The 2024 Ashley Hall Christmas Play

From trimming the tree to baking cookies, holiday traditions powerfully unite us during this special season. At Ashley Hall, our school family’s most cherished (and long-standing) tradition is the annual Christmas Play. On Dec. 12, 2024, 160 Ashley Hall students of all ages gathered in the historic and ethereal St. Matthew’s Church to perform this beloved production for the 100th time.

First presented in 1924 under the direction of school founder Mary Vardrine McBee, Ashley Hall’s annual Christmas Play has brought the medieval Chester Mystery Plays to life with our student’s creativity, passion, and artistic excellence.

From the dancing jesters to the angelic Red Choir, this beautiful retelling of the Nativity story has remained a cornerstone of the Ashley Hall experience for generations of students, families, alumnae, faculty, and the greater Charleston community.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this unforgettable evening. Your support makes this timeless tradition possible. And, of course, bravo to our hard-working students who shone brightly on and off stage. We’re grateful to have shared this special moment with all who could join us.

Relive the Centennial Performance of The Christmas Play

Watch the full performance video (including alumnae telegram readings!)

View production photos

Read Ashley Hall Alumnae Christmas Play Telegrams

100 Years on Stage: The Ashley Hall Christmas Play by Helen Kourtidis ’26

The ability of dance to stir emotions and build connections was evident during this year’s first performance of The Caterpillar Thriller, an original story-in-dance featuring dancers from second through sixth grades. Written and staged by Lower School faculty member Stephanie Christensen, The Caterpillar Thriller presents a powerful message that “being odd’s not bad” and if we remain true to who we are, we will ultimately find others who are just like us.

Students, parents, faculty, and staff were enchanted by the heart-warming story of a little caterpillar’s journey to grow into her true self and discover her own place within the world. Gorgeous costumes and lively music created the perfect atmosphere for a captivating display of dance. An Ashley Hall favorite, The Caterpillar Thriller has been performed on campus on two previous occasions to capacity audiences. You do not want to miss this year’s memorable performance! Future showtimes are May 17 at 7:00pm and May 19 at 3:00pm in Davies Auditorium. Each performance is free, with RSVPs requested. Online RSVPs are now closed, so please arrive early to the performances to ensure your spot. To learn more about the Lower School, click on the button below. 

The Lower School at Ashley Hall

Lower School students are enjoying the newly reopened School Store near the sport court! In business Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during recess from 11:30am until 12:00pm, the store gives every fourth grader a turn to be part of the sales force and wear a purple apron. Fun, school-related accessories for sale include erasers, pencils, gel pens, journals, and pencil cases. There is also a special Ashley Hall section.

“I love the excitement of the girls—the joy of picking out special little things and the independence of the sales associates helping with choices, taking money, and making change,” says Camp Ashley Hall and Extended Day Director Dee Dee Smith. “Just the mere fact that it’s during recess and the students running the store that day are volunteering their recess to serve their peers speaks for itself. I’m thrilled that our mission of nurturing independent young women has one more venue.” The School Store will be open until the end of the school year, so stop by!

Attendees of this year’s String Fling at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul weren’t prepared for the heartwarming and emotional program that unfolded. In addition to performances by the Kindergarten and Pre-First Strings as well as the Lower School Orchestra and Fifth through Eighth Grade Orchestra, Upper School students played a superb rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody and selections from the Lion King. Interspersed between the music selections, sixth graders served as emcees.

Particularly inspiring in their performance was the Senior String Quartet, and senior Loulou Byars gave a moving presentation to Head of School Jill Muti. As Byars said, “Fourteen years ago Mrs. Muti arrived at Ashley Hall and quickly became an important part of our family. The following year, the Class of 2018 entered kindergarten, and Mrs. Muti implemented the new strings program, a program that has had an immense impact upon my own life and the lives of countless others in the Ashley Hall community.”

Afterward, there wasn’t a dry eye in the church as Performing Arts Chair Liz Dinwiddie and the Upper School Chamber Ensemble played for the four graduating seniors of the Senior String Quartet. These girls have been a part of something special that Mrs. Muti started fourteen years ago and represent the limitless possibilities for everyone at Ashley Hall. PQV!

With the weather getting warmer, nothing sounds better than a nice, cool swim, but Ashley Hall wants students to always keep safety at the forefront. This week, faculty members Maggie Laney and Missee Fox have been emphasizing safety tips to remember with Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade students. A year-round effort, water safety instruction begins in the fall and incorporates activities to encourage confidence in the water and build life-saving skills, including treading water for 5 minutes, swimming in clothes, and survival floating. Today, Lower School faculty member Kendall Lee’s fourth grade class practiced retrieving distressed swimmers with rescue tubes. Keep up the great work girls!

THE CATERPILLAR THRILLER
written and directed by faculty member, Stephanie Christensen
featuring dancers from 2nd through 6th grades

The Caterpillar Thriller reminds us that “being odd’s not bad”—that one creature’s being different from others doesn’t justify its being abused and treated as an outcast. Further, the story advises that hard as it is sometimes to do so, if we remain true to who we are, we will ultimately find others who are like us.

An Ashley Hall favorite, The Caterpillar Thriller has been performed on campus on two previous occasions to capacity audiences. They were as astounded and moved by the dancers’ wonderful performances as they were by the heart-warming, original story-in-dance itself. Don’t miss it!