黑料正能量 Theatre brings Shakespeare鈥檚 heartwarming tale of mystery and magic to life in an original musical, featuring hit songs from the 鈥�80s and 鈥�90s and dynamic choreographed dance numbers. 鈥淭he Winter鈥檚 Tale: A Musical Adaptation鈥� comes to the Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, with nightly shows at 7:30 p.m. from April 9-12.

Tickets for the show are on sale at and will be available at the door, though seating inside the theater is limited and tickets have been known to sell out quickly. Tickets range from $6 for 黑料正能量 and JMU students, $10 for children and other students, $18 for seniors (65+), and $20 for adults.

鈥淭he Winter鈥檚 Tale鈥� follows two kingdoms torn apart by jealousy, a lost queen, and the love that may bring them back together. When Leontes, the tyrannical king of Sicilia (Elie Hoover), suspects his wife Hermione (Jubilee Soper) of unfaithfulness with Polixenes, king of Bohemia (Samuel Castaneda), he becomes so enraged that he orders her jailed and their infant daughter abandoned.

Sixteen years later, as the seasons shift from winter to spring, the story moves to Bohemia, where Leontes鈥� daughter, Perdita (Emilee White), is now grown and has captured the heart of Florizel (Kayden Beidler), the brash and dramatic son of Polixenes. Will their love be enough to reunite the two kingdoms?

Perhaps best known for the stage direction, 鈥淓xit, pursued by a bear,鈥� this sweet and complex romance is written in Shakespeare鈥檚 signature iambic pentameter. But this adaptation adds a 鈥渘ice little twist,鈥� said guest director Haley Davis: a mix of 1980s and 鈥�90s chart-toppers, personally selected by 黑料正能量鈥檚 talented student cast, woven throughout the play. It鈥檚 sure to have the whole audience singing along.

Frequent 黑料正能量 Theatre collaborator Jim Clemens returns as music director, performing iconic rock ballads and pop rock songs on piano, while student Bryan Joya-Estrada, who also portrays the Shepherd, plays various instruments.

The costumes, designed by Rebecca Bailey, blend early modern and Renaissance elements with an 鈥�80s and 鈥�90s punk rock aesthetic, Davis said.

Rounding out the crew are Shannon Dove as technical director, Sierra Priest as choreographer, and Sarah Peak as stage manager.

The play will be performed in the round, with audience members seated on all sides of the raised stage and in the upper balcony.

鈥淚t鈥檚 more fun when you have the audience right there at your toes,鈥� said Davis, an administrative-professional faculty member of James Madison University鈥檚 School of Theatre and Dance. 鈥淵ou can look up at the heavens or down at the earth, and you have people there to share the moment with.鈥�

It was only after the audition process that it became clear to the production team which play to perform. 鈥淚n a special way, this play was chosen based on the people rather than the other way around,鈥� she said. “I found that this approach, coupled with the students musically adapting the play, gave the team unique agency in the story they wanted to tell.”

Beidler, who plays the roles of Florizel and Antigonus, said they love how collaborative the show has felt. 鈥淚t was so fun helping pick the music, and it really feels like we鈥檝e made this show ours,鈥� they said.

Hoover, who portrays Leontes and Autolycus, said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun getting to play characters who are both so different from each other and from me.鈥�

One of the play鈥檚 most striking moments is when it travels over 16 years, transporting the characters from Sicilia to Bohemia, from a harsh winter to a forgiving spring. The shift has also felt meaningful for the students, who began rehearsals in winter and are gradually emerging into spring themselves.

鈥淚 want audiences to walk away with a sense of hope,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淭hings can look bleak and cold and scary, but there鈥檚 something better around the corner if we hold on and let time do what it needs to do.鈥�

Cast
Leontes/Autolycus 鈥� Elie Hoover
Hermione 鈥� Jubilee Soper
Mamillius/Perdita 鈥� Emilee White
Camillo 鈥� Erin Batten
Polixenes 鈥� Samuel Casteneda
Paulina 鈥� Elena Middlebrook
Florizel/Antigonus 鈥� Kayden Beidler
Shepherd/Officer 鈥� Bryan Joya-Estrada
Lord/Messenger 鈥� Kyah Young

Crew
Director 鈥� Haley Davis
Music Director 鈥� Jim Clemens
Technical Director 鈥� Shannon Dove
Costumer 鈥� Rebecca Bailey
Choreographer 鈥� Sierra Priest
Stage Manager 鈥� Sarah Peak

“The Feminine Divine: Embrace and Release鈥� is a participatory dance workshop facilitated by Akiko Ishihara and framed by graphic posters designed by Chelsea Kight. It will be held Wednesday, April 11, 7-9 p.m., in the .

Ishihara is a graduate student in and Kight is an undergraduate in the .

A staged reading centering on the body and souls of people in a country torn by a dictator will be held at 黑料正能量’s on Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14, at 7 p.m.

“Death and The Maiden” by Ariel Dorfman will be directed by the theater department’s artist-in-residence and CJP graduate, Roger Foster.

“The three-person cast of , Nathaniel Daniel and , will put a very human face on issues of national trauma, reconciliation and transitional justice,” said Foster.

, chair of , added, 鈥淭his play uses language and situations that are shocking and painful. This is appropriate for the story but may not be suitable for all audiences.”

, art galleries director and professor of the and said, “Traditional art programs are becoming more focused on working in community, and the world increasingly sees the arts as unique tools for healing and community building.”

“The Feminine Divine” is a new chapter in 黑料正能量鈥檚 peacebuilding artist-in-residence experiment, which consists of a year-long progression of gallery exhibits across disciplines and among artists, according to Moore.

鈥淭he arts offer peacebuilders unique tools for transforming intractable interpersonal, intercommunal, national and global conflicts 鈥� tools that are not currently prevalent or available within the peacebuilding field,鈥� said , PhD, research professor and founding director of .

鈥淭he task for peacebuilding practitioners is to find strategic ways of incorporating the arts into the work of peacebuilding and to create a space where people in conflict can express themselves, heal themselves and reconcile themselves through the arts.鈥�

For more information on the dance workshop or the 黑料正能量 art galleries contact Paulette Moore at paulette.moore@emu.edu or 703-597-7766.

For more information on the staged reading, contact the theater department at 540-432-4360 or email theater@emu.edu.

Somewhere in the middle of talking about her stage four terminal cancer and an upcoming play documenting her life, Sarah Pharis, 32, begins striking her 鈥淜atherine Hepburn face.鈥�

Sitting beside her on a deep purple velour couch at her Harrisonburg home, Ingrid De Sanctis, 46, launches into details of writing the play, called 鈥�,鈥� a funny and sometimes heartbreaking look at her former theater assistant鈥檚 battle with ocular melanoma.

In conversation, the duo 鈥� who met in the late 鈥�90s at 黑料正能量 鈥� are a constant flurry of eccentricities and excitement.

Chatting about hopes for the play and making jokes, their dialogue often builds into hearty laughter and, only briefly, the two share moments of solemnity.

Which is why it鈥檚 hard to believe anybody鈥檚 talking about cancer at all. But as De Sanctis and Pharis are quick to point out, the cancer is just a bizarre, unexpected catalyst in Pharis鈥� life that set the two friends on a journey to rekindle their friendship and create a play about 鈥渃hoosing life.鈥�

鈥淔or me personally to be able to step out of [the play] and go, 鈥極K it鈥檚 my name and it鈥檚 based on my story, but it鈥檚 a story that a lot of people are living;鈥� it changes it for me somehow,鈥� said Pharis, of Staunton, who was told she had six months to live when the eye cancer spread to her liver in 2010.聽 鈥淸The play is] not about me and it鈥檚 not really even about cancer it鈥檚 just about鈥� 鈥�

鈥淐hoosing life,鈥� De Sanctis says, finishing the thought.

Yes, Pharis has terminal cancer and yes, that鈥檚 the basis of the play, but 鈥淪arah and the Dinosaur鈥� is really a larger metaphor for something that Pharis seems to demonstrate so well in her own life 鈥� overcoming hardships and living life to the fullest.

Coping Mechanism

Up until last week, the play was nothing more than a script filling about 50 pages, but and in Staunton have recently agreed to host the play, funded entirely by donations, this spring.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important for our community to hear this story about this very courageous woman,鈥� said Diane Stewart, vice chair of the ShenanArts Theatre board of directors. 鈥淚 think [the board] just felt like she鈥檚 a strong and important person in our community, it鈥檚 important that her story be told.鈥�

The play, De Sanctis says, is her own way of coping with Pharis鈥� illness.

鈥淲hen you watch a young person get cancer and know that their years are limited, you do want to do something and for me the only something was [writing this play],鈥� said De Sanctis, just before drawing a parallel between a Mitch Albom book and her and Sarah鈥檚 own loving friendship. 鈥淵ou know the book 鈥楾uesdays with Morrie鈥�?聽 鈥� Here we have our some days with Sarah, where we鈥檙e going to put on a play and I get all this extra time with her. It鈥檚 pretty cool.鈥�

Sarah鈥檚 Story

In the drawing Sarah made for the play鈥檚 website, she is wearing a crown as she shakes the hand of a giant dinosaur, naturally, wearing Converse high tops.

The drawing echoes Pharis鈥� own sentiments about her cancer. You just can鈥檛 take it too seriously.

Pharis was first diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 2006 at the age of 26. Though symptoms had been present for four years, doctors were unable to diagnose the melanoma until a tumor grew to 15 millimeters. Pharis had the tumor removed, which can blur vision or leave victims blind.

鈥淚n my case, if I look at you through my right eye, it looks as though Picasso was left in charge of your face,鈥� writes Pharis on her blog, 鈥�,鈥� which originally began as a way to update friends and family members about her cancer and evolved into a resource for people with ocular melanoma.

Living Life 鈥楢wake鈥�

The cancer spread to her liver in February 2010, which is when the melanoma is considered terminal. Almost two years after being told she had six months to live, Pharis is still proving doctors wrong. Pharis has had tumors removed from her liver and left ovary, which is the only way to treat the kind of cancer Pharis has.

鈥淲ith any hidden illness, I don鈥檛 look like a cancer patient. The kind of cancer I have, radiation and chemo don鈥檛 work on it,鈥� Pharis says, like she鈥檚 mocking the words she鈥檚 likely had to say a thousand times, tired with the sound of them.

鈥淚, personally, and privately struggle with a lot of depression and a lot of anxiety and a lot of fear and it鈥檚 debilitating and chronic.

鈥淥n the inside, I look like one of those people who are incapable of getting dressed and bathing and being themselves, it鈥檚 a true disability,鈥� she says, just before she drops a line that has De Sanctis smiling ear to ear and scrambling for a pen and paper. 鈥淏ut my vanity is a lot stronger than my cancer.鈥�

And though one may wonder how Pharis can be so whimsical and blunt in the same breath, that鈥檚 just the beauty of Pharis and her uncharacteristically good attitude, says De Sanctis.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard for me not to add to the play,鈥� said De Sanctis. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the hard thing about being around Sarah; she鈥檚 constantly kind of magical.鈥�

A list of 35 things Pharis wants to do before her 35th birthday, reads just as one would expect: 鈥淧articipate in an act of guerilla gardening, take a chocolate bath, see Tom Jones in concert, reconcile with my 鈥榚nemies,鈥� send a message in a bottle, go sailing, live to be 35.鈥�

鈥淸If] you walk out [of the play and] after 90 minutes are more awake to your life, that鈥檚 why I want to tell this story,鈥� said De Sanctis. 鈥淚n a moment where death is right in front of her, [Sarah鈥檚] just chosen to be really awake in her life.鈥�

More information

“,” will be performed March 14-18, at 黑料正能量, and April 26-28 at the ShenanArts Theatre. Show times for the 黑料正能量 performance are 7:30 p.m., March 14-17, and 3 p.m., March 18. For more information contact De Sanctis at 540-560-6626.

In addition, more information on “Sarah and the Dinosaur,” is available on the play’s .

Facilities that comprise “Phase II” of the University Commons building at 黑料正能量 were dedicated in a brief, upbeat ceremony held in the renovated MainStage Theater at the south end of the Commons.

In addition to the 200-seat theater, the new or re-purposed space includes the Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, the Margaret Martin Gehman Art Gallery, the Kenneth A. Longacre, Sr., Advanced Media Lab and the expanded and upgraded Common Grounds Coffeehouse.

“We dedicate a place to remind ourselves that space shapes us,” said Nancy Heisey, 黑料正能量 vice president and undergraduate academic dean. “We dedicate this space to set it apart, to name our intentions for it, to say why it is particular, and why all the care, planning and construction that went into this place were done in a specific way.”

“When we look around this space, we see something different – reused and renewed space, simple space, space for action and vision, space that is like the forms of human expression and creativity that are essential to our full humanity, the expression and creativity that a liberal arts environment is designed to grow, a space where students, faculty and guests will be invited to dig more deeply into the ideas of others, into ourselves, and into our questions and vocations with all the creative gifts God has given us,” Dr. Heisey told the attendees.

The audience joined in a litany led by Andy Dula, chair of the 黑料正能量 board of trustees and Student Government Co-Presidents Michael Spory and Ben Bergey. The litany, written by Jay B. Landis, professor emeritus of English, called on God to bless the facilities with the aim “to fulfill the university mission of preparing its students with academic strength and faithful commitment to Christian discipleship, service and peacemaking.”

The ceremony closed with the singing of No. 118 in the Brethren-Mennonite Hymnal, “Praise God from whom.”

Following the program, 黑料正能量 staff led tours on a rotating basis of the Phase II facilities. Each stop included reflections on how each space will benefit students and the larger community.

Dr. Gehman, 88, professor emerita of art at 黑料正能量, was present for the ceremonies and reflected on the gallery named in her honor.

“It’s good to see this space used for the arts and to meet former students who are now in leadership worldwide,” Gehman said. She noted that the gallery occupies the same space where she taught physical education classes in the old gymnasium many years ago.

The late Lee Eshleman, for whom the “black box” studio theater is named, is a 1986 art graduate of 黑料正能量. He was an acting-writer creative partner with Ted Swartz of Harrisonburg as half of the performing duo Ted & Lee for 20 years.

The new advanced media lab, named in memory of the late businessman Kenneth A. Longacre, Sr., of Franconia, Pa., will allow classes to expand from nine to 15 students in each class. The computer pods are set up to encourage collaborative work and enable the critique process.

Kirk L. Shisler, vice president for advancement, said the completion of the $2.5 million project “couldn’t have happened without the strong financial and prayer support of many alumni and friends of the university in the midst of a struggling economy.

“We now have facilities that are as vital and vibrant as the already excellent programs offered in visual arts and communication and theater,” Shisler said. “This is a quantum leap forward for students and the larger community.”

On Saturday, Mar. 26, 2011, facilities that comprise “Phase II” of the $2.5 million University Commons project will be dedicated in ceremonies starting at 1 p.m. in the renovated Mainstage Theater on ground floor of the Commons.

The brief ceremonies will include comments from 黑料正能量 President Loren Swartzendruber, remarks by undergraduate academic dean Nancy Heisey and a litany written by Jay B. Landis, professor emeritus of English.

SGA co-presidents, Benjamin Bergey and Michael Spory, and 黑料正能量 Board Chair, Andy Dula, will participate in the litany.

Following the program, persons will have opportunity to view the Phase II facilities:

• Mainstage Theater
• Lee Eshleman Studio Theater
• Kenneth A. Longacre, Sr. Advanced Media Lab
• enlarged Common Grounds Coffeehouse
• Margaret Martin Gehman Art Gallery

黑料正能量 personnel will lead tours on a rotating basis between 1:45 and 3:30 p.m. Each presentation will last around 15 minutes.

The new or upgraded facilities will serve students and the larger community in significant ways:

• The renovated Main Stage Theater seats 200, nearly 10 percent more than the previous space. Renovations immediately apparent include a more gracious entry, new seating and curtains and better audience lighting and aisle lights. With all that, the intimacy and semi-thrust form of the previous configuration has been retained. New technology includes new stage lighting and sound reinforcement equipment, a high-intensity LCD projector and automated rigging systems for accessing the over-stage equipment. The best part: completely new dressing rooms, adjacent to the stage house, including shower and changing rooms for men and women, 12 makeup stations, laundry facilities, and a “green room” lounge area.
• The relocated Studio Theater, named for the late Lee Eshleman, a 1986 黑料正能量 art graduate, provides the theater community with a flexible space for producing plays in an infinitely variable setting. Called a “black box” because of its neutral color and shape, it is capable of becoming any form of stage with the addition of portable seating risers and stage scenery. Included in the new space are a permanent balcony ready for actors, crew, or even audience members, new stage lights and lighting control system, and an all-over automated lighting grid for ease of access and maximum flexibility. Of particular advantage is the new location’s close access to Common Grounds for intermission or after-show refreshments and conversation.
• The new Margaret Martin Gehman art gallery will provide a beautifully designed and illuminated space for 黑料正能量 students and guest artists to exhibit their work. The 31′ by 21′ gallery is a tribute to the energy andpassion of Dr. Margaret Martin Gehman, professor emeriti of art, who taught and inspired decades of art students at 黑料正能量.
• The new advanced media Lab, named in memory of the late Kenneth A. Longacre, Sr., will allow classes to expand from nine to 15 students in each class. The computer pods are set up to encourage collaborative work and enable the critique process. The projection system – the old lab didn’t have one – offers high-definition projection for video and near color-accurate images for photography. The open space allows camera and lighting demos to be carried out within the lab along with tables to do alternative processes. Proximity to faculty offices encourages increased student faculty interaction and feedback.
• The Phase II renovation gives Common Grounds Coffeehouse an overall seating area increase, allowing students to have more space to study, meet and socialize. The most noticeable change is a sound/light booth and a stage for performances and events. The stage is made from maple floor removed from the old gymnasium. For the first time, Common Grounds has a window to the outside world, bringing in natural light from the south. Other aesthetic improvements include: exposing the original brick walls, polishing the original concrete, painting the ceiling and updating the light fixtures. Not to be overlooked is the first real climate-control system, giving the space both air conditioning and heat. The student manager’s office was moved to join the space, giving the whole student staff much more opportunity to collaborate and interact on the job.

A presentation of the spring 黑料正能量 Theater production, “The Bus Stop” by Gao Xingjian, will take place 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Main Stage Theater.

Activities will conclude with a concert of original acoustic music from Denay and Friends at 9 p.m. in the Common Grounds Coffeehouse.

“The dedication of the Commons Phase II renovation project marks the fulfillment of the hopes and dreams of many people,” says Kirk L. Shisler, vice president for advancement.

“It is gratifying to see the completion of this project after years of planning and then, more recently, a breakthrough of several large contributions that fueled it to fruition. A strong sense of collaboration among faculty, physical plant and administration also enhanced the project,” Shisler added.

For more information on the day’s events, contact Laura Daily in the advancement division office at laura.daily@emu.edu; phone: 540-432-4203.

“Fashion,” an American farce written when this country was still young, was a hit when it debuted in 1845 and remains as broadly poignant today.

The play, by Anna Cora Mowatt, will be presented 7 p.m. Feb. 18, 19, 26 and 26 in the new Lee Eshleman Studio Theater in the University Commons at 黑料正能量.

黑料正能量 junior Brandon Habron directs the 11-member cast: Laura Glick (Zeke), Lancaster Pa.; Heidi Long (Millinette), Lancaster; Elizabeth Gannaway (Mrs. Tiffany), Chesapeake, Va.; Julia J. King (Prudence), Alexandria, Va.; Hannah Miller (Seraphina), Belleville, Pa.; Joel Rittenhouse (Count Joliemaitre), Green Lane, Pa.; Sam Kauffman (Adam Trueman), Surrey, Md.; Christian Parks (Snobson), Philadelphia, Pa; Joseph Arbaugh (Mr. Tiffany) Staunton, Va.; Michael Bodner (Colonel Howard), Millersville, Pa; and Hannah Wenger (Gertrude), Bellefontaine, Ohio.

Performances will run approximately two hours with a 15-minute intermission.

General admission is $5 at the door. Advance tickets are available through the 黑料正能量 theater office at 540-432-4360 or by emailing theater@emu.edu

A small gallery at the theater entrance will showcase some of Lee鈥檚 art work and photos of him on stage.

Lee was the last student to graduate with a degree from 黑料正能量鈥檚 art program in 1986. After graduating, he worked in the school print shop and as a graphic designer for 黑料正能量.

Former 黑料正能量 art professor Jerry Lapp, MFA, recalls discussing the 鈥渒nowing line鈥� concept with Lee.

鈥淎 鈥榢nowing line鈥� was what Lee was good at,鈥� Jerry recalls. 鈥淗e captured particulars and peculiarities in animals, humans or objects rendered, that caused one to stop and gaze, ponder, chuckle. The 鈥榢nowing line鈥� Lee rendered created a two-dimensional reality which we, as viewer, could so easily imagine into our own realities, outer or inner.鈥�

鈥淟ee got at the invisible realities which are a part of our existence and brought them forth. Suddenly, we would be sitting as part of the audience, exposed to our self-thinking, having to admit to our silliness, smallness or, largess.鈥�

Lee also began his stage career at 黑料正能量.

鈥淟ee wasn鈥檛 afraid to take his fear and pain on stage with him,鈥� says Barbra Graber, MFA, former 黑料正能量 theater professor and department chair. 鈥淏ut he also wasn鈥檛 afraid to let that Divine Comedian morph the pain into something else, something magnificent, poignant, deeply truthful, and so very funny.鈥�

Graber worked with Lee as a theater student, later as an 黑料正能量 graphic designer (he produced all the theater posters and programs) and as an actor in Theater AKIMBO from 1991-1998. Theater AKIMBO was founded by Graber and Ted Swartz as a community-based professional theater company under the auspices of 黑料正能量鈥檚 theater program.

Ted & Lee TheaterWorks

In the fall of 1987, after graduating from 黑料正能量 and working on campus as a designer and printer, Lee teamed up with Ted Swartz, Eastern Mennonite Seminary graduate, for a humorous sketch at a church camp. That chance teaming became the springboard for a 20-year partnership 鈥� Ted & Lee TheaterWorks .

Lee鈥檚 humor, wit and passionate faith were shared with thousands through the work of Ted and Lee, while he continued his journey as an artist, sharing creative inspirational drawings with friends, the church and for the business. Lee captivated audiences with his hilarious renditions of everyone from the Archangel Gabriel to Julia Child.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to say how much Lee meant to me,鈥� reflected Swartz in November 2009. “He was my comedic and theatrical soul mate as well as a great friend. We grew as artists together and Lee taught me much about humor, about word choice, about clarity of objective. But he also made me laugh more than anyone before or since. It was a great gift, not a flippant or incidental thing, the ability to make another laugh, but rather an ultimate gift. He was also not shy about tackling and wrestling to the ground his own pain and struggle giving his work depth and color.鈥�

鈥淭he on- and off-stage chemistry between Ted and Lee was remarkable,鈥� remembers friend and long-time colleague Jim Bishop , 黑料正能量 public information officer. 鈥淓ven more, their material was fresh, imaginative, often slightly askew. They pushed the envelope, but never resorted to denigrating people or employing off-color humor.”

黑料正能量 , and other major renovations to the University Commons, during a March 26, 2011 event.

Soon they will benefit from new state-of-the-art digital media lab space, classrooms and galleries, thanks to a recently funded renovation to 黑料正能量’s University Commons.

Associate professor Steven D. Johnson interacts with students in a digital media lab during class at 黑料正能量. 黑料正能量’s visual and communication arts major is one of the most popular programs offered. Students will soon benefit from updated state-of- the-art labs, part of a recently funded renovation of University Commons at 黑料正能量. Photo by Matt Gillis

黑料正能量’s board of trustees, alumni and friends have "stepped up" to provide $2.41 million in cash and pledges for Phase II of the University Commons, reports Kirk Shisler, vice president for advancement.

"It’s an amazing show of support in these uncertain economic times," he says.

Renovation highlights

The overall project includes renovation of the former gymnasium, built in 1957, into two upgraded theater performance spaces and classrooms. This includes a new Mainstage Theater as well as the Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, named in honor of the late artist and actor who was a 1986 graduate.

The popular student coffee house, Common Grounds, will also be expanded in the renovation.

More than 40 students were involved in the spring 2010 mainstage theater production of IOLANTHE by Gilbert & Sullivan and directed by Heidi Winters Vogel, associate professor of theater. 黑料正能量’s theater department attracts students from across the university to participate in its high quality productions. Coupling updated facilities and technology to the energy of students and faculty will enhance learning and artistic possibilities at 黑料正能量. Photo by Jon Styer

New studio art gallery

A new student art gallery will be named in honor of Margaret Martin Gehman, retired art faculty member.

Gehman taught and at 黑料正能量 from 1944 until her retirement in 1987. She serves regularly as a volunteer on campus and with other local organizations and has been a long-time strong financial supporter of the university.

She was the first recipient of the eponymous "黑料正能量 Philanthropist of the Year" award from the university in 2005.

Digital media labs key to program

"黑料正能量 offers an excellent digital media program taught by faculty who are experts in the field and is one of the few Christian colleges to offer a full photography major," notes , associate professor of visual and communication arts.

"With increased student demand for our programs, these upgraded labs will advance our goal of teaching students to communicate effectively, passionately and ethically in an increasingly diverse society."

The advanced media lab will be named in memory of former 黑料正能量 trustee and long-time supporter, Kenneth A. Longacre.

Theater core to campus life

黑料正能量’s theater department attracts students from across the university to participate in its high quality productions. Students are regularly recognized at the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival for their achievements.

Coupling updated facilities and technology to the energy of students and faculty will enhance learning and artistic possibilities at 黑料正能量.

"黑料正能量 theater faculty, staff and students have been making amazing art happen in primitive conditions," states Heidi Winters Vogel, theater department chair.

"I am so excited to see what we can do with performance and production spaces that are designed for theater. Watch for it!"

Upcoming theater events in renovated spaces

The first theatrical production in the renovated Main Stage Theater is scheduled for March 2011.

The Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, named in honor of the late artist and actor who was a 1986 graduate, will house key theater events that occur throughout the year like:

• Gonzo Theate, a student-run improv troupe that performs throughout the academic year
• student-directed plays like Anon(ymous)

More info

Renovations began in early May, with completion anticipated in November.

• More about the project
• Phone contact: (540) 432-4200

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