Keep The Orange

(flexible - 5 actors) “Keep The Orange” is a virtual play constructed in partnership with a company of 16 students at ECFS. The piece is a satirical, sometimes dark, poignant exploration of the school's history, story, and students.  And it, of course, features: a young, anxious party animal Felix Adler (ECFS Founder) in 1919; a group of intentional, powerful young people who seek to start their own school in the spring of 2021; and the student Board-Of-Trustees running the institution from another planet in 2120 engaged in deliberation over a disciplinary matter. From considerations of history and context to the contemplation of an ethics curriculum in action to the art and craft of creating an original piece of theatre.... the entire project and process of “Keep The Orange” was an interdisciplinary endeavor in the spirit of ECFS. Dhari drew on his experience as a student, alum, and then teacher at ECFS to write this ode to the power of what ECFS has been, can be, or might become. It is a celebration of student voice and Adler's work and vision. As the play moves from the early 1900s well into the future, “Keep The Orange” asks each of us to consider what it means to live the mission left by a founder long gone but not that far away.

• Virtual Live Performance, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, dir Clare Mottola, 2021

  • The students, under the guidance of Deb St. Onge McMahon, Danny Viola, William Norman, and Clare Mottola, created worlds from their homes. Find out a little bit more about our devising process.