Kingswood Oxford’s Fall Play, entitled “Poems That Wander: Moving With Tracy K. Smith,” debuted on Thursday, Nov. 11, amazing both audiences and students alike during its two days of stardom.
Like all of the previous KO theatrical performances, this spectacle was spearheaded by Director of Theater Kyle Reynolds; however, this time, it came with a twist. In an effort to encourage interdisciplinary learning and connections within the greater KO community, Mr. Reynolds collaborated with English teacher Mela Frye, who is teaching this year’s Symposium class on poet Tracy K. Smith.
The impetus for the Fall Play originated from Mr. Reynolds and Mrs. Frye who, together, decided to create their own play, using various works from Tracy K. Smith. The result was a five-act play created by Mrs. Frye that featured KO’s talented theater program alongside students from the senior Symposium class.
“In reading the poems, I realized that I thought they would translate well to the stage,” Mr. Reynolds recalled. “I knew that it would be a hurdle, I knew that it would be hard, I knew that it would be challenging, but I knew that poetry could come alive and breathe off of the page if we put it on stage.”
As a result of this combined effort, fall play rehearsal followed a slightly different schedule this year. While students enrolled in theater for their fall extracurricular practiced everyday after school, students in Symposium had to find other times throughout the day to rehearse. “We decided that the fall play kids would take the longer pieces—like there were poems that were in five parts—and the Symposium kids would take the one-off poems,” Mr. Reynolds said.
Behind the scenes, tremendous effort was put in by those in the KO community to put on a successful performance. Professional choreographer Lauren Horn aided Mr. Reynolds in designing the actions, movements, and body language exhibited by the actors. Technical Director of Theater Michael Bane, along with the tech crew made up of KO students, organized and built the intricate sets seen onstage. Most notably, a large tree was placed as the centerpiece of the set, giving the performance an added layer of beauty.
For KO students, the fall play offered an exciting opportunity to engage with their passion or explore a new area of interest. “My favorite part of the experience was meeting a lot of new people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise because I had never had any classes or played any sports with them before,” senior Megan Murphy said. “It was really fun to meet people that had different interests and backgrounds than me to expose me to new ways of thinking.” Other students shared a similar sentiment. “I really enjoyed it,” senior Samhita Kashyap said. “Especially as a Symposium student, it brought a new perspective on her poetry.”
Overall, a crucial piece of the Fall Play was its connection to KO’s strategic vision, both through its interdisciplinary approach and its reach far beyond the classroom. “I’m really proud that the theater program is a vehicle for the strategic vision,” Mr. Reynolds noted. That’s really important to me.”
These aspirations have not been new to Mr. Reynolds and his theater program, as they performed the play “Melancholy Play” by previous Symposium playwright Sarah Ruhl, as well as introduced the Choreographer Showcase, an opportunity for KO students to explore different genres of dance while collaborating with local professionals.
“I think I would just say I’m really proud of what we’re doing in the theater department,” Mr. Reynolds added.
Piling onto the numerous successes of Kingswood Oxford’s theater department, the Fall Play, “Poems That Wander: Moving With Tracy K. Smith” propelled audiences into a new world that combined poetry and theater while, at the same time, kept the talents and creativity of KO students at its core.
