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Culture
Appleton, Wisconsin September 2016 Vol. XXII
Issue 1 Page 10
Mile 4: A recap of Mile of Music 2016
There are a few days
each year when the city of
Appleton becomes a new
home for hundreds of musi-
cians, a bustling conduit for
creatives and vendors alike.
For the past four years, the
Mile of Music has brought in
thousands of visitors seeking
to attend an “artisan-crafted
festival” and cherish some
local music under the summer
sun. This year, however, new
changes brought to the Mile 4
spotlight also allowed specta-
tors to enjoy a whole different
side to the indie music scene,
allowing the fest to grow.
The Mile of Music is the
brainchild of former ANHS
student Corey Chisel and was
first introduced in 2013, with
guests ranging from Norah
Jones to The Candles to Justin
Townes Earle; it has since
garnered a reputation as a
place where Americana, indie
rock and folk artists shine.
This was certainly the case
for Mile 4, where singer-
songwriters like Cory Chisel,
Adriel Denae and Trapper
Schoepp performed lyrically
beautiful, classically indie
sets accompanied by acoustic
guitars; groups like Peridot,
fronted by Hillary Reynolds,
and Von Strantz followed suit.
Meanwhile, headlining acts
like Dreamers and Wild Adri-
atic put the rock in Mile of
Music’s indie rock vibe with
high energy performances.
Despite the typical abun-
dance of these types of acts,
Mile of Music 2016 still man-
aged to take risks. More spe-
cifically, the festival diverted
from its original Americana/
rock brand with its first ever
hip hop showcase, with
notable guests including the
classic rap-influenced Auto-
matic, Milwaukee-based Ric
Wilson and psychedelically-
fused Queen Tut.
There were certainly a few
more first-timers at the Mile
as well. For Chuck Auerbach,
father of Black Keys lead
vocalist and guitarist Dan
Auerbach, Mile 4 was the
first opportunity to perform a
full live set of original tunes.
For North alum Jack Rus-
sell, who graduated last year,
his first Mile of Music was
– while not his first ever gig
– the perfect way to express
his musical abilities. Russell
says of his experience at the
Mile, “It was quite a thrill-
ing experience to be a part of
this ongoing artistic project
(Appleton’s indie scene) and
to play at Mile 4 this summer.
Not only did I meet plenty of
charming artists and create
some firm networks, but Mile
of Music gave me a chance
to establish a secure fan base;
it’ll make it easier for when I
switch musical direction, be-
cause I definitely will – mul-
tiple times – in the future.”
With another successful
Mile under Appleton’s belt,
fans of the festival should
look forward to another week
of music in August 2017.
By Maddy Schilling
Indie rock band Wild Adriatic performs at Houdini Plaza as a Saturday night headlining act.
Photo
by Olivia Molter
Summer Shakespeare brings dreams to life with new production
Anyone who knows
the ANHS theatre direc-
tor Ron Parker knows that
he is renowned for taking
incredible risks. This year,
with the Summer Shake-
speare program he started
thirty years ago with a
few wooden boards, some
enthusiastic students and a
400-year-old playwright,
he took one of the biggest
risks of his career.
Gathering just over
thirty students, two assis-
tant directors, a returning
technician, and a Chi-
cago designer, Mr. Parker
brought the show to the
most natural and authentic
set possible for William
Shakespeare’s, “AMid-
summer Night’s Dream”:
the woods. Meeting every
challenge with new ideas
and strong determination to
make this work, the stu-
dents rehearsed outside ev-
eryday for about a month.
Telling the story of two
lovers, a dispute between
a fairy king and queen, a
duke to be married to a
woman not ready to for-
give, and a few mechani-
cals aspiring to perform
a great play, the set sur-
rounded the actors and
audience with the sounds of
the woods at night. Setting
the story in modern times,
the characters were very
easily relatable and funny
and were able to bring the
audience into a magical
world on many new levels.
For the last thirty years,
Summer Shakespeare has
been changing the lives of
Mr. Parker’s students, as
many of them have gone on
to further their lives actors
and actresses of Shake-
speare’s great works.
Many of Mr. Parker’s
students agree that Summer
Shakespeare is different
from other shows they have
done with him, whether it
be because there isn’t the
stress of school, or because
students come from many
schools to learn and per-
form.
Lexi Asare, a rising
North junior who brought
Queen Titania and Hippoly-
ta to life, noted, “Shake-
speare is different from any
other shows because even
though it’s a four hundred
year old language, when
presented right, the audi-
ence can still understand
[the play], it’s unique
because they have to do a
bit of work too. Whether
it’s listening a little harder
or making connections
with today’s language, it
gets them involved in the
show.”
According to theatre
students, there are reasons
that William Shakespeare is
the most well known play-
wright in the world.
“Shakespeare shows
us that humankind is still
relatable even after four
hundred years,” says Tulip
Kopecky, who played the
lover Hermia in the show.
“People laughed in Shake-
speare’s day, people cried
in Shakespeare’s day…
people fought with their fa-
thers and wished they could
move up in the world. His
work gives comfort to
the reader knowing that
they are not alone in their
struggles and triumphs.”
There are also reasons
students come back thirty
years after they have per-
formed one of his plays
to see a program that still
makes a difference in the
lives of the young adults
involved.
Assistant director Zak
Metalsky concludes, “You
always learn something
new doing Shakespeare,
whether it’s about the Bard
history, mythology, per-
formance, theatre or your-
self...The program helped
cultivate me as an actor, so
coming back as a director
opened my eyes to how
much effort goes into a
production and how amaz-
ing North’s theatre program
is. My first Summer Shake-
speare was also “AMid-
summer Night’s Dream,”
six years ago as an incom-
ing freshman, so I couldn’t
pass up the chance to come
back and see the show rein-
vented in an outdoor space,
and relive the experiences I
had at North.”
By Yasmeen Ashour
Lexi Asare and rising North senior Tim Rausch show off their
acting chops as Queen Titania and King Oberon, respectively.
Photo courtesy of Catherine Mckenzie