ENTERTAINMENT
The Players' one- act workshops:
a good training tool for students
Sean Sebastian Shatpe, an ECSU senior, majoring in Music and the Related Arts, gave his voice recital
Tuesday, April 18,1989, in the Moore Hall Auditorium. The recital was part of Sharpe’s graduation
. •: requirement. The Beaufort, South Carolina native hopes to obtain a Master’s degree in Vocal
Perfonnance/Music Education. Sharpe performed pieces from classicists Handel and Mozart, as well
■ as American favorites from Hammerstein and Kern. Sharpe currently studies under the direction of
Professor Billy C. Hines, Director of Chorale Activities here at ECSU.
ECSU's Spring Concert Choir Tour
gives students chance to learn
By Florencestine Jones
Kimberly Robinson
and
The Elizabeth City State Univer
sity Concert Choir toured seven states
during its Spring Concert Tour 1989,
March 10 through March 20.
“The tour was truly a wonderful
experience,” said Travis Manuel, a
first tenor in the choir. “This year
everyone seemed to be one big fam
ily.”
Manuel said he had the most fun in
Connecticut, where the choir sang for
high school students. “Many of them
asked how they might go about being
admitted to ECSU” he added.
Under the direction of Choir Di
rector Billy C. Hines, the University
Choir has performed throughout the
^lem United States and the Baha
mas. Former North Carolina Gover
nor James B. Hunt has said ECSU
“has the t)cst university choral group
in America.”
Hines said the annual spring tour
reaps many benefits for the Univer
sity.
“The tour communicates to the
public the high quality of music per
formed,” said Hines. “It also gives
students the opportunity to Icam and
perform some of the finest music,
from some of the finest composers.
Students also get a lot of exposure and
a chance to visit cities and learn how
people in other cities and states live.”
Hines said ECSU students who
sing in the University Choir are “Am
bassadors of the University.”
Although students enjoy the tour,
they admit that there is a lot of hard
work involved in the tour's success.
“In order to perform well, there has
to be several hours of hard work to
reach excellence,” said first soprano
Amanda Massenburg. “Singing in the
choir has helped my voice develop
and become sponger.”
Massenburg, a choir member for
four yeai s, serves as president of the
University Choir.
“The tour was a lot of fun and an
experience,” said Nicholas Allen, who
sings bass. “It gives us a chance to
meet new people and it helps in gain
ing knowledge from different envi
ronments.”
The choir ’ s performances consisted
of four separate parts. Music per
formed during the first part included,
“All the Earth Sing Unto the Lord” by
Lena J. Molin, “The Day of Judge-
meni“by A. Arkhaanelsly ,”SingUnto
God” by G.F. Handel, “As By the
Streams of Babylon” arranged by R.
Nathaniel Dctt, solo by Alvera Gunn,
and “Glorious Everlasting” by M.
Thomas Cousins.
The second part consisted of
“Gossip, Gossip” by Betty H. Jones
and Jester Hairston, “Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boy,” arranged by Frank Metis
and performed by the Female
Ensemble,anu”Misty” arranged by
Clay Wamick and performed by the
Male Ensemble.
The third part consisted of Mozart’s
“Madamina il catalogo e questo (Don
Giovanni), performed by Sean S.
Sharpe.
The fourth part consisted of “Have
You Heard About Jesus?” by Robert
Winder. Amanda Massenburg was the
soloist, and Kevin Alston, the pianist.
The choir also performed, “I Want to
DieEasy,” soloist Alvera Gunn,“Talk
About A Child” arranged by Howard
A. Roberts, “ Daniel, Daniel Servant
of the Lord,” soloists Travis Manuel
and Sean Sharpe, and “In Bright
Mansions Above” arranged by Ro
land Carter.
The choir performed at such di
verse places as Carver Memorial Pres
byterian church in Newport News,
Va., John Wesley A.M.E. Zion church
in Washington, D.C., and St. Cather
ine’s A.M.E. Zion Church inNew Ro
chelle, N.Y.
Members of the choir are Uchenna
Bulliner, Alvera Gunn, Florencestine
Jones, Amanda Massenburg, Karen
Moore, Phyllis Price, Kimberly Robin
son, Shana Robinson, Cathy Thomas,
Michelle Watts, Amanda Freeman,
Jimmie Knight, Sylvia Purvis, Sarita
Sawyer, Carol Scott, Tammy Solo
mon, Nichole Watson, Kevin Alston,
Adrian Arceneaux, James Hardy II,
Christopher Jones, Kenneth Jones,
Lamont Lawrence, Darian Little,
Travis Manuel, Nicholas Allen,
Ronald Boone, Scott Byers, Tony
Dawson, Edmund Roush, Sean
Sharpe, Patrick Sullivan and Charlie
Tyson.
By Lynne Chapman
Her palms are sweating as the
young actress waits for her relaxation
exercises to take effect She can hear
her heart pounding.
She wonders if the audience will
be entertained: can I remember my
lines? What happens if I fall on my
face?
As she steps on stage, she puts her
insecurities aside, knowing that the
show must go on.
This sense of possible failure or
triumph is “part of what the exper
imental workshop theater at ECSU is
all about,” according to ECSU Asso
ciate Professor Shawn Smith.
“The workshop is a valuable train
ing tool,” Smith continued. “It gives
students the opportunity to take the
theories on acting, directing and show
production and put them into prac
tice.”
Smith, who teaches Enghsh and
drama in the Department of Language,
Literature and Communication, is
Director of ECSU’s University Play
ers.
The One-Act Workshop is an an
nual Spring event, produced and di
rected by the advanced drama stu
dents. The students choose the plays
they want to direct, hold auditions and
cast their shows. Rehearsal schedules
are submitted and approved by the
student producer.
“The work is challenging: how
ever, drama allows me to tap into
different aspects of my inner self,”
explains Janis McDermott, student
producer. “You go out on a limb, but
the reward is seeing the immediate
response of the audience.”
A lot of intense planning and work
goes into a performance that runs for
two nights. The students are respon
sible for hiring technical crews that
work backstage in the areas of cos
tume, make-up, set design, lighting,
sound and props.
Historically, the one-act play dates
back to the “Satyr” plays of Ancient
Greece; the form is similar to the short
story in Uterature.
Playwrights adapted the style to
develop comic take-offs on the Greek
tragedy. Used as “curtain raisers” and
between-act entertainment in the 19th
century the one-act has gained respect
as a viable art form in recent decades
because of the tight structure and
evocative plot. A good example of the
perfected one-act is “Riders to the
Sea” by John Millington Synge.
The One-Act program performed
by the University Players April 13
and 14 opened with “Ex-Miss Copper
Queen on a Set of Pills” by Megan
Terry. The play is about a former
beauty queen on skid row and her
interaction with two bag ladies who
are happy with their simplistic exis
tence.
“Although the play has some
humorous dialogue, the tragedy of
Copper Queen is very real,” said Di
rector Lynne Chapman. “Life on the
streets is seldom f^unny.”
“The Sandbox” by Edward Albee,
next on the program, is a popular
example of Theatre of the Absurd.
The comedy uses the characters of
Mommy, Daddy and Grandma to
symbolically represent selfishness,
loneliness and the effect of society
over people.
According to Director Tom Wil
liams, Albee uses many stage direc
tions, so “the play almost directs it
self.” He added, “It was a challenge to
find my own interpretation.”
The opening for Act II, “I’ll Be
Horae For Christmas” by Robert
Anderson, was directed by Janis
McDermott. The comedy, about a
typical middle class white family in
the 60’s involves a couple’s discus
sions about the sexual revolution and
their children.
“Contributions” by Ted Shine
followed and gave a glimpse of the
black perspective in the ^’s. The
grandmother and grandson make their
contributions to the Civil Rights
Movement, each in a unique way.
The grandson participates in a sit-in
and the climax of the story is reached
when he realizes that his grandmother
has been poisoning the white officials
of the town with her homemade
combread. ;
“The perspective of the play was
important for the students of ECSIJ
because it took the situation of blac^
oppression and added a comedic
twist,” said Lisa Gregory, who di^
rected “Contributions.” 1
The final play, a mono-dram^i
called ‘The Incarceration of Annit
Brown” by Rebecca Ransom, featured
Ursula McMillion as Annie. The plot
centers around Annie’s life in prison
and the events that led to her incar
ceration. ;
“I wanted the character of Annie
Brown to enhance or broaden the
minds of the students,” explained
McMillion. “It hopefully inspire^
them to stay out of prison and not t^)
jeopardize their position in society .J
Ursula added, “With or without a
degree, aperson can end up like Annie
Brown.” !
According to Smith, audience at^
tendance for the one-acts was small
but appreciative, and the production
was highly successful. Smith added
that he feels the students le^ed fron)
their experiences. ;
The Workshop Productions attract
a number of freshmen and other in*
experienced students who are curious
about theatre, said Smith. He attribr
uted this to the shortened length of
rehearsal time and larger amount of
minor roles. ;
“The one-acts allow novices to
become involved because they are not
as intimidated or afraid to audition,"
Smith said.
“The One-Acts are one of the most
beneficial learning experiences ever
afforded ECSU students,” said
McDermott.
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