Art in the Hills

As the weather changes slowly into the fall season, we are excited to bring you many events that are sure to entertain this November. Our Jazz bands from Northern, Central, and Eastern High Schools will join on stage with the amazing tenor saxophonist, and Toronto native, Andrew Rathbun. Central High School theater will present the play, "A Wrinkle in Time." Northern High School theater will present Disney's, "High School Musical." Please join us for all the amazing concerts and performances this month.

-John DeStefano

The Forest Hill Central Theater is proud to present "A Wrinkle in Time." A Wrinkle in Time is a classic sci-fi fantasy novel about Meg Murry, her brilliant brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe as they travel through space and time to rescue Meg's missing scientist father.

The performance will be on November 12-14 at 7 p.m. in the FHC Auditorium. Tickets are $8 for students, and $10 for adults.

Elena is currently a sophomore at Central High School and this is her second year in theatre. She is a member of the ensemble and loves being a part of the theater community and getting to act with her friends.

Tim is currently a sophomore at Central High School. This is his second year in FHC theatre, but he has been involved in other theatre productions outside of school for the last nine years. Tim loves doing high school theatre because it provides a chance to tell different stories and show a different world.

Emily has a degree in Theatre Education, Sociology, and Honors Liberal Arts from Seattle Pacific University. She has directed at the high school and collegiate level at Calvin Christian High School, Matchstick Theatre, and Seattle Pacific University. She's also led drama camps through Matchstick Theatre and Camp Roger. At SPU, Emily took classes in acting, directing, design, education, and theatre studies, applying those techniques in her work as an actor, director, lead lighting technician, and dramaturg. This summer, Emily worked as a lead instructor at Saugatuck Center for the Arts. In her free time, you can find Emily running, reading sociology non-fiction, or practicing her pour-over skills. Emily is excited to be back in her home state of Michigan and to start making theatre at Forest Hills Central!

What excites you about teaching students? I love making theatre with eager, committed, and well-rounded students. Central's theatre students embody all those ideals. Our cast and crew is made up of dedicated students who are involved in improv, student council, band, debate, and much more. They're capable of multiple ways of engaging, connecting, and learning, which makes them excellent theatre makers. It's a gift to direct them and learn from them every day!

What excites you about the upcoming show? Countless hours of rehearsal, costume construction, cue building, and more go into producing a show. I've asked for a lot from the students involved in A Wrinkle in Time, challenging them to practice new styles of theatre or create intricate costumes. Inviting audiences to join us on the journey we've been on the past few months is always the most exciting part of the process. Collectively telling the story to an audience will not only let our students display their talents, but it will also give them the opportunity to engage with the story in a new way, and I can't wait.

What do you hope the students get out of this productions? My hope is always that my students grow as theatre artists and community builders. Theatre asks its participants and viewers to find themselves in the relationship between the arc of the story and our current context. What does it mean to tell this story together to this audience? Through this performance run, I hope our students grow closer to each other, find time to reflect with their communities, and walk away with new and refined understandings of what theatre can be.

Disney's High School Musical is a teen romance about basketball star Troy and academic whiz Gabriella breaking free from social cliques. After a chance karaoke duet over winter break, they reunite at East High and secretly audition for the school musical. Their audition disrupts the school's rigid social structure. See our FHN Theatre students bring this drama to life at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center November 19-21, at 7 p.m., and a Saturday matinee at 3 p.m.

Pamela is a theatre director and educator. She has directed both community theatre and high school productions for over 40 years including at The Grand Rapids Civic Theater, Circle Theater Grand Rapids, Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids, Creston High School, Kenowa Hills High School, and East Grand Rapids High School. She has taught directing, stage managing, acting, and audition workshops partnering with The Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, Aquinas College’s and Grand Valley State University’s teacher education programs, Broadway Breakthrough, Grand Rapids City High School and Amway’s Tour Guide department. Pamela is a recently retired communications teacher for East Grand Rapids High School where, in addition to directing and producing a six-show season and teaching theatre, she also taught multiple film studies classes and public speaking. She has taken numerous high school productions to adjudicated festivals and loves the process and currently provides theatre adjudication for the Sutton Foster Awards and the Michigan Community Theatre Association.

What excites you about your students? Their energy, their enthusiasm about theatrical storytelling and getting to know a little bit about them personally.

What excites you about the upcoming show? This is the 20th Anniversary of the Disney film, High School Musical, and the community and the cast are super excited to be celebrating this popular show. The students and putting their all into having fun and making the show a high energy production. I can't wait for the community to see the results of their hard work and talent.

What do you want the students to get out of this production? A sense of community that is needed to mount a big production: everyone is important to the storytelling: cast, crew, and production staff. That working together as a team and working hard can be fun and rewarding.

Dave Howard is excited to return to Forest Hills Northern Theater as a Co-Director, bringing with him 34 years of experience teaching and directing at FHN. During his time at Northern, Dave helped build the theater program into what it is today, directing three to five musicals each year for many years and giving thousands of students opportunities to perform, create, and grow. Throughout his career, he organized numerous theater trips and competitions to Disney World and New York City, giving students opportunities to perform, compete, attend workshops, see professional productions, and experience theater beyond FHN.

Since retiring from Forest Hills Public Schools in 2024, Dave has stayed busy working as a FAFSA Coordinator for Hudsonville Public Schools and at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center, where he continues to lead the summer theater programs, including Summerstock, Showstoppers, and Summerstock Junior. He has also recently entered the world of real estate and enjoys spending more time with his family—especially his granddaughter Mina!

What excites you about teaching our students? What excites me most about working in theater is watching students discover talents and confidence they never knew they had! I love seeing the FHN students step outside their comfort zones, take risks, make new friends, and grow as performers and individuals

What excites you about the upcoming show? Twenty years ago, FHN was the first school in Michigan to present High School Musical, and the excitement was unbelievable! Now we're thrilled to bring it back for a new generation of students. It's a fun, high-energy show that's a blast to perform and perfect for the whole family! I'm hoping some of the students from our original production will come back and bring their own kids to enjoy the show!

What do you hope the students get out of this productions? My hope is that, first and foremost, students have FUN! I want them to walk away with new friendships, a love for theater, and, most importantly, a sense of pride in everything they have accomplished!

Digital art students are exploring the application Photoshop, and learning how to edit the photos that they took with digital cameras.

Paint & draw students are learning how to create radial symmetrical images through drawing practice and painting.

Join us on November 2, for the Central Woodlands 6th grade informance band concert. Students are excited to share their talents with you. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center.

Join us on November 3, for the Northern Trails 6th grade informance band concert. Students are excited to share their talents with you. Their concert will begin at 7 p.m. at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center.

The Forest Hills Eastern Singers, along with the 6th grade choir will join forces with guest artist Leah Ivory, in what is sure to be an exciting night of vocal music. Join us on November 4, at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center at 7 p.m.

On November 10, the Forest Hills Eastern 6th grade orchestra will have its first concert of the year. Come out and enjoy some great music from these great young musicians. Enjoy their performance in the Eastern High School Auditorium at 7 p.m.

Join us for some jazz on November 11. The Forest Hills Central, Northern, and Eastern Jazz Ensemble groups will provide a fantastic night with music that will sweep you off your feet. Joining the ensemble groups will be special guest artist, Andrew Rathbun.

Central Woodlands 6th grade orchestra performs for the first time this school year on November 17. Students are excited to share their talents with you!

The Forest Hills Central Singers along with 6th grade choir will join forces to present a wonderful night of music. On November 19, the concert will be hosted at Forest Hills Central High School, at 7 p.m.