This past Thursday night SPHERE’s Music and Performing Arts group was full of monsters, witches and wild games. The group’s creative director Kim Pereira, who normally runs a structured choral program, stepped out of her conductor costume to bewitch the group into playing wicked games with creepy abandon. We all had the best time.
Normally Kim runs a pretty tight ship. She is preparing the group for Spring performances at the Ridgefield Playhouse and is working on a one act play that the group will present at their Variety Show at the playhouse. She has partnered with the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra and the Ridgefield Chorale to widen the exposure of Sphere members to the music creativity in their community.
But Thursday night was not your average fare. It was the night before Halloween and Kim had a different plan for her members. She had a bunch of games up her wicked sleeve and her members were on board to play.
The first game involved a murderer, the murdered and a lot of winking. The next three games required great acting skills and the members, well versed in acting, were able participants.
Kim challenged members to imitate the werewolf howl; then the evil laugh; that was followed by dramatizations of death scenes and finally monster impressions. Sphere members howled, melted, vamped, drank poison, were cranked up to move, did the Frankenstein walk and acted all with ghoulish delight. We had a Big Mac and Coke pair, an Emerald Witch and a Black Fairy. There were zombies, ball players, Cindy Lauper, a leopard, Dorothy and Toto, Daisy from the Great Gatsby, a Wizard, a Magician and an exotic peacock colored fairy with a little pooch nearby.
This was the best Halloween Party in my memory. The trust that members feel to take risks, act silly and embrace the fun of Halloween, was evident in their willingness to act out all manner of evil and silly with abandon, mutual enjoyment and as always tremendous camraderie.
Frankly I don’t know where else you would find such a bunch of Halloween Hams. Everyone seemed to love the “stage” last Thursday night. And I adored being in the audience.
Thank you SPHERE members and thank you Kim for your inspired program of Halloween madness.
Jill Edelman Barberie, Juliette’s mom