Theater department nails Wilde comedy with authenticity, dedication

Geneseo’s Department of Theater and Dance staged a production of Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy, “The Importance of Being Earnest” from Nov. 9-13. Directed by professor of theater Randy Kaplan, the play transported audience members to 1890s England. Through the use of beautiful costumes, a lavish set and old English accents, this famous play came to life. Such a successful production, however, does not come easily. The cast and crew faced a number of challenges while preparing for the opening night, but all were ironed out by the time eager playgoers were settled into their seats at the Alice Austin Theater.

Fancy red and white walls, a gorgeous chaise lounge and an antique wooden table created the atmosphere of an old London apartment in Act I. In addition to this authentic setting, cast members were decked out in old-fashioned and extravagant 1890s attire, which proved to be a challenge for the cast.

Theater major senior William Gfeller played Lady Bracknell, a snobbish and eccentric character. This required Gfeller to learn how to navigate naturally across the stage while wearing a corset, long train, wig and heels.

“The biggest challenge for me was learning how to walk in a dress and heels and a corset,” Gfeller said. “It was difficult to adjust to a different style of dress, but I eventually learned to walk gracefully.”

Another challenge for cast members was nailing the accent.

“I think accent and language were the hardest part of the whole production, especially because the language is so dense and the accent required a lot of concentration,” psychology and English double major senior Paige Gordon said.

In order to learn how to eloquently speak in an English dialect, Kaplan gave the actors a CD on British/Standard dialect. Since the show was cast in the spring, the cast was expected to listen to the CD and to practice over the summer so that they would be prepared by the time rehearsals rolled around in the fall. The actors were also regularly coached and given notes regarding their accents throughout the rehearsal process, according to Gfeller.

In addition to the dialect, the actors focused on enunciation and projection to ensure that the audience understood important points of the plot. Theater major senior Brodie McPherson played Algernon Moncrieff, who is one of the principal roles in the production.

Algernon is vital to the show because he reveals various elements in the plot that lead to the climatic end of the play. McPherson was able to make these important plot points clear through his enunciation, all the while maintaining his witty, somewhat selfish, but ultimately likeable character.

English major senior Mallika Shaw—who played Miss Cecily Cardew—expressed that it was the physicality of her character that was challenging for her.

“It’s a very different time period; you have to always sit and stand straight, use your hands with very flowy gestures and make sure things look beautiful,” Shaw said.

Some of the actors said that this production was especially significant because many of the cast members were seniors, including musical theater and English double major Rebecca Leville, musical theater major Alexandr Lyutenskov and communication major Noah Pfeiffer.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my collegiate acting experience,” Gfeller said. “It was such a fun show to be a part of and I’ll be looking back fondly on it for a real long time.”

Currently Known As shines with themed improv night

“Yes, and…” is a famous guideline improvisation performers stand by. It not only means that you accept the reality that your fellow performer has created, but it also stresses the importance of including the ideas of everyone involved in a scene. Without these two elements, the performance can’t be successful. Geneseo improv group Currently Known As strives to take this rule to heart, as they are inclusive to all potential members who want to join. Currently Known As is one of two active improvisation groups on campus, and they formed in 2011. The group has accepted all performers—beginner and advanced alike—who merit membership.

The rehearsal process is centered on exercises and improv games that will allow everyone involved to learn and to grow as artists. The group meets every Wednesday and Sunday between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. in Wadsworth Auditorium. New members, too, are always welcome to join. The group puts on about three shows a semester.

Most recently, they held “Spoopy Murder Mystery,” a murder mystery themed performance on Friday Nov. 4. This festive performance—which came just after Halloween—allowed the audience a considerable amount of interaction. Audience members picked the theme of the story and in this case it was “Under the Sea.” The audience also determined which character would die and who would be the murderer.

That being said, the entire show was improvised, which kept both the performers and the audience on their toes. In each scene, the performers created and established their own characters, ranging from chemistry major junior Rachel Molino’s mermaid ghost to communication major junior Zooey Sorice’s puffer fish.

The plot was intriguing, but also lent itself to many laughs. This was due to the performers’ skills at thinking on their feet and the willingness of everyone in the room to accept the silliness of the characters and storyline.

History major junior Jenna Lawson expressed her joy at the club’s success and growing attendance at their performances. After her freshman year, the club lost many graduating seniors and the remaining members were forced to build the group back up, according to Lawson.

Now, however, the regular meeting times see about 15-20 people and the shows—which are audition only—have a wide range of performers, depending on the theme.

In addition, the group won the annual Rochester Gilda’s Cup last year, which is an annual improv competition that honors the comedic legacy of actress Gilda Radner. The proceeds from the event benefit Gilda’s Club Rochester, a non-profit organization that offers support to people living with cancer.

To the members of Currently Known As, inclusiveness equals success. “Anybody is capable of doing improv and doing it well,” Lawson said. “I think that there are so many different levels within our troupe, and I like that we’ve created this space for all kinds of performers.”

Musical theater department expands, offers course in cabaret

Geneseo’s musical theater majors capitalized on an opportunity to perform at Rochester’s resident professional theater venue, Geva Theatre Center, on Friday Oct. 28 and Saturday Oct. 29. The group of students performed an array of musical theater songs in a Late-Night Cabaret. The cabaret performances followed Geva’s current production, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” which features two current Geneseo students, psychology major senior Nicole Eras and musical theater major junior Jessica Murphy.

The cabaret was performed in the recently renovated Geva Theatre lobby, which created a casual and conversational atmosphere for both the audience and performers. The show attracted Rochester locals, Geneseo students and professionals currently working at the theater.

The show provided the College’s musical theater majors with the opportunity to sing in an intimate space—a chance they don’t often get here at Geneseo. Musical theater major freshman Brett Hammes said that the show required him to “change from just performing a song to interacting with the audience.”

Each performer in the cabaret introduced their own piece, allowing audience members to better connect with the students and their songs. In addition, mathematics and adolescent education double major senior Ben Reiner and Eras—as well as communication and musical theater double major junior Sophie Yeomans and musical theater major sophomore Brian Sousis—entertained the audience as emcees throughout the night.

Guiding the performance, the emcees introduced each individual performer and cracked a few jokes along the way—all while holding the tremendous responsibility of creating an upbeat atmosphere for the duration of the evening.

The show opened with an uplifting group number titled “Become,” which was most recently performed in Geneseo’s production of “Edges.” A mix of relatable lyrics and beautiful harmonies in the opening number created a positive start to the performance and let the audience know that they were in for a treat.

The rest of the performance was comprised of various musical theater solo performances by each student. Songs ranged from emotional and heartfelt ballads, such as political science and musical theater double major junior Aram Peers’ “Like It Here” from the web-musical “The Hinterlands” to comical and witty tunes, such as political science major junior Maria Cento’s “In Short” from “Edges.”

The set performed was a mix of touching ballads, hilarious contemporary up-tempos and a powerhouse closer by the women in the major. This included featuring Yeomans with a rendition of composing team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s “Ready To Be Loved” from “Edges.”

This opportunity was presented to musical theater majors through a new experimental cabaret course headed by professor of English and theater Melanie Blood and lecturer Don Kot, resident music director at Geva Theatre and coordinator of the musical theater department here at Geneseo.

“So many professional musical theater performers appear in this environment now; it seemed essential to start exposing students to this genre and to be able to perform in a close, less-formal atmosphere,” Kot said.

Musical theater major junior Kim Cole shared what this course has taught her so far. “It’s most important [in this setting] to tell a story and send a message to the audience,” Cole said.

The course is just one of many experimental classes offered by the department, which has an ultimate goal to expand as a whole. These experimental courses will be permanently offered in the future to allow students studying musical theater to become more versatile and well-rounded performers.

Klimt’s “The Kiss” transformed into 3D touchable art for visually impaired

“Please don’t touch the artwork” is a phrase we often hear or see plastered on the wall next to masterpieces in museums. Some contemporary artists, however, have expanded their ideas of how artwork can be perceived to make their pieces more inclusive to everyone through the use of 3D printing. Museums enforce no touching of artwork in order to protect the historical artifacts on display from being damaged in addition to ensuring that their monetary value is protected. For the vast majority of art lovers, however, viewing pieces from behind glass frames or displays has little effect on their understanding of the work. By using 3D printing technology, those who are blind or visually impaired are now able to experience classic pieces of art through their sense of touch.

In fact, not only are observers allowed to touch the artwork, but they are encouraged to do so. The most recent of these pieces is a 3D version of Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss,” which was put on display at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna.

This touchable version of the famous symbolist painting is not exactly identical to the original. The sculpture is stark white, completely lacking the bright yellows, greens and reds of Klimt’s classic work. Since this new version is intended to be enjoyed by the visually impaired, only texture—not color—is used to survey the piece.

While the practice of creating touchable replicas of classic artwork is still relatively new, this is not the first time museums have turned to 3D printing as a way to extend the enjoyment of art to the visually impaired. The Prado Museum in Madrid hosted an exhibit titled “Touching the Prado” in 2015. This exhibit featured 3D versions of the museum’s most famous artwork, including pieces by Goya, El Greco and Velázquez.

In this collection, however, the touchable versions were intended to recreate the colors of the original artwork as closely as possible. “You have to remember that not everyone who is registered blind can see nothing at all,” Head Designer at Estudios Durero—the group that designed the Prado’s touchable art—Cristina Velasco said. “Many have at least a little vision. For this reason, we knew we had to replicate the original colors as closely as possible.”

Although the 3D version of “The Kiss” lacks color, the varying texture of the sculpture intends to create an image for all who touch it to experience. In addition, most 3D printers can print this replica of “The Kiss” as long as they have access to the correct files.

Many people hope that this revolutionary step in how the world views artwork will lead more museums and galleries to create 3D touchable versions of their famous masterpieces to put on display. Art is a form of expression that everyone deserves to experience, and expanding the amount of people that will have access to it will only better the world as a whole.

Lonely Planet reading explores AIDS epidemic through friendship

Geneseo saw the second of this semester’s department of theater and dance’s staged readings on Thursday Oct. 13—a play that boldly explored the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. Lonely Planet, written by Steven Dietz, was directed by theater and communication double major senior William Gfeller. It also starred communication major senior Casey Churches and musical theater major sophomore Brian Sousis.

Performed in the Robert Sinclair Theatre, the staged readings give students the opportunity to hone their directing and acting skills. They are produced in partial fulfillment of professor Randy Kaplan’s Directing II course. Students handpick their own production to produce, cast the actors and direct the play for performance in the class.

Gfeller directed two staged readings prior to Lonely Planet. His previous plays lacked staging, however, and instead focused on the actors’ voices as they simply read from their scripts. This is his first fully staged performance, complete with blocking, props, sound, costumes and lighting cues.

Gfeller said he strived for a sense of realism when he chose Lonely Planet as his third staged reading. He was drawn to the play because it depicted the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the context of friendship, rather than with a romantic or family relationship like most other works in the canon of AIDS drama.

“It’s just important to understand that if you don’t acknowledge [the HIV/AIDS epidemic], you’re going to forget it,” Gfeller said. “It’s important that it retains its place in our cultural dialogue.”

Dietz’s masterpiece, while still considered to be a modern text, first premiered in 1993 after the epidemic that caused so much hysteria. Although many people are still affected by the disease today, Gfeller and his actors engaged in multiple discussions during rehearsals and did research in order to better understand the main issue of the play.

With only two actors involved, the play is very dependent on their relationship. Luckily, Gfeller, Churches and Sousis are longtime best friends.

“There were a lot of laughs … and a lot of tears,” Gfeller said. Their personal relationship inevitably affected the rehearsal process.

Following every staged reading, there is a “talk-back” in which the audience, the actors and the director exchange comments and opinions and ask questions. The talk-backs resemble Q&A sessions, while also acting as a discussion, so that by the end the conversation, audience members, actors and director alike are all sharing thoughts on the work.

The ability to talk in an open discussion immediately after seeing a production is one of the greatest parts of the college’s staged reading program—it successfully gets everyone involved and allows for different perspectives to be shared.

Upcoming staged readings include Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw,” as adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by theater and English adolescent education double major senior Benjamin Ranalli on Thursday Oct. 20 and Athol Fugard’s A Lesson from Aloes, directed by communication and musical theatre double major senior Brittani Samuel on Nov. 17.

All staged readings directed by students are free admission.

Former Hussein palace transformed into archeological museum

Qahtan al-Abeed, the director of the Basra Section of Iraq’s State Board of Antiques and Heritage, has taken on a massive project. He and his team are planning on opening Iraq’s first new museum since 2003 in one of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s palaces. While there have been multiple obstacles in the construction and opening of the museum, Iraqi officials are hopeful that this will spark a cultural revolution in Basra.

Opening a new museum in an area so recently ravaged by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria may seem like an unrealistic goal, especially when reminders of the conflict still linger. There are still occasional threats from a nearby Shiite Militia group, and the building itself—which previously served as a mess hall for the British army—still shows scars from several car bombs. Despite these issues, the area has recently achieved a degree of political stability, paving the way for the creation of a new museum.

Although it took two years to gain government approval, al-Abeed believes that the museum’s progress is a huge step in the right direction considering that this same area saw frequent fights between competing militias just a few years ago. The Basra government has agreed to contribute $3 million of this $3.5 million project, with the remaining funds backed mostly by charity from oil companies.

The museum is expected to include 3,500–4,000 artifacts from the ancient Sumer, Babylon, Assyria and Islamic periods. Due to looting instances in the past, al-Abeed plans to have large steel doors that can quickly be sealed in order to protect the treasures inside the museum. He doesn’t, however, want the strong security system to overpower the sense of openness necessary for the contemporary and interactive displays in the museum.

“We want a very modern museum that does more than just display objects,” al-Abeed said to National Geographic. “We want to bring in people for all kinds of art and cultural activities, including training courses and professional meetings.”

Hopefully the museum will bring the rich history of Basra and Iraq to the world’s attention. Founded in the year 636, Basra became an indispensable trade port as well as a center for the arts. The area remained mostly uninhabited until the 1990s, when Saddam Hussein used its land to create factories.

Fast-forward to today, and Basra is one of the least explored archaeological sites in the world, making it the prime location for a new museum. The city’s oil business is growing rapidly and the area around the city is currently undergoing rehabilitation.

Now that Basra is expanding, however, the demand for land is growing and stakes are high for al-Abeed and his organization. They continue to receive outside pressure to prove that the site houses significant archaeological remains. If they fail to do so, it could jeopardize the museum’s further development.

But al-Abeed is still marching forward with progress on the museum, as he is currently taking steps to list the area as a World Heritage site under UNESCO—hoping to protect and preserve the history of his home.

Honors Recital highlights Geneseo’s musical talent at Fringe Festival

Geneseo’s top instrumentalists and vocalists performed on Saturday Sept. 24 in the Honors Recital in the Doty Recital Hall and at the Rochester Fringe Festival. Featuring sophomores, juniors and seniors who excel at music performance, a pianist, violinist, two flutists, cellist and multiple vocalists all performed a variety of music with collaborative pianists adjunct professors of music Kevin Nitsch and Jeong-Eun Lee.

Geneseo students have had the opportunity to audition and perform in the Honors Recital for over 20 years, according to associate professor of music Amy Stanley. This is only the second year, however, that the program’s winning participants performed at Rochester’s Fringe Festival, and Rochester’s Lyric Theatre is a much larger performance space than Doty Recital Hall.

“[It’s] an excellent performance opportunity that helps students adapt to different spaces,” psychology and vocal performance double major senior Francesca DiGiorgio said.

The process of putting together this showcase—as led by adjunct professor of music and voice Joan Floriano—began almost six months ago. All students who take private lessons at the college were eligible to compete, but they had to be nominated by a professor and had to go through an audition process. This process involved two outside music professionals who selected the winners that would go on to perform in the fall semester.

At the performance, winners performed the piece or pieces they initially chose to audition with. Piano performance major junior Jason Handy said that he chose hias piece based on feedback from professors and because he felt he had a strong interpretation of the piece. Other students strived to find a sense of balance between their songs, picking pieces with contrasting tempos and themes.

“[The Fringe Festival was] a great opportunity to put Geneseo out there in the Rochester community,” vocal performance and history double major senior Noah Chichester said.

Although this is not the first time some of the Honors Competition winners have performed at the Fringe Festival, many revealed that they were both nervous and excited about this special opportunity. The overall joy that the performers emitted displayed the dedication of those involved in Geneseo’s music department.

The recital itself was a fusion of the old and new, with pieces ranging from the 18th century to contemporary. This included musical theater and communication double major sophomore Katelyn Brooks’ up-tempo rendition of “A Summer in Ohio” from the musical “The Last Five Years.”

The opportunity to hear vocalists and instrumentalists perform material from their individual repertoires—as well as the diverse and contrasting styles of music—provided for a mesmerizing and emotional show. The students selected were not only talented, but also clearly loved to perform, as each one captivated the audience with their presentation and musicianship.

The students’ commitment to performance was evident through their commandment of the stage—even in tender moments—proving that the Honors Recital is a wonderful way to showcase Geneseo’s multi-talented students.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Francesca DiGiorgio

Senior Francesca DiGiorgio is more than a President’s List psychology and vocal performance double major here at Geneseo. Thanks to her participation in the Community Advocates Ambassadorship in Community Engagement, DiGiorgio felt like she “was an educator, business woman and performer all in one.” By combining her love for music and her interest in psychology, DiGiorgio set out to create a workshop this summer, dubbed Opera Kids, in which she hoped to give students a new and different educational opportunity. DiGiorgio was one of ten selected by the Center for Inquiry and Discovery in Doty Hall to receive a $5,000 grant to create, design and execute a project that would contribute to the community. She believes opera is a wonderful art form that often seems as inaccessible to younger generations. She hoped to demonstrate that students could understand and love opera in the workshop, as well as show the various educational opportunities students have in music programs offered at Geneseo.

The interactive two-day workshop involved nine children ranging from fourth to sixth grade who learned the importance of opera as an art form, were exposed to classical music and attended the Finger Lakes Opera Production of “La Traviata.”

The workshop included games and activities that helped the students understand opera. They would use this new understanding to enrich their later experiences in the workshop. They also learned music with the guidance of DiGiorgio and her collaborators, childhood and special education and vocal performace double major senior Sarah Sharrin and Sara Glover ‘16, both of whom were involved with the music department at Geneseo. In addition, vocal performance majors seniors Jordan Bachmann and Bria Kelly came in for a Q&A session with the students. At the time, the two were working as professional performers in the Finger Lakes Opera Production of “La Traviata.” This unique learning opportunity for young children opened their minds and hearts to the world of opera, elevated their enjoyment of the performance and showed them the many paths available in music education.

This ambassadorship helped DiGiorgio to combine a variety of interests to make a difference. The year-long process was difficult and tedious, but rewarding and eye opening for students at Geneseo. DiGiorgio was not only in charge of running the workshops, but also recruited students to attend, marketed her ideas, created the timeline of events and more. Despite all the grueling work, she described the opportunity as a “liberating process [that] showed me that I don’t have to pick one thing,” and felt empowered to be able to use her skills in music to do something meaningful for others. And although DiGiorgio was the teacher, she learned something as well—even though she will be graduating later this year, she will never stop learning.

As a senior, DiGiorgio is diving head first into graduate school applications.  She is most interested in continuing her education in music, and believes that her work on this project was an integral part in helping her make this decision. “Music is an invaluable and irreplaceable part of education.” Francesca explained. Her goal is to continue learning to better her skills and to be an advocate for the arts in this community and in many others.