
Every year WHSAD students have the unique privilege of working with teaching artists from Park Avenue Armory. This experience provides students with opportunities to explore art connected to a current production taking place at the Armory. Starting in late February, sophomores began working with Armory theater and visual art teaching artist, Leigh Apoulos, and WHSAD alum and visual artist, Shar Galarza, on a stop motion project based on the production of “Illinoise”, which is inspired by Sufjan Stevens’ award-winning album of the same name.
Stayed tuned for another story about the students’ project. For now, what follows are some of the attending students’ reflections on “Illinoise”.

The show “Illinoise”, ahh what an experience, what a play! The setting immediately grabbed my attention; it was beautiful. Every turn was captivating as if I had entered a fairy-tale that I had so long sought to join from the movies. From the paintings to the knights in armor and even the ceiling which had every bit attention to detail as the walls.The further we ventured in,the deeper immersed we became as we entered the drill hall and beheld the performance stage.
Ahh, the stage, how beautiful it was. The first of its kind in my eyes as it’s the first stage I have ever seen. Even though the musicians and the performers were still readying themselves, it was like the play had already started as smoke began to fill the massive room.Then the lights closed abruptly, and as if a hot knife had cut through the crowd, the lights returned flashing and more vibrant than before. If you didn’t know when the show started before, you were sure now.
Without a word the actors began, needing no cue, and thrust themselves into the story with each having their own goals and personalities. I too felt pulled into the story. The show had started, and I’m sure the people next to me agreed, this show was one for the books.
-Kevon Telesford
The play was phenomenal. Ultimately it told a powerful message. It shows that life can be hard. The people you hold dear to you can be going through something. We will always have people near us who care, and who want to help. But it’s hard to ask for something like that, especially when you feel like no one is listening. Therefore we should learn we are never secluded even when we feel like we’re standing in the dark without a glint of light.
Today on March 11th we went to a play called “Illinoise” at Park Avenue Armory. When we arrived at the building, it looked like something out of the Medieval Times. I saw a big door with sharp triangular prism pieces on top of it, then when entering inside the place was covered with paintings, artifacts, and beautiful chandeliers. Then when it was time to enter the auditorium. We headed inside and the first thing we saw was a platform of seats. Then when walking further into the auditorium we took our seats. The stage was full of guitars, drums, pianos, and other instruments. Then when you look above the stadium there were trees hanging upside down. Then after a few minutes, the play began.
First, we were introduced to two men. One man was leaving and the other man woke up to him leaving and then left. It transferred us to another scene, or should I say the beginning of the story. Which shows us friends going on an adventure with each other. We could see them acting out like they were traveling. Then we see them around a campfire each telling their stories. But when it came to the story of the main character actor, it showed a darker side. It was revealed to us this person’s friend had a lover but she died, and then he committed suicide because he didn’t have her by his side anymore. When this news reaches the main character, he loses all hope and at the same time loses himself in the process. Then it brings us to another scene where his friends appear wanting to comfort him and help him through this tough time. But it won’t be so easy to comfort him because everyone will have to see how this tragic situation took control over him. In the end, they helped him move on by giving him support and making him believe he wasn’t alone, giving him a reason to find peace and finally be able to move on without hurting himself with what happened with his friend.
My overall opinion would be a 10 out of 10. The music they played had a part in shaping each character’s story. However, the people playing the music did an amazing job with the singing almost making a sound like sirens. Also, the lighting played a major part in expressing/aligning to the character’s feelings and emotions, but mostly the surroundings gave more depth to the story or were used to shine on characters when they were talking about their stories. Yet, the most important part of it all was the dancing. This was shown and created to develop an impression. Each movement and twist gave us the audience a more visualizing and captivating story to appreciate.
-Brianna Rosario
Illinois music composition was pretty good. The Band was working together to recreate and modify Sufijan Stevens album Illinois and did a very good job at it. All his uplifting songs had good Harmonies to create a setting and mood on what is going on in his songs. And for the Melodies they created a sense of feelings, context and also mood. Putting those all together plus playing around with common and not so common time signatures plus the choreographers creates stories in his songs. The same thing could be said for his depressing songs. Not only does it have Harmonies but also dissonance and a soft piano playing to also create a sense of setting, mood, and feeling on what is going on in his songs. And for the melodies it will also create a sense of feelings, context and mood. Also with depressing songs the audience will be touched more by the melodies and harmonies more in their heart if it is composed well and these depressing songs were composed very well. All that plus the choreographers doing bold and emotional movements makes depressing stories in his songs. I also see that they play around with the melodies and harmonies to keep the audience in suspense and not knowing if the song is going to be a sad or happy song. That is what keeps them excited.
For all his uplifting songs the band uses cords like major, major 7th, 7/dominant, some minor, and I think augmented cords to make that uplifting harmony sound in his songs. For the depressing songs The band uses chords like minor, minor 7th, some major and major 7th and I think diminished and diminished 7th chords to make that depressing sounds in his songs. The major 7th and minor 7th touches your heart more in songs than with the regular major and minor chords because 7th chords have more notes than a regular chord does, therefore it will have more color in the chord. Also the 7th note in the scale has a lot of color when used right like the 9th, 11th and 13th. Those are called chord expansion and add even more color than just the 1,3 and 5 or 1,b3 and 5. The diminished and augmented chords are the dissonant chords but I think the diminished is more harsher. These chords make you feel uncomfortable and weird sometimes but when used right they can create a sad and depressing mood in a song. Major 7/dominant is like a major chord and a minor chord together. This chord has one of the most tension chords out of all the chords. This chord gets people confused because they don’t know if the chord is sad or happy because it sounds like both. This chord sounds like this because it has a major chord with a minor 7 or b7 to make it sound like both major and minor chords. These chords are used when they want to create a lot of tension or key switch in a song. I think Some keys that Sufijan Stevens and the band used in his album Illinois are G major or E minor and C major or A minor. Some chords they use in his song don’t belong in these keys and that is to create dissonance, tension or just unique sounds in his songs. They do the same thing for melodies to also get a unique sound in his songs too.
Illinois music composition was exciting, climatic, and extraordinary. It was my first time seeing a musical like these; perhaps they could have added a little more to the musical to make it even more exciting, climatic, and extraordinary music wise. In my opinion they could of did more octave harmonies to keep the audience even more interested in the song, then they already are, add a little bit more smooth and melodic vibratos in there instruments to make it sound more natural but also cool sounding at the same time , perhaps add a little more stuff to the composition like interesting hooks, modifying and recreating the melody so the audience can feel it more in the hearts, maybe hire a little more musicians to there band to make the musical sound more diverse in instrument and to the audience ears and maybe make the songs do a bigger finish so it could sound more complete when the song is done. Other than that the Band did an amazing job performing the album and I was very pleased by it. I hope to see something like this again in the future.
-Jordan Louis
“Illinoise” is an extraordinary performance and a must-see for all. This spectacular production showcases various moments of passion and excitement through the art of dance and music, while also delving into deeply emotional and sorrowful moments, such as the death of Shelby. The artistry and creativity behind “Illinoise” are truly remarkable, as music and dance replace dialogue, adding a unique touch to the performance.
The use of bright and colorful visuals is another standout feature of “Illinoise”. The use of bright colors throughout the performance adds depth and dimension to the storytelling, creating a captivating experience for the audience. The setting helped viewers deep dive down the story, putting themselves in it. The music and dance truly impact the mood in the audience, evoking a range of emotions throughout the performance. It’s been one of the most memorable moments I have shared with my classmates. The dancers are incredibly talented, and the choreography is breathtakingly stunning. The singers and band members did a phenomenal job in evoking a range of emotions throughout the performance with their amazing talents.
-Yarethzy Molina