Community Comes Together in "Flood Stories, Too."

Though the 2011 flood that devastated Bloomsburg and its surrounding areas has left us, members of the community are still strengthening bonds formed from the traumatic experience. Flood Stories, Too., a new play co-produced by the Bloomsburg University Players and the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, is a community response to the devastation.

Written and directed by Gerald Stropnicky, Emeritus member of Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, Flood Stories, Too. is a collection of personal narratives and stories of local residents’ experiences with the flood, artfully crafted into a two-act play.

“You’ll see through different monologues that almost all of the actual events are taken from stories that people have given us,” said Phil Czekner, Bloomsburg University student and actor in the production.

Many stories were gathered by Mary Reinsburrow, another Bloomsburg University student and actress in the production. Characters featured in the multitude of stories range from unconcerned students to victims themselves to volunteers, even including Mayor Dan Knorr and Bloomsburg University’s President, Dr. David Soltz.

While Flood Stories, Too. is indeed based on dozens of people’s flood stories, they weave seamlessly together to create an all-encompassing sense of unity.

“Even though we all had our own experiences, as a community, we all had one shared experience as well,” said Reinsburrow.

Those involved in the production, such as Reinsburrow and Czekner, want to foster the healing process now that the devastation is subsiding. Considering the flood occurred during the fall 2011 academic semester, nearly every student was affected in one way or another. A crucial element in the healing process is the removal of barriers between the university and the town.

“There is a bond between the university and the town and even if it is edgy at times during events such as Block Party, there are good people on both ends and they should be connected,” according to Czekner.

Overall, the recollections that will be explored in Flood Stories, Too. are all connected with the underlying themes unity and recovery.

 “Bloomsburg is a flood place. But we need to understand that things do get better and you do recover and move on,” said Czekner.

Flood Stories, Too. (a “pay what you wish” performance) opens Thurs., Mar. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Alvina Krause Theater in downtown Bloomsburg and continues Mar. 8, 14, and 15 at 7:30 p.m., Mar. 9 and 16 at 2:00 p.m., and Mar. 10 and 17 at 3:00 p.m.

Tickets for Flood Stories, Too. are general admission and are not available for online purchase.  If you would like to make advance reservations, please contact the Box Office, Tuesday - Saturday, 2PM - 6PM at (570) 784-8181, email boxoffice@bte.org, or obtain them in person at the BTE Box Office, 226 Center Street in Downtown Bloomsburg.

Contributed by Kathryn M. Saulinas

Bloomsburg Explores ... Community, Arts, and the 2011 Flood

From Dr. Christina Francis and Bloomsburg University's Institute for Culture and Society:

In conjunction with the BTE/BU Players upcoming “Pay What You Wish” performances of Flood Stories, Too, the Institute for Culture and Society (sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts) has organized a series of complementary talks and programs to take place March 8th through March 14th.  These programs will highlight some of the specific issues and people involved in the 2011 flood, as well as some perspectives on the value of art that responds to and includes its community in the creative process. Please join us! These events are free and open to the public.

Friday, March 8^th, 5:00 – 6:30 pm, McCormick 1303

Arlene Goldbard, nationally-recognized author/speaker/activist, presents “Tell It! How Shaping Our Stories Shapes Our Lives and Communities”

Saturday, March 9^th, 4:30 pm, Alvina Krause Theatre (AKT)

Arlene Goldbard, nationally-recognized author/speaker/activist, & Gerard Stropnicky, director/writer of BTE’s Flood Stories, Too., present

"What Happens When Communities Participate in Telling Their Own Stories"

Sunday, March 10^th, 12:30-2:00 pm, Moose Exchange, Grille Room

Gerard Stropnicky presents “Flood Stories, Too.: Context and Process”

Tuesday, March 12^th, 6:00 – 8:30 pm, Moose Exchange, Grille Room

Panel 1) Jennifer Whisner, PhD, Asst. Professor of Environmental, Geographical & Geological Sciences, presents “Climate Change and Flooding”

Panel 2) Rita Inklovich, Red Cross; Kathy Lowe, Agape; & Lee Sokoloski, Chief of Police, Bloomsburg, present “The Role of Response Services to the 2011 Flood”

Thursday, March 14^th, 6:30 – 7:45 pm, Hartline Rm 108 (Auditorium)

“Psychological Responses to Natural Disaster: Stress, Community, Resilience”

• James Dalton, PhD, Professor of Psychology
• William R. Harrar, PsyD, BU Director of Counseling
• Joseph G. Tloczynski, PhD, Professor of Psychology
• Jennifer M. Yarnell, MCAT, PhD, Instructor of Psychology & private practitioner
• Jodi Weiskerger, LSW, Private practitioner 
• Moderator: Nancy D. Giles, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology

Organized by the Institute for Culture and Society

Sponsored by the BU College of Liberal Arts

Euphonium and Piano at Carver Hall

One of the elite brass soloists of the world, euphonium player Adam Frey (www.euphonium.com) is presenting a recital with BU professor Charisse Baldoria (www.charissebaldoria.com) on the piano.  The concert is on Thursday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. in Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall.  It is free and open to the public.

A native of Atlanta, Adam Frey has soloed with orchestras around the world, from the Boston Pops, to the US Army Orchestra, to Finland’s Vaasa Symphony Orchestra.  A champion of the euphonium, he has more than seventy works that have been composed or specifically arranged for him. 

Frey is the president of The Euphonium Foundation Inc., a non-profit, and artistic director of the International Euphonium Institute.  He has published articles internationally and served as assistant editor of the Euphonium Source Book, a text dedicated to all things euphonium.

An adjunct professor of Euphonium at Georgia State University and Emory University,   Frey received his musical training at the University of Georgia and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England.

Dr. Charisse Baldoria, pianist, has performed in six continents and won awards in international competitions, including the San Antonio, Hilton Head Island, and Sydney international piano competitions.  A soloist and collaborative artist, she recently performed solo piano repertoire with a dancer, a painter, and a performance artist here at Bloomsburg University.   

Baldoria first came to the United States as a Fulbright scholar from the Philippines and earned her masters and doctorate from the University of Michigan.  She directs the piano program at Bloomsburg University.

The program includes the Concerto in C Minor by Telemann, The Yellow Rose of Texas Variations by Lewis Buckley, the Rule Britannia variations by John Hartmann, and other works for euphonium and piano.

Taste of the Arts: BU Dance Minors prepare

BU Dance Minors: Legendary Director/Choreographer Bob Fosse is known for his quirky, witty, sizzlin' numbers.  From the popular Broadway musical Chicago, students Christina Davis and Amber Michael perform a dance reconstruction of Fosse's "Hot Honey Rag."

An afternoon of free entertainment, A Taste of the Arts, is planned for the Moose Exchange in downtown Bloomsburg, Saturday, Feb. 23, from 2 to 5 p.m. Sponsored by Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s College of Liberal Arts, the event is organized by the university’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts, which helps to promote the arts in the community. Join us!

Talking Liberal Arts

There must be something in the (bracing) February air. Just yesterday I received links to two recent articles about the value of a liberal arts education, a subject of literally daily conversation here in the College of Liberal Arts offices in Centennial Hall. In fact, only this morning I had the pleasure of exchanging views on this very topic with an external reviewer who is here to examine our (excellent) philosophy program. We discussed the short-sightedness of focusing narrowly on career preparation in higher education, and he pointed out that our country's strength has historically been in innovation (economically, technologically, culturally), yet many current policy decisions seem to work against fostering an educational environment that promotes innovative, creative thinking.

The first article, recommended by a former colleague, is an opinion piece from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette titled "What is knowledge worth? A liberal arts education has enduring value."

The second, recommended by colleague in the department of Music, Theatre, and Dance, is titled "Theater Education Programs Are in Demand for Workforce Creativity."

Do you want to know a secret? I don't mind talking about the value of a liberal education in terms of career preparation ... especially if we're talking about careers, and not just jobs, and preparation, and not just training. Lots of evidence suggests that a liberal arts education is the best career preparation available.

Food for thought, I hope, on a Monday morning. Check both of these links out and let us know what you think!

--Jim Brown, Dean

A Taste of the Arts!

BU College of Liberal Arts hosts visual and performing arts showcase

BLOOMSBURG — An afternoon of free entertainment, A Taste of the Arts, is planned for the Moose Exchange in downtown Bloomsburg, Saturday, Feb. 23, from 2 to 5 p.m. Sponsored by Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s College of Liberal Arts, the event is organized by the university’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts, which helps to promote the arts in the community.

Dr. Clickard rehearses the BU Jazz Ensemble

Students and faculty in the art and art history, English, and music, theatre and dance departments will showcase their talents in the Moose Exchange. While art exhibitions, theatrical productions, dance performances, recitals and other musical events, all open to the public, are held throughout the academic year, most of these events take place on campus.  A Taste of the Arts, now in its second year, brings students’ talents to a central venue for the community to enjoy, said James Brown, dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

“We had a spectacular response last year,” Brown said. “There were more than 500 people in attendance, and the interaction with community members was wonderful. We hope to entertain even more local residents at this year’s Taste of the Arts.”

The idea behind the event is to offer a variety of arts experiences with new performances beginning every 10 minutes. A Taste of the Arts will feature music by the Jazz Ensemble and Husky Singers, dance and theatrical performances, and poetry readings, along with fine arts exhibitions, demonstrations and talks.

“Over the past year, the Center for the Visual and Performing Arts has hosted several programs at the Moose Exchange in an effort to reach out to the community,” Brown said. “A Taste of the Arts is a distinctive event and our students and faculty are looking forward to participating in it once again.”

Visitors may attend any portion of the three-hour program. Refreshments will be available. Details can be found on the CVPA website, www.bloomu.edu/cvpa.

For information, contact Nawal Bonomo, assistant to the dean, College of Liberal Arts, (570) 389-4725 or nbonomo@bloomu.edu.

This Wednesday: Piano Concert with Poetry, Live Drawing, and Dance

Charisse Baldoria

Multi-awarded pianist Dr. Charisse Baldoria is giving a concert on Wednesday, November 7, 7:30 p.m. at Carver Hall, Bloomsburg University.

To top it off, renowned fellow professors from the College of Liberal Arts are joining in with poetry, live drawing, and dance, creating subtle interactions with the music:  Performance artist Hunter Fine will recite works by Federico García Lorca and Rainer Maria Rilke.  Artist Lisa Corine von Koch will create a drawing onstage.  Dancer Julie Petry will perform to arresting rhythms and harmonies.  It would be the first ever collaboration of its kind.

Performing warhorses of the piano repertoire, Dr. Baldoria will play classical works inspired by the world’s varied musical traditions:  Spanish pieces from Albéniz’ monumental Iberia, two Scarlatti sonatas (one in fandango style), three Cuban pieces, and a set inspired by Southeast Asian gongs—featuring works by Debussy, Filipino composer Ramón Santos, and New Zealander Gareth Farr.

Julie Petry

In creating her programs, Dr. Baldoria taps into her complex Filipino identity.  She juxtaposes the indigenous with the colonial, performing music from and inspired by Southeast Asia and Spain, of which the Philippines was a colony for 333 years.  A seasoned performer, Charisse has performed in four continents and won awards in international competitions, including the San Antonio, Hilton Head Island, and Sydney international piano competitions.  She first came to the United States as a Fulbright scholar from the Philippines and got her masters and doctorate from the University of Michigan.  She directs the piano program at Bloomsburg University.

Julie Petry is a multi-Emmy nominated dancer-choreographer formerly based in the Chicago area.  She has worked with PBS/Heartsong Communications; Dance Chicago; and the Summer Palace, Centerlight, and Metropolis Performing Arts Center theatres, among others.  She earned her masters at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Lisa Corine von Koch

Lisa Corine von Koch’s work features sculpture, performance and installation, incorporating ecological practices into art making, and expressing intersections between nature and culture.  She received her masters in Painting and Drawing from Arizona State University and has done numerous exhibitions around the western United States.




A performance artist and communication scholar, Dr. Hunter H. Fine has worked on solo and ensemble shows in the Marion Klineau Theater in Southern Illinois, the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, and the Marsh in San Francisco.  His recent scholarship has revolved around the performative constructions of everyday social and civic spaces.

     The concert is free and open to the public.