Kobi Selby '19 Takes the Stage Again for 'Gem'
Junior will present spoken word performance Wednesday
Kobi Selby '19 grew into the performer he is today.
Now his comfort level on stage translates into a willingness to be front and center in Pingree Theater as much as possible. After four shows as the title character in last week's Christ School play "Othello," Kobi will present a spoken word performance Wednesday night in Pingree.
"Gem" is a collection of his poetry, told in Kobi's unique style. He will share nine pieces of work, starting at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
"If people do decide to come, it will be something different," Kobi said. "It's not your typical poetry reading. There are some theatrics. We didn't know what we were going to call it. We came up with the name "Gem" because in one of the pieces it communicates that there are many different facets in life – good, bad, and ugly."
"Gem" is an end of the year project for Kobi through his independent study class "Social Justice Through Performance." Kobi said his growth as an artist, especially during the 2017-18 school year, has been fulfilling.
He was a featured speaker at September's Macedonia Rosenwald School Historical Project in Batesville, Mississippi, and gave a Martin Luther King Jr. Day performance at a candlelight service in downtown Asheville. Kobi was the state runner-up in March's North Carolina Poetry Out Loud competition and emcees S.C.A.T.E. (Sharing Creative Art Through Expression) Night at Christ School. The final S.C.A.T.E. Night for this school year is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Kennedy-Herterich Art Studio.
"I set out my sophomore year to really chase my passion a little more and see where I could go with it," he said. "This has definitely been a year to work on my craft. (Being on stage) didn't come naturally, it took a lot of courage for me. I've always written poetry, but in terms of the performance, that's where I had to grow. I wanted to find a way to convey my style of poetry, a way to share my art."
Kobi hails from Greensboro, N.C., and was tapped for a Senior Leadership position earlier this month. He will be Prefect for Harris House for the 2018-19 school year.
