**This story was updated at 10:15 Monday with a new location for Jake Piascik and Ian Ryu’s concert. It will now be held at the King Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper St.
Marblehead High School’s graduation may have been last Friday, but three graduates aren’t quite finished with MHS. Jake Piascik, Ian Ryu and Bella Takata are working overtime to prepare for their upcoming performances, which they wrote and produced as their senior projects.
Senior project is an opportunity afforded to MHS seniors each spring to explore a passion project with a benefit to the community. These three teens decided to give back to the performing arts programs and the students who will continue to benefit from them.
“Chad Gadya” is an original piece of music written by Jake Piascik and Ian Ryu that tells stories of famous Jewish figures from the past.
The name references a traditional Passover song about the perseverance of the Jewish people throughout history, which Piascik says was chosen due to the similar historical subject material of the piece. The student ensemble includes four string musicians and 12 singers, three of whom – Ila Bumagin, Ian Ryu and Lucas Rosen – will perform solos. The piece will be performed this Friday, June 7, at 5:30 p.m. at King Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper St. The community is welcome.
On Saturday, June 8, at 7 p.m., students will perform “Tuesday Afternoon Dead,” a sketch comedy spoof of “Saturday Night Live.”
As a lifelong SNL enthusiast, Bella Takata decided to write and produce her own stage play for her senior project, casting nine other performing arts students in various roles.
From “Ninja Turtles” to the “Great Gatsby,” the 10 art-themed sketches will run for approximately an hour. Admission is $5, and all the money made, including sponsorships from local businesses and donations, will go back into the MHS performing arts program.
