MCCC Theatre Student Productions Announce New Dates

Fine literature is the theme of the fall season for Theatre and Dance students at Mercer County Community College (MCCC), as students present memorable performances over three weekends in November and December. Shows take place at the Studio Theatre, located next to Kelsey Theatre on the college's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. Entertainment Technology students will provide lighting and sound for all productions.

Says MCCC Theatre/Dance Program Coordinator Jody Person, "The biggest and most highly regarded names in playwriting are brought together for our fall offerings. Each play is wildly different in style, emotion, and tone, giving students an opportunity to expand their range as they move from comedy to drama and back again, and then conclude their season with the musical 'Cabaret' next spring."

Students present the comedy classic "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde on Friday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. Two young gentlemen living in 1890's England use the same pseudonym on the sly in order to escape burdensome social obligations. The scam works just splendidly until they both fall in love with women using that name, which leads to a comedy of mistaken identities. The show is directed by Lou Stalsworth.

The cast includes Nicholas Andrejco of Mercerville, Dale Dewey of Princeton, Melissa Geerloff of Mercerville, Parker Harris of Lawrenceville, Bridget Hughes of Jackson, Elizabeth Koenig of Yardley, Pa., and PatRick Martin of Trenton. Special thanks to Marina Vrahnos, of Plainsboro, a British native who is serving as the students' vocal coach.

Next up is high drama as students present two moving performances in one power-packed evening. Person predicts that "The Vagina Monologues" by Eve Ensler will both provoke and move the audience, while "Funny House of the Negro" by AdriAnne Kennedy is a virtual punch in the gut. Sharing the same bill, the two shows promise a roller coaster ride of emotions from anger and sadness to joy in under two hours. Dates for performances are Friday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. "Monologues" is directed by Entertainment Technology Program Coordinator Robert Terrano and "Funny House" is directed Jody Person.

Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for seniors, and $12 for students and children. Free parking is available next to Kelsey Theatre. Tickets are available by calling the Kelsey Theatre Box office at 609-570-3333 or can be ordered online at www.kelseytheatre.net.

Performances continue in December with the "MCCC Student Dance Concert," presented free on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. in the Studio Theatre. The concert features student choreography overseen by instructor Janell Bryne. Students will perform many dance styles including modern and ballet to jazz and hip-hop. This project has served as a capstone course for upper-level Associate in Fine Arts dance majors for the last five years. Audiences have been delighted by students' selection of original themes and combination of dance moves.

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