True to The New School’s dedication to collaborative excellence, students from the College of Performing Arts combined their array of talents to put on Mannes School of Music's first musical production, Happy End. The play, written by Bertolt Brecht, with music by Kurt Weill, brings together disciplines to illuminate the political conflict between a group of speakeasy gangsters and the Salvation Army in Chicago in 1919 — the founding year of The New School.
One of the first collaborations between the three schools that make up our performing arts college, Happy End drew on a range of resources of this intimate university community. MFA Acting students from the School of Drama, along with Mannes voice students, served as the play's cast of characters, while Mannes and Jazz students brought to life Weill’s timeless compositions. Gary S. Fagin delivered world-class direction as guest conductor and music director, bringing together a rich and compelling production that evokes our political past and points to the college's bright future.