The Identity Show will take a new direction this year, stepping back from its longstanding role in Andover’s mandatory Martin Luther King (MLK) Day programming for Juniors. Citing the production’s increasingly mature themes, administrators have shifted the requirement forward: beginning next year, the Class of 2029 will attend the show as Lowers as part of their MLK Day curriculum, while this year the event is optional attendance-wise.
The Identity Show invites students to explore aspects of their identities through writing and performance; during the course, students craft monologues about race, gender, family, or belonging, eventually resulting in a live performance on MLK Day. Linda Carter Griffith (LCG), Associate Head of School for Equity, Inclusion, and Wellness, discussed the importance of the Identity Show.
“Stories matter. Everybody’s story matters. And here you have high school students who have taken time to share their story with the world. Stories create empathy. It takes a lot of vulnerability and courage to be in the [Identity Show]. Our hope is that there are students in the course that can connect with stories, so that they won’t feel as isolated or alone [and realize they’re] not the only one going through something,” said Griffith.
The decision to shift the audience was driven by concerns that the show’s more mature content should not be required viewing for Juniors. Since this year’s 10th graders attended the performance last year, it will not be included in their MLK Day schedule. Allen Grimm, an instructor in the Theatre and Dance department, further explained the reasoning behind the change.
“[The change] was not in response to some immature audience members. [However,] we have a lot of students on campus who don’t know how to behave in an event. Dean [of the Office of Community and Multicultural Development (CaMD), Aquita] Winslow from CaMD, LCG from the head of school’s office, my boss, [Theatre and Dance Department Chair] Rob Lazar, and I got together and talked about how [the Identity Show is going], what’s changed, and whether it is evolving. As a group, [we] decided that the show has matured [as] the subject matter and content is more mature than ninth graders need at that point,” said Grimm.
Ashiq Kibria ’26, co-director of this year’s Identity Show and a previous performer, mentioned that the shift in audience from 9th to 10th graders does not mean that 9th graders are not allowed to go to the programming, it’s just that it will not be in their mandated program. Kibria felt a change in the programming audience in the future made sense.
“The [change in audience] makes sense as it helps make sure the performers are around an audience that is more comfortable and more open to aspects that they’re talking about…I wish students understood before attending the show that the performers are very vulnerable and they are trying to explore identity and also teach others about themselves, too, so being attentive and paying attention is really important,” said Kibria.
Returning lower and previous Identity Show attendee Natalie Giancola ’28 highlighted her takeaways from the show last year.
“As a new freshman watching the Identity Show, I found it really inspirational because I saw all of these Lowers who were being really brave and open and standing in front of a huge audience, and talking about all these aspects of their identity. I thought that was really inspirational. It helped me realize that being open about certain aspects of your identity is okay, and in fact, it’s necessary for community building, ” said Giancola.
