Eastern Connecticut State University

Themes of youth, love and enlightenment were on display in Eastern Connecticut State University's latest theatrical production, "Awakenings: 'Youth' by Thornton Wilder and 'Chitra' by Rabindranath Tagore." From April 5-8, the two one-act plays transformed Eastern's DelMonte Bernstein Studio Theatre into a tropical island and then into a lush Hindu dreamscape.

A group of talented vocalists from Eastern Connecticut State University embarked on a unique tour of post-hurricane Puerto Rico this spring break. From March 9-15, members of the Chamber Singers performed in concerts and worked on service projects in the slowly recovering island.

A number of creators and performers behind some of Eastern Connecticut State University's recent theatre productions were acknowledged at the Region I Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). Held at Western Connecticut State University this past February, the festival is an annual event attended by more than 1,000 students and faculty from colleges across the Northeast.

In early November a group of eight Eastern Connecticut State University students participated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Connecticut Chapter competition in Storrs. More than 100 singers from across Connecticut participated in this year's event.

Music students at Eastern Connecticut State University presented "Sounds of the Season" on Dec. 6, a concert designed to capture the beauty of the winter season. The instrumental performance featured the Eastern Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, and occured in the Concert Hall of the Fine Arts Instructional Center.

Talented percussionists at Eastern Connecticut State University recently entertained audiences that included Eastern students, faculty, staff and local community members at Eastern's state-of-the-art Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC) Concert Hall. The concerts included performances by Eastern's Percussion Ensemble, Percussion Group, World Percussion Ensemble, Korean Samul Ensemble and students in the Music Cultures of the World class. The concerts, which were presented on Dec. 3 and 7, were comprised of diverse and entertaining musical selections that featured timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle and tambourine.

A talented cast of Eastern Connecticut State University students, alumni, faculty and staff recently performed in "Amahl and the Night Visitors" on Dec. 2 to celebrate the holiday season. Composed by Gian Carlo Menotti in 1951, the opera tells the story of the Magi from the point of view of a young disabled boy named Amahl and his widowed mother.

The theatre program at Eastern Connecticut State University presented the holiday classic "Little Women" from Nov. 28-Dec. 3. The play took place in the intimate venue of Eastern's DelMonte Bernstein Studio Theatre, with a special emphasis on being "sensory-friendly" for audience members with spectrum disorders.

Jazz music is in the air at Eastern Connecticut State University. Two concerts featuring student performers hit the main stage this December, including the Jazz Ensemble and 3 O'Clock Band, which performed on Dec. 1 and Dec. 4 respectively. Both concerts took place in the Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC) Concert Hall.

The Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers at Eastern Connecticut State University performed their premier concert of the fall semester, "Magnificently Mistaken," on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Fine Arts Instructional Center. Conducted by David Belles and Sarah Kaufold, the three-part performance featured musical compositions that are cloaked in mystery; with misleading twists and mistakenly developed histories.

The talented musicians of Eastern Connecticut State University's Concert Band recently presented a concert in the Concert Hall of the Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC). The Eastern Concert Band is a unique blend of musicians comprised of Eastern Connecticut State University students, faculty, alumni, local music educators and talented musicians from the greater eastern Connecticut area. Performance repertoire includes classic band literature as well as challenging works from contemporary composers.

The ever-relevant topic of immigration was on dramatic display from Oct. 11-15 when Eastern Connecticut State University premiered "Thread City," a unique performance that "told" stories of the immigrants who came to Willimantic to work in its historic thread mills. The dialogue-free play blended choreographed movement, visual projections and folky-electronic soundscapes to convey a heartfelt and historically representative tale of immigration in America.

The "Phoenix New Play Series" is an annual theatre program at Eastern Connecticut State University that takes a student-written work and adapts it into a student-directed play. On Oct. 21, McKenzie Fayne's "The Life of Dawson Radlaw" was brought to life by fellow student Onyae Randall.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Wind Ensemble recently presented a concert in the Concert Hall of the Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC).

Julia Leitao is one of two Eastern Connecticut State University students participating in an Undergraduate Research/Creative Activity Fellowship this summer. During the fellowship, Leitao is working with Theatre Professor Alycia Bright-Holland to devise the script and choreography for the upcoming Eastern theatre production "Thread City."

Brand-new graduates and select students from the theatre program at Eastern Connecticut State University brought their skills to New York City for the program's annual NYC Showcase. On May 21-22 at the Producers' Club Crown Theatre, 13 students (some of them now alumni) acted or worked behind the scenes in "Scenes, Songs, and Monologues 2017." Directed by Jerry Winters, the production was a compilation of short works, including contemporary and classical texts, original dance and songs from Broadway musicals.

A talented cast of Eastern Connecticut State University students recently performed in "Cantilever," the final Main Stage production of the 2016-17 academic year. The original Eastern production told the story of the apprentices of Frank Lloyd Wright, a prolific 20th-century architect who ran a fellowship program on Taliesin West, his extraordinary Arizona estate.

Eastern students from the Korean Samul Ensemble and Korean Music and Culture Class at Eastern Connecticut State University recently presented their annual spring Korean Music Concert in the Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC) Concert Hall.

Talented musicians of the Wind Ensemble at Eastern Connecticut State University presented a concert on May 3 in the Concert Hall of the Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC).

Talented student musicians at Eastern Connecticut State University performed in the Concert Band's annual spring concert on April 26 in the Concert Hall of the Fine Arts Instructional Center.

The Department of Art and Art History at Eastern Connecticut State University hosted its annual Senior Art Exhibition and Awards Ceremony this May. Graduating student artists were recognized and their work was on display in the Art Gallery from May 5-15.

The Percussion Ensemble and Percussion Group at Eastern Connecticut State University presented their annual spring concert on April 29 in the Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC) Concert Hall.

The Jazz Ensemble at Eastern Connecticut State University recently presented their annual spring concert in the Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC) Concert Hall.

The Concert Chorale at Eastern Connecticut State University performed alongside the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra this past April for its annual spring concert in the Fine Arts Instructional Center.

The directing work of advanced theatre students at Eastern Connecticut State University was on display this past weekend for "Short Stuff," an annual showcase of student-produced short plays.

A zany cast of characters performed by Eastern Connecticut State University alumni is amid an ambitious month-long tour for a children's theatre production called "Earth Day, Every Day." Brought to audiences by eesmarts, an Energize Connecticut initiative managed by Eversource and the United Illuminating Company, the play will tour Connecticut elementary schools from March 27-April 21.

The Drama Society at Eastern Connecticut State University presented its first-ever children's theatre production on March 25 with a kid-friendly version of Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Originally adapted by playwright Kyra Baldwin, "Hamlet" (for kids) was directed by club president Lucy Shea. Two performances occurred for all-ages crowds in the Delmonte Studio Theatre of Eastern's Fine Arts Instructional Center.

The Drama Society at Eastern Connecticut State University performed its first-ever children's theatre production on March 25 with a kid-friendly version of Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Originally adapted by playwright Kyra Baldwin, "Hamlet" (for kids) was directed by club president Lucy Shea. Two performances occurred for all-ages crowds in the Delmonte Studio Theatre of Eastern's Fine Arts Instructional Center.

A talented cast and crew of Eastern Connecticut State University students recently performed in "Two Gentlemen of Verona," the second Main Stage production of the 2016-17 academic year. The play was a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's early comedy about young people exploring love, friendship and the temptations of city life. It ran from Feb. 23 to March 5.

Thirteen Eastern Connecticut State University students recently attended the Region I Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, CT, where they attended theatre workshops and competed in acting and design competitions. Theatre faculty members Ellen Brodie, J.J. Cobb and Chase Rozelle accompanied the students.