Twelfth Night
Under the direction of Professor Nat McIntyre, the ENC theatre department presented “Twelfth Night” to large, receptive audiences. For three days in February, Cove Auditorium came alive with this Shakespearean comedy full of mistaken identities. “Twelfth Night” is “one of [Shakespeare’s] best comedies,” said Professor McIntyre.

But comedy was not all that the play had to offer. Professor McIntyre said he chose to direct “Twelfth Night” because it contains central themes he felt were important for people in Christian circles to explore. The cast of “Twelfth Night” respectfully addressed gender relationships and status roles. “We did a good job at exploring some really tough themes,” said Professor McIntyre.

An additional challenge for the actors was mastering the language of the time. “The unwritten rule with Shakespearean theater is that the audience only will get about 20% of what your saying, so its very important to really know what you’re talking about,” said Josh Knowlton (05). But the actors caught on, and Dan Messier (05) soon found himself using Shakespearean English in everyday speech.

This unique production offered audiences the chance to laugh as well as consider deeper issues.

THE MUSIC MAN
For director Misti Wills “The Music Man” is just plain fun. “I was in this production as a student at ENC and had the most fun being in an ensemble of any show I was in,” said Wills. “In my opinion, you can’t help but laugh when saying the word ‘shipoopi’!” Wills directed ENC’s annual homecoming musical in 2004.

Actors in the production ranged from students to faculty to community children. “I do not know at what other college I could have had the opportunity to meet such a diverse group of people,” said Anne Reilly (08) (see spotlight). “Where else could I warm-up with my chemistry professor Lowell Hall, waltz with biology professor Phil McLaren or play games with local children?” According to Wills this unity of various groups from the ENC community was an important part of the production’s success.

Wills also attributes success to Kirsten McKinney, the professional choreographer who challenged the actors physically, and Jose Delgado, the musical director who challenged actors vocally.

“I think [the students’] enjoyment in the process really came through in the production and that we presented a dynamic and professional piece of work. I wouldn’t change anything about this show,” said Wills. “I am so proud of that production and that I left my mark on ENC with it.”

An Evening of David Ives
The interests of two very different student directors came together with “An Evening of David Ives.” On April 14, 15, and 16, 2005, audiences were invited on stage in a black box theater format to enjoy four one-act plays centering on themes of communication and relationships.

EASTERN NAZARENE COLLEGE PRESENTED THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK DURING HOLOCAUST REMEMBERANCE WEEK

Quincy, MA – The Communication Arts Department of Eastern Nazarene College presented The Diary of Anne Frank. The student directed play created a new and innovative staging of the 1956 Pulitzer Prize winner based on the actual diaries of Anne Frank. The play was offered April 22 at 10am and 7pm and April 23-24 at 7 PM. A post-show discussion also took place after one of the evening performances. Tickets are $5 for the matinee performance and $8 for the evening performances.

Dramatized by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, The Diary of Anne Frank, tells the story of a young Jewish girl coping with adolescence, Nazi oppression and the struggle of faith from the confines of a secret annex. The Frank family went into hiding in 1942, aided by two Dutch Christians who were employees of Otto Frank. For two years the Franks and four others shared a small attic space, limited rations, the emotional anxiety of claustrophobia, and fear of discovery. The bookshelf door that protected their secret hiding place was eventually broken down and they were separated and sent to concentration camps. Anne Frank died of typhus two weeks before the liberation of Bergin-Belsen Concentration Camp. In the play, the sole survivor, Otto Frank, returns to the attic to find Anne's diary and news of her death.

Senior Stefanie DeLeo's unique staging and concept focuses on the effects of the intimate space of the attic on those living there and the power of reading and writing as a liberating force in the midst of persecution. Audience members will be drawn into the story as they sit only a few feet away from the actors in this moving drama. Seating is limited in a new arrangement for this production.

The Diary of Anne Frank also received a Tony award and an Oscar for the 1959 film version. The play has been translated into 55 languages around the world, selling over 20 million copies. "This story is important to tell, not just as a piece of Jewish history, but as a piece of human history," said DeLeo.
Rabbi David Jacobs of Temple Beth El in Quincy is advising Director DeLeo and supports the theatre program's efforts in telling this story Rabbi Jacobs and the ENC Theatre Program also worked together last year when Jacobs served as advisor to faculty member Eunice Ferreira in her direction of the Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder.

DeLeo hopes that audiences will be challenged by the perseverance of Anne Frank to maintain her faith in both God and humanity. As Anne Frank expressed in her diary, "…I want to go on living even after my death."
Jillian.V.Ellwood@enc.edu

Alice in Wonderland

Quincy, MA – The Communication Arts Department of Eastern Nazarene College presented Alice in Wonderland, directed by Misti B. Wills, based on Lewis Carroll’s novels Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Follow us through the looking glass and into a curious world of whimsy, mischief and magic! Beware the quick-tempered queen, a mad tea party, and the snares set in a royally risky chess game to freedom! The well-known, whimsical story of Alice in Wonderland is sure to delight children of all ages.

Lewis Carroll, otherwise known as Charles Dodgson, was a man of many interests—including mathematics, photography, religion, poetry, and games. The fairytale of Alice in Wonderland was originally written for youngster Alice Liddell, daughter of the Dean at the college where Dodgson taught. As Wills points out, "He loved creating games," so the chess game as the ultimate goal for Alice "comes from this passion."

This adaptation by American actress, producer and director Eva Le Gallienne and writer and actress Florida Friebus begins as Alice is reading a poem one afternoon and is suddenly distracted by the distressed White Rabbit, who says, "Oh, my ears and whiskers… I shall be late!" After following him through the looking glass, Alice finds herself in a curious land of imagination.

The rest of the classic novel characters are introduced shortly after. See the ridiculous, riddle-spouting Mad Hatter at a tea party balancing on a large-scale-see-saw. Keep an eye out for the omniscient Cheshire Cat, spontaneously disappearing and reappearing. Be patient with the cranky, yet hilarious Humpty Dumpty with a poor body image. Let your imagination run wild as Alice is introduced to these fun figures and more.

"My concept is Alice as a playground for our imagination," declares Wills. This concept will be exemplified using different methods throughout, such as the Mad Hatter tea party balancing on a large-scale see-saw and hipsters Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum roller blading about the stage and around the audience. Another imaginative aspect is the play on proportions. Certain figures and ideas will be distorted and portrayed differently than common expectations, as in the Queen of Hearts moving about on stilts.

Fun and games aside, Alice must also complete her psychological journey of self-discovery. Three diverse Alice’s have been cast representing the ego, superego, and id. The ego is the surface personality, very prim and proper. The superego acts as Alice’s conscience, making decisions and differentiating between good and evil. The id performs as the seeker of pleasure and is the source of energy and power for Alice. At the end of the collaborative journey, the traditional Alice is crowned by the other two Alice’s and is able to go home.

Alice’s goal is not simply to avoid the risks and snares of a dreamland, but to conquer it and ultimately gain her self-esteem with the help of each portion of herself. The audience will be invited to learn things about themselves as Alice goes through the struggle of finding her way home. "We all can resonate with that. At times we feel trapped in a strange world like Wonderland where the rules keep changing and once we learn a lesson, we get to take another step on our chessboard and get closer to home," concludes Wills.

Audience members of all ages will be reminded of why, as Wills states, it is "so fun to play in nonsense."

Based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows

The Tony Award winning musical features fun loving gangsters, a dazzling cabaret, and the bet of a lifetime. The musical depicts the unlikely romance of high roller Sky Masterson and Save-A-Soul Sergeant, Sarah Brown.  While Sarah seeks to save the souls of Times Square, Sky searches for the ultimate gamble. What starts as a simple bet for Sky, turns into a roller coaster ride of love and chance in 1940s New York City. Fellow gambler Nathan Detroit and Adelaide, his long-suffering fiancée of fourteen years, are the comic counterpart in this New York love story. Her comic solo "Adelaide's Lament," humorously details the angst of their long engagement.  Other memorable songs include "Luck Be a Lady," "Bushel and a Peck," and "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat." The New York Times called it "...a work of art. It is spontaneous and has form, style and spirit."

COMMUNICATION ARTS DEPARTMENT PRESENTED THORNTON WILDER'S, “THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH”

The play follows the lives of the Antrobuses, a "typical American family" who are anything but normal. With a dinosaur and woolly mammoth for pets, the Antrobuses simultaneously live in a New Jersey suburb during the Ice Age, the Biblical flood and a future WWIII. The play takes an unexpected roller coaster ride through human history as the characters try to survive daunting obstacles and an unforeseen future.  Wilder's comedy remains relevant today as steady threats of terrorism and war loom just around the corner.


The Sound of Music
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse

This year marks the 100th anniversary of composer Richard Rodgers and the continuing popularity of this award winning musical.  Fall in love again with songs like "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" and "Something Good".  Be inspired to "Climb Every Mountain" and remember "My Favorite Things".   Based on the true story of the Von Trapp family, this musical of faith and love is set against Austria's national struggle of surrender to the German Third Reich.

Songs for a New World
Music & Lyrics by Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown

"It's about one moment.  It's about hitting a wall and having to make a choice,  or take a stand, or turn around and go back."  - JRB
 

Songs for a New World is a new, compelling show unlike the everyday musical.  This energetic revue-style musical is a compilation of songs of personal discovery, varying from ballads to pop to R&B.  Each "story song" is a unique vignette portraying important crossroads in the lives of the characters.  A strong gospel flavor runs throughout the show highlighting the yearning for “a new world.”  The humorous “Surabaya-Santa” and “Just One Step” blend with the now-popular cabaret hit “Stars and the Moon” and the Motown sound of “The Steam Train” to bring characters from every walk of life.

Eunice Ferreira, assistant professor in communication arts, directs a cast of fifteen performers.  Music direction is led by José Delgado, a featured soloist in the professional Boston premiere of Songs for a New World at SpeakEasy Stage Company.  Delgado, an ENC alumnus, regularly performs and conducts in the Boston area.  Songs for a New World is the perfect musical at this moment in time,” said director Ferreira. “The last song captures the essence of the show and the inspirational aspect of musical theatre. ‘Listen to the song that I sing; Listen to the words in my heart; Listen to the hope that I bring; and we’ll start to grow and shine.’” 

The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde

An uproarious satire of British high society

The Play
This terribly witty comedy turns on a topsy-turvy premise based on mistaken identities and a generous dose of hypocrisy.  Jack and Algernon both unknowingly take on the name "Ernest," a false identity that allows them to escape their social restraints.  Mayhem ensues when two women seem to fall in love with the same man. To the mix, Wilde adds a little romance and clever dialogue.  Keeping a stiff upper lip and maintaining one’s social mask becomes more challenging as passion and propriety come face to face.  The result is a series of full-throttle escapades and never-ending confusion to create what Wilde called "a trivial comedy for serious people." 

The Playwright
Oscar Wilde is celebrated for his acerbic and epigrammatic wit. The Importance of Being Earnest has been a favorite staple of the American and British theatre since its 1895 sensational premiere. A novelist as well, Wilde is best remembered for his plays, including Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance and An Ideal Husband.

The Production Team and Cast
Tara Brooke Watkins directs a cast of ENC students. James P. Byrne, set and lighting designer, creates a festooned set that extends the action out to the audience. Dr. Ronda Rice Winderl advises and produces the play. The cast includes local resident Alison Ross (Abington), Colin Martin (Quincy), Amber Richardson (Danvers), Dan Fish (Hull), along with Doug Gerber (Waltham), Dan Messier (Rhode Island), Sarah Thompson (New Hampshire), Lindi Wells (Nashville), and Crystal Whitney (New York). 

Based on a conception of Jerome Robbins 
Book by Arthur Laurents 
Music by Leonard Bernstein 
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim 

Considered to be one of the most significant creations of the American musical stage, West Side Story bursts with energetic musical favorites such as “Jet Song,” “Tonight,” “Maria,” “I Feel Pretty,” “America,” and “Somewhere.”   The tragic love story, a contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet , is set against the backdrop of two rival New York gangs, the Jets and the Sharks.  Hatred, rivalries, and social prejudices conspire against the young lovers in this musical which remains as relevant and gripping today as when it premiered. 

Edgar Lee Master’s 
Spoon River Anthology

Conceived, adapted and arranged by Charles Aidman

The folks buried in the cemetary of a small American town have quite a few stories to tell.  Lively music and Master’s much loved folk poems are combined to create a powerful and moving theatrical adaptation.  “A dramatic presentation reduced to its simplest terms . . . moving and beautiful . . . An evening of astonishingly stirring emotional satisfaction.” - N.Y. Post.

The King Stag
by Carlo Gozzi

This beautiful tale of love and betrayal takes place in the magical world of Serendippo where humans are turned into creatures in the enchanted forest of Miracoli.  The King Stag weaves a fable of good and evil with comical characters and fantastic creatures who discover and experience the transforming power of love.
 

Celebrate 25 years of theatre at Eastern Nazarene College!  Alumni/ae performers will join current ENC students in a concert style retrospective featuring scenes and musical numbers from some of your favorite shows. 
 

Summer Youth Theatre 2000
Performance Showcase

Every summer a group of high school students come together for a creative and intensive week of drama training.  The focus of the program is to foster the individual creativity of each student through the process of developing original material.  Students explore improvisation, character development, concentration, playwriting, movement, voice and musical theatre. The week culminates with a showcase perfomance of the students' original work.
 

The Pirates of Penzance

The zany, swashbuckling musical comedy, storms the stage of Eastern Nazarene College in this Tony award-winning adaptation of the well-loved Gilbert and Sullivan musical.  This musical version produced on Broadway by the New York Shakespeare Festival, featured Linda Ronstadt, George Rose, Rex Smith and Kevin Kline.  Originally written as a satire of Victorian society and stage melodrama, today’s audiences delight in the exuberance of the musical score and a cast of wacky and delightful characters featuring a motley crew of sentimental buccaneers, lovesick maidens, a flirtatious spinster, and a Keystone cop police force.  “Extraordinary performances ... remarkable cast.” - New England Entertainment Digest review of ENC’s production.

Living in Exile, written by Boston playwright Jon Lipsky, is a dramatic retelling of the Iliad inspired by a contemporary understanding, vision and approach to Homer’s classic epic.  The award-winning company includes professional actors Kathleen Patrick Donohue and Richard McElvain.  Composer Steve Cummings performs his original evocative core while the actors recreate numerous characters and situations in vivid and soul sweeping brilliance.  Living in Exile, based on Robert Fitzgerald’s translation, evokes the full horror of war, in terms that are sometimes harrowing, sometimes funny, and always moving.  “Exquisitely performed” - Boston Globe.

The Pulitzer Prize winning comedy by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart was written in 1936 and remains a favorite American farce.  The play is set in Depression era New York and follows the screwball antics of the Sycamore family who are going “about the business of living in the ullest sense of the word.”  Making fireworks, writing plays, operating a printing press and playing the xylophone are just some of their family activities.  When their daughter Alice falls in love with Tony Kirby, the son of a wealthy family, worlds clash as the two families meet for the first time.  When you have love, who cares about money?  After all, “you can’t take it with you.”

This contemporary comedy is a witty female send up of Neil Simon's earlier success The Odd Couple, which achieved fame on stage, film, and television. Chaos reigns in the New York apartment of Florence Ungar and Olive Madison as everyday situations go haywire to cosmic proportions. Fans will delight in the unusual twists on familiar characters and situations. The award winning playwright has writen some of the most successful plays on Broadway.   Other works by Simon include Plaza Suite, They're Playing Our Song, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, Broadway Bound and Lost in Yonkers. For more info click here