Making Connections to Professional Actors in NYC

Nicolai and Nadia after The Robber Bridegroom

During the spring semester senior Theatre major Nicolai Kabana was assigned a 30-minute phone interview with New York City-based professional actor Nadia Quinn as part of Theatre 412: Advanced Acting. That phone call led to a meaningful connection and an in-person meeting over the summer. We asked Nicolai to answer the question, “What was it like to interview and to meet Nadia Quinn?”

When we first got the assignment that we would be picking out of a hat a professional theatre artist to do a phone interview with I was pretty excited. I never really had the chance to have a one-on-one conversation with someone in the professional world. I knew right from the start of the interview that she was going to be completely honest with me about how things worked in the real world.

Before the interview took place I wrote out about fifteen questions that I wanted to ask her. However, we really only made it through about five of them. The reason for this was due to there being a great flow of conversation to the point that questions became more expanded than I ever thought they would be. Even though we didn’t get through all my questions she assured me that if I ever needed someone to talk to about the world of theatre that I could always talk to her. I found this to be very helpful that I could have someone to just talk to outside of the class assignment that knows about what might be ahead for me. I really took away from her how much she doesn’t limit herself in anything that she does. She's not only an actor but also a singer, photographer, and writer. So it was very nice to hear that you can do all these things and still act.

After the interview took place I found myself drawn to wanting to see her in action while she worked. From this I found myself starting to make plans to have her take my headshots. I figured she would know best since she is not only the photographer but an actor as well. Shortly after the interview took place I was once again drawn to her work. So I decided I would go see the closing performance of The Robber Bridegroom [at Roundabout Theatre Company, an Off-Broadway production]. The show overall was fantastic but getting to see her work first hand was by far the best part for me.

Nadia Quinn and the ensemble of The Robber Bridegroom (credit: Joan Marcus)

After the show came to a close I went to the stage doors and even though I wasn’t on the list she made it possible for me to meet her. It was by far one of the coolest meetings I’ve ever had. She is such a talented woman and now one of my inspirations. I look forward to seeing her work in the future because of her talent but also for who she is as a person. I’ve learned a lot here at Bloomsburg about what a professional really is but this experience with Nadia overall will be something I will never forget. This project was such a great way to make new contacts that I really hope this project becomes a yearly thing. I am super thankful that David [Miller] created this project and for the chance to get to know as well as meet such an amazing theatre artist.”

Nicolai Kabana

For more about Nadia Quinn, visit http://www.nadiaquinn.com/. Nicolai graduated in May 2016, but will return to Bloomsburg as an intern with Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble this coming season. To learn more about the Theatre program at Bloomsburg University, visit http://bloomu.edu/theatre-dance.

Senior Spotlight: Shaakirah Bradshaw

Graduating senior Shaakirah Bradshaw is a creative force to keep on watching!  With four honor cords, this English Major and Dance Minor has turned some head in both arenas.  Recently initiated into the International English Honor Society, and closing the 6th Annual Dance Minor Concert with her work Meet My Emotions, she is highly expressive, full of vision, and has a desire to continue creating thoughtful works for public consumption. In her words:

"After graduation I plan to return home to Philadelphia where I will continue my training in dance. I also want to audition for many dance companies, go on tour, and just share what I love to do."

Bradshaw was recently selected to learn a dance work created and choreographed by the highly acclaimed Artistic Director of the Koresh Dance Company.  This work was performed here at BU as part of the Celebrity Artist Series.  She reflects on that opportunity:

"Dancing with Koresh was one of the best experiences I had here at BU. At the audition I was very nervous but excited at the same time. I just had to remember that this is something I do every day, I just had to relax and do what I love. Once I got in I was very happy and ready to work hard. In practice I worked a lot on finding the meaning of the dance within myself. I did not truly find the meaning of the dance until the company came for the performance. Seeing them rehearse on stage, working together so well,  and dancing with such grace and meaning made me truly understand what I wanted to do in life, and I finally understood the meaning of the dance for me. I am so thankful that I got the chance to dance for Koresh because it made me realize that dance is all I want to do in life. In the end I received a scholarship to dance at the Koresh School of Dance for the summer! I am really excited and cannot wait for new experiences!"

As her dance mentor, I couldn't be more proud of her bold nature, her drive for excellence, and her unique sense of artistry.  She will continue to move and change the world.

Submitted by Professor Julie Petry, MFA

To see the 6th annual Dance Minor Concert featuring Shaakirah's work, click here.

Brittany Churbika produced a video about Bloomsburg University's Dance Minor. Check it out here.

Theatre Prof Directs, Reflects

The following post by David Miller of the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance is reprinted with his permission from his personal blog, Projects and Ponderings. Check it out!

There so many times during my teaching that I think and often say out loud to my students, these are not just theatre skills – these are not only directing, acting, playwriting skills – these are life skills. 

Some of the skills that I teach are simple rules that apply to the course and to life: Don't ask your professor for stapler; Don't explain that you were confused by the guidelines when in reality you didn't read the guidelines (or you didn't read the guidelines closely enough); Don't use comic sans. But the bigger lessons are the ones that I find more fascinating. For example, how are directing skills life skills? I am interested in this question perhaps because I continue to learn the lesson myself. I know that my "director's toolkit" is available to me in my day-to-day life. I may not use it as often as I would like, but it is always available to me.

An visual and textual
approach to Neighborhood 3,
a directorial unifying tool.

A successful director unifies the group. They do so by balancing a strong vision with incredibly active listening. They honor the creative ideas around them and ultimately serve the project more than themselves. They are, in short, effective leaders. An effective leader/director asks lots of questions. The most important question is, "why?" This is a question asked of oneself as well as one's fellow artists. We make a choice on stage – an acting choice, a design choice, a blocking choice. How is that choice serving the intent of the playwright and the specific approach we are taking in this production? How does this integrate with the other choices that we are making? Are we excited about the choice or are we excited about the fact that got choice is right for this play and this production? An effective director must be a conscientious choice maker and lead others to be conscientious as well.

An effective director must integrate their heart into the work. Theatre practitioners are, after all, human. Directors are humans, leading other humans. As J. Donald Walters reminds us in The Art of Leadership, "Genuine leadership is of only one type: supportive. It leads people: It doesn't drive them. It involves them: It doesn't coerce them. It never loses sight of the most important principle governing any project involving human beings: namely, that people are more important than things."

We must be reminded that our stumblings as leaders are allowed and expected. We too are human. We too are concerned that we do well. But as a good director, and by extension, a good human, we concern ourselves with the fears and insecurities before our own.  "Assume that everyone is in a permanent state of catatonic terror." says Frank Hauser in Notes on Directing. This will help you approach the impossible state of infinite patience and benevolence that actors and others expect from you."  It's good to think of the other point of view. That's a directing skill. That's a life skill.

Grad Profile: Chris Ulloth, Professional Playwright & Dramaturg

Alumnus Chris Ulloth writes:

Chris and Dano Madden in a workshop of First Snow
at the 92nd Street Y. Photo credit: Miki Murata.

When I graduated from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania last year, I moved to New York City with my newly-minted BA in Creative Writing and a minor in Theatre Arts.  I came in pursuit of being a playwright but have come to realize there was another career my education had prepared me for in addition to writing.

During my studies, Professor David A. Miller introduced me to his New York City-

based theatrical collective, The Artful Conspirators.  He took a handful of students to the city to experience the collective's Open Rehearsal Series in which a playwright, director, and actors would spend a weekend rehearsing and developing a new work by the playwright.  I do not know exactly why, but the process of developing a new play specifically for the purpose of development, not production, took me by surprise.  Maybe I thought, rather naively, that writing development ceased to exist after college, that you either learn to be a good writer and your works go on to be produced/published, or you don't and that's just too bad.  In any event, I was enamored by the process.  I found myself using the same tools for theatrical and literary discussion I learned at University, but in a professional environment.

After my studies at Bloomsburg concluded, I took an internship with the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference in McCall, ID.  There, I was surrounded by several emerging and established playwrights whose plays were handpicked from hundreds of submissions to be developed at the conference.  I noticed there were people hired by the conference specifically for the purpose of developing the plays and using those familiar tools for discussion.  It was about that time I came to realize my studies had not only prepared me to be a writer, but also a dramaturg.

What the hell is a dramaturg?  Well, the definitions vary based on the needs of the company and/or play, but essentially the function I serve is as an advocate for the playwright.  I assist playwrights with their needs pertaining to their play, which can include anything from researching the play's topics to analyzing the plot structure or character trajectories.  Little did I know, I had begun honing this skill long before I knew what dramaturgy was, back in Creative Writing workshops with Professors Claire Lawrence and Jerry Wemple.

Enamored with and exhilarated by the process of developmental theatre, I came to New York City seeking more.  In NYC I worked with id Theater (the company responsible for Seven Devils) and The Artful Conspirators as dramaturg for BAD HUSBAND, a new play by Dano Madden.  Dano, who I met through Professor Miller, is an esteemed playwright who I am proud to say has become an invaluable mentor and a dear friend to me.

Rehearsal of First Snow at the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference.
Photo credit: Sarah Jessup.

In addition to dramaturgy, I have been using my knowledge base from my studies to create programs that allow others the opportunity to develop and create.  Early in 2014 (with the help of many talented 92nd Street Y residents and staff to whom I owe so much), I started a 92nd Street Y based arts collective called the Resident Artists.  The name was remarkably uninspired for one reason: to let the inspiration come from its members without restriction.  And so, over the course of three months, we held a reading of a new play and screenplay, produced and premiered a short film, and produced a short play festival.  As our members transitioned, so did the company.  Now several of us are working with another company in which I am Co-Artistic Director with fellow Bloomsburg University alumnus Lauren M. Shover.  The company, Elephant Room Productions, will debut its first season this November which includes the development and production of new works.

While developmental theatre is part of my career, I am first and foremost a writer.  Since I graduated, I have written two full length plays which have received professional development and one short play which has received production.  My most notable work has been First Snow, a play which takes place in a town based on Centralia, Pennsylvania, and makes reference to a few Bloomsburg-inspired landmarks.  I submitted this play to the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, and lo and behold a year after my internship I was invited back to develop this play.  I am currently a playwright intern with Project Y Theatre, a NYC theatre company, where my plays have also been developed with their playwrights group.

Now I am in the midst of submission season—both submitting my own plays to theatres all over the country and working as a reader for Seven Devils—cognizant of the careers I can pursue and grateful to the educational system which has enabled my pursuit.

---------------------------------------

To learn more about Chris, please visit: christopher.ulloth.com

Update: Chris was recently named the Associate Literary Manager for Project Y Theatre Company in New York City and is a semi-finalist for the prestigious National Playwriting Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.

BU Theatre Grad Leaps from Academics to Professional Work through an Apprenticeship

Though I only just graduated from Bloomsburg this past May, I am lucky enough to be working in my field of study, especially a field as competitive as theatre.  I am currently employed as a Stage Management Apprentice at the People's Light and Theatre in Malvern, PA.  I am honored to be a part of their 40th anniversary season.

My main role as an apprentice is to serve as the assistant stage manager for half of the shows in this season.  However, in the downtime between shows, I am expected to put in time as a Production Assistant.  So far, I've assisted the carpenters, the scenic artist, and the props master.  Being able to transition seamlessly into the different departments is definitely a big asset and, I am sure, helped me to earn this position.

Becca Kestel (second from right) with the cast and stage management team
on the set of Row After Row at People's Light and Theatre.

I was able to gain these multi-disciplined skills during my time at Bloomsburg University.  While in school, I was fueled with a constant yearning to learn about every aspect of theatre, and I made a point of seizing any opportunity for a new experience. All of my professors supported my yearning and provided me with new challenges and guidance. I was blessed with incredible professors who not only guided me, but serve as examples of great theatre artists.

I took nearly every theatre production class offered (some more than once at an advanced level) and once I gained the basic knowledge I was able to use it through practical experience.  I was offered leadership roles in the form of stage managing or designing for the Bloomsburg University Players' (BUP) main stage productions. In addition, I held a work study job in the scene shop from my sophomore year until I graduated.

In my senior year, I was offered the role of stage manager of the BUP production of 30 Plays in 60 Minutes.  I accepted, not fully realizing the personal impact the show would have on me.  This show provided new challenges that appealed to me: working with a guest director from New York (Kevin R. Free), a collection of completely student-written pieces that were constantly being edited, and a staging that changed for each performance.  Though the work was intense at times, I loved every second I spent on this show.  It highlighted the beauty of theatre to me.  With my group of peers, underneath the fabulous guidance of Kevin R. Free, we created this truly unique theatre experience that was able to move the audience each night.  It was during this show that I made the decision to pursue stage management fully.  Also, my work on this show was honored with a Certificate of Merit from the Kennedy Center for American College Theatre.

It is so exciting to be able to put all that I've learned to use in the professional theatre world. I am so grateful to have my position here at People's Light and Theatre. To add to the excitement, I was surprised and delighted to see a familiar face during my first week of work here.  It turns out that my counterpart for the season is none other than Liz Nugent, another alumna from Bloomsburg University, whom I've had the fortune to work with during school. Clearly, Bloomsburg is doing something right in their training of stage managers.

—Becca Kestel, Theatre and Anthropology, BU Class of ‘14

Theatre Alumna Puts Her BU Learning and Connections to Work

Guest blogger Lauren Shover '13

Since May 2013, when I graduated from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, I have worked professionally as an actor, assistant director, assistant producer and associate producer on several different theatre projects. Everything I have been able to accomplish in these past two years is thanks to Bloomsburg University’s extraordinary theatre program. 

Shortly after graduating I moved myself to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to work on my first production outside of Bloomsburg, The Last Plot in Revenge written by Brian Grace-Duff and produced by Brat Productions.  I worked as Assistant Director to John Clancy, a well-known director in NYC as well as one of the key founders of the NYC Fringe Festival.  I had the opportunity to work with John on a production my junior year in college; our school brought him in as a guest director.  Working with him at BU created a bond and a network between the two of us that continued after college and has continued to expand ever since.  Creating connections between the college level and the professional world is something Bloomsburg University’s theatre program excels at. 

Lauren being interviewed by Fox News about
Trapped in a Room with a Zombie

Devised work is an area I knew very little of when I came to Bloomsburg University in fall 2009.  However, this past April I worked as an assistant producer on a devised piece produced by Simpatico Theatre Company that spoke on the stigma related to Craigslist.  The skills and understanding I learned from working on devised theatre at BU allowed me to jump right in with the other members.

Exploring other forms of theatre at BU helped me to open myself up to new experiences in theatre world.  For the past six months I have worked as the Associate Producer for a Room Escape Adventure, Interactive Theatre show called Trapped in a Room with a Zombie.  The show demanded me to work as an actor, director, stage manager, makeup artist, producer and stage hand.  Bloomsburg University gave me confidence to believe in my abilities as a leader.  This production has gained huge success and is now present in 13 cities in the United States as well as Madrid, Spain and London, England.

As a student at Bloomsburg University, not only did I create a lot of professional connections but I left with a lot of peer connections as well.  Recently, a fellow alumnus and I have started up our own theatre company, Elephant Room Productions, consisting of several other Bloomsburg University Alumni.  We are planning to debut our company in the New York City as well as Philadelphia Fringe Festivals of 2015 producing a play written by Dano Madden, yet another connection made during my time at Bloomsburg University.

-        Lauren Shover, Theatre Alumna ‘13

To learn more about Trapped in a Room with a Zombie, visit http://roomescapeadventures.com/philidelphia/.

Scholarship Takes to the Stage

Scholarship takes many forms. For David A. Miller, assistant professor in the Theatre & Dance Division, scholarship includes directing professional theatre and this summer he is doing just that: directing The Nosemaker's Apprentice: Chronicles of a Medieval Plastic Surgeon for Amphibian Stage Productions in Fort Worth, TX. The play, according to its authors, is part Monty Python and part Airplane. Fans of Mel Brooks and South Park will also delight in the particular brand of humor in this play.

 Alexandra Lawrence as Amelia and Scott Weinrich as Gavin
in technical rehearsals for The Nosemaker's Apprentice.

About The Nosemaker's Apprentice: "A father weaves a magic tale for his daughter to justify his unlicensed plastic surgery practice, tracing the origins of cosmetic surgery to craftsmen in medieval Europe. The hero of this tale is Gavin, a young orphan rescued from a dismal existence in the Ivanhoe Workhouse for Criminally Impoverished Boys when he is apprenticed with the local Nosemaker, and who eventually becomes one of the finest surgeons in Vienna, cradle of quack medicine." (Samuel French, Inc.)

It's not the first visit to Cowtown for Miller. Over the course of the past 10 years, David has directed 6 full productions and 4 staged readings for Amphibian. He first connected with Amphibian company members through colleagues in graduate school at Rutgers University, where he earned his MFA in Directing. His most recent Amphibian productions include a reading of On the Ceiling, about two artisans at work on the Sistine Chapel, and a production of Wittenberg, about Hamlet's senior year at Wittenberg University where his professors are Martin Luther and Doctor Faustus.

Bloomsburg University audiences will have a chance to see The Nosemaker's Apprentice when it is performed as part of the BU Players' 2014-15 season. For more about the BU Players' season, visit http://www.bloomu.edu/buplayers-current. For more about the Fort Worth production and Amphibian, visit http://www.amphibianproductions.org/2014-Nosemakers_Apprentice.htm. For more about David's professional work, visit http://mrdavidamiller.com/.

Photo: Alexandra Lawrence as Amelia and Scott Weinrich as Gavin in technical rehearsals for The Nosemaker's Apprentice.  

What We Did Over Summer "Break": Part 2

While many of the Bloomsburg University's College of Liberal Arts students had productive summer vacations, members of the faculty also managed to keep themselves busy as well. David Miller, assistant professor of Theatre in the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance filled his time away from the classroom by writing, producing, and directing three new plays and musicals.

courtesy of The Artful Conspirators

Sisters of the Eternal Knot is a new, original play that Miller wrote and worshopped over the course of a week with his New York City-based theater company The Artful Conspirators. The play revolves around warring nuns in Medieval France. As the leaders of abbeys Ciel Bleu and Rouge, the nuns' life-long antagonism with one another grows dangerous and the choices they make may result in the life or death of the nuns they serve.

"I don’t set out to communicate a message, per se, but when I reflect on my plays and how they reflect my values, I see that in many of my plays I am interested in the complicated role of leaders and teachers. There are good leaders and teachers and there are poor leaders and teachers. But it’s not as cut and dried as that. One of the questions I want to pose to audiences is 'What are the qualities of a good leader?' There’s something of that in this play, I think," said Miller in an interview with The Artful Conspirators.

courtesy of The New York Musical Theater Festival

Miller also directed the developmental reading of Alice Unraveled, a new rock/electronica musical about a young woman struggling to find her identity in the wake of traumatic experiences, at the New York Musical Theater Festival in July. 

Using characters from Lewis Carroll’s classic novel in a contemporary world, Alice is a teenage girl struggling with the post-traumatic stress. Alice is pulled “down the rabbit hole” and into a nightmarish world in which she cannot separate reality from memory.

courtesy of The Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival

Rounding out his summer "break," Miller directed the premiere of In The Early Dark, a 10-minute play about a close-knit family celebrating the first snowfall of winter as part of the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival. The play was selected as a finalist and was one of thirty plays selected for performance selected out of more than 800 submitted.

Currently, Miller is directing the BU Player's fall production of Avenue Q which will run November 7-10. 

To see more of Miller's upcoming work, visit www.mrdavidamiller.com.

A Short Article on the Value of Liberal Arts

This article from the website Backstage, written by Harvey Young of Northwestern University, makes some excellent points about the importance of the theatre degree. It's not too hard to imagine how similar arguments can be made about most liberal arts discipline. Thanks to Ethan Krupp for the link!

Incidentally, though Young identifies three reasons, he left off an important one: theater students learn how to use power tools.

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

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!

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.

Arts in Autumn

Bloomsburg University's Center for Visual and Performing Arts is hosting a fundraising dinner on October 21, 2012 featuring a delectable menu as well as an art exhibit and literary, musical, theatrical, and dance performances featuring some of BU's most talented students. Seating is limited and by advance ticket only. Join us!