Arts • Report

Farewell, David

By Alice Perry '28 in Spring 2026

If you ask around campus, you’ll find that there is no one more dedicated to his art than David Sinaiko, MA’s theater teacher and director. Since he and his wife Annie joined MA’s faculty in the fall of 2000, David has directed 25 shows, including the current Theater Company show Almost, Maine. Some of his favorites include Hamlet, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, IF/then, and a version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream equipped with a Beatles soundtrack. 

He has taught Scene Study, Improv, and Theater Company, all of which “scratch a different itch”.. He says that one thing he loves about being a theater artist is that “it's an extremely broad and inclusive art form. It's physical, verbal, it combines the scope of history, and also explores imaginative worlds.” 

David’s favorite MA memory is from a production of Kiss Me Kate, when a blackout caused by a raging storm had him running through heavy rain to Yardbirds, a hardware store which used to be across from Tender’s Tenders, to buy flashlights. He passed them out to the front row, and the show continued under flashlights. He describes it as an epic “the show must go on” moment. 

David’s students admire his love for theater. When asked for three words, Lucca Moore, ‘26, described him as “passionate, dedicated, and supportive”. Senior Sandia Zolotow says that “he has been a great advisor. He's been a constant presence at MA, and I really enjoy his support and getting to know him for the past four years.” Oscar Stowell added, “The mark [David] has left on this school is undeniable. Everything the theater department is is because of him”.

Reflecting on his time at MA, David remembers their old phrase: “We provide an experiential education.” Now, he says the slogan is “more valuable than it's ever been. To be, not virtual, but experiential”. “Go on an outing” he tells us.. “Consume performing arts, go to plays, go to dance shows. If you're looking for authenticity, get outside and participate in art.”