Theater Archives -

Posted on December 2, 2018October 31, 2018 by Brian Ferris — Leave a comment

What Is The 24 Hour Theater Project?

For the past three years, I have been involved in The 24 Hour Theater Project. This event is presented by Tau Alpha Pi, (or TAP for short), which is the Theatre Honorary here on campus at Grove City College. I have been a constant participant of the event every year that we have presented it. My sophomore year, I acted and directed, last year I coordinated the entire event, and this year I am writing!

So what is it really like to participate? Well, it is very busy, that is for sure. Whether it is the writers trying to crank out a script in one night or the actors trying to remember their blocking during the performance, there is a consistent thrill throughout the entire event. It may seem daunting, but for us theater-fanatics, that thrill makes the whole event very special.

Acting. The actors arrive Friday night without any preparation at all. They are asked to audition with just a short, improvised game. Then they leave the event until Saturday morning. At 7 a.m., they return to the theater and begin to memorize their script (which, in all honesty, takes the entire day). Then they learn the blocking based on the direction of their student director. At 7 p.m., ready or not, the actors take to the stage to perform their one act!

Directing. The directors are sort of the middle man in this event. First, they are paired with a group of writers and cast their show Friday at 7 p.m. Then, if the writers choose to do so, they can allow the directors to stay up with them throughout the night as the script is being written, or they can just go to back to their dorm. They must come back to the theater at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning to direct their one act. Directing it involves blocking movement, creating the set, and talking to the coordinators about transitions, music, and other things.

Writing. The writers help cast the show at the beginning of the night, and then, well, they write. They create a six- to 10-minute script about whatever creative idea is sparked in their minds. In case they get a mental block, there is support from the coordinators and one of the TAP advisors. Once they get their scripts completed, whether it is at 1 a.m. or 6 a.m., they are done for the rest of the event! Then they get to come back that night to see their script come to life!

You can watch this year’s show here!

Posted on May 12, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

One Acts: Low Risk, High Reward

According the laws of economics, the higher the risk involved in an investment, the greater you can potentially get out of it… or at least that’s how I understand it as a Communications major and English minor who’s spent most of his time in the theatre over his four years at Grove City College.

However, according to the economics of Grove City Theatre, something I am well versed in, the Spring One Act Festival is not only the lowest time commitment, but also one of the most fun productions on campus.

Every Spring semester, between four and five productions are put on, ranging from 10-25 minutes. These shows range from comedies to dramas, even some longer skits, but all are student directed. Even the festival and most of its logistics are coordinated by two students, who function as liaisons between the faculty, the directors, and the technicians.

I got my start in One Acts during the Spring of my Freshman year, not in directing or acting, but in tech. I helped assist the run crew move props and sets between shows. After that experience, I knew that I had to be involved more in the process. After that I acted in a play and then directed three.

For my final semester at Grove City, I decided I wanted to take a crack at acting again, and I’m excited to jump back into the fray.

The talent that comes out in One Acts is astounding. Due to the less demanding schedule in comparison to a main stage full length production, students who would normally shy away from theatre come out in droves. The fresh faces make for a fun, collaborative experience.

Not only do One Acts bring out the acting talent from across campus, but also encourage writers to present their original plays. Last spring we had two original plays go up in the same festival. It was a tremendous experience.

Perhaps you do theatre in high school, and you’re worried you won’t have time for theatre or perhaps that you won’t be able to commit to the rigors involved in theatre that you weathered before college. Fear not. One Acts allow for you to still be involved and express your passion for theatre without overwhelming you.

Perhaps you’re worried that you won’t get cast because you’re not a familiar face in the theatre department. Once again, you have nothing to worry about. In the upcoming festival, only six out of the 12 actors have acted in productions before. That’s half! One allow for anyone who comes out to have a chance at theatre.

I’ve been so thankful for the fun times I’ve had through One Acts. So when you get here, come one out. They’re worth your while.

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

Tau Alpha Pi: Theatre Honorary Revitalization

The fall of my sophomore year at Grove City I was inducted into Tau Alpha Pi, or TAP, the theatre honorary on campus. In order to qualify for the honorary, you need to participate in two areas of theatre production, be it acting, directing, crew work, or management, and show a dedication to the department and its goals.

It was an honor to be selected as an applicant, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in the department. In the spring of that same year I was elected the positions of Treasurer and Co-Social Chair. It was great to be able to take part in the inner workings of the department, and I was honored to be elected.

By the end of my sophomore year, however, many of the heavily involved members of the group had graduated, and we were left with an executive team which had not been involved with the organization for long. This was not necessarily a bad thing, but it left gaps in our knowledge base which put us at a disadvantage.

The beauty of the Grove City theatre department, and the campus in general, is that its students are passionate and driven, and this leads to a strong desire to not just pursue but advance the activities that they have found so much joy in doing. Sometimes, that takes a little time, but the dedication, when unwavering, pushes you through to the other end.

This was the case with TAP. For a year, my junior year, we struggled to find the best way to move forward. We knew that with our lack of information in certain areas, we’d need to find new, innovative ways to advance the individuals in the organization as well as the reach across campus. Ideas were thrown around suggesting cabaret nights and large fundraisers, nights of short scenes and flash mobs…

But something just was not clicking. Be it the grand nature of the suggestions and the dwindling number of members or perhaps that daunting questions of “Can we really do this?” hanging over our heads, we didn’t know how to move forward. Those are the best moments, though. The ones when you’re just not sure how to move forward. The ones where moving forward, or even to the left or right, is necessary to prevent from falling back.

Funds were our biggest issue. As an organization, the only way we received funding was from new member dues, and then we would spend about that for our annual theatre celebration. This was great, but with more funding we knew we could do a lot more to benefit if not the campus, then at least the department.

It was at this moment that we realized what was right under our noses: the talent of the cast. We were surrounded by so many wonderful individuals, particularly musicians, so why not showcase that. Before each show our Fall musical, Anything Goes!, we put together a bit called Tips4TAP. As the audience gathered into the lobby, we would send out a group of students to perform a musical number for those waiting to get in. Along with this we put a tip box out for the audience to make donations if they so desired. This was a tremendous hit!

Then we were faced with a question we hadn’t quite anticipated: what next? Now that we had more money, what should we do with it? The answer we came up with proves not only the goodwill of the students but also the desire to see individuals flourish in theatre.

Every year, students are sent to a national theatre festival to perform and compete against other actors. Through department funding, we are able to help these individuals get there. The festival, though, offers workshops and exercises spanning all areas of theatre. We decided to put together a fund to send a non-actor to the festival each year and let them take advantage of all the resources it had to offer.

Just like that (and by “just like that” I mean after a year of a lot of thinking) we knew how we could benefit those around us through the honorary. I am very proud to call myself a member of Tau Alpha Pi.

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

The Power of Theatre: The Process of Performing

Theatre is a wonderful medium that allows the actors to engage directly with the audience, to feed off of the energy in the room, and put on a show that will amaze.

This spring Grove City College put on Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer, a comedy about mistaken identity and true love. I had the honor of playing the role of Diggory, a half-wit butler who causes more trouble than he can fix. This was my last full-length show at Grove City, and I enjoyed the cast immensely. I had the opportunity to work alongside some of my best friends and even make a few new ones along the way.

Above all, we strived to put together an entertaining, meaningful production for the audience. Goldsmith’s intent was not to just put on a comedy for the sake of laughter, but also for purpose of thought and engagement. Beneath the surface jokes lie a wellspring of meaningful commentaries on classicism and empowerment of women. While laughter plays a large role in the show, there is so much more to be gleaned from the text, and it’s the actors’ jobs to make that come to light.

For being a liberal arts college of 2,500 students, Grove City always amazes me at its quality of performances, and that goes beyond the acting. While the acting is impressive not only for a school without a Theatre major, but also for students in majors from Computer Science to Mechanical Engineering and from History to Communications, the technical work at Grove City exceeds expectations. Lighting, sound, sets, and props come together in a way that exudes skill and dedication.

Just like it does in its various other departments, Grove City’s theatre impresses and excites those who experience it.

Here is a video made by Daniel Peiffer highlighting She Stoops to Conquer and the creative process called Inside the Actor’s Mind.

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

From the Spotlight to the Wings: Working in the Theatre

On-campus jobs are plentiful at Grove City College. Whether it’s working the sidelines of a Grove City football game or handling orders at the print shop, Grove City offers a multitude of options for work opportunities. For the last three years I’ve had the pleasure of working as a Pew Fine Arts Center Technician, which has been an interesting change from my first stage experience performing in Les Miserables.

Over the years, we’ve had a few leadership and job description changes, but the end goal of the PFAC Techs, as we affectionately call ourselves, has always been to run events held in Grove City College’s Ketler Auditorium, the primary stage on campus.

During both the Fall and the Spring semesters, Ketler houses theatre productions, dance shows, orchestra concerts, jazz band concerts, admitted students presentations, prospective student presentations, and, honestly, more than that.

Media Services is the branch of Grove City’s faculty and student employees charged with bringing together multimedia events across campus. The PFAC Techs are a special group of Media Services employees dedicated to the events that occur in Ketler.

It’s been an honor to work with a group of such passionate individuals in such a fast paced setting like Ketler. The employees traditionally are involved in the theatre department’s technical aspects and are then directed to apply to the PFAC techs.

The events we work typically aren’t overly demanding, but they still require our utmost attention. Say I was working audio for an orchestra concert, and I forgot to turn the microphone on. If this happened, and I were also on friendly terms with the conductor, theoretically the conductor may embarrass me by calling my name out in front of the audience and then continue to thank me for turning the microphone on every time he spoke. Not that that has happened… But if it did, the audience and the conductor and I would have gotten a kick out of it.

All of the shenanigans aside though, there’s nothing like working backstage, providing the technical support for the likes of President McNulty and, coming up, Mark Levin. There’s a service aspect that is oft overlooked, but it’s at the core of what we do. We’re employed to assist. We’re not the stars. We’re not under the lights. The lights, however, wouldn’t be on if we weren’t there.

Posted on February 21, 2017February 21, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

Passing Along Passion: Children’s Theatre

Theatre. There’s nothing quite like it. Particularly musicals. There’s something transcendent about music in and of itself, but when it accompanies a narrative, music allows an audience to be drawn in to the world that is unfolding before them.

As an adult there is something about musicals that takes us back to childhood. Even if the message of the show is simple, the suspension of disbelief that results from a musical takes us back to a time where our imaginations created worlds for our friends and us to inhabit.

With arts budgets being cut across the country, children are not being exposed to theatre the way the generations before them were. Grove City College Theatre is doing its part to expose local students to the magic of theatre. The end goal of Grove City College’s annual Children’s Theatre production is to not just to entertain local elementary students, but to possibly pass along the passion for theatre that the college’s performers have to those in attendance.

Every school year during the spring semester, Grove City College’s Theatre department puts on an hour-long musical production with the children of the community in mind. I’ve had the honor to participate in the last three productions, in two of which I had leading roles.

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I first signed up for “The Emperor’s New Clothes” my freshman year. After a hectic callback session, we were off and rehearsals began. One of my fondest memories at Grove City is the rehearsal process for “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” and a number of friendships were made during that process. That’s not unique to that production, though. That’s what Children’s Theatre is all about. When you’re there for the fun of the show and for the children, there’s something very organic and beautiful that emerges.

When show week arrives, the cast gets out of classes for one, sometimes even two morning shows for an often packed auditorium. With meet and greets before and after the show, the students who are bused in from local schools get to meet the characters from the show, something that allows for full immersion into the show.

The cast has just as much, if not more, fun than those in attendance, and this is evident to everyone in attendance. The hope is that one day one of those 3rd graders in the audience will grow up and put on a production for a local grade school with the intention of not just entertaining, but of passing along passion for theatre.

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

Shifting Roles: GCC Theatre as a Means of Change

If growing up outside of New York City didn’t ensure that I’d see a Broadway show as child, having a dad who saw over 500 shows by the age of 18 and who majored in Theatre from Fordham University definitely did. The stage has beckoned me from my earliest years, creating a sense of wonder every time I step into the doors of a theatre.

My small, Christian, private high school provided everything it could, and I would not have attended Grove City Colllege without it. However, being a small, Christian, private high school limited the resources it could offer, and this resulted in an underfunded arts department. Despite my love for performance, my only outlets were Christmas concerts and cabaret nights.

I assumed that Grove City College would similarly have a sub par fine arts programming, especially because of its small size and its liberal arts focus. After three and a half years in the theatre program, I can bear witness to the fact that the theatre department not only provides numerous opportunities, but also contains tremendous talent and dedication that allow Grove City’s productions to exceed expectations.

I’ll never forget my first night on stage in Les Miserables, the Fall musical my freshman year. More importantly, though, I was accepted into the theatre family without reservation. That’s how the theatre department works. It takes in new performers and technicians, be it freshmen or seniors, and welcomes them into the process of creating art for the education and enjoyment of the community.

As a freshman, you find yourself faced with the task of not only finding friends but also an identity, an identity that will inevitably change of your time here. If you are not familiar with The Myers-Briggs personality test, believe me, by the time your done at Grove City you will. It’s a useful means of figuring out how you tick.

I came into Grove City as an ENFP, commonly known as “The Performer.” Fitting, I’m aware. The “F” in ENFP stands for “Feeling,” denoting that my decision making primarily relied on emotions. I retook the test the Fall semester of my Senior year, and to my surprise I was retyped as an ENTP. In this case the “T” refers to “Thinking.”

Grove City has changed me in more ways than I can imagine, but it has shaped me into a full person. I can think the Theatre Department for a large part of that. Through studying parts and plays, understanding motivations, and digging into the meaning behind certain pieces, I have come out not just experiencing life, but also thinking through it.

Without theatre, I wouldn’t have the friendships I have and the lessons that have come along with them. Grove City allows you to express yourself in many ways, and theatre department is no exception. Rather, it is exceptional.

Posted on November 29, 2016November 29, 2016 by justicecp1 — Leave a comment

“Anything Goes” with the Grove City Theater Department

Each semester, the Grove City College theater department puts on a major production, as well as a few smaller theater performances with students from all disciplines. This fall’s performance was Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” – a musical filled with gangsters, sailors, and of course hopeless romantics. Weeks of preparation and hard work by the cast and crew, sound and lighting technicians, and orchestra pit performers, went into creating this amazing show.

“Anything Goes” is a well-loved show about many outspoken characters on a ship from New York to London searching for love, money, and an entertaining time. The main character Hope Harcourt was played by freshman Jordan Luntz. This was Jordan’s first production at Grove City College, and as a mechanical engineering major it was a bit of a handful. “I was worried that coming to college as a mechanical engineering major, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to be as involved as I would like,” Jordan explained, “but Grove City is a truly special place with truly special people that made my production easy and enjoyable.” As an underclassman, she explained how many upperclassmen and directors helped teach and encourage her to make the production an easy and enjoyable experience. “The entire cast was accepting and just a pure joy to share the stage with. They did their best to work with my schedule and make my life as easy as possible,” she said.

Our theater department goes far beyond actors and technicians, and there are many opportunities for students to get involved in ways that are convenient to them. Senior Jonathan Fisher is a communications major with a passion for theater. Jonathan was able to give some insight about what it’s like behind the scenes of larger productions, specifically as a spotlight operator. Jonathan explained how he felt right at home with the cast and crew, even as a spotlight operator. He said, “we had a lot of fun bonding, even if it was just over pre-show meetings.” Jonathan discussed his first experience with theater and how his roles have changed over the years. “When I first came into the theater program, I was so focused on acting but it did not work out as planned, and I did not want to be backstage,” Jonathan said, “But I ended up having to do some tech things for classes I was taking, and I realized when you do tech you are involved. You are the cast and crew.” The flexibility and skills in the technical part of the show was something Jonathan was happy to contribute to and greatly enjoyed.

Being in any large scale production is tons of hard work and a huge commitment, and can definitely be a strenuous process. At the end of each tech rehearsal week, Grove City cast and crew meet and give senior speeches for those who are graduating and want to give last pieces of advice. Jonathan explained, “Something that my friend Sarah Giesler said stuck with me, and that was to choose joy. Especially during tech week, Christ is the reason we can choose joy over the stress so we can choose to look to him.” It is so important in those moments to come together to pray and encourage one another. It is such a blessing to work with a theater department that takes so much care and consideration to appreciate one another and all the work it takes to putting on an excellent show.

Along with all the hard work, this cast had just as much fun, especially making this video in their time between scenes. Enjoy the students of the theater department!

Posted on November 30, 2015December 6, 2015 by Anna Scofield — Leave a comment

Passions & Pathways: Career Spotlight on Grace Leuenberger

A liberal arts education at Grove City College allows you to explore your interests with both breadth and depth. In this series, you will meet GCC students who are discovering their passions, pursuing their interests, and customizing their education as they pursue their desired careers.

One day during her freshman year of Grove City College, Grace Leuenberger (’16) was feeling creative and designed a poster for an upcoming theater production on campus. Her brother, who was an actor in the play, was impressed with her design and encouraged her to show it to the director. Soon afterward, Grace landed a job as the Public Relations Crew Chief for the show.

This first poster design began Grace’s passion for graphic design.

Over the next two years, Grace became more involved in theater and put her newly discovered skill to work in the theatre program through various forms of publicity and advertising. She designed posters for plays, worked on social media for theater productions, recruited volunteers, became a student director, and even wrote and performed her own One Act play.

In order to gain more knowledge and experience in graphic design, Grace supplemented her communication studies and English classes with design courses such as Intro to Design, Interactive Design & User Experience, Printmaking, and Visual Communication Design I.

“I took Intro to Design with Nate Mucha and that was a really great foundational overview for me,” Grace explains. “That was really great because there is structure to be learned and there are principles of design that are foundational…I also took a web development design course called Interactive Design & User Experience. I really loved that course because it involved the strategy behind design and then it involved carrying out that strategy and making it into an aesthetic piece. I really enjoyed that course because of how many areas of the brain it used, because I do enjoy the design but I also like solving problems and planning projects.”

In addition to advertising for the theater program, Grace has also been able to apply her interest in design to other organizations on campus and in the surrounding Grove City area, such as the Career Services Office, Orientation Board, and Olde Town Grove City.

At the end of her junior year, Grace wanted to find an internship that would give her the opportunity to be creative as well as give her valuable professional experience. She was able to pursue her creative interests in the corporate world through an internship at UPMC in Pittsburgh.

“I worked in the creative services department, which basically what we did was marketing and communication-related tasks that helped recruiters draw in people to apply for jobs and to work at UPMC,” Grace explains. “In that role, I did a variety of tasks so I did everything from helping create content and write blog posts to going out and going on video shoots and photo shoots. I helped do writing and editing for internal newsletters, I also did some extensive graphic design projects…I thrive on variety so that internship worked really well since I got to use different sides of my brain, both the writing side which comes a lot from the communication and English courses that I’ve taken, to some of the design principles that I’ve learned in Nate Mucha’s classes. All of that kind of coming together and colliding was really a good experience.”

Looking back on her experience, Grace says that Grove City College has a lot to offer to students who are interested in design.

“A great advantage of coming to a small school is that you’re going to have a plethora of opportunities to design. If you went to a big school for design, you’re going to be competing with tons of other people for attention for your designs, but here there are a ton of organizations and offices on campus that you’re going to be able to design for, so you’re going to develop a great portfolio of pieces by the time you graduate and you’ll have great things to take away.”