Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Oak Yearbook / INSTANO Yearbook (Indiana, PA)

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it YENTL 95 Outstanding performances by every cast member made Theater-By-The- Grove ' s Yentl a very special production. Each character was convincingly por- trayed and brought the setting of late 19th century Polish villages to life. Yentl , not to be confused with the musical made popular by Barbra Strei- sand, is the story of a Jewish girl who abandons her female identity to study reli- gion and get an education, an opportunity denied to women in 19th century Poland. After the death of her father, Yentl, skill- fully portrayed by Debra Wisniewski, takes on the male identity of Anshul and goes off with the other scholars to study. She befriends the scholar Avigdor and eventually falls in love with him. Things then become complicated as Hadass, the woman who Avigdor was suppoed to mar- ry, falls in love with Anshul Yentl. Matthew Giehl brought warmth and feeling to the character of Avigdor and the youthful confusion of Hadass was brought to life by Donna Lubrano. Wis- niewski sailed smoothly through the com- plex character of Yentl Anshul, from a head-strong, independent young woman to a renzied boy lost in his own charade. The play, directed by Dr. Donald Eisen, was enhanced with the scenic and light- ing desigh of Mark Zetterberg. Other cast menbers included David R. Tabish as Yentl ' s father, ]eni Sanders as Rivka the matchmaker and Bill Martinak, Eric Wolf, Kevin Renshaw, D. Andrew Manuel, Keith Edwards, Richard Nowell, Noele Battick, David Kinkead and Andrew Bak- er as various townspeople and scholars. -Dana Smith Lett: Cast members of Yentl gather on- stage. Right: Yentl Anshul. played by Debra Wisniewski, receives advice. Activities 27

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The Dining Room The Theater- By- The Grove ' s production of The Dining Room takes an entertain- ing look at 18 dming rooms of upper mid- dle class families across the United States. The play, written by A.R. Gurney Jr., was set in an elegantly furnished dining room and took place during the last 50 years from sunrise to sunset. Each scene gave an amusing and sometimes touching view into the lives of different families dur- ing various time periods. The six actors played an average of eight different parts throughout the play. These students were Barb Blackley, Chuck Conway, Angelica Bellomo, Ty- rone Dixon, Karen Seergae and Bob Carbonetti. The show began with a tape of about 60 excerpts from TV and radio broadcasts from the time period of the play. Some of these were The Cosby Show, I Love Lucy, Martin Luther King and Dragnet. Bob Carbonetti, one of the actors said the play was a good experience for him and, It was a lot of work, but it was fun work. -Maryann Kolenchak 26 Activities Top Left: The Din ing Room ' provides insight into this family ' s life Top Right: A family celebra- tion IS portrayed in one scene Bottom: Another family ' s life is shown throu gh The Dining Room.

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HANSEL AND GRETEL iMi MaMliii lMia lUP Music Theater presented Hansel and Gretel , an opera version of the chil- dren ' s story, Nov. 14-16 in Fisher Auditorium. This was first production specifically for children that the department has per- formed. The performances had to be adapted to the younger audiences by in- serting dialogue while keeping the music score intact, said Dr. Herbert Wildeboor. We hope this will be the beginning of annual productions to children of West- ern Pennsylvania, he said. A small cast and no chorus allowed for easy travel to the different school districts. There were two five-member casts which Top Leil: Wendy Rodgers as the Wicked Witch and her famed Gingerbread House. Top Right: Hansel and Gretel are held by the Wicked Witch. Middle: Hansel and Gretel argue with their mother. Bottom. ' Chris Sciullo as the father. included: Kathy Ciampa as Hansel, Alyce Grimm and Karen Hartman as Gretel, Beth Hinkle and Julie Kemper as the mother, Chris Sciullo and Michael Horowitz as the father and Craig Cramer and Wendy Rogers as the witch. I had so much fun doing this musical for the kids. They loved it and they really got into it. They laughed and screamed the whole way through the play, cast member, Julie Kemper said. Even though the opera applied mostly to children it was enjoyed very much by all ages. It gave the adults in the audience a chance to go back and enjoy part of their childhoods all over again. According to Wildeboor, the scenery and costumes were professionally done for the lUP Music Theater in the studios cf Roy King and Associates, West Islip, N.Y. The production staff for the productions included: Roy King, stage director; Hugh Johnson, music director; Herbert Wilde- boor, producer; Bill Stabnau, stage man- ager and Kristie Dearing, accompanist. The proceeds from the show went to the music scholarship fund. Partial funding for the show came from the concessions committee of the Student Cooperative Association. -Lesley Holton 28 Activities