For the first time since before COVID-19, the Barstow upper school was able to return to the KC Rep and see a student matinee. For this year’s play, Upper School students saw Nina Simone: Four Women. Written by Christina Ham and directed by Malkia Stampley, the play focuses on singer-songwriter Nina Simone “grappling with the shift of her career from artist to artist-activist declaring, ‘An artist’s responsibility is to reflect the times.’”
“I thought it was a really positive experience and the kids learned something,” said Mr. Luce. “I try to find something that is going to challenge them a little bit.”
As Simone deals with her feelings the day after the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, three other black women at different stages in their lives and in the Civil Rights movement join her. Together, all of them confront their places in the movement through the use of Nina Simone’s songs. The show is running from February 13th to March 3rd, 2024, and I would highly recommend going to see it if you haven’t. The play was thought-provoking and powerful, showing Barstow students a side of the Civil Rights movement that we often do not learn about in class.
The students enjoyed it just as much as the teachers did. “I thought it was really inspirational,” Lasya Maganti ‘24 said. “Everyone enjoyed it, the music was great.”
The play’s profound impact was elevated by the seating in Copaken Stage, a small theater with a cozy and inviting feel. After the performance, students had the opportunity to engage in a Q&A with the cast members, and the discussion that stemmed from their questions was amazing.
“I thought it was a nice way to really interact with new ideas,” said senior Liane Bdair ‘24. “We learn a lot about the Civil Rights Movement but it introduced the ideas of how diverse and complex the black community is and the internal issues they went through during the Civil Rights Movement.”
The discussion prompted lots of hard questions and thoughts following the play, but the history it raised is important for us to learn about and remember.
“I try to find something that is going to challenge them a little bit,” said Mr. Luce. “That’s part of what education is, right? It’s like being out of your comfort zone and learning to be comfortable in that.”
Before COVID-19, the entire Barstow upper school would see plays together. For almost two decades, this tradition continued, happening every year. Typically, students would go see shows at the KC Repertory Theatre, as the theater offers student matinees to children all around the Kansas City area, a program that allows over 10,000 students to see plays every year. In the past, Barstow students were able to see world-class productions.
“We saw a great version of Cabaret one year,” said English teacher Mark Luce. “We saw a one-man version of the Odyssey, it was spectacular. We also saw August Wilson’s Two Trains Running.” However, in 2020, with the onset of a global pandemic, the tradition unexpectedly ended.
“Covid year, we were actually slated to go see Frankenstein, a one-man show,” Mr. Luce said. Now, four years later, Barstow has finally been able to bring back our students to the KC Rep. “We made a point this year to make sure that we started again,” said Mr. Luce.
Lot’s of students were very excited to finally get a chance at this great Barstow tradition. “I’m really bummed that we haven’t gotten to do this the past few years because of COVID,” said Bdair. Hopefully, the tradition will keep going in the coming years, and the Upper School will see many amazing plays to come.
Thank you so much to our teachers and administrators for making this trip happen, and to the wonderful performers and staff at KC Rep!
