Jun 8, 2018

Thirteenth Annual New Salem Educational Initiative Banquet (5 June 2018) >>>>> Magnificent Display of Student Talent, Skill, and Ethics (Part One)


For a number of reasons, the celebration on Tuesday (5 June) was for me the best Annual New Salem Educational Initiative Banquet that we have had for lo these thirteen years of such events.

 

For the second year in a row attendees were mainly the solid core of very supportive families whose students had parts in our play or were doing other performances.  This sort of audience is super-attentive and fully engaged in both the performance and the certificate-bestowal segments.

 

Among the many subtexts of the banquet were those involving familial struggles that at one point threatened my ability to oversee this year’s celebration in the usual style.  Three and a half weeks ago, two families whose young people are participants in the New Salem Educational Initiative encountered heavy crises, making difficult the participation of several members scheduled to perform in our staging of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice at the banquet.  While I worked in various ways to help these families resolve their difficulties, I ran our first full rehearsal performing five characters myself.  I originally planned to perform only the Shylock role, but it became apparent that I would need to step in also as the important character of Bassanio;  and that I might have to give careful thought as to how to present three other roles should pertinent familial crises continue.

 

That first rehearsal went remarkably well.  In separate sessions I was also running mini-rehearsals, doing individual stage blocking and rendering cue lines for each actor;  I was also working with Heidy Remedios Sanchez on her “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, and with Cherish Dixon on her “I Have a Dream” speech.

 

The mini-rehearsals provided the context for a super-efficient second rehearsal, by which time I had performed a counselor’s sleight of hand to get three of the strugglers back on board.  That rehearsal went splendidly;  by that time, evidence was mounting that Janet Inamagua as Portia (whose hand in marriage is being sought by Bassanio and two other suitors) was poised to knock the lights out of that demanding performance;  that Michael Smith, Jessica Inamagua, Lisset Inamagua, and I were on track to perform well in our demanding roles;  and that Miguel Amigon Sanchez and brother Pedro Amigon Sanchez were up to speed, as well.

 

Thus it was that on the night of the banquet the following cast took the stage:

 

Janet Inamagua---  Portia, rich and beautiful heiresss of Belmont

Jessica Inamagua---  Jessica, daughter of Shylock

Lisset Inamagua---  Nerissa, lady-in-waiting and best friend of Portia

Devone Griffin---  Lorenzo, Christian who elopes with the Jewish Jessica

Michael Smith---  Gratiano (best friend to Bassanio), who makes a romantic connection with Nerissa

Mayra Ortiz---  Antonia (Antonio in the original text), the merchant who takes a huge financial and physical risk to make a momentous loan to Bassanio

Miguel Amigon Sanchez---  Prince of Morocco, a suitor

Pedro Amigon Sanchez---  Prince of Aragon, a suitor;  also played a jailer who takes the loan-defaulting Antonia away

Angel Sanchez (just a second grader)---  Solanio, who bears the fateful note concerning Antonia’s
failed merchant ships

Jayvius Goodman (third grader)---  Launcelot, who bears a note from Jessica to Lorenzo containing instructions for their elopement  

Stacey Travis---  Duke of Venice

Gary Marvin Davison---  Bassanio;  and Shylock

 

For the Shylock role, I donned a cap vaguely suggestive of a yarmulke (kippah), then took the cap off as Bassanio;  at times, most notably when Bassanio and Antonia are striking the loan deal with Shylock, my two characters were talking to each other, so that the cap became an important tool of role clarification for the audience.

 

In and between the lines written above, you can discern a lot of real-life drama behind that of the stage.  I had no very definite indication that all would most likely go well until three days (Saturday, 2 June) before the banquet;  and given some of the familial struggles, just had to keep the faith and await the actual unfolding of events at the 13th Annual New Salem Educational Initiative Banquet on Tuesday, 5 June 2018, to know for sure if favorable indications would be fulfilled.

 

Favorable indications were indeed fulfilled:

 

Janet was magnificent as Portia, delivering her lines with emotion, audibility, and precision;  she and Lisset did a clever wardrobe transformation to disguise themselves as the young judge Balthazar and judge’s clerk respectively.  Jessica and Devone presented well as Jessica and Lorenzo.  Michael was enthusiastic and good as Gratiano.  Miguel and Pedro did well and spoke up as Morocco and Aragon.  Little Angel positioned himself well and delivered the note smoothly as Solanio;  Jayvius interacted well with both Jessica and Lorenzo as Launcelot.  Mayra was very splendid as Antonia.  I relished my two roles and was glad to occupy central position in the final scene, surrounded by all of these wonderful young people, who came forward to put hands on Shylock’s shoulder in the “Does a Jew not bleed?” scene that I moved to play’s end.

 

All parents were aglow.

 

Janet was so deservedly proud.

 

Heidy and Cherish did their performances well for grade six and grade four students respectively, possibly as preparation for reprising and polishing these performances next year.

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

The certificate phase of the banquet was another warm and effective segment.  I had as usual carefully thought out each certificate and was particularly pleased to honor Mayra as Student of the Year;  Janet for Magnificent Talent, Great Versatility;  Rodrigo Inamagua & Maria Robles (parents of Janet, Jessica, and Lisset), Vera Sanchez (mother of Miguel, Pedro, Heidy, and Angel) and Stacey Travis each as Parent of the Year (I explained that despite having imbibed the ability to make a decision from my dad, these were each so deserving that I could not this year limit the Parent of the Year award to just one parent;  and for that matter I also gave a much-deserved New Salem Tuesday Tutoring Parent of the Year award to Nita Smith, mother to Michael Smith, who for the second year won the Tops on Tuesday award [effectively the Student of the Year award for a student in the Tuesday evening program]). 

 

Folks were once again generous in their comments regarding my down-home southern soul fare (with the addition of my very well-reviewed lasagna).

 

This was quite an evening.

 

In part two of this account of the banquet, I will detail how the event further solidified my relationships with students and their families---  and portends particularly bright futures for two of the participants.

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