next concert series!
STAGE presented an incredible production of the play SHE KILLS MONSTERS by Qui Nguyen at Cape Cod Community College from December 1-3. Audience members left in awe of the beautiful staging, puppetry and acting, many commenting on it being one of the best STAGE productions yet! The cast and crew of 90 students from both campuses are thrilled with the results of 3 full months of intense rehearsals. Thank you to all who were able to attend!