Goshen College one-act ‘Street Scenes’ to combine theater and opera Feb. 1-3

 

Event: “Street Scenes,” a collection of one acts and opera scenes
Date and time: Feb. 1 and 2 at 8 p.m.; Feb. 3 at 3 p.m.
Location: Umble Center
Cost: $3, tickets available at the door

GOSHEN, Ind. – For the first time the Goshen College one acts will be a combination of what have been in the past separate events, one-act plays and opera scenes. Titled “Street Scenes,” because all of the pieces take place outdoors in some sort of a street scene, this production will be in Umble Center on Feb. 1 and 2 at 8 p.m., and on Feb. 3 at 3 p.m.

The college’s Music and Theater Departments have combined resources in the past for full operas, but this is the first time they have combined their work for an evening of scenes. “Since we often share students and space we decided to experiment this semester with combining the events into one evening of dynamic theater,” said producer and Professor of Communication and Theater Doug Liechty Caskey.

 

The five featured “Street Scenes” are:

 

·    “The Big Black Box” by Cleve Haubold will be directed by sophomore Angie Noah (Bay City, Mich.). The cast includes junior Allison Landis (Mason, Mich.) and first-year Kate Friesen (Freeman, S.D.). In this seemingly simple and silly little story lies a truth that resonates just as strongly today. Journey with a youthful and curious hero as he finds himself face-to-face with his first Big Black Box and discovers the inevitable truth waiting for him inside.

 

·    An excerpt from “Street Scene,” which has music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Langston Hughes, will be directed by senior Adrienne Nesbitt (Goshen). The cast includes senior Fjaere Harder (Mountain Lake, Minn.), first-year Martin Brubaker (Goshen), junior Dara Joy Jaworowicz (Kentwood, Mich.), first-year Reuben Sancken (Tolono, Ill.), sophomore Amy Hansen (Centreville, Mich.), junior Andrew Landis (Goshen), sophomore Andy Brubaker (Goshen), junior Brent Lehman (Elkhart, Ind.), first-year Adriel Santiago (Souderton, Pa.), senior Mike Honderich (Goshen), sophomore Jenni Miller (Goshen), sophomore Karla Santiago (Lancaster, Pa.), senior Karen Graber (Hurley, S.D.), first-year Allison Yoder (Middlebury, Ind.), sophomore Chelsea Kaufman (Racine, Wis.), sophomore Sae Jin Lee (Goshen) and first-year Andrea Kraybill (Elkhart, Ind.). Although this piece was written in the early 1900s, the issues are still very relevant. Race tensions, poverty, violence and infidelity fill the streets of this New York city block. Yet, these people’s lives are not without happiness, fun or love.

 

·    “Red Carnations” by Glenn Hughes will be directed by junior Grace Eidmann (Antioch, Ill.). The cast includes first-year Lauren Derstine (Blooming Glen, Pa.), first-year Greta Breckbill (Stoughton, Wis.) and senior Nate Burmester (Burnsville, Minn.). This one act depicts stereotypical gender roles in the dating process of the past.

 

·    “Token to the Moon” by Brian Christopher Williams will be directed by sophomore Sarah Noah (Bay City, Mich.). The cast includes first-year Lucas Nafziger (Goshen) and first-year Meg Kennell (Roanoke, Ill.). Everyone daydreams of a better life, of scoring the final goal in the big game and even of traveling to the moon. This one act explores whether one can daydream too often, if there can be negative consequences and what happens if one lives out an entire life in daydreams.

 

·    An excerpt from “Lady in the Dark,” which has music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Ira Gershwin, will be directed by Associate Professor of Music Scott Williamson. The cast includes senior Emily Swora (Shoreview, Minn.), sophomore Kelly Miller (Harrisonburg, Va.), sophomore Andy Brubaker (Goshen), first-year Martin Brubaker (Goshen), first-year Adriel Santiago (Souderton, Pa.), first-year Reuben Sancken (Tolono, Ill.), senior Fjaere Harder (Mountain Lake, Minn.), sophomore Jenni Miller (Goshen), sophomore Chelsea Kaufman (Racine, Wis.), sophomore Sae Jin Lee (Goshen), first-year Andrea Kraybill (Elkhart, Ind.), sophomore Karla Santiago (Lancaster, Pa.), junior Brent Lehman (Elkhart, Ind.), and first-year Allison Yoder (Middlebury, Ind.). This will be a re-imagined surreal musical dream – ahead of its time in 1941 – with contemporary imagery.

 

The combined running time for the performance as a whole is about one and a half hours, with an intermission. Tickets cost $3 each and can only be purchased at the door. The plays are suitable for all ages, though the humor will entertain adolescents and older; more information is available at the college’s Welcome Center by calling (574) 535-7566.

 

Upcoming GC theater productions:

 

March 28, April 4-5, 8 p.m.; March 29, 30 & April 6, 3 p.m.; Umble Center

Spring Mainstage: Absolutely! {perhaps} by Luigi Pirandello

Professor of Communication and Theater Doug Liechty Caskey directs this 2003 translation by Martin Sherman. Set in a small town where gossip is an everyday practice, the locals attempt to understand the peculiarities of the mysterious new residents in this dark comedy of truth, reality and insanity.

Cost: $8, $5

 

May 18-20, 7:30 p.m.; Umble Center

May Term Musical: Quilters

In this culmination of the May Term Musical Theater class, the GC Music and Theater Departments collaborate through the direction of Professor of Communication and Theater Doug Liechty Caskey and Professor of Music Debra Brubaker to bring you the stories, dances and songs of pioneer women that lead to the creation of their quilts.

Cost: $12, $8

 

Umble Center is accessible to wheelchairs and people with other physical limitations.

 

Editors: Photographers can take play preview photos on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. during rehearsal. Call Doug Liechty Caskey to confirm at (574) 535-7393. For more information about this release or to arrange an interview, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

 

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.