Inspired by a ballet performance he attended with his wife more than forty years ago, Doug Kuhlmann, Instructor in Mathematics, has developed a strong passion for the performing arts that has lasted to this day.
At his wife’s request, Kuhlmann attended his first ballet at the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, which included a performance of “The Green Table” by Kurt Jooss.
“I was grabbed by [the ballet] very powerfully, as I had no idea that ballet could make such a strong statement, in this case, an anti-war statement. I was hooked,” wrote Kuhlmann in an e-mail to The Phillipian.
As a result of his budding interest in ballet, Kuhlmann and his wife decided to purchase season tickets, allowing them to see several ballet performances in Chicago. When Kuhlmann began teaching at Lake Forest Academy, a boarding high school in Illinois, he was able to pursue his new passion by taking ballet lessons with his wife.
Following this, Kuhlmann and his wife performed in two dance recitals at Lake Forest Academy, as well as a summer production of “West Side Story” in Concord, Mass, where they played members of the Sharks, one of the street gangs in the play. The following summer, Kuhlmann performed a solo in a production of “Oklahoma.”
Kuhlmann has also been able to continue ballet at Andover. He and his wife have played the parents and, more recently, the grandparents, in numerous productions of “The Nutcracker.”
Kuhlmann’s love for ballet has gradually led to an interest in acting and singing in regular theatre productions. He has since played Capulet in “Romeo & Juliet” in the spring of 1981. At Andover, he has played Rusty Charlie in “Guys & Dolls,” circa 1984-1985, and the mysterious man in “Into the Woods” in 1991.
With humor, Kuhlmann described his rocky start in singing. “I was like that fellow in ‘The Music Man’—he don’t know one note from another!”
However, under the guidance of Warren Geissinger, a music director, Kuhlmann thrived in the choir setting and has been singing in church choirs ever since.
“I was 33 when I learned to sing, and am 67 now, so it is never too late,” said Kuhlmann. “To folks who tell me that they cannot sing because they are ‘tone deaf,’ I say, no, you just have never been taught. I am nowhere near a professional singer, but our choir at Christ Church is very good. I am proud to be a member.”
Even though math, ballet, acting and choral singing are all very different, Kuhlmann believes that performing has improved his teaching skills in the classroom setting.
“[Dancing and singing have] helped me [sympathize] more with students who need more time to absorb something or more time to practice. I was never the best singer or dancer and had to struggle at times to learn the music, often taking much longer than the student leads did,” wrote Kuhlmann. “I think teachers should try something new and challenging in order to remain close to the experience of students who are learning new stuff every day.”
