Volume 40 Issue 2 - October/November 2012 - Hoffman Estates ...

Alyse
Leonard
Hawkeye View October/November 2012
Madrigals showcase
a performance
that is of a most
“Medieval” caliber
Staff Reporter
Everyone was extremely
excited for
homecoming this
year, but who thinks
about those who don’t
end up going? One
such group not seen
at homecoming is the
Hoffman Choir. Every
year, a small group
of students from Mr.
Schlesinger’s choir
class takes a trip to
Oregon, Illinois for
a great, medieval
style event at the local
renaissance fair,
Stronghold. Thanks
to the generous help
of the choir director,
Mr. Schlesinger, this
reporter has the updated
information on
this event.
Q: What exactly is
Madrigals?
A: Madrigals are a
Renaissance style performance
that features
performances with
themes such as love,
heartache, happiness,
and importantly “love
is a battlefield” while
dressed in the attire
common in that era.
They perform in front
of thousands, utilizing
immense team effort.
Basically, Madrigals
are the “pop music” of
the Renaissance.
Q: Who participates
in Madrigals?
A: The top performing
singers and
actors of the Hoffman
Choir take part in this
celebration. The effort
put into this event always
makes it such a
wonderful and appreciated
experience.
Q: Where and
when does Madrigals
taking place?
A: The first event
is October 6th and 7th
at Stronghold, which
is an hour west of Oregon,
Illinois. Also,
they will be having a
Madrigal dinner here
at Hoffman, from December
7th to December
8th in the cafeteria.
There will be a 3
hour-long show consisting
of entertainment,
such as dancing,
and an elaborate
dinner consisting of
flaming pudding and
even a boar’s head!
Tickets will go on sale
this November for
$24.
Q: What is the best
part of Madrigals?
A: The music and
the performing has always
been a favorite
part of the process for
me, but the students
also enjoy the camaraderie
between them
after working from
6- 12 hours a week.
They become a very
tight knit group from
the effort that they put
into this performance.
Q: Are you excited
for this year’s Madrigals?
A: Yes, they have
been working very
hard and putting a
lot of focus into their
work. In fact, they not
only have everything
already memorized,
but we are even ahead
of the schedule from
last year.
Though Stronghold
is over, the group
is still working hard to
prepare for the Madrigal
dinner, the next
goal in their sights.
Alyse Leonard
Amyra Ramos
Staff Reporters
This year’s variety
show, “The Show that
Never Sleeps”, was an
exciting spectacle of ballads,
break dance, jugglers,
and comedy. The
show was a true reflection
of the theme, as a wide
variety of acts painted
the diversity of every big
city. From all genres of
music, HEHS students
danced and sung their
way through the evening.
All were impressed with
the exciting instrumental
pieces by guitar, violin,
and the HEHS drumline.
Matt the Juggler dazzled
the crowd with an exciting
light show of juggling
fun, and for the spaces
in between, the audience
laughed their hearts
out with HEHS comedy
troupe’s skits, “Redneck
Spelling Bee”, “Awkward
Moments to Break into
Song”, and the “Hoffman
Olympics”.
Considering these
talented individuals only
had three weeks to prepare
for their performance,
their feat is even
greater. “The number of
students that auditioned
for v-show went up from
46 students last year, to
58 students this year. It’s
fantastic to see so many
kids displaying their
talents,”said Erika Bromley,
English department.
Arts 7
This year’s Variety Show brought
diversity, fun to the HEHS Stage
Not only did students
work hard to create such
a successful show, but
many teachers helped
make it all possible. The
wonderful teachers who
made this possible were
Jason Stevens, head director,
Christina Ordonez,
tech director, Juan Medina,
assistant tech crew,
and Bromley, assistant
director. “This city-building
set really sparkles on
stage,” said Medina. The
hours of work in set design
and rehearsal finally
paid off. The turnout was
incredible and the crowd
was enthusiastic
HEHS loved “The
Show that Never Sleeps”
and can’t wait for next
year’s show.
The humor in the fall play is “all in the timing”
Amy
Liu
Staff Reporter
It is time again for the
traditional Hoffman Estates
fall play. This year,
the chosen play is known
as All in the Timing. However
this play has an interesting
twist where there
are a total of seven plays
combined into one. The
names of the individual
plays are “Sure Thing”,
Left: The orchesis team
flaunts its new moves in
their high-energy performance.
Right: Chris Bloomfield’s
(‘15) style and passion for
dance amazed all who attended.
“The Philadelphia”,
“Words Words Words”,
“The Universal Language”,
“English Made
Simple”, “Variations on
the Death of Trotsky”, and
“Philip Glass Buys a Loaf
of Bread”. Within these
short plays are a variety of
different forms of theatre
that contain an abundance
of laughter. The plays use
many forms of comedy
such as physical and use
of word play.
Not only does a seven
part play provide entertainment,
but it also suits
the needs of the actors
and actresses. By having
a play that contains seven
separate plays, more students
are given a chance
to obtain a lead role. With
this, actors and actresses
have the opportunity to
challenge themselves to
improve their roles. They
are able to take ownership
and concentrate on their
acting abilities. Each student
has a responsibility to
create a plan on how they
are going to memorize
their part. By doing individual
research, students
are able to look more in
depth into their characters.
This upcoming play
doesn’t concentrate on
the work of the directors,
but the combined work of
each actor and actress.
In this play, there are
a variety of experienced
and inexperienced actors
and actresses. There are
four seniors, four juniors,
eight sophomores, and
four freshmen. Each come
from different levels of
acting and wants to contribute
their talent to All
in Good Timing. Actors
and actresses play an important
part on stage, but
it is the combined effort of
the people behind the curtains
that make the play
what it is. The tech crew
and the costume team also
support the play by offering
hours from their own
time and dedicating it to
the play. “There are many
people involved. There are
about twenty-one on stage
and thirty back stage” said
Ms. Ordonez, the director
of the play.
The fall play is quickly
approaching and will
premiere this week on
November 15th, 16th, and
17th at 7 p.m. Seeing that
there are seven plays in
one, the price you are paying
for is a steal. Prepare
and buy your tickets soon
because the show never
waits.