"THE DALLAS POST/Wednesday, April 27, 1988 The arts Dallas students win Recently, Dallas Senior: High School stiiciehis participated in an art competition. The winning students were first row, Donald Burke, 2 gold key finalists and awards mentioned; Dave Harris, gold key; David Zachary, gold key; Charles Flemming, certificate. Row 2, Jessica Fritsky, certificate; Pam Elenchik, gold key; Chris Shalata, certificate; Sandy Rutkoski, three gold keys. Row 3, Mrs. Jane Walzak, art instructor; Frank Bigler, two gold keys; David Parduski, certificate; Kim Metzger, gold key; Jennifer Stueben, certificate; Jack Baines, certificate; Brenda King, certificate; Heather Hoyes, certificate; Wilbur Murdock, certificate; Mr. Steve Kashenbach, art instructor. Absent from photo were Paul Wilk, gold key winner and John Mooney, certivicate winner. Dance Visions performed The Wyoming Seminary Dance Company will present its spring production, ‘‘Dance Visions,” Friday and Saturday, Mary 6 and 7. The show, which takes place at 8 p.m. in the Buckingham Perfroming Arts Center on Sprague Avenue in Kingston, will feature a blend of ballet, jazz and modern dance. The production is choreographed by Bernardine Borinski Vojtko, dance instructor at Wyoming Seminary. The public is invited to attend. Pictured are members of the Dance Company, first row from left, Voula Tsoutsoplides, Dallas; Stephanie Ruckno, Forty Fort; and Yoon-Mi Chang, Dallas. Second row, Cynthia O'Brien, Dallas; Lori Prashker, Kingston, and Jane Oh, Dallas. X Catcalls & curtaincalls BY BONNIE DOMBROSKI Staff Writer 3 Recently my daughter and I were treated to a performance of ‘“‘Char- ~ lotte’s Web’ at College Misericor- dia. This Children’s Theatre produc- tion of the E.B. White classic was presented by the Misericordia Play- ers under the direction of Walter ~ “Rusty” Andersen. ~ The group of children sitting in front of me were third-graders who ‘had read the story of ‘“‘Charlotte’s Web’’ this year. They seemed to appreciate the show thoroughly and were especially entertained by the music of John Shemo (guitar), Chuck Eckert (piano) and Don Stone (percussion). The show tunes and original music had the audi- ence clapping their hands and tap- ping their feet. Some of the younger children got fidgety (as children do) but the scene in which the entire cast pursued Wilbur the Pig up and down (he aisles really captured their attention. I can see why the chase scene has become a favorite of Children’s Theater audiences and a tradition for director Ander- sen. The matinee we attended was a benefit performance given for the area’s handicapped and underprivi- leged children. There were many schools represented and the stu- dents from the Scranton School for the Deaf brought along interpreters to sign the dialogue for them. Gene Garber, Technical Director and Designer, made an extra effort to help accommodate this special audience. In the future, I hope “The Cheshire Cat’’opens “The Chesire Cat’ Art Gallery, Rte. 309, Trucksville will display the finest works of talented area artists. Pictured from left, Missy Turner, Pat Crisman, Genny Centrella, Sonja Stetten, Charlotte i Seccon, session Proctor and Terry Proctor. (Linda Shurmeitis: Photo) Ee more teachers and counselors will make plans to attend a show like this because of the many benefits to the children. The reasonable cost of the tick- ets, the intimate size of the theater, and the convenience of the Back Mountain location’all contributed to the afternoon’s enjoyment. Children’s Theater productions such as this are a welcome change from the usual children’s fare and a perfect introduction for young- sters to live theater. I congratulate College Misericor- dia for their 23 years of Children’s Theater productions and hope they continue for at least another 23 years. I'm looking forwrd to seeing you at next year’s performance. (Bonnie Dombroski’s arts and entertainment column will appear monthly.) SN Penn State presents drama Black leaders Booker T. Wash- ington, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. will come to life on the stage of Penn State Wilkes- Barre as the campus presents the African American Drama Company of California’s (AADC) ‘Can I Speak for You Brother?”’, Thurs- day, April 28 at 12 p.m. The per- formance will be held in the Bierly Auditorium, in the campus Science Center and is free and open to the public. Prior to the performance mem- bers of the company will hold a master acting class for campus drama students. “..Brother?”” is the’ Company’s popular production combining dance, poetry, storytelling, puppe- try, drama, letters, speeches and music to depict a chronology of Black leaders. Entertaining, informative and inspirational, the one-man show highlights such extraordinary leaders as W.E.B. DuBois, Frederick Douglass, High John, in addition to Booker T. Washington, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. As the nation’s most extensively toured, privately owned Black thea- ter, AADC has played 41 states from Alaska to Georgia. In its tenth national tour, the group vis- ited 21 states this past winter. Their performance of “...Brother?”’ was featured in the PBS-TV series “Arts Alive.” For more information, contact Sean Kelly at Penn State Wilkes- ‘Barre at (717) 675-9287. Misericordia recital Two College Misericordia music students will perform their senior recital on Saturday, April 30, in the College’s Walsh Auditorium at 7 p.m. Vocalist Suzanne Hatrak will be accompanied by pianist Mary Catherine Rovinski in their senior recital, which is a degree requirement for music majors at Misericordia. From left, Suzanne Hatrak and Mary Catherine Rovinski. ““Charlotte’s Web”’ adapted by student BY BONNIE DOMBROSKI Staff Writer A special musical adaptation of ‘““Charlotte’s Web’’ was recently presented in the Walsh Auditorium by The Misericordia Players. The story was written by E.B. White and with some guidance from White was fashioned into a play by Joseph Robinette. Walter ‘“‘Rusty’’ Andersen, Asso- ciate Professor in the Humanities Division, and John Shemo, a stu- dent at Misericordia, have taken the play one step further by localiz- ing some of the dialogue and adding some original music. Andersen has directed these Chil- dren’s Theater productions at Col- lege Misericordia for the last 23 years and has been involved with live theater since he was a child. Andersen, who has a Master of Fine Arts degree from Boston Uni- versity, appeared as a child actor in a Broadway production of ‘Life With Father’. : ~ Shemo is in his fourth year at Misericordia after taking a iear off from school upon graduating from Dallas High School in 1983. John has been in different local bands Campaign begins The Wyoming Valley Band, northeastern Pennsylvania’s only full-time professional instrumental ensemble composed totally of area residents, has opened its first Gifts Campaign with an opportunity for public support from corporations and individuals. This year marks the band’s fourth year of existence and its first such support cam- paign. ; Although the bands geneology can be traced back to a group of fifers and drummers at the histori- cal Battle of Wyoming, more real- istically it begins with the band of the Ninth Infantry, Pennsylvania National Guard, during the Span- ish-American War, Other ancesters include the 109th Field Artillery Band, the 28th Division Band, The American Legion Band, and the Stegmaier Gold Medal Band. Today’s Wyoming Valley Band is establishing itself as a concert unit, oriented to everything from stan- dard marches and Broadway shows to original contemporary works for symphonic band. In addition to covering operating expenses and increasing its per- formance schedule, the band hopes to broaden its public recognition and support base. Among other appearances the band performs several “Night of Music” concerts annually and the next such is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24 at Darte Center of Wilkes College. All concerts are presented without charge and open to the public. When a contributor makes a gift in any amount to the band a membership card in the ‘Sousa Club” or ‘Podium Club” is issued to them, they are listed on band programs for the year and receive periodic band news, among other benefits. Gifts in any amount may be sent to Wyoming Valley Band, 10 Gordon Street, Dallas, 18612. The band is a tax- exempt non- profit organization and operates under a constitution. Band presi- dent is Jonathan Pineno of Lehman. Founder and conductor of the unit is Reese 8, Pelton of 2 Dallas. since he was 17 and is currently a member of ‘‘Strawberry Jam’. Rusty, as he is affectionately called by his friends of all ages, reworked the dialogue to give the play some local flavor. For instance, the setting of the County Fair was changed to Bloomsburg and Bresler’s ice cream was sold there. There was no published music for the play so Rusty provided John with a tape of some show music and some lyrics he had written to go with the story. John said he came to the rehearsals for awhile until he got a feeling for the show - and for what Rusty wanted. Other than the four or five show tunes featured, John created all the music for the show. John told The Post he gave the music a modern sound with a jazz flavor. With the sound effects pro- vided by Chuck Eckert on the synthesizer and Don Stone with percussion instruments, and the use of foreshadowing and underscoring by John on guitar, the three were able to create different moods throughout phe play. ‘““John is very talented and we're lucky to have him,” Andersen said. Rusty also praised all the students FR Spencer to compete Frank Spencer, a senior stu- dent at Bishop O'Reilly High School in Kingston, has qual- ified for the PMEA All-State Chorus to be held in Pitts- burgh on April 29-May 1. The son of Mr. and Mrs. John Spencer, Dallas, Frank has been participating in Dis- trict and Regional Choruses since his sophomore year. Spencer is pictured above, standing, with Mr. Thomas Hanlon. (Bernie Walko Photo) who worked on the show. “We hear frequently about the bad things college kids do,” Andersen said. This reinforces the positive image Rusty has of today’s youth. Andersen said that his experience provides a break from their studies but added that the students are still learning things. Since the college no longer offers a Theater major, this production is a club activity and no credits are earned for the time spent on it. “I’ve learned a lot from Rusty John said, referring to time spent both backstage and frontstage. John also said he plans to pursus music throughout his life and con.» sidered this to be an invaluable experience. John has worked on other Chil- dren’s Theater productions at Mis- ericordia, including ‘‘The Wizard of Oz’ and’ ‘‘The Life of Br’er Rabbit” for which he wrote all the music. He has also been involved in putting together Rock Masses at the college. This year’s production of ‘“Char- lotte’s Web” was the happy result of some real coolaboration, some true talent, and some unselfigy teamwork. Volunteers still heeded Susan Davis, volunteer coordina- tor for The International Children’s Theatre Festival says volunteers are still needed for the three-day event in May. “Our response has been good, but there are still many activities that need volunteers. We're seeking assistance in two particular areas: Playworks: volunteers to help chil- dren in making creative, pre- planned crafts, and crossing guards, to help insure the chil- - | B 1 Name Address H i i 1 Or Call 829-KIDS he International Children’s Theatre Festival Volunteer to help! 00000000000000000000000O00QCOCOOCOOROOOOOOTS Phone....cccc... 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000009000000 City/StatelZip 000000000600000000000000000000000000000000000000 Mail To: N.E.P.A. Theatre Festival, clo F.M. Kirby Ctr. P.O. Box 486, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703 Day: Wed., Thurs., Fri. Shift: 9-3, 9-12, 12-3 dren’s safety.”’ Davis said, ‘If anyone has some free time, please call or fill out and mail the coupgn below so we can help provide thf.) fun-filled days for our areas’ chil- dren.” ‘The Festival is scheduled for May 18, 19, and 20, in various locations in Wilkes-Barre. This is the first time Theatre for Children will be held in Northeastern Pa. It is hoped it will become an annual event. i i EE OEE EN DE EE EE ES EE EE EE yeh ¥ ¢ TN i
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers