SING!

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SING! is an annual student-run musical production put on by some high schools in the New York City area. It is a theater competition between the various grades, with the setup between grades differing from school to school (such as sophomore-freshman vs. seniors vs. juniors, or freshman-senior vs. sophomore-junior).

SING! was started by Bella Tillis, a music teacher at Midwood High School in Brooklyn, NY, in 1947.^[1][2] A Library of Congress archive of the papers of entertainer Danny Kaye contains playbills of SING! performances at Midwood High School from the years 1953-1957.^[3]

The 1989 movie Sing is based on the SING! traditions. According to The New York Times review of the movie, the film's production notes say that Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand and Neil Sedaka, who attended various Brooklyn and Queens high schools in the 1950s, took part in SING! productions. ^[4] This shows that SING! productions spread from its initial location to multiple high schools in Brooklyn and Queens by the mid-1950's.

Contents 1 Schools with SING! productions as of 2006 2 Schools with SING! production status unknown as of 2006 3 Schools no longer doing SING! productions as of 2006 4 References

[edit] Schools with SING! productions as of 2006

• Bronx High School of Science: Productions cancelled in 1994^[5], but reinstated at some point, as SING! was produced in 2006.^[6]
• Brooklyn Technical High School: Production held in January 2005.^[7]
• Forest Hills High School: Productions in mid-1950s, based on Paul Simon's age, and is still being produced as of 2006: "Each December, the students show off their singing, dancing and dramatic talents in Sing, an all student run original production in which the freshman/sophomores, juniors, and seniors compete for victory."^[8]
• The Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences: According to New York Magazine "[Goldstein] is one of the last schools in the city to continue the tradition of the December "Sing" music-and-dance performance, in which virtually every student in the school participates. Seniors are paired with freshmen, sophomores with juniors."^[9]
• Townsend Harris High School: Production held in 2006.^[10]
• James Madison High School: Productions, including Janis Siegel of the Manhattan Transfer, known to have occurred in the late 1960s. Production held in 2005-2006. Seniors/Sophmores against Juniors/Freshmen.^[11]
• Midwood High School: Started in 1947, and is still being produced as of 2006.
• Edward R. Murrow High School: "Students also produce Sing, where freshmen and seniors compete against sophomores and juniors". ^[12]
• Port Richmond High School: Production held in 2005. ^[13]
• Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School: only high school on Long Island to have a SING! production, freshmen/sophomores, juniors, and seniors all compete against each other.
• Staten Island Technical High School: Production held in 2006. ^[14]
• Stuyvesant High School: Started in 1973, replacing the Student-Faculty Show, and has run continuously since then. The first Stuyvesant SING! included performances by Tim Robbins and Paul Reiser, both students at the time.
• Tottenville High School: Production held in November, 2005.^[15]
• Susan E. Wagner High School: Started in 1974, and is still being produced as of 2006. Freshmen pair with sophomores in "Sophmen" production, against Juniors and Seniors who each have their own show. ^[16]

[edit] Schools with SING! production status unknown as of 2006

• Abraham Lincoln High School: Productions in mid/late 1950s, based on Neil Sedaka's age. Production in 1979.^[17]

[edit] Schools no longer doing SING! productions as of 2006

• Erasmus Hall High School: Productions in late 1950s, based on Barbra Streisand 1959 graduation. Neil Diamond also attended in this timeframe. School web site shows no evidence of current productions.
• New Utrecht High School: Production in 1983, other years unverified, productions stopped by the mid-1990s, school web site shows no evidence of current productions.
• Sheepshead Bay High School: Started in 1962, last produced in 1997, ended due to budget cuts.^[18]

[edit] References

1. ^ A red violin and a gold statue: PSC member cops Oscar for movie score (2000). Retrieved on 2006-04-06.
2. ^ Anthony, George (1989). Sing! Sing! Sing!. Retrieved on 2006-04-06.
3. ^ Kaye (Danny) and Sylvia Fine Collection. Retrieved on 2006-04-06.
4. ^ Maslin, Janet (1989). Review/Film; Harmonies in High School. Retrieved on 2006-04-06.
5. ^ Bronx High School of Science (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-07.
6. ^ Bronx High School of Science (2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-07.
7. ^ BTHS Newsletter (2004). Retrieved on 2006-04-07.
8. ^ Forest Hills Student Resources (2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-06.
9. ^ The Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences (2001). Retrieved on 2006-04-06.
10. ^ Townsend Harris High School Calendar (2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-08.
11. ^ James Madison High School (2006). Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
12. ^ About Edward R. Morrow High School (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-07.
13. ^ Port Richmond High School (2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-07.
14. ^ Staten Island Technical High School (2006). Retrieved on 2006-10-15.
15. ^ Tottenville High School Pirateer (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-07.
16. ^ Susan E. Wagner High School (2006). Retrieved on 2006-05-07.
17. ^ Abraham Lincoln High School Web Forum (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-07.
18. ^ Sheepshead Bay High School Alumni Association. Retrieved on 2006-04-06.