On the Arts

Poetry in Motion: Moving Up!

Bernice Hightower ’21 was in contention to become the national Poetry Out Loud champion.

Bernice Hightower ’21 won the New Jersey Poetry Out Loud Region One contest in February, becoming one of 12 students to qualify for the New Jersey Poetry Out Loud state championship, which was to be held in March at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, prior to its cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic. State victors were to earn spots at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, D.C., which was also canceled.

Hightower presented “Movement Song” and “Worth” by Marilyn Nelson, and “To S. M., A Young African Painter, On Seeing His Works” by Phillis Wheatley to advance from the regional event. Students from grades 9-12 must recite their selections from memory, one poem per round of competition.

Poetry Out Loud is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, along with state arts agencies to encourage the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation.

This program helps students master public speaking skills, build selfconfidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

Not Merely Players

Periwig’s annual production of Winterfest enjoyed its annual two-night run in the Kirby Arts Center in January and February. Twelve student-directed and -acted short plays made their way to the black box stage over two nights, allowing students to turn the tables, becoming both performers and creators.

“The actors and directors were really on top of everything and the show ran smoothly,” said Emily Matcham ’20, head of Winterfest. “We had full houses both nights, which was really exciting.”

This year’s edition of Winterfest featured the hard work of 17 student directors and over 70 actors and technicians. Noah Laubach ’23, Gunn Wanavejkul — Christine Cheng ’21 ’20, and Jayden MacMillan ’20 excelled in the Pennington Classical Piano Competition. Keyed Up at Piano

ompetition

Noah Laubach ’23, Jayden MacMillan ’20, and Gunn Wanavejkul ’20 gave virtuoso performances at 2019 Pennington Classical Piano Competition in January at The Pennington School. Wanavejkul captured both the Grand Prix and Best Classical Era awards, and Laubach brought home the Bach Award. The competition required each pianist to perform two contrasting works of classical music, lasting up to 15 minutes.