Sunday, October 2, 2011, the Carlbrook Players, consisting of twelve cast and crew members, are set to perform CARMINA VITAE under the skilled directorship of long standing academic faculty Ms. Tamara Liaschenko. The show will involve vocal performances of nearly twenty staged or choreographed songs for Carlbrook students’ version of what is translated as “Songs for Life” or “Life Songs.” Featuring multiple genres, homage will be paid to a variety of artists, including Aerosmith, Adele, Journey, Queen, John Lennon, Stephen Schwartz and more.
Performing arts is a long-standing tradition at Carlbrook School, with this show marking its fourteenth production since December of 2003. The theatre program began slowly with small original dance pieces being presented in coffeehouse style. Due to the dedication of its students and faculty, the program eventually evolved into performing a full dance production of Denizens of Faerie, and in 2006 went on to tackle its first musical, Hieronymus. Additional performances early on included the production of thirteen works of Carmina Burana, Five Guys Named Moe and Singing in the Rain – a six month endeavor with over one third of the campus participating in an intricate performance of difficult tap dancing, large group numbers, film production and crew collaboration.
More recently, Carlbrook decided to incorporate ballroom dancing into its overall academic curriculum, resulting in a production of Keeping Time, a combination of film and live dance demonstrating the progression of styles over the years. In 2010, Carlbrook Players spent nearly an entire year working to produce an abridged, dramatic and ballet version of Romeo and Juliet, as well as the comedic, Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged. The project served as an opportunity to broaden students’ knowledge of literature, history, dance and drama, a true testament to the ability for spanning curriculum across all areas of campus.
Carlbrook School is fortunate to have both the talent and dedication of its faculty members, who work tirelessly to support students in these productions. While Ms. Tamara Liaschenko is undoubtedly at the helm of the performing arts curriculum, Carlbrook also acknowledges Ms. Melissa Elmes for her past involvement and Mr. Matthew Lawton for his expertise and role as Production Manager for this Sunday’s event. Carlbrook looks forward to an evening of timeless music paired with the talent and drive of its students in what will undoubtedly be a performance to remember.
