The 26th annual performance of Georgia College & State University's "The Nutcracker" opens next week, Dec. 9-11, in Russell Auditorium. But performers from the GC Community Dance program are already 'on pointe,' giving a mini performance in the community. Dancers delighted assisted-living residents at the Fellowship Home at Meriwether in Milledgeville Wednesday night, Nov. 30. A large group of seniors gathered and applauded the preview of Tchaikovsky’s cherished Russian ballet. Dancers...
Erden Mohl is painting scenery this summer—exquisite, authentic-looking bricks and wood grains—for a production at Flat Rock Playhouse in North Carolina. Mohl is one of more than 120 Georgia College students and recent graduates doing internships this summer. It’s a perfect transition between school and the workforce, giving the theatre major a chance to build upon skills she learned at Georgia College. “The challenge of leaving behind this community that I've grown accustomed to for...
Children in Baldwin County Schools are getting an opportunity to dance—something they wouldn’t be exposed to in their early years if it weren’t for dance minors in Georgia College’s dance pedagogy class. Community dance is one of the university’s biggest outreach programs and has been around in some form for at least 20 years. Last year, a new element started: free dance lessons twice a week in Baldwin’s primary schools and academies. “Our aim is to expand opportunities beyond campus...
Cole Hanlin What’s your major? Do you have a minor? Theatre Major / Political Science Minor. Where are you from? Originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Why were you interested in your major? Theatre is my life's passion project. I'm never not working on theatre in some way and I love it. Why did you choose to attend Georgia College? I chose to attend Georgia College after seeing Detroit '67 and Cabaret in 2018. Everything I wanted out of theatre I found here. What was your favorite...
Hannah Victoria Thomas, ’16, started dancing when she was three and choreographing at 12 at her local church. She’d been in amazing dance opportunities as an adolescent, including performing with the Atlanta Ballet at the Fox, Big Boi, the Junior Atlanta Hawks Dance and Junior Atlanta Falcons Cheerleading teams, Usher’s New Look and more. But it wasn’t until she got to Georgia College that she considered dance as a potential academic career. Her journey to captain of the Georgia College...
When watching a production, a vital source—the dramaturg—is often overlooked. It’s the person who researches the history of the roles and setting, adapts the scripts and consults with everyone involved, so the production is on point. Senior Sachen Pillay is an integral member of Georgia College’s production team. The double history and liberal studies major and theatre minor did such a thorough job as a dramaturg for his research on his first production, “Ballet Russes,” that he placed...
Stephanie Perez-Telon What is your major, and where is your hometown? My major is theatre with a double minor on French and Psychology. I had two hometowns which are San Juan, Puerto Rico which is where I was born and resided for 13 years, and Buford, Georgia which is the place where I finally felt like I found a home when I moved to Georgia. What inspired you to become a theatre major? I started theatre in my sophomore year of high school and I really just fell in love with it, but...
Like the Grinch who stole Christmas—COVID-19 produced particularly dreary headlines in early 2020. The Washington Post declared “The Nutcracker” nationwide had become the “latest casualty” of the coronavirus. By October, it reported numerous cancellations of the ballet were hitting “dance companies hard.” In places like Washington, D.C. and Houston, Texas, virtual performances were announced. But in many others like New York City, Atlanta and Macon, the much-beloved holiday classic...
In many places, the performing arts have shut down—snuffed out, it seems, by a virus. Even Broadway is closed. Stages are dark. Actors can’t rehearse safely together. They can’t perform in front of live audiences. Big-name plays can’t be performed, because royalties exclude permission for virtual acting. Tickets can’t be sold for locally-scripted productions that are largely experimental. Going online is costly, too, requiring specialized video equipment and training. These challenges...
Senior Alecea Housworth’s whole outlook on life has changed since becoming a rhetoric major and learning the art of persuasion. But it’s her minor in dance that helps her convey meaning in ways words cannot. The Covington, Georgia, resident recently used dance to express her feelings on current events. Using screen-dance skills learned in “Modern Workshop” class—Housworth choreographed and produced a polished video supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. The unassigned project...
