Darlington’s fine arts department will present the Broadway classic “Beauty and the Beast” Feb. 18-20 at Rome City Auditorium. Friday and Saturday shows will be at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday’s show will be at 2:30 p.m. The production will feature students from the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools.
Darlington students to present “Annie” at outdoor concert
April 20, 2010
Students in Darlington’s Drama and Musical Theater classes will present a concert version of “Annie” on May 7 and 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Middle School Courtyard. They will be joined by several students from the Lower and Middle divisions.
Darlington’s fine arts department will present the famous Broadway musical “Hello, Dolly!” Feb. 19-21 at Rome City Auditorium. Friday and Saturday shows will be at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday’s show will be at 2:30 p.m.
Darlington School announces the following faculty and staff additions for the 2009-10 school year:<br /><br />
<b>Barbara Barfield</b> will teach Middle School Spanish. She helped launch Darlington’s Lower School Spanish program in 1999 and taught here until 2007. This year, she is returning after two years of teaching in the local public school system. She holds a B.B.A. from Georgia State, a M.Ed. from Berry College, and has studied in England and Chile. She was a recipient of Darlington’s prestigious James Douglas Brown Jr. Faculty Award in 2003. <br /><br />
<b>Brianna Caldwell</b> will teach Upper School Health and Wellness and coach girls’ basketball and soccer. She holds a B.S. from Berry College, where she was a student athletic trainer for three years. She has also had internships with Advance Rehabilitation, the YMCA and the Rome City School Nutrition Program.<br /><br />
<b>Rudy Childs</b>, who directed this year’s production of “Bye Bye Birdie,” will teach Drama and Musical Theater and direct next year’s winter musical. He is a local business owner who has also directed a number of successful musicals for Rome Little Theatre and Stars in Our Eyes, including “My Fair Lady,” “The King and I,” “Annie,” “Peter Pan,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Cinderella,” “Shenandoah” and “Hello Dolly!” He has also directed several Follies events for Rome’s Junior Service League.<br /><br />
<b>LaNoya Corley</b> will be a graphic designer in the Communication Office. She holds a B.F.A. from The Art Institute of Atlanta, and recently completed a graphic design internship with Astral Brands Health and Beauty in Atlanta. <br /><br />
<b>Chris Earnest</b> will serve as desktop support specialist. He holds a B.S. in Telecommunications Management from Devry Institute of Technology in Decatur, Ga., and A+ Certification in desktop support. He has 13 years of experience in the technology field, and has owned his own business, Floyd PC, for the last five years.<br /><br />
<b>Donna Hester</b> will be a part-time accompanist for the fine arts department. She holds a B.Mus. from Samford University and a M.Mus. from Florida State. She has 20 years of experience and also serves as associate music director at First Presbyterian Church in Rome. <br /><br />
<b>Steve Melton</b> will teach Upper School Spanish and serve as head coach of the varsity volleyball team. He holds a B.A. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas. He comes to Darlington with 13 years of teaching and coaching experience, most recently at Liberty High School in Bealeton, Va. He has also spent time working with the federal government on issues relating to Latin America and Mexico. <br /><br />
<b>Neil Myrick</b> will serve as technology support assistant. After working in technician and management positions in manufacturing and engineering, he recently redirected his career towards technology, acquiring his A+ certification and finishing additional associates’ degrees to supplement his bachelor’s degree. After gaining experience with local technology providers, he comes to Darlington ready to help us all continue to grow our technology program.<br /><br />
<b>Elizabeth Oniskey</b> will teach Upper School Spanish. She holds a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts and an M.A. from Middlebury College. She comes to Darlington with eight years of teaching experience, some of which is international. Most recently, she served as a teaching assistant at I.E.S. Maximo Trueba Bilingual School in Madrid, Spain, where she taught EFL to Spanish students. She has also taught in Shanghai, China, and in the United States.
Darlington names fine arts director and head of house
May 22, 2009
Darlington School is pleased to announce that Kim Tunnell has been named interim director of fine arts for grades PK-12 and Marcus Holmes has been named head of Thornwood House, effective July 2009.
Darlington’s fine arts department will present the famous Broadway musical “Bye Bye Birdie” Feb. 20-22 in the Old Gym on the Upper School campus. The production will feature students in grades 6-12.<br /><br />
“With the Darlington Old Gym as our performance space, our producer and director have had incredible creative license and opportunity for the set, and they have really delivered,” said senior Anna Stephenson, who plays Rose Alvarez. “It is different from anything Darlington has done in recent years, and that alone should entice one to become an audience member. Besides that, we have a hardworking and talented cast of students who are all coming together to create art, and that is a beautiful thing.” <br /><br />
“‘Bye Bye Birdie’ is a satire done with the fondest affection,” said the show’s producer, Linda Hom. “It is tops in imagination and frivolity, and it features well-known musical numbers like ‘Put on a Happy Face,’ ‘Honestly Sincere,’ ‘Kid’ and ‘A Lot of Livin’ to Do.’” <br /><br />
The Tony Award-winning production tells the story of Conrad Birdie (senior Carl Edge), a rock ‘n’ roll singer who is about to join the Army. His agent, Albert Peterson (senior Garrett Brown), is worried he will lose everything once Conrad enlists, so he and his secretary/love interest, Rose Alvarez (Stephenson), concoct a plan to save the company with one final national publicity appearance.<br /><br />
The plan is that Conrad will bid farewell to one randomly selected, typical American teenage girl and fan club member with an all-American kiss. Kim MacAfee (senior Stephanie Schecter) of Sweet Apple, Ohio, wins the honor, and while her parents are initially upset, they change their minds when they are given the opportunity to appear on the “Ed Sullivan Show.”<br /><br />
“‘Bye Bye Birdie’ is a funny, entertaining musical with a lot of singing and dancing. What else could one want?” Schecter said. “It’s going to be a fun show, for both the cast and the audience members. Everyone who comes to see it will love it.”<br /><br />
The show will be presented through a special arrangement with Tams Witmark Music Library Inc. in New York, N.Y. It is directed by Rudy Childs, who has also directed a number of successful musicals for Rome Little Theatre and Stars in Our Eyes, including “My Fair Lady,” “The King and I,” “Annie,” “Peter Pan,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Cinderella,” “Shenandoah” and “Hello Dolly!” He has also directed several Follies events for Rome’s Junior Service League. <br /><br />
“Rudy has a thorough eye for detail that allows him to constantly find new ways to add depth to the show and our performance,” Stephenson said. “He really understands theatre, and he does a wonderful job passing down his knowledge to the cast. This makes each rehearsal an enriching experience, while his sense of humor always guarantees laughter. We are incredibly lucky to have him.” <br /><br />
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Jan. 19. Admission for Friday and Saturday night is $30, which includes dinner at 6:30 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. show. Admission on Sunday is $20, which includes dessert and coffee at 2:15 p.m. before the 3 p.m. show. A very limited number of $10 general admission tickets will be available for each show (at the door only) on a first come, first served basis. <br /><br />
Seating for all shows is limited, so we urge you to secure your seats in advance by e-mailing Nancy Brass at <a href="mailto:bnbncb@aol.com">bnbncb@aol.com</a>. Please include your name, daytime phone number, number of tickets you wish to purchase and date of the show(s) you wish to attend. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, check, Master Card and Visa.
