Highlander Theatre Company At Somerville High School Announces 2018/19 Season

The Highlander Theatre Company, the resident theatre company of Somerville High School, is thrilled to announce its 2018-2019 theatre season. This year's productions comprise the inaugural season of the new organization, established last year to expand theatre opportunities for students at Somerville High. The season will consist of four productions that reflect the creativity, talent, and diversity of the Somerville High School community.

"This is an exciting year for Theatre Arts at Somerville High School," says Charles Jabour, Theatre Arts Teacher and Faculty Advisor of the Highlander Theatre Company. "This inaugural season is a shining example of the many ways that theatre can reflect the values of the SHS community and bring people together to inspire dialogue, celebrate culture, and honor the creative spirit of our emerging performing artists."

Mr. Jabour has made it a priority to bring new voices into HTC's collaborations. "We have had a remarkable response from partners within the district and the community, from student organizations to entire SHS academic departments. Teachers are being offered the opportunity to integrate the plays into their curricula, and the school library is making the plays available for students to check out year-round!"

On December 6-8th, the Highlander Theatre Company will present the hit musical RENT: School Edition with book, music, and lyrics by Jonathan Larson. The Tony and Pulitzer winning musical follows a year in the life of friends in New York's Lower East Side during the 1990s HIV/AIDS crisis. Filled with laughs, tears, and a rock- infused score, RENT is a story about community, survival, and measuring life in love. RENT is co-presented with the SHS Gender and Sexuality Alliance and with support from Somerville Arts for Youth

RENT contains strong language and subject matter that is not appropriate for all ages. To assist families, HTC has provided a parent guide at www.highlandertheatre.org. HTC is also pleased to offer a kid-friendly theatre workshop during the matinee performance on Saturday, December 8th. This workshop will allow parents to enjoy the performance while their younger children are given the opportunity to learn about theatre in an age- appropriate environment. The workshop is appropriate for students in grades 3-6. Tickets are available at www.shsma.booktix.com or through the Highlander Theatre website.

Performances of RENT will take place on Thursday, December 6th at 8pm (after the Somerville Tree Lighting), Friday, December 7th at 7pm, and Saturday, December 8th at 2pm and 7pm. All performances will take place in the Centennial Auditorium at Somerville High School. Visit shsma.booktix.com for ticket information. Multi- performance packages are available for anyone interested in attending more than one performance.

On February 8th, HTC will present the one-act play Holy Broth by Pulitzer-finalist Quiara Alegría Hudes. Ashley, a Puerto Rican girl from Philly, is getting a D in Spanish, and at home everything's lost in translation; her mother's attention is always elsewhere, and her grandma just sits in the dark and watches Spanish soap operas. With the help of an old soup recipe and some family history, can Ashley create a new language with her grandma? Holy Broth is co-presented with the SHS Welcome Center and the SHS ELE Department and with support from Somerville Arts for Youth.

The public performance of Holy Broth will take place on Friday, February 8th at 7pm at the Centennial Auditorium at Somerville High School. The play will also be presented on Saturday, February 9th as a part of 2019 Massachusetts Thespians Festival at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Acton, MA. For tickets to the February 8th performance, visit shsma.booktix.com. For information on the MA Thespians festival, visit mathespians.com.

On March 21-22, HTC will present the full-length play Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson. At Harvard Observatory at the turn of the 20th century, Henrietta Leavitt joins a group of women tasked with charting the heavens, but she isn't even allowed to touch a telescope. Despite restrictions placed on her and the other women, Henri devotes her life to the study of celestial bodies just out of reach while breaking barriers and forever changing the way we measure the heavens. Silent Sky is presented in collaboration with the SHS Orchestra and co-presented with the SHS Science Department and Somerville STEAM Social, with support from the SHS Astronomy Club and Somerville Arts for Youth.

Performances of Silent Sky will take place on Thursday, March 21 at 7pm and Friday, March 22 at 7pm. All performances will take place at the Centennial Auditorium at Somerville High School. Visit shsma.booktix.com for ticket information. Multi-performance packages are available for anyone interested in attending more than one performance.

On May 16-17, HTC will present the first annual Highlander Fringe Festival. Conceived, directed, and produced entirely by SHS Students, the Highlander Fringe is an evening of poetry, dance, song, and theatre intended to push creative boundaries and rethink what we know about the performing arts and the world around us. The Highlander Fringe is presented by Troupe 3011 of the International Thespian Society in collaboration with the National Honors Society for Dance Arts, with support from Somerville Arts for Youth. Performances of the Highlander Fringe will be presented on Thursday, May 16th at 7pm and Friday, May 17th at 7pm. All performances will take place at the Centennial Auditorium at Somerville High School. Visit shsma.booktix.com for ticket information.

The Highlander Theatre Company offers many ways to support theatre education at Somerville High School. For a complete list of sponsorship opportunities, season supporter levels, and other ways to be involved, visit www.highlandertheatre.org/support.

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