We are so blessed to have such a lovely talent pool here at Ursuline Academy. The Performing Arts department is rich with young musicians, dancers, actors, and technicians. We barely had time to catch our breath at the beginning of the year before the Jesuit/Ursuline marching band was performing at games, and the auditions for the Satin Dolls Jazz Choir and the Fall Theatre Productions took place. We wouldn’t have it any other way, though. While they keep us on our toes, the students are wonderful to work with! 

We are excited to kick off our Performing Arts Season with These Shining Lives this weekend. Our Theatre Team never ceases to amaze me as they guide the students through all the different aspects of putting on a show. Stephanie Butler has gently led the cast through Melanie Marnich’s delicate story of four strong women taking on a major corporation in 1928. Drama is a crafty beast, and Ms. Butler helped them discover the humor and humanity in the play, which pulls the audience deeper and deeper into the story. Whitney Coulter’s costume, hair, and makeup designs will impress you! She has taught the students many new talents, from how to lay out a pattern and sew a dress to styling a wig that takes us back to 1928 Chicago! Lori Honeycutt is forever teaching the students how to safely use power tools and paint to bring to life the design that is the backdrop of this beautiful story. One of the students exclaimed, “Stagecraft should count as a PE credit!” We hope you can join us to watch the fruition of all their hard work. After this weekend, we will quickly be jumping into rehearsals for She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith. This comedy of manners is sure to make you laugh in November. Then, right before we break for Thanksgiving, we’ll be holding auditions for Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

Jane Chambers in the music department has been busy, busy, busy since before school began. The Jesuit/Ursuline marching band was already working on their halftime show in August. Our UA musicians meet at Jesuit every morning at 7:00 a.m. to keep the show in shape. You can catch them performing on Friday nights at the Jesuit home football games. Once marching band season is over, they will flip over to working on the music for their concerts. The Ursuline, Cistercian, Jesuit Orchestra also meets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 7:00 a.m. here at UA! They will join the Greenhill Orchestra at Greenhill for their first concert in mid-October. It has been so lovely this year to have our combined choirs provide the music for our all-school Masses. They are doing a beautiful job! I know we are looking forward to the Christmas concert in December! I’m always amazed to see the JCP/UA band, the CP/JCP/UA Orchestra, the concert choir, the Satin Dolls jazz choir, and the Jesuit boys' chorus all perform together in our UA Theatre. How lucky we are to have the space to house all those musicians and their friends and family in the audience!?

Getting to work in a place that supports the arts is a joy!

I would be remiss to not mention our growing dance department! Stephanie Butler starts her day at 7:00 a.m. On “A” days, she is leading our less experienced dancers in technique and conditioning. On “B” days, she is pushing our advanced dancers further in technique and performance. Both levels get a chance to learn choreography. I hope you will join us for their recital in May, where the girls showcase their talents as dancers and budding young choreographers! Over the past few years, we have expanded our dance program to include specialized dance classes during the regular rotation. I’ve had the joy of watching students learning tap, hip hop, ballet, and Broadway jazz. Our offices are right next to the movement studio, so my day is often infused with a variety of music that keeps my feet tapping right along with the girls! 

Most of what I’ve described to you are our extracurricular activities. We also have a full range of performing arts classes for the students. Even though our classes are described as “fun” by the students, they also require a lot of dedication and attention to detail. As you can clearly see, we have a very talented team of performing arts teachers who dedicate a lot of time in and out of the classroom to our students! We may look a little tired during tech week, all-region, or all-state competitions, but we truly love what we do. It is so satisfying to share our love of the performing arts with the students. Getting to work in a place that supports the arts is a joy!  When I speak to my colleagues in the professional world, they are all envious when I describe the environment that Ursuline has allowed us to create for our students. I am eternally grateful to the Ursuline Sisters for emphasizing the need for the arts and humanities in education, our administration, which supports us so beautifully, the parents and students who bring joy to our work, and, lastly, to my entire team here at Ursuline!  Hope to see y’all at our performances!

Terri Ferguson

Performing Arts Department Chair