HDA's Youngest Members Shine in "Envious Sisters”

On Friday, January 10, Director Mike Calderone’s Shoestring Ensemble Theater Class performed their original piece, Envious Sisters, in Upper Heath. The youngest members of HDA, some of whom had never performed in front of an audience before, acted out a tale of adventure, magic, and fate.

According to Michael Calderone, the director and teacher of the class, the Ensemble Theater Production Class—also known as the Shoestring Ensemble—started with adaptations of Shakespeare scripts and relied on the trademark “living scenery” that is the hallmark of the Shoestring Players.

“The actors become whatever scenery is needed in the Shakespeare tale: a forest in A Midsummer Night's Dream, a fountain in The Comedy of Errors, or a giant winged harpy in The Tempest,” he wrote in the Envious Sisters playbill.

As the class evolved over the years, Calderone began looking for inspiration in other tales beyond Shakespeare—stories that included a variety of scenic elements the ensemble could create using their bodies, faces, and voices. “This year, we decided to explore One Thousand and One Nights and found this odd, self-contained tale.”

Congratulations to the cast and crew on an outstanding show!

Christina Feng ‘28

Greta Lee ‘28

Claire Li ‘28

Ava Morello ‘27

Ashley Omega ‘27

Naomi Schwartz ‘28

Ashvin van Bladel ‘27

Beatrix V assilev ‘27

Luannie Wang ‘28

Fiona Wiman ‘28

Annie Zhang ‘27

PERCUSSION - Erika Berliner ‘27

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