Tag: theatre

Berea College Alums Produce Scholarship Performance

Last modified: June 3, 2019

Noel and Reb cast

Berea College alumni and former College staff members are performing in “Noel and Reb,” the final play at Berea Arena Theater. The play, a comedy by Paul Nelson Power ’58, is being performed as a tribute to Power’s widow, Barbara Byrd Power ’56.

“The proceeds go to the Paul Nelson Power Scholarship at Berea College in memory of this legendary professor, author and director,” said Eddie Kennedy ’68, who is the founder and producer of Berea Arena Theater. “The scholarship was established in 1998 by students, friends and family to honor his boundless energy and enthusiasm for theatre.”

Continue reading Berea College Alums Produce Scholarship Performance →

Berea College Among the Top 25 B.A. Theatre Programs for 2018-19

Last modified: September 10, 2018
Two theatre students in a production locking eyes

Berea College’s Theatre Department concluded its 125th Anniversary Season with William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which opened April 13, and ran April 14, and 18-21.
(Photo: Desiree Dunn ’20)

OnStage Blog, a media site that covers theatre on an international level, ranked Berea College’s Theatre Department in the top 25 Bachelor of Arts programs in America.  Each year, OnStage Blog reviews theatre programs across the country to provide a resource to prospective students and families who are researching the best academic theatre programs in the country for dance, design, tech and performing. Berea came in at No. 23, with a major highlight of its “First Theatre in Human Culture” course, which studies the first theatres and extant play scripts of selected human cultures representing Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. Continue reading Berea College Among the Top 25 B.A. Theatre Programs for 2018-19 →

A Review of “This Is My Heart for You”

Last modified: May 25, 2018

Appalachia is a multifaceted host with as many different faces as hollows and hills. Some are beautiful, kind, and accepting. Some are filled with hate, and some are caught in between, unsure of where they stand until the line is drawn for them. Far too often, the unique rhythms of this place are lost in the stereotypes by which it is often characterized. “This is My Heart for You,” the latest work of acclaimed regional author Silas House, refuses this trap, embracing some of the most difficult and complex topics facing modern Appalachia. In the writer’s own words the play is “a prayer for things to get better, for us all to have more understanding and compassion.” Continue reading A Review of “This Is My Heart for You” →

A play by best-selling author Silas House premieres at Berea College on February 22

Last modified: May 25, 2018

“This Is My Heart For You,” a play by Kentucky author Silas House, examines the complexities of a small Appalachian town that must look at its own heart when a local incident exposing perceived inequality becomes national news. Loosely based on a true event, the avant-garde play is about two young men who are thrown out of a community-run swimming pool after accusations of “improper behavior.” The town is divided on whether the pool manager is a hero or a bigot. The play shines a light on the bigger issues of equality, hypocrisy and compassion in America today. Continue reading A play by best-selling author Silas House premieres at Berea College on February 22 →

Berea College Summer Students Perform Fully-Staged Scenes from Musical Dramas

Last modified: May 25, 2018

Berea College summer students will present “The Complete Performer- Theatrical Music Through the Ages” on June 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. in Gray Auditorium in the Presser Music Building. In an elaborate music theatre production culminating from intense historical, analytical, stylistic and technical study, 18 students will perform fully costumed and staged scenes from such classics as “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Dido and Aeneas” and “My Fair Lady” to new shows including “Sweeney Todd,” “Chicago,” “RENT” and “Jekyll and Hyde.” Continue reading Berea College Summer Students Perform Fully-Staged Scenes from Musical Dramas →

Theatrics Celebrate Black History Month

Last modified: May 25, 2018

“Black history is American history. We don’t need a month; it should be celebrated all the time” stated Adanma Onyedike Barton, director of Berea’s version of the play The Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World. This play is rarely performed due to its particular focus on African American stereotypes. This year Berea College held a variety of activities and programs in celebration of Black History Month such as an Intercultural/Interracial Community Dialogue Dinner which is designed to bring members of the campus community together to discuss race and other experiences relating to diversity. Continue reading Theatrics Celebrate Black History Month →