Comedy "All in the Timing" to be performed at Moravian

This Friday, Oct. 28, start your weekend off with a good laugh by going to see a reading of the comedy "All in the Timing," performed by members of the Moravian College Theatre Company (MCTC).

"All in the Timing" is yet another installment in MCTC's Friday Night Play Reading Series, following "Tooth and Claw" and "Good People." "A Resting Place" was also put on in collaboration with Touchstone Theatre.

"All in the Timing" is a series of short plays by contemporary American playwright David Ives.  

In a Moravian College news release put out earlier in the semester, "All in the Timing" was described as a "whimsical comedy...comprised of four short plays all featuring twisted moments -- including ice pick phobias, Shakespeare-writing monkeys, and more monkeys."  

Here is a little bit more about the play:

"The world according to David Ives is a very add place, and his plays constitute a virtual stress test of the English language -- and of the audience's capacity for disorientation and delight. Ives's characters plunge into black holes called "Philadelphias," where the simplest desires are hilariously thwarted. Chimps named Milton, Swift, and Kafka are locked in a room and made to re-create Hamlet. At once enchanting and perplexing, incisively intelligent and side-splittingly funny."

The play will be directed by Dan Marrero '13.  Marrero is a self-designed theatre major.  He has performed with MCTC since his freshman year but this is his first time directing a piece.

If you're interested in going to see "All in the Timing", here's everything you need to know:

• As with all the play readings, "All in the Timing" will be performed in the Arena Theatre
• The show is tonight, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m.
• Admission is FREE!

So, go see "All in the Timing" tomorrow night!  It's sure to be a good time!  If you do go, remember to post your thoughts here afterwards!  I always enjoy hearing your feedback!

Also, arts@moravian is now on twitter!  Be sure to follow!
http://twitter.com/#!/artsatmoravian

MC Dancers Debut at Homecoming

This weekend was a great weekend to be a hound as Moravian held it's annual Homecoming!

Among the various activities and events was the homecoming football game against Franklin and Marshall College Saturday at 1 p.m.  At half-time, the cheerleaders and the band performed as they always do at the games but spectators were in for a treat as the Moravian College Dance Company (MCDC), of which I happen to be a member, also performed for their first time this year.  

We danced to a rendition of Journey's "Any Way You Want It," which the Greyhound Marching Band played live on the field.  

The routine featured a little bit of call and response (where half the dancers performed an 8-count of dancing and the other half mimicked it), some partnering, several leaps and jumps, and unison dancing (where everyone dances together).  It was a really fun routine and the judging by the all the cheers and applause afterwards, it seemed to be a real crowd-pleaser too!

Due to scheduling conflicts, not all of the dancers could rehearse for the homecoming performance, so not everybody in the company performed.  The Moravian College Dance Company is made up of about 20 students, but the 13 who performed at homecoming included:

• Denay Alston '15
• Sam Anderson '13
• Caity Dean '12
• Sasha Halasz '13
• Brooke Kuperavage '13
• Elizabeth Kussler '12
• Brittany Moretz '15
• Rachel Morrison '15
• Carly Reiss '14
• Chrissy Rocco '13
• Laura Shearman '14
• Kayla Smull '13
• Rianne Stowell '13

MC Dancers before our Homecoming performance

The routine was choreographed by Madeline Moore, who joined the Moravian College Dance Company last fall as the assistance artistic director.  This was also the second year that we collaborated with the Greyhound Marching Band for their half-time routine.  

As I previously mentioned, this was our first performance this year.  Our big performance is their big spring concert, where we and guest performers dance in Foy Hall.  This year the concert will be on Friday Mar. 30 and Saturday Mar. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Although our Greyhounds ended up losing the game (14-7), the MC Dancers still shined at half-time and the Homecoming spirit stayed alive!

Were you at the game on Saturday?  If so, what did you think of the MC Dancers' half-time performance?  Post your thoughts!

Music Recitals at Moravian

In my previous post, I blogged about all the recitals that took place this past weekend and I wanted to shed some light as to what it takes to put on a student recital here at Moravian.  

Last weekend, all the of recitals were student recitals.  In case some of you are unfamiliar with what student recitals are and how they work, here's a little info.  Student recitals are required for all Bachelor of Music students.  

• Music Education Majors = perform a half recital (20-30 minutes) their senior year during the semester prior to student teaching
• Music Performance/Sacred Music Majors = perform a half recital their junior year and a full recital (45-60 minutes) their senior year
• Music Composition Majors = perform a half recital their junior year and either a full recital or a project their senior year

*Bachelor of Arts in Music students and Music Minors have the option to perform recitals as well.  However, it is not required.

All the repertoire is representative of the student's musical concentration (either vocal or instrumental).  In other words, the students either sing OR play one specific instrument for their recital.  The repertoire also is designed to showcase the skill level the student has achieved over the past several years.

The students are not in it alone.  All recitals are supervised by a faculty member of the music department.  Also, professional and/or student accompanists play for the student recitals.

In addition to all the hard work the students put into learning, rehearsing, and in some cases memorizing pieces, student also must research their pieces and the composers who wrote them.  All that information is then published in the recital program.  

It is also important to remember that these students are graded on all of this.  It counts as course credit and is part of the requirements for completing a Bachelor of Music degree.

So, if you have yet to attend a student recital, be sure to go to one!  You can check out the music department's concert schedule here to see what's coming up.  Also, if you do go, be sure to tell me about it!  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

A Weekend of Student Recitals at Moravian

This past weekend (Oct. 14-16), the Moravian College Music Department hosted several senior student recitals:

• Megan Weaver and Cailin Fogerty:  Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Peter Hall:  
• Elizabeth Brodt:  Sunday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. in Peter Hall

The first recital, "Pan Pipes and Siren Songs" showcased a variety of instrumental and vocal classical pieces.  Both Weaver and Fogerty looked and sounded lovely, Weaver, with her resonant mezzo voice, wore a teal blue strapless dress and Fogerty, with her light and airy flute, donned a purple halter dress.  

Weaver is a music education major concentrating in voice (mezzo-soprano).  She is originally from Hatboro, Pennsylvania.  While at Moravian, she has been involved in:

• Moravian Choir
• Women's Chorus (current president)
• Vocalis
• Marching Band
• Most Monteverdi Early Music Ensemble
• Opera Workshop
• Gamma Pi chapter of Delta Omicron (international Music Honors Fraternity)

Fogerty is also a music education major with a concentration in flue.  She is originally from Middletown, Rhode Island.  At Moravian, she has been a member of:

• Gamma Pi chapter of Delta Omicron
• Marching Band (color guard and flute troupe)
• Moravian College Dance Company
• Moravian Choir
• Orchestra

The second recital, "Un Clarinettista, Cantabile," (which translates to "a clarinet player in a smooth, lyrical style) featured music from the classical, romantic, and 20th century periods.  Brodt played beautifully on the clarinet and looked stunning as well in her deep blue dress.

Brodt is a music education major with a concentration in clarinet.  She is originally from Coplay, Pennsylvania.  Here are Moravian, she has been in:

• Marching Band (drum major)
• Wind Ensemble
• Orchestra
• Woodwind Trio
• Piano Trio
• Moravian Choir
• BIG Band
• Clarinet Choir
• Women's Chorus

A lot of beautiful music was performed this past weekend.  Both recitals had great turnouts and based on the audiences' reactions, they were both big successes as well.

If you went to either or both of the recitals, feel free to post your feedback.  If you didn't, you missed the opportunity to hear some really talented students.  No worries though because there are plenty more recitals coming soon.  Check out the concert schedule linked at the top of the post to learn more!

Also, read another review of this weekend's recitals here!

Tony-Award Winning Play "Good People" Performed

While most people were unwinding over fall break, the cast of "Good People" was hard at work rehearsing for their performance this past Friday, Oct. 14.

Following "Tooth and Claw," "Good People" was the second installment in the Moravian College Theatre Company's Friday Night Play Reading Series.

"Good People" was written by American writer and playwright David Lindsay-Abaire.  Here is a brief plot synopsis:

Recently fired, single mother, ex-dollar store clerk, Margie, from Southie (aka: South Boston, a working class Irish neighborhood) decides to visit an old flame (Mike), now a married physician, to seek employment. Through a misunderstanding, Margie ends up at Mike's posh suburban home for his cancelled birthday party. The confrontation between Mike, his wife, and Margie leads us to the question: you can take the man out of Southie, but can you take the Southie out of the man?

Bill Bauman, a Moravian alum, administrative assistant for the Moravian College Music Department, and a long-time advocate for the theater company, is directing the reading.

Bauman has directed productions in the past, including the very well-received reading of "Dog Sees God" last November.  The cast is made up of students and one alum:

• Cindy DaPra '12
• Rob Hercik '11
• Anne Joseph '12
• Luke Muench '13
• Victoria Ruibal '15
• Daina Smolskis '13

Interestingly enough, "Good People" premiered on Broadway this past spring and ran for several months.  During that time, it was nominated for two Tony Awards, one for Best Play and one for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Frances McDormand. McDormand actually ending up winning the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

Feel free to post comments and feedback.  I'd love to hear what you thought of it!

Local Historic Art On Exhibit

Moravian's Payne Art Gallery always has interesting artwork, but the exhibition currently on display has particular ties and meaning to the Moravian community.

Several weeks ago, the Payne Art Gallery opened its first exhibition of the year:  "Around the Riverbend," which contains scenic artwork centering around the Lehigh Valley and eastern Pennsylvania.  The artwork is from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century and was recently given to the college as a gift.

This past spring, students of the Art History Senior Seminar planned and organized the exhibition and officially opened it on Sept. 22.  This also marks Moravian's first student-curated exhibition.  The students include:

• Leila Chiles '11
• Rudy Garbely '12
• Sarah Roth '12
• Carli Timpson '11
• Ellen Williams '11

Most of the paintings are canvas oil paintings and capture the essence of local landscape in such places as:

• Bethlehem, PA
• Jim Thorpe, PA
• Bushkill Creel
• Lehigh Valley
• Delaware Water Gap
• Allentown, PA
• Lehigh Canal
• Berks County

Gustav Grunewald's "View of the Monacksey Creek at Bethlehem"

John Lewis Kimmel's portrait of "Francis (Daddy) Thomas"

"Around the Riverbend" also features nearly a dozen famous artists, many of whom were from or near the Lehigh Valley, including:

• John E. Berninger:  Berninger lived and worked in Allentown, studied under Walter Emerson Baum (who founded the current Baum School of Art in Allentown), and became the first curator of the Allentown Art Museum.
• Charles Boizard
• De Witt Clinton Boutelle
• Henry E. Brown
• Gustav Grunewald:  Grunewald was the drawing master at Moravian College in 1836 and also painted two murals in Main Hall, which is still used as a dorm by Moravian College today.
• James Hamilton
• John Lewis Kimmel
• Reuben O. Luckenbach:  Luckenbach was born in Bethlehem in 1818, studied under Grunewald at Moravian College, and was an active member of the Moravian Church in Bethlehem.
• John Heyl Raser
• E.W. Stirk
• Cullen Yates

All of the artwork is beautiful and it is even more special since many of the pieces focus on historic Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley, so I urge you to go and check it out!

Here is everything you need to know:

• Payne Gallery is located on Moravian College's south campus.
• The gallery is open Tuesday-Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
• "Around the Riverbend" will be on display from Sept. 22-Oct.30.
• Admission and parking are free.

MCTC Performs "Tooth and Claw"

This past Friday, September 30th, the Moravian College Theatre Company (MCTC) kicked off its Friday Night Play Reading Series with "Tooth and Claw."

As I said in my last post, the play is about a researcher, Dr. Schuyler Baines (played by junior Gianna Miranda), who, along with her research team, is trying to preserve the giant tortoise population in the Galapagos.  However, to preserve the giant tortoises, the fishing season is cut short, upsetting the local fishermen.  In addition, Dr. Baines is also dealing with the recent passing of her mother and struggling with whether she should have had a family of her own.

This was a staged reading, meaning there were no sets, costumes, or props.  Stage directions were read out loud to give the audience a sense of what a fully-staged production would be like.  The actors did move around on stage and read from the script.

The subject matter was interesting.  The conflict between the researchers and the fishermen showed the class differences between rich and poor.  The researchers  not having to worry about money and being able to focus on saving the giant tortoises and the fishermen needing to fish to make money and survive. This is also why the reading fit with Moravian's IN-FOCUS theme of poverty and inequality.

Another interesting part of the plat was the connection made to evolution.  One of the characters, Malcolm, simplifies evolution to Dr. Baines by relating it to the Dr. Seuss book "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish."  As someone who doesn't consider herself to be very scientific, I appreciated the simple explanation of Charles Darwin's complicated theory.

Overall, the reading of "Tooth and Claw" was good.  There was a fairly good turnout and during the talk-back after the reading, the audience members who shared their thoughts seemed to enjoy it.  The cast only rehearsed for one week and "Tooth and Claw" was especially challenging since many of the characters have accents but it was a good start to what is sure to be another wonderful season of MCTC.

There are several more readings schedule for this semester.  If you're interested, here's more info:

• "Good People" by David Lindsay-Abaire

Directed by Bill Bauman

Friday, October 14

• "All in the Timing" by David Ives

Directed by Dan Marrero '13 

Friday, October 28 

•  "Disco Pigs" by Enda Walsh

Directed by Gina Ambrosino '12

Friday, March 23 

All readings are at 8 p.m. in the Arena Theatre and admission is free.