Category Archives: community
Westmoreland College dedicates new lab
Westmoreland College held a ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate its new Instructional Design Lab which provides college faculty with the tools to create content engaging course content.
The lab is equipped with six smart podium computers that provide the tools for faculty to imbed video, PowerPoint presentations and other digital content into their online courses delivered in a web conferencing format. These online classes are delivered synchronously allowing instructors and students to interact in real time. Students can access the courses via any mobile device, including smartphones, tablets or computers.
“It’s the closest you can get to being in class without being in an actual classroom, “said Associate Professor John Shelapinsky who teaches Paralegal classes online.
This fall, 47% of Westmoreland students are taking at least one online class and their grade point averages are slightly higher than those enrolled solely in on-ground courses.
“One of our goals is to grow online programs and services to engage students where they are and that’s online, said Westmoreland President Tuesday Stanley. “The Instructional Design Lab will help us to do that.”
Funding for the creation of the Instructional Design Lab was provided by a gift from an anonymous donor.
“We are very grateful to the donor for the gift that enabled us to equip the lab and hire an instructional designer who assists faculty in transitioning their on-ground courses to an online format and developing engaging digital content,” said Stanley.
Funds from a $2.25 million Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant received from the U.S. Department of Education will allow the college to expand the Instructional Design Lab with additional equipment and professional development.
“The lab is the college’s first step in achieving its long-term goal of creating a Learning Commons as part of the Founders Hall renovation project, currently in the planning stage,” said Stanley.
Once completed, the instructional design lab will move to the Learning Commons which will also contain spaces for tutoring and academic support, mentoring and counseling services, career services and an IT help desk.
Westmoreland offers 11 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs that are available 100 percent online. Among those offerings is the Associate of Arts degree, which is transferrable to bachelor’s degree programs at four-year universities. Other programs available completely online are some of Westmoreland’s most popular majors such as business, accounting, criminal justice and psychology.
This fall, Westmoreland was ranked first in Pennsylvania for 2016 online colleges by OnlineColleges.com.
Photo: Delivering remarks at the dedication ceremony were Stanley; Tara Zirkel, dean, Distance Education and Education Centers; Dick Dickert, chairman, Westmoreland board of trustees; Philip McCalister, president, Educational Foundation board; Annette Boyer, director, Distance Education and Learning Resources; John Shelapinsky, associate professor of Paralegal, Business and Real Estate; Ted Kopas, Westmoreland County commissioner; and Chad Amond, president, Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce.
180 Degrees Empowerment Center offers opportunities for area youth
Depressed areas create despair for residents and youth alike, and a sense that opportunity exists elsewhere. But Terry Vassar of Brownsville, Pennsylvania, decided that he could make it where he lives, and raise others up in the process, through his 180° Empowerment Center, a 501.3c organization headquartered in Brownsville.
Vassar, proud father of five children and a Windows R Us franchise owner, explains the inspiration for the Center’s name: “180 is about making a complete turn-around. Anytime anyone came to Jesus, they would have their life turned around 180 degrees.”
From high school graduation until about age 28, Vassar said that while he had a good family, “…some of us find love in different places, and I found mine in drugs and street life. But at 28, I realized I had no life, and went back to school,” adding that once he rededicated his life to Christ, he didn’t need to go to rehab to quit his habits.
After completing a degree in Ministerial Studies from Shiloh Bible Institute, Vassar worked as a telemarketer where he “ . . . learned how to be a communicator and have people skills,” which benefitted him though managerial and mortgage broker jobs, and would later help bring the Center to the Brownsville community.
Vassar’s experiences on the street, along with personal development through hard work, seeded the idea for 180° Empowerment Center in 2007. However, it took time to build connections with the school district, and create a location, at 165 Market Street in Brownsville. Once in place, he moved ahead with his vision, working with Brownsville Area School District Superintendent Dr. Philip Savini, Jr., Ph. D, to bring the Center’s outreach programs to the district, starting in December of this year.
The Center provides English, math, and Spanish tutoring for 7-12 grades, along with PSSA, SAT, and ACT preparation. In addition, grief counseling, career awareness, student aid workshops, and suicide awareness and prevention programs are available to the area students, or anyone in need.
On request, life development courses and credit counseling are also available.
California University interns from the Department of TRIO and the Hispanic Student Association have stepped in to volunteer their tutoring skills. Lisa Driscoll from the Department of TRIO and Academic Services facilitates the relationship between California University and the Center.
“She’s awesome and it’s been a great partnership. She was instrumental in getting everything in line to start in December,” Vassar said of Driscoll.
Furthering technical literacy skills for Brownsville school district students is Fab Lab, which as Vassar calls “A new, 21st century way of doing design.”
Fab Lab, instructed by Brandon Prentice from Intermediate Unit 1, features classes in Laser Cutting, 3D Printing for Beginners, and a Vinyl Sticker Tutorial. While working through these classes, students learn about design software and 3D modeling to produce projects for the individual class instructions. New Fab Lab classes will form in early 2017.
Vassar’s message for the area is a positive one: “I believe that people in the Mon Valley area, because of the depression, believe they can’t do it here. But by the grace of God, I am. I want kids to be able to duplicate what I’ve done. I want kids to find out what they love to do, and work on developing their strengths.”
Those wishing to donate and/or participate: 180degreesempowerment.com/about, and click on “Lend a Helping Hand.”
Photos: (top) Students show off self portraits made during Fab Lab (bottom) Students participated in a basketball clinic offered by the Center at Brownsville Area High School this past August. Future clinics are planned.
Story by Keren Lee Dreyer for Pennsylvania Bridges
California Holly Days set for Dec. 4
California Borough families will have the opportunity to partake in a free holiday celebration on Sunday, December 4, 2016 at California University of Pennsylvania’s Natali Student Center from 4-5:30 p.m.
Activities Will Include:
A large inflatable snowman chair for fun photo opportunities
Photobooth Fun – Snap some holiday-themed selfies in the home-made photo booth!
Holiday Crafts
Cal U’s Theater Department will perform a portion of their upcoming musical, “The Happy Elf,” at 4:15 p.m.
Holiday Cookie Decorating
Balloon animals and face painting will be available
A family-friendly holiday movie will continuously be shown in the Vulcan Theater
A card-decorating station will be set-up to decorate cards to send to soldiers and hospitals
Santa will arrive at 4:30 p.m.
Don’t forget your list, and remember to smile for your printed photo with Santa for your decorated frame
Blaze and the DQ ice cream cone will be in attendance
PARKING WILL BE FREE. The best place to park will be behind the Student Union (coming down Hickory Street)
The Bookstore will be running a 20% discount. Plan to have dinner after the event in the Gold Rush, too.
Please invite your friends & spread the word! We hope to see you there!
Event Sponsored by California Borough Recreation Authority and California University of Pennsylvania
Youth reach out to Brownsville homeowners in need
The Brownsville, Pennsylvania area is living in hard times because of diminished industry, diminishing population, and diminished incomes. What follows is an increasing number of decaying homes, with residents wishing for help and hope.
And there is hope. Through the auspices of Reach Mission Trips of Colorado, working in conjunction with Reach Workcamps of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Uniontown, approximately 350-400 work campers will take up residence at Brownsville Area High School to serve 70 of Brownsville’s homeowners whose homes are in need of vital improvements.
Reach Mission Trips sponsors 6-8 work camps each year, involving church youth group students from 6th grade through high school and adults.
Judith Taylor, coordinator of Reach Workcamps of St. Peter’s Anglican Church, says of the program “It’s almost a rite of passage at church for kids to go to Reach. It’s a way to learn to serve,” which fulfills Reach’s goal of developing youth into “transformed servants of Jesus,” according to their web site.
Homeowners in need are pleased to discover there is no cost to them for the student teams who work to make their home “warmer, safer, and dryer” – the main goals of the home improvements according to Taylor.
“What’s the catch?” homeowners wonder, but there is no catch, as Taylor explains “funds come from youth group fundraisers. Each student usually pays $400 – $425 (to participate). This money funds the needed materials. These kids do fundraisers to raise money to pay for the privilege of sleeping on a classroom floor all week, eating cafeteria food. It’s character building.” Workdays of six hours for junior high, and seven hours for seniors, adds to the week long character building process.
Taylor, an 18 year volunteer, has taken generations of kids to Reach, which helps them learn skills in working with tools, roofing, and painting, while learning work ethics such as getting up for work at 6:30 a.m. every day during the week.
Taylor’s own family is a multi-general participant in Reach, with her daughter, Maggie Taylor, and granddaughter, Bailey Burkett helping out during camps. It’s not unusual for this program to bring in new generations, as Taylor said “A lot of students have come back as adults to continue work. Reach needs staff and now this is their college summer job.”
To qualify for help through Reach, the home must be owned by the resident, have financial need, and be within half hour travel distance from Brownsville Area High School.
In December, a Reach representative will visit homeowners who have completed applications.
All of the work done is overseen by a “troubleshooter” who had been a contractor in the past. All adults are screened including a background check and a letter from their own church’s pastor, Taylor said.
Homeowners benefit in a tangible way from the efforts of Reach work campers, not only in their everyday lives, but in the creation of a positive perception of modern youth. Taylor relates a project in southern West Virginia, where a homeowner “had stairs and handicap ramp so rotted she couldn’t safely leave the house. After being able to go down the steps and view her new porch on the house, she said ‘My porch looks like it belongs on the front of Southern Living Magazine!’”
Homeowners are pleased with the hard work and good attitudes of the campers, and have said “I didn’t think there were any good kids left in the world,” Taylor recounts, adding “the kids lead prayers at lunch time. It changes peoples’ perceptions of youth. I think that’s worthwhile because of too much negativity for young people.”
Taylor invites local community members and churches to participate with donations of bottled water, ice for lunch coolers, donations in kind, or financial donations. Local church youth who wish to participate will not commute, but will stay with other work campers at the high school, as Taylor said, because it provides church youth with a complete work camper experience.
Taylor is available to visit churches and youth groups to explain the camp, and also said “It’s not too early to be looking for homes which need help.”
For questions, information, work the group can do, or offers to help via food, donations, and more, contact Judith Taylor at mumimp@hotmail.com, or call 724-812-1597.
Story by Keren Lee Dreyer for Pennsylvania Bridges
December 2016 events in Brownsville
On Sun., Dec. 4, at 3 p.m. the Uniontown Chorale will present a Christmas program at St. Cecilia’s Church (1571 Grindstone Road, Grindstone).
The Allison Nazarene Church (416 Vernon St., Allison) will host Grace on the Hill on Sun., Dec. 4. The evening of prayer time and Bible Study also includes a free light meal & begins at 5:13 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. The public is invited.
Monday, Dec. 5 – Bible Released Time for middle school students at South Brownsville United Methodist Church (412 Second St., Brownsville) at 9 a.m. Volunteers needed, 724-785-3080.
Thurs., Dec. 8 – Produce to People at the Fayette County Fairgrounds (Fiddler’s Building). Volunteers needed starting at 8:30 a.m. Food distribution begins at 10 a.m.
On Sun., Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. the Bentworth Ministerial Community Choir will present a Christmas program at St. Peter’s (300 Shaffner Ave., Brownsville).
Monday, Dec. 12 – Bible Released Time for middle school students at South Brownsville United Methodist Church (412 Second St., Brownsville) at 9:00 a.m. Volunteers, call 724-785-3080.
The BAMA meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 13, will be at 9:15 a.m. at the Calvin United Presbyterian Church (307 Spring St., Brownsville).
Thursday, Dec. 15 – Bible Released Time for elementary students begins at 9:15 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church (307 High St., Brownsville). Volunteers needed, 724-785-3080.
Mon., Dec. 19 – Bible Released Time for middle school students at South Brownsville United Methodist Church (412 Second St., Brownsville) at 9 a.m. Volunteers needed, 724-785-3080.
Waynesburg U named to Community Service Honor Roll
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) recently announced that Waynesburg University was named to the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This is the University’s eighth consecutive year receiving the honor. Waynesburg University was one of 115 schools on the General Community Service Honor Roll with distinction and only one of 12 in the state of Pennsylvania identified with distinction.
“We are honored to receive this award, which is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of our students, faculty and staff,” said Waynesburg University President Douglas G. Lee. “Their dedication to service continues to have a profound impact.”
The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to community, service-learning and civic engagement. CNCS is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering.
The Honor Roll recognizes institutions of higher education that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the extent to which academic service-learning courses are offered.
Waynesburg University students, faculty and staff contribute more than 50,000 service hours annually. Through its more than 50 local and regional agencies and a continuously expanding network of international agencies, Waynesburg University encourages students to become servant-leaders through a number of partnerships. The University offers approximately 16 service mission trips each academic year. The trips are held during the fall, winter, spring and summer breaks. The University also participates in a number of weekend-long service projects in the local community and surrounding region. In addition to volunteer hours, the University offers a service leadership minor constructed around service-learning courses. During the semester-long courses, students perform a set amount of hours of community service with a non-profit organization.
The University is one of only 21 Bonner Scholar Schools in the country. With support from the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, Waynesburg is committed to the program which was created to offer scholarship assistance to students performing significant amounts of community service throughout their time at Waynesburg. Approximately 60 Waynesburg University students are involved with the program each year.
23rd annual Highmark First Night announces headliner Nigel Hall Band
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced today that the Nigel Hall Band will perform as the headline act for the largest family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration in the region-the 23rd annual Highmark First Night Pittsburgh. In addition, the theme for this year’s celebration is PITTSBURGH: THE NEXT 200 YEARS, chosen to reflect the culmination of the City’s year-long Bicentennial celebration and serving as an impetus for citizens to think about what is to come in the City’s future.
For the sixth consecutive year, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield will serve as the presenting sponsor for the event, produced by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
A full announcement regarding the programming schedule for Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2017 will take place on Tuesday, December 6 at 10 a.m. at the Trust Arts Education Center (805-807 Liberty Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh) in the Peirce Studio. KDKA-TV’s Pittsburgh Today Live co-hosts Kristine Sorensen and Jon Burnett will host the festive press preview.
“With over 40,000 anticipated for the Trust’s largest open house of the year, we are thrilled to present a band that promises to warm everyone’s soul on First Night,” shared Sarah Aziz, the newly appointed director of Highmark First Night. “We are also honored to serve as the culminating event for Pittsburgh’s Bicentennial and hope to curate an evening of events that reflect the history, innovation and diversity of our City, and that leaves every attendee hopeful about the 200 years ahead of us.”
Ninety percent (90%) of all Highmark First Night Pittsburgh events are held indoors. At the end of the evening, visitors enjoy the Future of Pittsburgh Grand Finale: the countdown to midnight, raising of the 1,000 lbs. Future of Pittsburgh ball 150 feet in the air above Penn Avenue Place, and a spectacular Zambelli fireworks finale. The Nigel Hall Band will perform on the Highmark Stage during this rousing Grand Finale.
Nigel Hall grew up in Washington, D.C., in a highly musical family. His fingers first touched the keys before he hit kindergarten age, and his ears were wide open. “I grew up with records,” he said. “That’s why I’m obsessed. My father had a vast collection. I’d be in third grade with my Walkman and everyone’s listening to Ace of Bass, and I’m listening to ‘Return to Forever,’” Chick Corea’s fusion project with Stanley Clarke. The vintage sounds of LADIES & GENTLEMEN… NIGEL HALL, infused with his electric freshness, together make both an audible autobiography and Nigel Hall’s musical mission statement.
“I like to sing songs that reflect my being and who I am as a person,” he said. “Because that really touches me. When you hear a song and it makes you cry, or it makes you happy or it evokes any kind of feeling, that is music. That is what music is supposed to do. And music is the last pure thing we have left on this earth. It’s the only pure thing.”
This soul provider’s debut album is out and soaring along with kudos from critics across the country as well as incredible live shows to celebrate the release. With the digital version and vinyl LP currently available, Feel Music Group released it on CD Friday, February 19, 2016. LADIES & GENTLEMEN… NIGEL HALL captures the spirit of the songs that made Hall a musician. It was produced by Eric Krasno, guitarist and producer of a dizzying array of artists including Norah Jones, Justin Timberlake, Talib Kweli, Aaron Neville and Matisyahu.
Admission Buttons are $10 in advance or at the door (children 5 and under FREE) and are worn by attendees on New Year’s Eve, giving access to all indoor and outdoor attractions at Highmark First Night Pittsburgh. Admission Buttons are on sale at TrustArts.org/FirstNightPGH, the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), or at 412-456-6666. Additionally, participating Giant Eagle store locations will have buttons available for sale starting in early December. Some indoor performances also require seating vouchers, which are free tickets. Events requiring vouchers are listed at TrustArts.org/FirstNightPGH.
Reserve your spot to celebrate in comfort and style during Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2017. This priority reservation opportunity is your chance to lock in low pricing before it goes up for the general public on December 6. Enjoy priority seating, access, parking, and more! For more information on becoming a part of this special sponsorship opportunity, visit this link or please call 412-471-3518.
Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2016 sponsors as of release date include: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield as the presenting sponsor, Dollar Bank, First National Bank, Giant Eagle and PNC. FedEx Ground returns as a title sponsor for the annual parade which includes special themed puppets designed by Studio Capezzuti. Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2017 community supporters include The Buhl Foundation and The Fine Foundation and The Grable Foundation. Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2017 media partners currently include KDKA TV and Pittsburgh City Paper.
Highmark First Night Pittsburgh, a production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, is an arts-focused and family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. It is the largest single-day celebration in the region offering 100+ events at dozens of indoor and outdoor locations within the 14-block Cultural District. The celebration offers something for everyone.
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces the opening of BOUGAINVILLEA: A BOTANIC PERMUTATION at 709 Penn Gallery, 709 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The exhibition features 2D artwork by Don Dugal, an artist inspired by the showy-colored, warm-weather bit of flora which has traditionally been overlooked by artists because of its amorphous blooms and inability to ‘pose’ as a cut flower.
Dugal explains: “My interest in Bougainvillea stems from my intimate contact with it during my residence in Honolulu, where the plant is a common garden feature. For 20 years I lived with a huge mass of Bougainvillea growing outside my kitchen windows, where in bloom and full sun, it would flood half of the house with a surprisingly intense, reflective, pink glow. Having taught Art courses that emphasized the importance of color in Nature, as well as those that explored the historical use of artist’s pigments, Bougainvillea presented itself as a natural subject. My art has always leaned to a synthesis of the perceptual with the psychological – accompanied by garnishes of Art and Music history.”
Don Dugal was born and educated in Detroit when automobile culture, devotion to beer and frantic urban expansion were at their zenith. He received a BFA in Painting from Wayne State University, studying under professors David Mitchell and Robert Wilbert, and then found his way to the state of Hawaii, where, having studied with professors Ben Norris and Ken Bushnell, he received, in 1969, an MFA in Drawing and Painting, from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Successful exhibitions in Honolulu prompted him to stay on in Hawaii where he initiated a 41-year career of teaching Painting, Drawing and Design at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Significant solo exhibitions include those at the Contemporary Museum in 1980, 1994 and 1999 and the Honolulu Academy of Arts (now the Honolulu Museum) in 1983 and 2007. His work is in the collections of the Hawaii State Art Museum, the Honolulu Museum, the Honolulu City Arts Commission and the Springfield, Illinois Arts Commission. He was awarded an Individual Artist Grant from the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts in 1999, and several commissioned works by Dugal may be found at the Hawaii Convention Center and the Honolulu City Medical Examiner’s Office. He retired from the University of Hawaii in 2010 and in 2011, after careful research, chose Pittsburgh as a home.
709 Penn Gallery: A project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and managed by the Trust’s Education and Community Engagement department, 709 Penn Gallery features exhibits by local and regional artists working in multiple disciplines and is located at 709 Penn Avenue near the intersection of Penn and Seventh Street. Gallery hours are Wed., Thurs. from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Fri., Sat. from 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Sun. from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. FMI about all gallery exhibitions featured in the Cultural District, please visit www.trustarts.org.
Showcase Noir artist & designer exhibit seeks submissions
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced today that it is now accepting submissions for Showcase Noir, Artist & Designer Exhibit and Sale to be held February 24-26, 2017 at the August Wilson Center. For the first time in the history of this Exhibit and Sale-showcasing paintings, sculptures, photographs, fiber art, jewelry, pottery and art in various mediums from emerging and established artists, both local and national, will be held over the course of an entire weekend. This art sale and show features work by artists representing the African Diaspora.
“Showcase Noir provides an opportunity for the most talented artists and designers from around the country to display and sell their art. Work derived from the African Diaspora, ranging from fine jewelry, to beautiful abstract paintings, to pottery and sculpture, is available for the entire Pittsburgh community to view and to purchase. Attendees will have the opportunity to simultaneously experience some of the finest craftsmanship and high quality art while celebrating the culture of the African Diaspora,” comments Janis Burley-Wilson, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Interested artists should submit photos of completed work, resume, artist statement and relevant supporting materials. Deadline for entry is January 16, 2017. Artists will be selected and notified shortly thereafter.
To submit your work for review, mail submission materials via wetransfer to goode@trustarts.org or mail to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Attn: DeVonne Goode, 803 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA. 15222 by January 16, 2017. If you have questions, contact DeVonne Goode at goode@trustarts.org or call (412) 471-6070.
Showcase Noir has been presented in Pittsburgh for well over a decade. The event will take at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, located in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, 980 Liberty Avenue. Admission is free and open to the public.
The sleekly modern August Wilson Center, located in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, 980 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222, offers multiple exhibition galleries, a 472-seat theater for performances in all genres, an education center for classes, lectures and hands-on learning, and dazzling spaces for community programs and events.
For rental inquiries, visit TrustArts.org or email Devonne Goode, Program Manager-Pittsburgh Cultural Trust at goode@trustarts.org. FMI and a calendar of events presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust taking place at the Center, visit TrustArts.org or call 412-456-6666.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” celebrates its 15th season
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” celebrates its 15th season onstage with a 26-performance run Dec. 2-27, at the Benedum Center.
Fittingly, the milestone intersects with the 20th anniversary season of the man who created it: PBT Artistic Director Terrence S. Orr.
When Orr arrived in Pittsburgh in 1997 to take the helm of PBT, a new “Nutcracker” was on his mind. He’d just relocated from New York City’s American Ballet Theatre and was experiencing the city’s traditions and history through fresh eyes.
When it came time to reimagine PBT’s rendition of the perennial holiday classic, the concept felt intuitive: He planned to revive classic story elements of “The Nutcracker” while creating a sense of place unique to Pittsburgh. His new staging debuted in December 2002 at the Benedum.
“I wanted this production to be the city’s own. I wanted Pittsburghers to feel a sense of familiarity, of home, because this show is such a tradition for so many families,” Orr said.
With help from artists, historians and locals, he began assembling relics and references to weave into the traditional scenes and story of “The Nutcracker.”
He commissioned scenic designer Zack Brown to conceive the sets and costumes, designed to reflect the color and vibrancy of Tchaikovsky’s score.
He consulted with the late Milan Stitt, then head of dramatic writing at Carnegie Mellon University, to help write the libretto and call forward essential elements of the original E.T.A. Hoffmann tale published in 1816.
He brought in an old friend and dramaturge – Long Island native Byam Stevens – to help implement this new dramatization, believing that the story telling, the theater, was vital to enhancing the dancing.
When a board member unearthed a vintage copy of “Kaufmann’s Christmas Stories for Boys and Girls,” commissioned by Kaufmann’s Department store at the turn of the 20th century, Orr wove it into the story. Onstage, the book spills out a cadre of toy characters who spring to the defense of The Nutcracker and Marie in the Act I Battle Scene.
And, of course, “The Nutcracker” is “nothing short of magical (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).” Local magician Paul Gertner trained the company in the art of illusion – mysteries that Orr’s performers hold close to the vest. For over a decade, Drosselmeyer’s sleight-of-hand tricks have left audience members of all ages marveling.
Inside the PBT Costume Shop, Janet Groom Campbell and her team brought Zack Brown’s costume renderings to life with 18 shimmering snowflakes, 16 colorful tutus resembling flower petals, a stage full of elaborate Victorian party dresses and many more hand-crafted costumes.
Of the 215 costumes of “The Nutcracker,” 110 were built in the PBT Costume Shop. For specialty pieces, the company enlisted artisans, like Pittsburgh local Svi Roussanoff, who constructed the head pieces for The Nutcracker as well as his rival, the Rat King, and his rodent army.
The scenery and special effects complete the picture with colorful set pieces and drops, including a growing Christmas tree and flurries of snow.
Throughout the show Pittsburghers can spot local character, including the Snow Scene’s Mount Washington view, a proscenium clock inspired by the Kaufmann’s clock at Fifth Avenue and Smithfield Street downtown, and a Land of Enchantment that pays homage to Pittsburgh’s historic amusement parks.
Over time, Orr has added new nods to Pittsburgh culture – and its sports. Act I has seen a toy penguin wearing a hockey jersey, rats waving Terrible Towels and even Party Scene cameos by local celebrities like Mr. McFeely, Hines Ward and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
Beyond the Pittsburgh and pop culture references, Orr has a tradition of creating unique casting combinations to ensure that no two performances are exactly alike.
“It carries the comfort and warmth of tradition, yet it is never the same show twice. We are always finding new wrinkles in the characters, new layers to the story and variations in the dancing,” Orr said. “I really do believe that you could watch each of the 26 shows and discover something new each time. There is something magical about that.”
Among the 26 performances, the company will present a Student Matinee performance, sponsored by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 2, as well as a sensory-friendly performance adapted for patrons with special needs at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27. (Photo by Rich Sofranko)
Tickets start at $28 and are available at www.pbt.org, 412-456-6666 or by visiting the Box Office at Theater Square.
FMI: pbt.org
The Happy Elf premieres at Cal U this holiday season
The Happy Elf runs December 8, 9 and 10 at 7pm, and December 10 and 11 at 2pm.
For over twenty years, the California University Theater Department and Community have teamed up for a Holiday production. What was once offered as the Nutcracker Ballet at this time of year, changed when the school’s ballet program shifted to a more inclusive musical theater.
For five years, A Christmas Carol was the show, then three years, A Miracle on 34th Street, took the stage.
“There’s not a lot of high quality holiday musicals out there as securing the rights are near impossible,” says the Musical Theatre Department head and Director, Michele Pagen, PhD. “Then Harry Connick, Jr. created the wonderful song, ‘The Happy Elf.’”
Claire, left, plays Molly and Jeshua Myers portrays Eubie the happy elf in the Cal U Theatre Department’s holiday musical. The Happy Elf runs December 8, 9 and 10 at 7pm, and December 10 and 11 at 2pm.
The song was such a hit, it inspired an animated special under the same name by Film Roman, an IDT Entertainment company, the same animation company known for producing The Simpsons. The special inspired an additional 19 songs that came on an accompanying CD. Following the success of the animated special, Andrew Fishman reworked the book, with music and lyrics by Connick who had added five new songs for the musical.
The story centers on Eubie the Elf and his friends Hamm and Gilda. While sorting through Santa’s naughty and nice list, Eubie notices an overwhelming amount of kids on the naughty list, all from Bluesville. He takes it upon himself to visit Bluesville and introduce them to the spirit of Christmas. Unfortunately, Eubie’s nemesis, Norbert finds out and plans to undermine his efforts for his own selfish reasons.
I was fortunate to be permitted to a rehearsal at Steele Hall, where the performance will also take place, by Dr. Pagen. The cast is huge and the complexity of blocking and choreography is a massive undertaking.
“We have a cast of 58, ages ranging from 6 to 56,” Michelle stated. “I want every single one of them to have a part, not merely to be stage dressing. Then there’s the challenge of coordinating schedules for so many players.”
Dr. Pagen holds auditions on the same day for all roles and casts one at a time in one day. Jesh Myers jumped right out for the lead role of Eubie. “Jesh shares most of the characteristics of Eubie, particularly when he began to sing,” Dr. Pagen says.
Annabel Lorence as Mrs. Claus and Nick Franczak as Santa struggle between cookies and carrots. The Happy Elf runs December 8, 9 and 10 at 7pm, and December 10 and 11 at 2pm.
As I watched rehearsals, all of the actors, dancers and singers were wonderful. The music, superb. A few stood out and I decided to sit down and talk briefly with them so you know who they are when you head out to watch this wonderful production, Pennsylvania Bridges readers.
Jeshua “Jesh” Myers (Eubie the Elf). Jesh, pictured top right, began singing at age three. His mother had an all children’s choir. He is a sophomore Theater Major and gets super excited about the audition process. It’s his first major role in college, his last was in High School. His biggest challenge is finding a balance between school work and dedicating time to his character. Jesh is working hard to find a balance in Eubie’s character also. He wants him to be excited and animated but not too over the top. I found his comment about auditions interesting as most actors dread them. His answer was very inspiring.
“It’s what I want to do as a career and the audition process is part of that, so I want to do my best.” Jesh continued, “I know if I do my best, I feel like whatever I end up with, I earned.”
Mark Barrett (Hamm the Elf). Mark is a junior Theater Major. He has reveled in the past month and a half of rehearsals. The role of being an elf has inspired Mark’s imagination to wander and he enjoys the role of being Eubie’s best friend. It’s the human element of friendship, interwoven with the imaginative aspects of the character that Mark is enjoying. He too has found the most challenging part of the production finding balance between school work and character development time. Playing Hamm however, has been a joy.
“Hamm is mostly kind of child-like,” Mark says. “He’s innocent and joyful and how they interact with each other is like letting their inner-child out.”
Kayla Grimm (Gilda the Elf). Kayla is a junior Theater Major. She started in theater at age 5. Not entirely sure her future was headed for theater, Kayla also had a major interest in science. Eventually, she settled on theater. I have to take an editorial moment and say, I absolutely adored her character. From the moment she comes on stage, every subtle nuance from the way she shuffles on her tip-toes to her sheepish mannerisms when talking with Eubie, just great stuff. When we sat down to talk, I was taken aback slightly that her voice wasn’t the high pitched Gilda voice I had heard onstage.
“I really love doing voices,” Kayla explained. “Every character I play, I create a voice for them. For Gilda, she’s very, very happy person and full of energy, especially when she’s around Eubie.”
Jordan Brooks (Norbert the Elf). Jordan is a Cal U Alumni. A professional actor, he is currently on break from the Missoula Children’s Theater and will resume productions in January of 2017. Jordan was a late comer to the theatrical field. It wasn’t until middle school that he developed his love for theater and never looked back. His character, Norbert, is the play’s heavy. He is always scheming and a complete heel. I love his performance, possibly my favorite character. To sit and talk with him after watching him on stage, again, a bit surprising. He is the nicest, most charismatic person you could meet. You can tell in his quote when I asked what his motivation was for coming back as an alumni.
“I’m so happy the Holiday Show is community based and the public is welcome,” says Jordan. “That’s really what the Christmas spirit is all about, everyone coming together.”
One final aspect of the play I would like to cover, the costumes. Imagine if you can, prepping 58 costumes for people of varying shapes and sizes. That enormous task is being executed by the Costume Shop Manager, Joni Farquhar. Typically, Joni works with a designer to help with the costumes, but not for this production, she is the designer as well. Her walls are lined with various costumes, designed specifically for the Elves’ various jobs. As pictured, this is the shirt for the tailor elf. Each elf has the smallest details and touches worked out by Joni. Measuring tape trim with a spool of thread pocket emblem, just by looking at the costume, one can determine the elf’s job in the North Pole. I won’t share more, you have to come and see the rest of Joni’s wonderful creations for yourself, live and in person.
“The Happy Elf” will be performed at 7 p.m. Dec. 8-10, with matinees at 2 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11. All shows are in Cal U’s Steele Hall Mainstage Theatre. Performances are open to the public.
Ticket price is $12 for adults, seniors and children. Cal U students with valid CalCards pay 50 cents, plus a $5 deposit that is refunded at the show.
Location Information:
Main Campus – Steele Hall
816 Third Street
California, PA
Room: Steele Hall–Mainstage Theatre
Contact Information:
Name: Steele Hall Box Office
Phone: 724-938-5943
Email: walmsley@calu.edu
Story by Tomato Elf, Fred Terling, for Pennsylvania Bridges
