Warming our Hearts with the Arts
Outside there were freezing temperatures and mounting snow, but inside our school this month our spirits were warmed by stunning musical and theatrical performances of our students. The power of the arts allows us to connect at the most elemental, visceral level and gives students the opportunity to collaborate, engage and astound.
In mid-February we were treated to the annual Drama Showcase in the Jackman Theatre. Junior drama students captured our imaginations with their performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (adapted from the story by Roald Dahl), a play that emphasizes the value of honesty, humility and kindness. Senior students took on the challenge of Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor’s satirical This Is A Play, where the boundaries between performance and real life blur as the cast reveals their own thoughts and motivations while performing a terrible play.
Moments like these reflect hours of behind-the-scenes work and intensive collaboration that develops vital skills in our students. In This Is A Play three students performed each of the main characters together to allow the audience to experience their character’s inner thoughts more vividly. The ultimate creative challenge for the ensemble was how each group of three learned to move and think as a unified character, completely in tune with each other. Last night, they took their performance to the National Theatre School Drama Festival.
Last week, Nocturne, an annual UTS tradition that began in 2002, celebrated the extraordinary depth and range of our school’s musical talent with a high-calibre evening of performance in the Withrow Auditorium.
At the beginning and end of the performance the entire stage came alive, filled with the student musicians of the UTS Chamber Orchestra and accompanied by virtuoso performances of S6 soloists. In between, the audience was treated to many evocative classical pieces, including one on the double bass, as well as some rousing Gilbert and Sullivan from the Pirates of Penzance ‒ “I am a Pirate King.”
Collectively, our students brought the house down. For our S6 musicians, the evening was an incredible culmination of their musical journey at our school. Despite the challenges they faced with the pandemic, their dedication and discipline prevailed.
These two mesmerizing performances highlight the vital importance of the arts as part of the UTS experience. Not only do our Drama, Music and Visual Arts programs expand students’ minds in new and surprising ways, they connect us with a collective sense of joy and humanity that warms our spirits even in the depths of winter.
