The story line is similar to the Disney-movie version of the story about a mermaid who braves the forces of a sea witch to win her prince. Stage Right artistic director Anthony Marino adapted the film script for the stage with original music by David Mahokey of Connellsville, a Point Park University student, and Greg…
I don’t know what Kid #1 will do with his BA in English (OK, writing…whatever!). Maybe he’ll write the next great American novel. Maybe he’ll be a marketing rockstar. Maybe he’ll write for ZDNet. Maybe he’ll be the next Sondheim. It doesn’t matter. The more I think about it, the more I wish my doctors…
I just posted the latest musical theater education packet, written by my wife, as she aims to make the most of our home-schooled children’s participation in Stage Right Greensburg’s student theater production. 1.10) Narnia, once a utopia or paradise, has become a sad, cold dystopia under the Witch’s rule. Read & discuss other examples of…
My talented wife has written a set of lesson plans for It’s a Wonderful Life, the immediate occasion being our local professional theatre company’s production of the musical version. (See Stage Right Greensburg calendar.) Based on Philip van Doren Stern’s story “The Greatest Gift” (1943), Frank Capra’s 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life celebrates the…
I have the delightful privilege of teaching The Tempest in a literature class, to a student who’s performing in it through the theater department. “I was ecstatic to play Ferdinand,” says Andrew Meholick, a junior from Reynoldsville majoring in theater performance. “He is a true romantic who is willing to do anything just to lay…
I believe I feel like a pribbling idle-headed mumble-news. (Thanks for the link, Jessica!) Tastefully Offensive | Premium Funny: Shakespeare Insult Kit – StumbleUpon. Similar:Had a great time with AmLit students at the August Wilson block partyShakespeare did not leave his wife Anne in Stratford, letter fragment suggestsPater Noster Passenger ElevatorsNotes on Teaching August Wilson's…
Kismet is set in ancient Baghdad, a time historians call “The Islamic Golden Age.” Johnstown is in western Pennsylvania. “Flight 93 flew right over our heads,” school Superintendent Thomas Fleming Jr. explains. United Airlines Flight 93, of course, plowed into the ground nearby on Sept. 11, 2001, after the hijackers were overpowered by the passengers…
I’ve already blogged about the awesome modular tables. Now I’ll talk about the whiteboard wall. This morning I wanted to help my students understand why, in Oedipus Rex, the characters say things like “I wonder when Creon will get here. Look, there he is. I can see from his face that he’s got an answer…
My daughter is a Oompa Loompa and a “bad nut” squirrel in this show. Stage Right kicks off a new group of theatrical productions this weekend with the ″sweet″ part of its ″Sweet, Hot and Wild″ season, an adaptation by Richard George of the classic Roald Dahl story, ″Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.″ The story…
Sticky note found inside the cover of a used copy of Measure for Measure (which does not feature a character by that name). Similar:Had a great time with AmLit students at the August Wilson block partyShakespeare did not leave his wife Anne in Stratford, letter fragment suggestsPater Noster Passenger ElevatorsNotes on Teaching August Wilson's Pittsburgh…
Through our local theater school, our children have gained confidence, seen first-hand the value of hard work, mentored younger children, learned from gifted and generous teenaged role models, and had a lot of fun. Oh, and they’ve also done a lot of singing, dancing, and acting. Thirteen-year-old Peter reads voraciously for pleasure, on topics ranging…
I was amused by this little note on the production blog for Seton Hill University’s upcoming production of The Tempest. Notes From 3rd Reading | SHU Tempest. The armchair reader of the script would not have to think about this kind of detail. The production blog also includes reference photos that the designers are using…
David Mahokey of Dunbar, a senior at Point Park University, and Greg Kerestan of Greensburg, a senior at Seton Hill University, wrote the 20-song score and script, respectively, for ″In Control,″ a musical that focuses in part on Mahokey’s real-life battle with bone cancer. Two free performances of ″In Control,″ directed by Anthony Marino, artistic…
The layout of this display at the Carnegie Science Center almost makes it look like the Maria duplicate in Metropolis came before Karel Capek’s play RUR (which was written in 1920, first performed in 1921). Similar:Had a great time with AmLit students at the August Wilson block partyShakespeare did not leave his wife Anne in…
My daughter, as the wizard, with her talented castmates, in our local theater school’s preteen summer camp musical. Similar:Had a great time with AmLit students at the August Wilson block partyShakespeare did not leave his wife Anne in Stratford, letter fragment suggestsPater Noster Passenger ElevatorsNotes on Teaching August Wilson's Pittsburgh CycleBy Inferno's Light #StarTrek #DS9…
Students are starting to contact me asking about books. I will have the course websites up in a week or two, but for now, here are the textbooks. LA101 “Seminar in Thinking and Writing” From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader, Second Edition (ISBN 978-0-312-60141-6) The SF Writer, Fifth Edition (ISBN 978-0-205-75197-6) EL200…
My plan is to publish on this blog an electronic edition of a libretto about once a month in formats you can read online, on your smart phone, or on most ebook readers. In some cases I’ll also be able to provide digitized images of piano/vocal scores for at least a few songs. Additionally, for…
My 13yo was Horton the Elephant and my 9yo was the Sour Kangaroo (with attitude). Similar:Had a great time with AmLit students at the August Wilson block partyShakespeare did not leave his wife Anne in Stratford, letter fragment suggestsPater Noster Passenger ElevatorsNotes on Teaching August Wilson's Pittsburgh CycleBy Inferno's Light #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5,…
Doug Reside writes an informative blog about the digital legacy of the author of Rent. Like paper palimpsest drafts in which a revision is written over an early text (which is itself still visible), Jonathan Larson’s Microsoft Word files provide scholars and artists a fascinating glimpse into his creative process. For textual scholars practicing genetic…
3/2/11 8:48:24 About to start livetweeting the musical #AnythingGoes. 3/2/11 8:51:09 Bing Crosby, Donald O’Connor. #AnythingGoes 3/2/11 8:51:56 I saw the Gonzaga High School production in the 80s. Haven’t seen is since. #AnythingGoes 3/2/11 8:52:58 Any excuse for a song. Plot? We don’t need no steenkin’ plot. #AnythingGoes Similar:Had a great time with AmLit students…