Every year, members of Townsend Harris’s S!NG productions are rewarded for their hard work and dedication through the final shows. A variety of departments, including band, dance, vocal, costume and makeup, social media and communication, and the art department, collaborated to perform the ghost-themed shows on November 17th and 18th. The art department played a key role in bringing the ghost-themed S!NG shows to life by designing and painting backdrops, flats, and props for the performances.
For the Freshiors Team, the art department was led by juniors Kristin Yue, Shamonti Shamim, Ella Quan, and Rachel Zhang. For the Semores Team, seniors Alyssa Shim, Jacqueline Singhnani, Bing Ling Wu, and Anna Sokol led their team to victory. However, the process for both teams was not an easy one, requiring months of planning and painting.
The directors led their teams to craft hand-painted backdrops of about 30 feet by 18 feet. Through preparing for the show, members of the Art Department spent many hours producing the final products. Semores Art Director Alyssa Shim said, “Our latest time [we spent at school] was 8:00 p.m. We all worked together [for] everything [to become] cohesive. Our props and [flats] were important this year since the Dance, Vocal, and Acting Departments actively used them throughout the show.”
Freshiors Art Director and Classic Arts & Entertainment Editor Shamonti Shamim said, “For the Freshiors Team, we stayed until 6 P.M. [at the] latest, and the times changed based on how much work needed to get done. It was stressful and as the show came closer, we worked tirelessly to make sure everything was finalized. Some of our original plans were scratched because of the time constraints, but we mostly achieved everything we wanted to.”
The perseverance of the Art Departments allowed both teams to create backgrounds that enriched the plot of the shows. Freshman Anisha Islam, a member of the Freshiors Art Department said, “For our storyline, the backdrop was inside of the Helstorm’s family mansion. Both the office and forest flats were used to distinguish the two different location switches that [happened] in the story with Nora and Blake.”
Freshman Ariella Casabar said, “Without [the work of the Art Department], the S!NG shows would have lost their physical setting, which is a crucial aspect of the story’s development. The audience wouldn’t be able to envision the plot if it weren’t for the backdrops and flats that the art department created.”
Sophomore Anderson Persad said, “Our whole show mainly took place in the restaurant, so we spent most of our time on backdrops that fit the ghost theme we received and aligned with the restaurant storyline we were aiming for. It took a lot of effort, but we made it successfully.”
Sophomore Nolan Sukhra from the Vocal Department said, “Whether it’s dance, costume and makeup, acting, vocal, backstage or art, we all play a role in piecing together the performance. Without any one of those, the performance would’ve been incomplete and lacking those aspects.”
Anisha added, “It was a phenomenal experience. It was lovely how everyone had a part to play and worked together to create a masterpiece. It was worth it to see it all unfold on stage.”
“I adore this department. I’ll definitely be looking forward to joining S!NG’s art department again,” said Ariella.
