Cultural Arts Smorgasbord On Tap for MayFest 2017

Hamden Hall’s enviable music and arts programs will be on full display during MayFest 2017, which takes place this year on Friday and Saturday, May19-20.

On tap for Friday night on the main campus are offerings in the Upper School Art Studio and in the Taylor Performing Arts Center. From 6 to 7 p.m., an Open Studio will showcase the artwork, videos, and digital photography created by students. Genres include drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, digital photography, and multimedia. Weather permitting, a chalk art exhibit will take place in front of the Lender Refectory and outside the art studio.

Also on view will be Fiona Xu’s May Project, an art studio mural that is currently in progress.

In the theater, class presentations will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. Presentations will range from final projects of acting courses to videos from moviemaking, improv, poetry, and songs all created through the performing arts coursework.

At the end of the evening, from 8 to 9 p.m., a special one act play, Chamber Music, will be performed.

According to theater teacher and manager Charlie Alexander, the piece has been student-driven and tells the story of a group of famous women caught in a mental hospital. It's an absurdist look at the feminist movement, he said.

"MayFest has become a culmination of a year’s work in classes, and a site for student workshops on projects of their own. It's a celebration of all the opportunities the arts program provides here at Hamden Hall,” said Mr. Alexander.

On Saturday, MayFest starts up at noon at the Skiff Street Athletic Complex. A festival vibe will be established via live music, a showcasing of extracurricular clubs, and available food.

Bands already on tap for the event include members of the Student Musicians United Club, both of the school’s a cappella groups, On A High Note and The Ransom Notes, The Highwaymen, the school chorus, and senior Julia Marriott’s band, the Month of May.

Julia noted that participants are hoping that alumni will return to their roots and perform on the bandshell as well.

MayFest organizer and Upper School Dean of Students John Greenawalt noted that the weekend has become a must-attend for Middle and Upper School students and their families.

“In the fall we have our athletic homecoming, which has become a rich tradition over the years, and now we’ve established a spring homecoming of sorts that celebrates the arts. We’re building a new tradition,” he said.