The Emmanuel College Performing Arts Department has been around since the beginning of time… Okay, maybe not the beginning of time, but definitely for a substantial part of the college’s history. However, the program has been a little under-loved. The entire cast and crew of every production work incredibly hard to put together successful shows. As a member of the program for the past nine productions, I think I speak for everyone in the department when I say we would love to see even larger turn-outs at each show. Here are 10 reasons why you should come to the next one…
1. It’s free with your Emmanuel ID. Reserve a seat at our table in the JYC (available one week before the opening night) then bring your ID with you on the night of the show to receive free admission.
2. Stressed about school or work? We can take you to another world, another time, another place… Watching live theater is such an escape. It allows you to forget about where you are and transports you to a whole other dimension. Sit back and enjoy the ride!
3. The sets are really awesome. A major factor of being able to lose yourself in a show is the realism of the sets. We build everything by hand, from doors to window seats to benches. Building our own sets may be a long process, but it definitely pays off in the end. Below is the cottage/garden set from our recent production of the Irish drama Dancing at Lughnasa.
4. Our sound designer is the bomb. As a first year student, our sound designer, Lindsay Kenney, has already been invited to present at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for excellence in sound design for the game show-themed drama, All Out. During the show, she was able to convince the audience to laugh, boo, and clap with the use of an audience track. It definitely transformed the show.
5. Our technical director really lights the way. Good lighting is essential on stage and every light has to be individually focused and adjusted to reach all parts of the space. Our student technical director, Christian Kelly, does an awesome job of keep us lit during every scene. He has also received recognition from the American College Theater Festival. Major kudos to Christian!
6. Our costume designers put together super cool, often hand-made costumes. Our student design team of Christina Listro and Kelsey Miranda put so much work into researching the fashion of whatever time period or location the show is set in to make sure everyone looks just right. They even hand-make a lot of the costumes, such as these gold custom-fit gowns for the hostesses of All Out.
7. The students who do our hair and makeup are seriously talented. Our makeup designer, Elizabeth Keith, may not be a professional, but she very well could be. We recently did an adaptation of the classic horror film, Night of the Living Dead, and the zombie makeup was truly terrifying—in the best way possible, of course!
8. Who doesn’t love a good musical? Once a year, we put on a ‘Main Stage Musical’. Last year, we performed Sweet Charity, which features classic songs like “Big Spender”, “If My Friend’s Could See Me Now”, and “The Rhythm of Life”.
9. Musicals aren’t your thing? We do straight plays, too. In the fall of 2013, we premiered an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s drama An Enemy of the People. This play follows the main character, Dr. Stockmann, in his fight to have the public baths in his town shut down because of possible contamination. None of the town’s folk support him and he quickly becomes Public Enemy #1.
10. We love what we do and try our hardest to make sure you do, too. This department is honestly one of the friendliest, most welcoming groups of people I’ve ever been involved with. Our sole desire is to put on a good show that people will want to see. So please, come check us out and we promise we won’t let you down!
Convinced? Well, you’re in luck! The Emmanuel College Performing Arts Department is putting on the ’80s cult classic musical Xanadu this month. Performances are Thursday April 23rd, Friday the 24th, Saturday the 25th, and Sunday the 26th at 8pm, with additional matinees on April 25th and 26th at 2pm. You can reserve your tickets starting on Wednesday, April 15th in the JYC. Remember, they are free with your Emmanuel ID! Check out the Facebook event for more information. Hope to see you there!