By Amber Moser, Staff Writer
For an introvert, living in a world of extroverts can be a challenge. Whether students are too shy to make friends or like to get lost inside their own head, socializing can seem like quite the feat for some. But what if there was a social outlet, something to help break through the timid wall and part the clouds of those daydreams?
The Arts Express season offers just that.
Reynolds’ Arts Express trips offer a great opportunity to not only make friends, but to further explore art in the Winston-Salem community. The program began in 2007, when Reynolds became an arts magnet school, and has grown more successful with each passing year.
“I enjoy the interactions between students who don’t normally see each other,” said Karen Morris, the arts magnet director. “Being able to take students away in a social environment like that, and expose them to the arts — it’s great.”
The Arts Express season-ticket package offers low-cost opportunities for students to attend events in the community and the school, and all events are chaperoned. Students don’t have to miss school to attend Arts Express events, as all activities are planned around the school schedule. Season passes are $35 and include a group T-shirt, while all transportation from the school to the event is free.
The deadline to register for season passes is Wednesday, Sept. 10, so anyone interested in attending all six events for just $35 must sign up with Morris before the end of the school day. But students who don’t sign up for the whole season can still attend shows with the Arts Express if they do not have a season pass. Tickets for individual shows will be sold one month in advance.
Season passes and individual tickets can both be purchased in the Arts Magnet office (located in the back corner of the Media Center). If Morris is not in her office, just leave a note on her desk or check back later. For information, email Morris at [email protected].
This year’s events will be:
- “These Shinning Lives” – Sept. 28, the Wake Forest theatre department
- “Diary of Anne Frank” – Oct. 16, RJR fall play
- “Messiah” – Dec. 7, presented annually by the Mozart Club
- “Pride and Prejudice” – Feb. 5, Twin City Stage
- “Waiting for Godot” – Feb. 15, the Wake Forest theatre department
- “Big River” based on “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” – March 12, the RJR spring musical
Discounted student tickets to all of these events would cost more than $40, making the season pass a great deal. If that isn’t enough information to convince you, take it from Morris:
“If you’re not already experiencing the arts through your classes, or you feel like your experience is too minimal, if you want to make friends you wouldn’t otherwise make, then you should join us,” she said. “Plus, we have really cool T-shirts.”