“All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts…”

--from As You Like It by William Shakespeare

Dear Families,

The 8^th grade performs their class play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare tonight and tomorrow night, and Sunday afternoon. As a comedy, the play draws much of its humor from its characters’ personalities and relationships. As in so many modern romantic comedies, there is a romance that develops out of antagonism and rivalry. However, the resolution and reconciliation of the play comes only after a serious crisis, one that almost ends in tragedy.

We are also approaching Halloween, a festival that explores the darker elements of the spirit world that underlies our physical world. We can take pleasure in putting on a mask and showing a new face to the world, maybe representing a different aspect of our personality that we usually hide away. We might choose to show our own shadow side, or something we fear in the world-- a demon, a criminal, a naughty elemental being. Or, maybe we decide to exaggerate our positive aspects, and represent a (super)hero, a royal figure, a good fairy.

The world in which we live has no shortage of sobering, dire conditions to face. Our continued survival on the planet itself seems to be in jeopardy, and the choices we make will determine to a large extent the future conditions of the Earth. In this election season, we have real decisions to make about representation and values, about freedom and responsibility. Continuing the Halloween theme, political parties eagerly portray their opponents as dangerous, untrustworthy, sinister figures bound to lead us to disaster, while our own candidate is a heroic or almost saintly version of themselves.

The exaggerated features of the Halloween mask enter in this way into our political process, exacerbating tensions and fears, and hardening antipathy towards the opposing side. It becomes ever more difficult to see a path towards reconciliation between opponents following an election. Even Shakespeare, we see in Much Ado, included one character who is left unredeemed at the end of the play. Harmony and accord are possible only where good will and benevolence are at the heart of our intentions.

Young children love to dress up and try on new characters and personalities. As adolescents, the development of the Self comes about through our interactions with those around us. Even in adulthood, we can continue to change and grow through a sense of playfulness and interest in our fellow human beings, and in the worlds of nature and of spirit. If we are to overcome the challenges we face, what better way forward than through Play, stemming from a childlike sense of wonder and reverence that we should exist in this world in the first place?

With warm regards,

Simon Frishkoff

High School Chair