MCTC to Sink its Teeth into "Tooth and Claw"

Don't have any plans for tonight, Friday, September 30th?  Then, come to the Arena Theater and check out a reading of the play "Tooth and Claw!"

The reading serves as the first of this year's MCTC's (Moravian College Theatre Company) Friday Night Play Reading Series.  Technically, the first play reading of this season was "A Resting Place" several weeks ago, but that was a collaboration with Touchstone Theatre...and also was not on a Friday night.  So, this will be the first exclusively featuring members of MCTC.

"Tooth and Claw," written by American playwright Michael Hollinger, is described as a suspense thriller.  It deals with history, sceince, environment, and economics.  Here's a bit of a plot teaser for you written by the publisher:

"Repile specialist Schuyler Baines - 'the Savior of Giant Tortoises' and the first female director of the Charles Darwin Research Station - arrives in Galapagos full of ideas and idealism.  But when she becomes aware of an exploding black market that threatens to destroy the islands' fragile ecosystem, Schuyler shuts the industry down, sparking a deadly, survival of the fittest conflict with native fishermen.  A bold, theatrical exploration of evolution, extinction, and the ever-present nature of Darwin's 'struggle for life."

Professor Christopher Shorr is directing the reading and several Moravian faculty and students are in the cast.  They include:

• Dr. Christopher Jones
• Alanah Cervantes ('12)
• Thomas Eiser ('15)
• Ariel Hudak ('14)
• Justin Kiefer ('14)
• Gianna Miranda ('13)
• Gelmar Moraga ('13)
• Luke Muench ('15)
• Daina Smolskis ('13)

Because the play deals with poverty and inequality, which is Moravian's IN-FOCUS theme for this year, it is also an IN-FOCUS event.  In addition, there will be a talk-back after the reading, where audience members get to talk with the cast about the show and share their thoughts and feelings on the reading.

To reiterate:

• Who?  MCTC
• What?  Reading of the play "Tooth and Claw"
• When?  Friday, September 30th at 8 p.m.
• Where?  Arena Theatre (located in the HUB basement)
• Cost?  FREE!
• Why?  To support MCTC and to have an entertaining evening

Vocalis Sings in D.C.

While many people at Moravian were celebrating Celtic Fest this past weekend, Vocalis was performing in Washington, D.C.  As a third year member of Vocalis, I'm here to tell you all about it.

First, for those who don't know, Voalis is a 16-person mixed choir, which means it is co-ed.  Auditions are open to anyone who is part of the Moravian Choir and auditions are held each fall.

Vocalis, along with director Dr. Paula Zerkle, piled into two vans and headed down to D.C. Saturday morning.  When we got in the city, we had some free time.  We were right by Farragut Sqaure, a small park in the city, and some chose to stay there and relax.  Other chose to go sightseeing, as some major attractions were close by, such as the White House.

As for me, I chose to go sightseeing with a few other Vocalis members and saw the White House, along with some other D.C. attractions, such as the Eisenhower Executive Building, the Treasury Department, and the President's Park, where World Wide Day of Play happened to be taking place.

Around 5 p.m., we got warmed up and then performed at a Moravian alumni event Saturday evening in the lovely John Paul Jones room at the Army Navy Club.  President Thomforde kicked off the event by first speaking about the latest new on Moravian College.

Then, Vocalis sang about a half hour's worth of material.  Our repertoire had a wide range of pieces, from classical pieces and madrigals to pop pieces like "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?"

But, by far, the best piece of the evening was "Zombie Jamboree," a rhythmic a cappella piece that even showed off some of Vocalis awesome dance moves.  We closed our performance with a group improv, which is like scatting but everyone sings at the same time and everyone sings a different vocal line.  At the reception afterwards, everyone congratulated us on a job well done.

On Sunday, everyone was up bright and early for a church service at St. Paul's Moravian Church in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, a few miles away from Washington, D.C.  We sang once again at the service and President Thomforde gave the sermon.  It was the church's 40th anniversary, so it was fitting to have us and President Thomforde there representing Moravian College.

This was Vocalis first big trip in several years and it was a huge success.  Lately, we have also been becoming more present on campus; a few weeks ago, we sang at the 9/11 tribute at Moravian.  We are hoping to do even more in the future, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for more Vocalis!

Beautiful Brass Billows Through Moravian's Foy Hall

The Moravian College Music Department hosted its first student recital of the year this past Friday, September 16th, as seniors Anne Hoffman and Caitlin Worrich performed in Foy Hall. 

Their recital was titled "Painting on Silence."  For the most part, the two swtiched back and forth and played as soloists but they came together at the end for a duet to close the recital.  Both played a variety of music, ranging from the Baroque period to 20th century.  

Hoffman is a musi education major with a concentration in trumpet.  She is originally from Kutztown, Pennsylvania.  Here at Moravian, she has been involved in:

• Marching band
• Wind ensemble
• Orchestra
• Brass Ensemble
• BIG Band 
• Choir 

Worrich is also a music education major and is concentrating in trombone.  She is a native of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  At Moravian, she has been in:  

• Marching band (section leader)
• Wind ensemble
• Orchestra
• Brass Ensemble
• BIG Band
• Choir
• Trombone Ensemble
• President of the Gamma Pi chapter of Delta Omicron (International Music Honors Fraternity) 

Together, they put on a great recital and I'm sure we will see and hear great things from both Hoffman and Worrich in the future.  

Civil War Gets Put to Rest in Bethlehem

Last Thursday, I joined local theater-goers by flocking to Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem, just about a mile away from Moravian’s campus, to see the first staged reading of A Resting Place by playwright Alison Carey. 


Moravian’s own Christopher Shorr directed the reading. He synopsized the play as follows:


“A loving mother decides to break ground for a memorial to the long-dead of our nation's bloodiest conflict.  But when she digs up more than she expects, Bethlehem present comes face to face with Bethlehem past, our cemeteries give up their precious stories, and soldiers, students, travelers and clowns mark moments on our long, shared journey.  After a hundred and fifty years, can the Civil War finally be put to rest?”


The purpose of the reading was to get feedback from the audience about what they thought worked and what they thought didn’t work. Carey, the playwright, was there and took suggestions from the audience after the reading and will consider some of them to be worked into the play.


Along with Shorr, several Moravian students and faculty members participated in the reading, including Dr. Christopher Jones, Phillip Wallens ’13, Justin Kiefer ’14, and Michael Wisnosky ’15. 


A Resting Place is part of collaboration between the Moravian College Theatre Company and Touchstone Theatre with the City of Bethlehem and the Historic Bethlehem Partnership and it will conclude their yearlong commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.


This was the first of two play readings; the second will be November 20th at 7 p.m. at Touchstone Theatre. On April 12 – 15, a fully staged production of the play will be performed; the time and location of the performance are to be determined.


Although it is still a work in progress, A Resting Place has the potential to be a great show. I personally enjoyed it, as did most of the 40 or so people who also attended the reading.


The plot has some interesting twists and turns and tells a great story.  The play also could use a few tweaks, including more character development and tying a few loose ends in the plot.


Audience members gave great suggestions and it will be interesting to see how some of them will be incorporated into future productions of the play. 

Introduction

Hello, I'm Kayla and welcome to my blog!  I am a junior at Moravian College and am double majoring in journalism and music.

I am blogging for my online journalism class and I have chosen to focus on the arts at Moravian College, including art, dance, music, and theatre.  Not only am I actively involved in the arts on campus, but I have been in involved in the arts for most of my life as well. 

I began singing in school choir in 3^rd grade and I’ve continued with it for the past 12 years.  My passion for music really grew while I was in high school, thanks largely to my school’s wonderful music program and music teachers, and I was a member of nearly every vocal ensemble offered at my high school. 

I did not start dancing until I was 11 years old, which by dancing standards is a bit late, but better late than never!  Ever since my first recital, I have loved dance.  I’ve taken every type of dance too, from ballet, modern, and lyrical to tap, jazz, and hip-hop. 

I got my first taste for theatre at the age of 15 when I participated in my first musical with a community youth theater and I’ve been hooked ever since.  I was a cast member in my high school’s productions of Anything Goes, Guys and Dolls, and 42^nd Street.  This past summer, I was accepted into a week-long musical theatre intensive in Philadelphia with the Broadway Dreams Foundation.  I also go and see shows regularly, especially on Broadway. 

As I said, I am very involved with the arts on campus as a member of:

• The Moravian Choir
• Vocalis
• Women’s Chorus
• The Moravian College Dance Company
• The Moravian College Theatre Company

And that's not all!  There's even more going on in the arts at Moravian outside of just the groups I'm in.  There is so much happening when it comes to arts at Moravian and I hope to blog about as much of it as possible throughout the semester.  Enjoy!