On Saturday Oct. 1, Geneseo’s musically-inclined new students had the chance to show the rest of the school their talent in the 2011 Freshman/Transfer Showcase – presented by Alpha Psi Omega. While similar to a talent show, The Freshman/Transfer Showcase functioned without judges or awards and with an individual director for each act.
The first act began with an a capella rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” performed by freshman Mahelia Mighty. Mighty sang the treasured song beautifully, adding her own unique style and providing a powerful introduction to the show.
Next was “My New Philosophy” from “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” starring freshmen Jaime Zahl and Shawn Ward, with senior Carly Martiniano. The actors all had great presence and each delivered his or her lines and notes perfectly.
Freshmen Lucia LoTempio and James Kruegler and senior Natalie Zagora then performed a scene from “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder. Though the exchange wasn’t meant to be comedic, like “My New Philosophy,” the actors definitely kept the audience’s attention on their heartfelt performance.
Fans of the play “House of Yes” by Wendy MacLeod certainly appreciated freshmen Geselle Sanmartin’s and Morgan Brown’s section. Both actresses effectively conveyed the humorous, but disturbing themes of the black comedy through their one scene.
The audience was brought back to laughter with “Love Is My Legs” from “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” Freshmen John Turner’s and Jane Coons’ performance was so energetic and funny that there wasn’t a frown in the house.
The final performance of the first act was Christopher Durang’s “Medea,” though this wouldn’t be the last time performers would treat the audience to an excellent delivery of Durang's witty writing. The combined efforts of freshmen Hannah Sugarman, Alyssa Conte and Johnny Thomas had the audience laughing aloud. By changing some of the lines to fit the Geneseo setting, the actors gave an excellent finish to the first half.
After a brief intermission, act two began with the endearing song “It Takes Two” from “Into the Woods.” The chemistry between freshmen CJ Roche and Erin Donovan was noticeably charming.
Following them was another one-act play by Durang, “Canker Sores and Other Distractions.” If the title wasn’t enough to make the audience smile, the actors left them coming apart with laughter. The energy from junior Dan Stone and freshmen Devon Gawley and Christina Mortellaro made the scene very enjoyable.
The third performance in act two was junior Katherine Royal’s “Variations” and actually consisted of three parts. Freshmen Brendan Brown’s and Charlotte Cwikowski’s acting was convincing and entertaining. Even though the lines written for each part are exactly the same, each actor’s emotion when delivering granted them their power.
Later, freshmen Brianna Tylec and Taylor Walders gave the audience an enjoyable treat in A.R. Gurney’s “The Middle Ages.”
The final performance of the showcase was “Light Up The World” from “Glee.” All 17 dancers had big smiles and lots of energy in their steps – only fireworks could have made it grander.
At the end of act two it was clear that each of the 41 freshman and transfer students had dedicated plenty of time and effort to his portion of the show, proving that Geneseo has much to look forward to in the arts department.