New Expression has been loving the recent heat wave in Atlanta! Our NXP youth in Clarkston got a break from the cold weather for some playtime outside doing sports, dance, and art with new friends. It was a great way to start off the new year!
New Expression Atlanta
Embrace Your Inner Troy
Recently, New Expression Atlanta performed its final musical under the RATCo name. High School Musical Jr. was performed on November 20th and 21st at McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, GA. With a cast of over 50 volunteers and students, it was a high-energy, fun-filled show all about Breaking Free from high school’s status quo.
In High School Musical, the lead character Troy Bolton discovers a new found freedom when he takes the stage and decides to audition for the Spring Musical. True to the character he played, Micah Stuart also found his voice through New Expression.
Background Art with Upfront Heart
Kids Express Atlanta hit the stage with their first live performance, Punchinello (based on You Are Special by Max Lucado). The crew performed at McIntosh High School in Peachtree City on November 20th and 21st. The story of Punchinello follows a wooden person (or wemmick) who can’t seem to do anything right. The whole town laughs at him and judges him until he starts to discover that if he spends time with the wood carver who made him, he begins to be able to be free from what people think of him.
The show cast was made up of over twenty-five 4-7year olds. However, sweet smiles and wooden box kids weren’t the only features of the show. The backdrops that represented the scene changes were also a highlight of the performance. Each backdrop was designed and hand drawn by New Expression volunteers Maranda Carter, Matthew Delahaye, and Maddie Duke.
Each artist picked a backdrop based on how they were inspired by the story and their piece in New Expression.
“I chose the garden scene. I was hoping for it the whole time. Drawing the house as worn down and rustic I thought would represent that it’s not about how we appear on the outside, and all around the house plants are thriving.” -Maranda Carter
“The thing that inspired me with this art piece is knowing that it will be used for something so much bigger than just another drawing I slid under my bed. The process in creating this piece was long, but I really enjoyed the hours spent towards it. I always look for ways I can improve as an artist, and New Expression gives me a lot of opportunities to work on real life projects I may need to understand in the future.” -Matthew Delahaye
“I did Eli, the wood carver’s, workshop for the show. When I was drawing the piece I was very inspired by the books illustration of his workshop. The colors are very warm and welcoming just like Eli’s character is. I had a lot of fun drawing my piece for the play and representing the message of the story.”- Maddie Duke
Here is a layout of each background.
