Eastern Connecticut State University Student Olivia Beaullan-Thong of Hamden Participates in "Echoes: Voices from the Church Farm"

2011 May 13

Students from Eastern Connecticut State University's Theatre Program performed "Echoes: Voices from the Church Farm" on May 6 and 7 at the Church Farm Center for the Arts and Sciences which is located in Ashford.

Olivia Beaullan-Thong '14 of Hamden participated in the event. Beaullan-Thong is majoring in Theatre.

The play was written and directed by J.J. Cobb, assistant professor of theatre. Cobb researched the history and property of the Church family, aided by previous research by Barbara Tucker, director of the Center for Connecticut Studies and history professor at Eastern. "Echoes" combined scenes, poetry and movement-based performance throughout the Church Farm property. Audience members strolled about the property witnessing the scenes that depict life on the farm throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in this site-specific performance.

In 2007, Joseph and Dorothy (Church) Zaring donated the Church Farm to the ECSU Foundation, Inc., for the use and benefit of Eastern and its students. Since then, the farm has been the site for research by Biology and Environmental Earth Science students; landscape painting classes by Visual Arts students; and theatrical and musical performances by Performing Arts students, just to name a few of the educational activities that have occurred at the farm.

Eastern Connecticut State University is part of the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) and is the state's designated public liberal arts university. Eastern serves more than 5,600 students each year on its Willimantic campus.