Spring Musical “Hairspray” Brings Back 1960’s to IND Faculty and Staff

BALTIMORE - March 19, 2013 - PRLog -- Baltimore, MD (March 13, 2013) —The Institute of Notre Dame (IND), the oldest Catholic girls school in Baltimore and the first established by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in the U.S. in 1847, will present John Waters’ “Hairspray” at the end of this month. As students learn to balance beehive wigs and scour used clothing stores for retro clothes, some faculty and staff revisit the issues memorialized in the popular musical.

Welcome to the ʹ60s

In “Hairspray,” Mr. Waters highlights racial desegregation in the 1960s using an all-white television show as the catalyst. Three IND staff and faculty members remember that time period well, from different perspectives. Diana Ference Franz ’70, Assistant Principal/Music Faculty, and Sister Kathleen Jager SSND, Director of Mission Integration/Religion Faculty, were students. Sister Hilda Marie Sutherland SSND, Director of Hospitality, was on staff.

“IND was not as diverse as we are now,” says Assistant Principal Franz. “There were just a few African Americans girls in my class and they all stayed together.” The most memorable event of Assistant Principal Franz and Sister Kathleen’s ʹ60s high school careers were the protests that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. Dr. King had visited Baltimore six times in the 10 years preceding his assassination, advocating for equal rights and voter registration for black citizens.

Baltimore was badly damaged by the destruction wreaked over the next nine days, but IND remained untouched. Sister Hildie, who has lived and worked at IND for 65 years, remembers it well. “The community gave me and the other nuns that lived here arm bands to wear that said ‘Soul Sisters.’ Those same words were written on the school,” she said. “The school and the sisters were not disturbed in any way.”

The rationale was clear, “IND and the SSNDs were forces for good in Baltimore, and the community protected them from harm,” recalls Sister Hildie.

The Difference a Few Decades Make

Forty-five years later, much has changed at IND. The school’s diversity matches Maryland’s, and all students benefit from being educated in a school that values different perspectives and people. Sister Kathleen observes, “This generation of students has grown up with diversity whereas we really didn’t. These girls accept each other and don’t dwell on differences.”

“Diversity has become so much the norm that we adopted nontraditional casting—meaning race, ethnicity and gender are not considered when casting our fall play, spring musical or Christmas show,” says Mrs. Carolyn Buck, Director of “Hairspray” and IND’s Theatre Department Chair, “but because of ‘Hairspray’s’ subject matter, we are returning to traditional casting to do justice to the issues of the time.”

Teaching students about the issues of our time is a positive element of an IND education. Kayla Pahl ʹ15, who plays Edna Turnblad in “Hairspray,” says that through IND sheʹs, “becoming more aware of issues that our society faces,” and that the school’s inclusiveness sets it apart. “IND is a family to me. I do not believe anyone is left behind.”

Teaching Dance Via Technology

“Hairspray” may have IND focusing on ʹ60s, but IND is making good use of today’s technology to make needed connections. Ms. Alexandra Bowden ʹ06 is employed by Dancewaves, a nonprofit providing NYC youth and vulnerable populations opportunities to learn and create dance. Ms. Bowden has served as choreographer for IND’s past productions of “Beauty and the Beast” (2011) and “Nunsense” (2012). With her new position, it’s not always possible for her to attend dance rehearsals in Baltimore. Her solution? Skype. Through technology, she instructs students virtually on the dance moves needed to make the Corny Collins Show come alive.

Show Times

All shows will be held in IND’s unique 19th century historic auditorium at 901 Aisquith Street. “Hairspray” will be presented on March 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and March 24 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10.

About the Institute of Notre Dame

The Institute of Notre Dame is the first college preparatory school established by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in the U.S. and the oldest Catholic girls high school in Baltimore. The IND learning experience combines rigorous liberal arts and progressive‐minded course work, assisted by individual computer technology. Students develop global competencies beyond the classroom through IND’s diversity, urban campus, tablet program and signature service learning programs. The IND legacy of success is unrivaled, reaching back 165 years and boasting a 100 percent college acceptance rate. Connect with IND at www.INDofMD.org and on Facebook and Twitter @IND1847.