Northwood’s drama program recently announced some exciting news: they will take the play Anon(ymous) on the road. On Thursday, March 28th, the drama program of Northwood will be traveling as a full cast to Lynch Literacy Academy in Amsterdam, NY to perform the show in front of the entire high school in that school’s 400-seat auditorium.
Taking their show on the road is a great opportunity for students to perform under a different pressure than at school, the audience is not their friends.
Anon(ymous), written by Naomi Iizuka, was performed by the drama club at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts in February. The play is a modern retelling of Homer’s “The Odyssey.” It tells the story a young refugee called Anon is separated from his mother and journeys through the United States, encountering a wide variety of people — some kind, some dangerous and cruel — as he searches for his family. From a sinister one-eyed butcher to beguiling barflies to a sweatshop, Anon must navigate through a chaotic, ever-changing landscape in this entrancing adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey. The play is directed by Ms. Noël Carmichael.
Noteworthy for this production is sophomore Noah Pittman joins the cast, replacing sophomore Charles Purcell, who is unavailable for this performance.
People call me “Fran.” I am 19 years old from Dominican Republic. I have an older sister, but she’s lucky enough to be born here in the US, while I was born on a small island in the Caribbean, which I love. I am a soccer player here at Northwood, but I also like learning all the good things that Northwood offers. I came to Northwood because I wanted to follow my dream: playing soccer and studying at the same time and at a high level. My favorite part of Northwood is how everybody is welcoming and they all teach you new stuff. My plans after Northwood are hopefully attending a good college where I can play soccer and study until I decide which is better for me. Something that I am never going to forget about Northwood is probably when in the beginning of the school year, when the cold was starting, Shanks [senior Matthew Shanklin] offered me a warm jacket or when I go to Will’s room at night just to talk. I will never forget this because it made me feel part of the Northwood family right since the beginning.”
Northwood’s third annual Ring the Bell giving day took place on March 8th, raising over $267,000 for the Northwood Fund. It was nearly a $120,000 increase from last year’s event. In the weeklong lead up to Ring the Bell, Northwood released several videos and endorsements featuring teachers, students, and alumni. Several alumni pitched in with matching challenges with individual totals as high as $20,000.
