Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating Students in PreSchool through Grade 12
Educating Students in PreSchool through Grade 12
News Detail
Smith Final Production Sprouts Deep-Rooted Sentiment
The resprouting of The Apple Tree, the Upper School musical that plants itself in the Taylor Performing Arts Center March 5-7, is the second coming of the production for outgoing theatre doyen Michael Smith who first directed the show in 1991. In fact, it was the second musical ever performed on the stage at Taylor Theatre.
To commemorate the Smith’s final production, several alumni will be on hand (many of whom have probably never watched a show from the audience in Taylor Theatre because they were always part of the cast!) to lend their support and express their appreciation for the Smiths’ tutelage and guidance. Alumna Marla Brodsky 1991, who will fly in from Los Angeles to view the show, said the night will bring back memories of her own performance in 1991 in The Apple Tree.
Click here to view a snippet from the original 1991 production of The Apple Tree.
The resprouting of The Apple Tree, the Upper School musical that plants itself in the Taylor Performing Arts Center March 5-7, is the second coming of the production for outgoing theatre doyen Michael Smith who first directed the show in 1991. In fact, it was the second musical ever performed on the stage at Taylor Theatre.
Mr. Smith said he chose the show as his final production for several reasons.
“It was one of the first shows I directed in Taylor Theatre and it is a very unusual show in that it is comprised of three, one-act musicals,” he explained. “The composers, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, are among my favorites.”
Mr. Smith is retiring after three decades in Hamden Hall’s theatre department along with his wife, fellow theatre and music aficionado Mary Jane Smith.
“Being able to be together with and work with my wife and children in this supportive environment has been a great blessing in our lives,” said Mr. Smith. “Yes, it has been very busy and demanding, but also rewarding. Mary Jane and I have been able to work together and build a theatre department that is both highly respected and well-regarded in the theatrical community and the community at large.”
“I credit much of my success and things I have done to Mr. Smith,” said Marla, who has lived in Los Angeles since the late 1990s and worked both in front of the camera and behind as a casting director and writer. “I vividly remember doing some sensory memory exercise in an advanced theater class and, no joke, I still use that! He taught me so much. And more importantly, I look forward to celebrating this milestone with him and his wife. I couldn't be prouder to say I was a part of their legacy and happy to be returning for the last hoorah.”
That last “hoorah” includes a cast of 18 as well as three stage managers and a crew of more than 10 students who built the sets and coordinated sound and lighting for the 2015 production.
“Charlie Alexander has designed a very flexible, creative set that will accommodate all three stories, from the Garden of Eden to a Barbarian Kingdom to a large city. Mary Jane has also done a beautiful job, as usual, with the costumes, from tuxedos to ‘Arabian Nights,’” explained Mr. Smith.
As for returning alumni as audience members, Mr. Smith said the prospect is always an exciting one.
“Some have gone on to further theatrical experiences and some have not, but they all express their great love for what they were able to accomplish, the experiences they had, and the friendships they made working on Hamden Hall productions,” he maintained.
Mr. Smith further noted that it truly has been the “devoted, talented students” who have made his and Mary Jane’s experience at Hamden Hall unforgettable. In fact, he cited his students as “colleagues” during the prolonged length of time spent working with one another to create stage magic.
The Smiths arrived in Hamden in 1985 after both had worked as actors for nine years in New York City. Michael began at Hamden Hall during the 1985-1986 school year while Mary Jane started a couple years later during the 1987-1988 school year.
“Having started my Hamden Hall career in 1985 doing shows in Cushing Hall, then spending one year doing plays, including my first Hamden Hall musical, in Lower Swain in what is now the student lounge, and finally working over 25 years in The Taylor Performing Arts Center, a beautiful facility, has been an unforgettable journey,” said Mr. Smith.
But just as important as their work with students has been their continued involvement and evolvement in their own craft – stage performance. Both Michael and Mary Jane have stayed active in the local professional theatre community, including work with Whitney Players and The Elm Shakespeare Company. Since 2009, both have been involved with A Broken Umbrella Theatre, a company of artists founded by Hamden Hall alum Ian Alderman 1995 and his wife, Rachel. Other Hamden Hall alumni involved in the company include Lou Mangini 1995, Jesse Gabbard 2003, and Corin Killins 2010.
“An artist has a need for constant creative nourishment and growth that can only happen in a healthy, innovative environment and it is important that our students know that we also practice what we preach. Our students are our theatre audience of the future, and they need to be shown that it is a vital part of the life of any community,” explained Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith said he chose the show as his final production for several reasons.
“It was one of the first shows I directed in Taylor Theatre and it is a very unusual show in that it is comprised of three, one-act musicals,” he explained. “The composers, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, are among my favorites.”
Mr. Smith is retiring after three decades in Hamden Hall’s theatre department along with his wife, fellow theatre and music aficionado Mary Jane Smith.
“Being able to be together with and work with my wife and children in this supportive environment has been a great blessing in our lives,” said Mr. Smith. “Yes, it has been very busy and demanding, but also rewarding. Mary Jane and I have been able to work together and build a theatre department that is both highly respected and well-regarded in the theatrical community and the community at large.”
To commemorate the Smith’s final production, several alumni will be on hand (many of whom have probably never watched a show from the audience in Taylor Theatre because they were always part of the cast!) to lend their support and express their appreciation for the Smiths’ tutelage and guidance. Alumna Marla Brodsky 1991, who will fly in from Los Angeles to view the show, said the night will bring back memories of her own performance in 1991 in The Apple Tree.
“I credit much of my success and things I have done to Mr. Smith,” said Marla, who has lived in Los Angeles since the late 1990s and worked both in front of the camera and behind as a casting director and writer. “I vividly remember doing some sensory memory exercise in an advanced theater class and, no joke, I still use that! He taught me so much. And more importantly, I look forward to celebrating this milestone with him and his wife. I couldn't be prouder to say I was a part of their legacy and happy to be returning for the last hoorah.”
That last “hoorah” includes a cast of 18 as well as three stage managers and a crew of more than 10 students who built the sets and coordinated sound and lighting for the 2015 production.
“Charlie Alexander has designed a very flexible, creative set that will accommodate all three stories, from the Garden of Eden to a Barbarian Kingdom to a large city. Mary Jane has also done a beautiful job, as usual, with the costumes, from tuxedos to ‘Arabian Nights,’” explained Mr. Smith.
As for returning alumni as audience members, Mr. Smith said the prospect is always an exciting one.
“Some have gone on to further theatrical experiences and some have not, but they all express their great love for what they were able to accomplish, the experiences they had, and the friendships they made working on Hamden Hall productions,” he maintained.
Mr. Smith further noted that it truly has been the “devoted, talented students” who have made his and Mary Jane’s experience at Hamden Hall unforgettable. In fact, he cited his students as “colleagues” during the prolonged length of time spent working with one another to create stage magic.
The Smiths arrived in Hamden in 1985 after both had worked as actors for nine years in New York City. Michael began at Hamden Hall during the 1985-1986 school year while Mary Jane started a couple years later during the 1987-1988 school year.
“Having started my Hamden Hall career in 1985 doing shows in Cushing Hall, then spending one year doing plays, including my first Hamden Hall musical, in Lower Swain in what is now the student lounge, and finally working over 25 years in The Taylor Performing Arts Center, a beautiful facility, has been an unforgettable journey,” said Mr. Smith.
But just as important as their work with students has been their continued involvement and evolvement in their own craft – stage performance. Both Michael and Mary Jane have stayed active in the local professional theatre community, including work with Whitney Players and The Elm Shakespeare Company. Since 2009, both have been involved with A Broken Umbrella Theatre, a company of artists founded by Hamden Hall alum Ian Alderman 1995 and his wife, Rachel. Other Hamden Hall alumni involved in the company include Lou Mangini 1995, Jesse Gabbard 2003, and Corin Killins 2010.
“An artist has a need for constant creative nourishment and growth that can only happen in a healthy, innovative environment and it is important that our students know that we also practice what we preach. Our students are our theatre audience of the future, and they need to be shown that it is a vital part of the life of any community,” explained Mr. Smith.
1108 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
Hamden Hall Country Day School, located less than two miles from Yale University, is one of the best private schools in Connecticut to enroll elementary, middle, and high school students. Our nurturing and inclusive community provides a dynamic learning environment that promotes academic excellence by understanding each child and fostering their individual growth.
