theater
January 23, 2013
Senior show explores ‘Embracing Reality’
A new semester of theater productions begins with an ending as Billy Funk wraps up his work in the theater department with his senior recital, Billy Funk’s Triple Showdown with Reality, this Friday at 8 p.m. in the Umble Center. Funk’s recital is comprised of three one acts: Interface by Mic Weinblatt, directed by Sammy Rosario, a senior; Eukiah by Lanford Wilson; and Degas, C’est Moi by David Ives, both directed by Phil Weaver-Stoesz (’12). Each script is unique, said Funk, but the three are held together by the main characters’ struggle with “embracing reality,” a theme that carries personal significance...
January 17, 2013
The difficult role of critic: GC student receives runner-up at regional festival
While the Irene-Ryan acting competition often carries the most hype at the annual American College Theater Festival (ACTF), behind the scenes a wide array of other events are taking place. This year, Nate Vader, a senior, is helping draw attention to one of those events by earning the title of “runner-up” in the Institute for Theater Journalism and Advocacy (ITJA) competition. Vader had always been interested in attending ACTF, so when theater department chair Doug Liechty Caskey informed him about ITJA, he decided that was the excuse he had been waiting for. As an English writing major and theater minor,...
January 17, 2013
Goshen actors receive big honors
Goshen College actors made school history not once, but twice at the annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (ACTF) held at Saginaw Valley State University, Michigan, from January 8-13. The first round of success happened early in the week when two pairs advanced to the semifinal round of the Irene-Ryan acting competition: Justin Yoder, a senior, and scene partner Phil Weaver-Stoesz (’11) along with Jay Mast (’12), and scene partner, Vanessa Jones, a senior. Yoder and Mast were both nominated to participate in the competition from their performances in the 2012 spring mainstage, Twelfth Night. From there, Mast and...
November 8, 2012
‘Urinetown’ set focuses on environmentalism
Maryn Munley, a senior theater and environmental science major, combined her two disciplines to create an environmentally conscious set for the main stage musical, Urinetown. The play is Munley’s senior show. “Doug [Caskey, professor of theater] and I had talked about a set design that could be made out of recycled materials that is environmentally conscious. This was something we discussed beginning my freshman year during May term. It’s really an amalgamation of my two disciplines,” Munley said. After reading the script, Munley thought Urinetown would be the perfect play for creating a set made of recycled and used materials....
November 8, 2012
‘Urinetown’ to bring potty humor with a deeper message
This weekend, Goshen College will be presenting a stage production of Urinetown: The Musical. Urinetown is a satirical comedy set amidst a 20-year drought that has made private bathrooms impossible and pay-per-use toilets mandatory. Anyone who breaks the law by engaging in bathroom activities outside of these restrooms is sent to a penal colony called Urinetown—which is where the play is set. Doug Caskey, a professor of theater and the director of Urinetown, acknowledged that the title and subject matter might be too crass for some audience members. “In a way, though, that's OK with us,” Caskey said. “There will...
November 1, 2012
Spooky campus folklore: Alice, the friendly ghost
There is a light in the Umble Center that never goes out. And it’s there to keep the ghosts away. The haunter in residence is Alice, a friendly ghost who is rumored to have been heard tiptoeing around when students are alone in the theater. She is named after Alice Umble, the wife of John S. Umble, the building’s namesake. Their picture is kept in the box office. Her son, Roy, was the first theater professor to use Umble Center after it was built. Melanie Hertzler, a sophomore, once thought she heard Alice when she was studying around suppertime and...
November 1, 2012
Parables creates sacred spaces through stories, music and acting
This year, Parables is creating sacred spaces. With the help of Deb Brubaker, professor of music, and Gwen Gustafson-Zook, minister of worship, the Parables worship team developed the theme “Wherever You Are: Creating Sacred Space” for the 2012-2013 season. The group is comprised of Stefan Baumgartner, Rhianna Cockrell, Micah Detweiler, Hillary Harder, Gloria Showalter, Jake Smucker and Seth Yoder, all sophomores; and Ruth Weins, a senior. The theme “was developed out of our song choices,” said Yoder. “The theme explores the journeys we take through life, meeting other people where they are in their journey and making a sacred space...
October 4, 2012
‘Mr. Maurizio’ Peace Play to premiere this weekend
The Goshen College theater department will perform the play “Mr. Maurizio,” written by Mic Weinblatt, the winning play in the 2012 Goshen College Peace Play Contest. The play will run throughout Homecoming weekend with performances on Oct. 5 at 8 p.m., Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. and Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $3. “Mr. Maurizio” focuses on the relationship between two immigrants, an older male Italian immigrant and a younger female El Salvadoran immigrant named Santina. Caskey explained that the theme of peace might not be immediately obvious to observers, as “some of...
March 21, 2012
Twelfth Night premieres Friday
This Friday, the GC Players will premiere its production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night with a bit of a time-warping twist. While maintaining all the classic themes of Shakespeare’s text, director Doug Liechty Caskey has shifted the setting to 1960s America, in a small coastal city. Actors don suits and ties, the set features a “living room” complete with poofy, upholstered couches, and selections from artists like Peter, Paul and Mary and Pete Seeger flow in and out of scenes. Emily Bowman, a senior, who plays Viola in the show, is excited about the new twist. “Setting the play in the...
February 9, 2012
Ted & Co. Brings Laughter to Campus
Special guest Ted Swartz from Ted & Company Theaterworks brought mid-week humor to campus in a special chapel Wednesday. Swartz performed an excerpt from a monologue he wrote and also shared a few stories from his upcoming book. Swartz, who addresses topics of faith and social justice, translated biblical text into dramatic storytelling. He captured the audience’s attention through comedy and careful use of vivid detail. Arielle Zerger, a sophomore, who heard Swartz for the first time yesterday, found that his performance “gives meaning and interpretation to biblical stories.” Swartz has done plenty of shows in the area, but said...
February 9, 2012
The Big (and Ted) Q&A
Interview conducted in summer 2011. Swartz is an actor who has been writing and performing live shows for over 20 years. The shows often mix faith and Bible stories with humor. Swartz lives in Virginia with his wife Sue and has three grown sons. Swartz takes the time for a conversation about theater, faith, and life. Q: How did you get into Christian comedy and theater: A: It’s been a big piece of my life for a long time. I was always trying to figure out what was funny about something. When I was in seminary a light bulb went...
February 2, 2012
Goshen campus to welcome Ted & Co.
In a joint community effort to benefit local need, Ted & Co. will bring theater and theology to Goshen from Feb. 8-10. For the past 30 years, Swartz has entertained audiences across the U.S. and internationally with creative storytelling that sheds a new light on biblical stories and social justice issues. His performances have ranged from one-man shows to full score musicals, but within each of his shows Swartz aims to find an intersection between theater and theology, between humor and biblical stories. This is what he calls “comedic exogenesis.” Next week, Goshen will experience the range of abilities in...
February 2, 2012
Winter One Acts hit stage this weekend
This weekend the Winter One Acts will be featured at the Umble Center. The two one act plays performed will be "Haiku" by Katherine Snodgrass and "La Serva Padrona" by G.V. Pergolesi. La Serva Padrona means “The Servant Turned Mistress." It will be performed as a short comic opera for Aaron Kauffman's senior recital. The cast includes Aaron Kauffman, Brook Hostetter and Phil Weaver-Stoesz. The show will be accompanied by a group of strings featuring Elspeth Stalter, Laura Krabill, Philip Bontrager, Hannah Bartel and Ben Breckbill. This short opera is the story of a maid who schemes to marry her...
January 19, 2012
Lehman’s whole “New World”
When senior Matt Lehman began his theater internship last fall, he had high hopes. Taking a break from working with the Goshen College theater department this semester, Lehman frequently commutes a few blocks from campus to New World Arts in downtown Goshen. Lehman has spent the last few months fulfilling the 120-hour internship requirement that is required to graduate with a theater major. Thus far, joining the crew at New World Arts, a community theater company, has proved to be a valuable experience. Although New World is local, Lehman’s time there has opened his eyes to an entirely different way...
January 12, 2012
Theater students participate in regional competitions
While the rest of campus began their spring semester with classes, 15 Goshen College students traveled to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to participate in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). A member of region III, Goshen College joined with participating schools from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin for five days of workshops, competitions and productions. Phil Weaver-Stoesz, Jay Mast, Vanessa Jones and Lewis Caskey were nominated to compete in the Irene Ryan Scholarship Auditions due to their performances in “A View From the Bridge” (Weaver-Stoesz and Mast) and last spring’s “Translations” (Jones and Caskey). In the...