Prior to the merger in 1974, musicals served as one of the few mediators between Andover and Abbot Academy. Imposing paper-mâché props, all-gender choirs, and orchestral accompaniments were just some of the sights observed at such performances. What began as a few rare showings, a gendered school choir, and small quartets in the late 1800s to early 1900s has since evolved into today’s coeducational Theater and Dance Department that offers numerous productions each year.
Aside from brief mentions in a constitution drafted by Samuel Phillips in 1778, music and theater were largely omitted from the early Andover curriculum, as was the case for Abbot. Each school remained separate from the other on the basis of sex, and music-related activities were no different. “Youth From Every Quarter” by Allis S. Frederick Jr. described the dramatics clubs that formed at Phillips Academy in the 1900s and noted the dominance of male actors.
“Drama did not become a significant activity at Phillips Academy until well into the twentieth century… At the turn of the century, a Dramatic Club was formed which presented, among other works, ‘She Stoops to Conquer,’ with boys taking the girls’ parts, but this organization appears to have died out in a few years. In the 1920s interest in the drama revived, and a newly organized Dramatic Club put on at least one production a year, again with the boys playing female parts,” wrote Fredrick Jr.
Earliest records of musicals at Andover date back to the 1940s, but again, these productions encompassed solely male actors until the 1960s. In May of 1973, a coed performance titled “Faculty Follies” was composed of two satirical acts that featured both male and female faculty. “A Singular School” by Susan M. Lloyd discussed the preparation of the musical which eventually became the theme of the official Abbot-Andover merger.
“A winter night’s party became the first of at least four dozen gatherings devoted to writing and rehearsing a “Faculty Follies” more grand, more ridiculous, and more marvelous than any Andover Hill had seen… the theme — the marriage of two historic schools — burst the bonds of the original plot… Everyone helped, all in secret. By the time the curtain opened on May 27 to a packed Davis Hall, the students were breathless with curiosity,” said Lloyd.
The success of musicals akin to “The Faculty Follies” led to the pervasiveness of such productions throughout the late 1900s and well into the 2000s. Today, Andover’s musicals boast casts of diverse genders, grades, and backgrounds. Several performances — among them plays and musicals – are produced annually by the theater department. Serafina B Shin-von Nordenflycht ’25, the student director of the musical “Ride the Cyclone,” explained the current theater scene as well as what makes Andover musicals special.
“The current scene at Andover is mostly performance-based in that we don’t have as many educational classes, but we focus on providing three main stage productions every term, one of which is a musical… one thing that makes the specific musicals special is the casts. In every musical that happens at Andover, the cast environment and the characters, etc. are emphasized more than something like a hierarchy… A lot of people have the understanding that we’re here to make the best show, not to make the best individuals shine. The other thing that is special is that we recently opened up musicals in [901 classes], so there are student-directed shows that happen every single term… it’s a nice, exciting step. The theater department is taking to the future,” said Shin-von Nordenflycht.
Multiple musicals each year require a larger cast, with many actors being recycled in multiple performances and bringing familiarity to individual performances. Patrick Xu ’27 commented on the connections students have built through watching similar troupes.
“Because the people that are there and we have so many shows throughout the year, most people who are in the musicals are also part of other ensembles, whether it’s dancing or music or other forms. So, [when] you see them performing everywhere, you start to build that connection with them. So when they appear in bigger works like musicals, you really root for each character and each one of them,” said Xu.
While historic musicals featured handmade props as well as music from live choirs and orchestras, contemporary musicals at Andover are equipped with modern sound systems, lights, projection, and special effects. Billie Colmar ’27, who took part in this year’s Identity Show, noted that many of the performances she had attended were very authentic.
“[Musicals at Andover] are very professional. I attended a couple of plays, which was the one they performed in Edinburgh, I think, and I went to see the dance. It’s like, wow, because literally the same people are dancing. It’s just the involvement of the entire crew, you know, it’s very professional. The end product is very professional, like a real thing. You really feel like you’re going to a regular play,” said Colmar.
