FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
All the World’s a Stage A
color, the show ushered in the next phase of Walker Auditorium. The renovation of the auditorium was made possible by a generous gift from the family of Robert R. Gould ’77, co-president of the Board of Trustees, in the name of his mother, Jean Gould, for whom the stage is named. Members of the Classes of 2019 and 2020 and many other donors also made substantial contributions (see p. 16). Before the show, the cast and crew were treated to a congratulatory message from Meryl Streep P’98, star of the 2008 film version of the musical, who graciously wished them “good cheer and a lot of broken legs on your opening night inaugurating this beautiful theater!” In thinking about the enduring significance of Walker to this community, I was reminded of Shakespeare’s famous
PHOTO BY SCOT T BARROW
N T I C I PAT I O N I N T H E A I R . A hush of darkness. A few shuffling feet. The tension is broken by the delicate sound of a single, a capella voice: “I have a dream… a song to sing…” And in that moment, hundreds of spectators in the newly renovated Walker Auditorium are willingly swept into the world of theater, about to experience the delight of the HDA’s winter production of Mamma Mia! The word theater itself comes from the Greek and means a place for viewing. The magic of theater, however, comes from this experience of being transported. Mamma Mia! debuted at Hotchkiss in the depths of February, with snow still on the ground and spirits wearied by two long years of pandemic. With a burst of light and song and dance and
“While Hotchkiss is not the only stage in our lives, we are, all of us, transported by the experience of being part of this community.”
2
M AGA ZINE
words in As You Like It: “All the world’s a stage/And all the men and women merely players…” In this oft-recited speech, the character Jacques famously describes seven stages of life, from infancy to old age, and likens the experience of passing through them to that of being on stage in a play. Each individual plays many parts; each life is full of entrances and exits. These entrances and exits are equally true at Hotchkiss. A new teacher arrives thinking that Lakeville may be suitable for a year or two on the path to something else and retires 35 years later after a lifetime of entirely unpredictable professional and personal reward. A prep who may enter stage right homesick and bewildered exits stage left four years later as a senior who is confidently striding toward an unscripted future full of promise. This year we had the most competitive admissions cycle in Hotchkiss’s history, with nearly 2,400 applicants for only 144 available spots. For the Admissions team it was a challenging season, but for the talented few selected to become part of this community, it is a triumph. Hundreds of families returned to campus for revisit days in late March and early April, and we look forward to welcoming an outstanding group of new Bearcats in the fall.
