ARTICLE: Comm Blog from Penn State

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Sitcom Tapings Open to Public

Open tapings of a sitcom project that combines the talents of students from the College of Communications and the College of Arts and Architecture will take place at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, and 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, in the Pavilion Theater on campus. Subsequent tapings are set March 20 and March 21.

The project, known as "Sitcom 304," combines the talents of Penn State from the two colleges to to produce a sitcom that will make its debut online and on Penn State Network Television (PSN-TV) later this semester.

With guidance from faculty advisers Naomi McCormack, an assistant professor in the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, and Dan Carter, director of the School of Theatre, both film and theatre students have been in charge of writing, filming, producing, editing and acting in Penn State’s first continuing episodic situation comedy.

“I’ve been trying to get this idea off the ground for almost 20 years at three different universities,” Carter said. “It originally was conceived as a television series, but was fraught with difficulties because television has such specific requirements. Then Thom Woodley, a 2000 graduate of both film and theatre at Penn State, pioneered Web-based series, and that model made this suddenly doable.”

“Sitcom 304” is about a group of college students living together in a house at an unnamed university. Described as a college-level “Friends,” the show revolves around six roommates who all have quirky characteristics and are learning to deal with the problems of men and women living together. The title, “304,” comes from the address of the house.

“This is a very big part of something we’d like to develop -- a collaboration between theatre and film,” McCormack said. “This is beneficial for both colleges, and we’re hoping to see the idea develop and continue.”

Students from both colleges involved in the sitcom can receive independent study credits, and McCormack is working on making the project into an official cross-listed communications and theatre course.

“Film students need good actors and usually can’t find them, and theatre students love acting in front of cameras,” said Joseph Buszka, a senior science major, film studies minor and executive producer for the show. “All the film classes I’ve taken have been extremely beneficial, but this is the most hands-on and the biggest challenge to organize. It’s really come a long way, and there’s a lot of experience to be gained from this as a class.”

http://psucommblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/sitcom-tapings-open-to-public.html

ARTICLE: Onward State

Distraction of the Day: ‘304′ Sitcom Pilot

You may have read about the sitcom ‘304′ in the Collegian or on the College of Communications’ blog, but I bet you haven’t seen it yet. Thanks to the wonders of embedding, we are able to present yall with the pilot of Penn State’s own sitcom.
It’s pretty funny… watch out for Onward State writers Ryan and Brad.

Link to the article and the pilot episode:

http://onwardstate.com/2009/03/21/distraction-of-the-day-304-sitcom-pilot/

PRESS RELEASE: Student Marshall

Alyssa Mulligan (Student Marshall- Theatre) and Penn State President Graham Spanier.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 30, 2009


College of Arts and Architecture Students Honored for Academic Achievement


UNIVERSITY PARK, PA- Seven College of Arts and Architecture students were recently named spring 2009 student marshals, in recognition of earning the highest overall grade-point average in their respective academic unit.


THEATRE
Alyssa M. Mulligan, daughter of Michael and Carol Mulligan of Hatboro, is the student marshal for the School of Theatre and will earn a bachelor of arts degree in theatre. She has received several honors, including the President's Freshman Award, which presented annually to undergraduate students who have earned a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average during their freshman year, Evan Pugh Junior and Senior awards, and several scholarships. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and the National Scholars honor societies and participated in the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. After graduation, Mulligan will be the education apprentice at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. Mulligan plans to pursue both master's and doctoral degrees in theatre and eventually teach at the collegiate level.

http://www.artsandarchitecture.psu.edu/news/2009/may/06_studentmarshals.html

DAILY COLLEGIAN: SFO Film Festival

Article including information about how the student film Strayed (directed by Brad Robinson and starring Derek Biddle and Alyssa Mulligan) got selected to appear in the SFO Student Film Festival.

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/venues/2009/04/23/state_theatre_to_screen_winnin.aspx

Posted on April 23, 2009 1:08 AM

FROM SFO TO STARDOM

State Theatre to screen winning student films this weekend

IF YOU GO

What: SFO Student Film Festival
When: Saturday at 7
Where: The State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave.
Details: Tickets are $7.

THE LIST

Joe Mayo - Haram
Mary Anderson - Death by Exterior
Derek Bonner - The Box
Julie Maslak - The Cyclist
Michael DiMattesa - Hail the Lion
Brad Robinson - Strayed
Chris Sterbank - This is Just to Say
Kenny Wu - Serendipity
Greg Hariott - Under
Brandon Hess - Daddy's Girl
Trevon Pegram - The Five Finger Egg Cracking Technique
Kelly Gallagher - The Herstory of the Female Filmmaker
Molly Evans - In Lingo

By Mark Maurer

Collegian Staff Writer

The Chosen Ones
The pressure was on last week for Joe Mayo.
Mayo (senior-film and video) changed the title of his senior film project three times -- from It Works to After We Break to Haram ('Forbidden' in Arabic) -- and revised the basic structure of the plot.
"When you work on something for months and months, you come to the point where you don't even know if it's good anymore," Mayo said. "I'm still happy to have made what we made."
Blind hope was guiding him along until he received a surprising call late Sunday night about his acceptance into the student film festival.
Haram is one of 13 films to be screened at the SFO Student Film Festival on Saturday at the State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave. The annual event organized by the Student Film Organization (SFO) premieres films made by Penn State students during the 2008-09 academic year.
For the week leading up to the Friday afternoon submission deadline, the Carnegie editing lab was a breeding ground for exhausted college students, trimming and fine-tuning their films into the wee hours of the night. As of Friday morning, Alyssa Fannick, Student Film Organization president, said at least 20 of her peers had not slept in three days.
"It was a pretty haggard-looking bunch," Fannick said.
Only 38 films were submitted this year, a decrease from the typical 50 to 60 films from the past few years (53 were sent in 2008), Fannick said. She attributes the unusually low number to the different structure of junior film narrative projects within the film program. More time was spent on group projects than on individual films this year, she added.
There were also a greater number of HD projects because the film department now has more HD cameras available for students to use.
Fannick, who served as director of photography on a senior film, said she was very proud of her fellow seniors and excited about the list overall.
"It's a very strong lineup, and there was a lot of talent this year," Fannick (senior-film and video) said.
Shot in digital HD, Mayo's film is about a young man named Tom, who, after a failed relationship with a Muslim girl, re-examines his life through a second dreamlike world, which serves as an abstraction of his internal state.
At a late stage in production, feedback from Mayo's classmates from watching clips of the unfinished product prompted him to modify the narrative.
"It became obvious it wasn't working for most people, so we drastically changed the way those two worlds interacted with each other," Mayo said.
Mayo's film featured two actors who are members of the Screen Actors Guild, so there were contractual limitations to how long they could be working at a time. Mayo kept a tight set despite the film shoot feeling a bit rushed. One time, the cameraman had to recalibrate a lens for 15 minutes, but Mayo said they didn't have the time.
Kelly Gallagher (senior-film and video) said her hectic schedule was comparable -- she spent two semesters working on an animated documentary, The Hirstory of the Female Filmmaker. The film, which was selected for the festival, takes a look at work by women filmmakers dating back to 1896.
"Being a film major, I hadn't learned a lot about women filmmakers in my time here, so I wanted to do some research," Gallagher said.
She said she is proud of herself and her peers who did or did not make it in and exhibited great passion for their respective projects. In the Carnegie editing lab, they kept each other sane.
"Me and my friends were running on adrenaline and energy drinks for days," Gallagher said. "We used to take breaks to watch the sun come up. I'm not even kidding."
How They Were Chosen
When it comes to festival planning, Richie Sherman, faculty adviser for SFO and assistant professor of film and video, is in charge of continuity in the festival from year to year. In his fourth year serving as the SFO faculty adviser, he strives to maintain equality for all in the selection process.
"I make sure everything is run fairly and [the selection process] isn't caught up in personal favors," Sherman said. "We certainly don't want people to think there's a bias going on."
This time around, seven people joined the panel of the judges, consisting of community members, film and video alumni, and English or philosophy professors, and are subjected to viewing eight to 10 hours of material, during which SFO officers carted in food and coffee. The task entails narrowing the batch down to 12 to 15 films of varying length that would equate to roughly two hours and 20 minutes of film.
People currently involved in the Penn State film community are prohibited from being on the judging committee, which is selected by SFO. There are also no repeat judges from year to year, a guideline that Sherman recommends stays in use.
Sherman sees a change blooming in the years to come that will facilitate the judging process. He expects the film submissions to be posted online so that judges could download and watch them from disparate locations. A collective discussion would subsequently occur over the phone.
"We don't have the manpower or the time right now, but within a year, it's possible," Sherman said. "Down the road, I'm hoping we do it more virtual."
Mike Negra, executive director at the State Theatre, has been asked to be a judge for the past three years the event has been held at the venue. He has declined each time because he has been out of town.
This is the festival's third year at the State Theatre, which previously was held in Schwab Auditorium. Sherman said the "excellent projection and excellent sound" drew a packed crowd each time.
Sherman said the likelihood that a student's film would be selected is substantially higher than it would be at national festivals like the Ann Arbor Film Festival, which has 3,000 submissions.
"The odds are getting insane," Sherman said. "This one is competitive too, but the odds are much higher that your work will be shown."
In organizing the festival with SFO, Negra helps the student organizers get through contractual hurdles, and he expects another big turnout for this soufflé of student work.
"They're short, they're sweet, there's a number of them and at least one of them is going to touch you," Negra said.

DAILY COLLEGIAN: Phroth Phest

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2009/04/03/phroth_phest_draws_laughs.aspx

Posted on April 3, 2009 4:55 AM

Phroth Phest draws laughs

PHOTO: Peter Tesoriero
Click Photo To Enlarge Print

'Oedipus' (played by Bobby Brooks) and his mom (played by Alyssa Mulligan) kiss in No Refund Theatre's Phroth Phest comedy show Thursday night. There will be other performances tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. in 111 Forum.

By Stéfan Orzech

Collegian Staff Writer

Bad pickup lines, irreputable doctors and Oedipus as a jock dude can all be found at No Refund Theatre's (NRT) Phroth Phest.
NRT debuted this year's edition of the annual sketch comedy show Thursday night in the Forum and will have other performances throughout the weekend.
Director Eden Reis (senior-health policy and administration) said this year's Phroth Phest consists of 14 skits written by Phroth staff members about "very diverse" topics, ranging from Oedipus Rex to a parody of My Fair Lady.
"All the sketches are funny and have a unique flair to them," she said.
Humorous poetry is recited during the longer scene changes to keep the audience entertained, she said.
John Gueterman (sophomore-film), one of the actors in the performance, said his roles include a superhero called "Fun Fact Man," who saves the day by reciting facts, such as how many dimples a regulation golf ball contains.
Kelly Fitzpatrick (senior-theater and public relations) said Phroth Phest is a fun experience for everyone.
"We want to give people something to talk about," she said.
Laura DeSantis (senior-public relations and history), the editor-in-chief of Phroth, said that Phroth Phest showcases both groups involved with the production.
"This is a really great chance for students to see the talent of the Phroth writers and the talent of NRT," she said. "Especially with finals approaching, it's a great time ... and it's free."
Most students attended Thursday night's performance because they enjoy reading Phroth magazine and the Phollegian.
"I wanted to see if Phroth is as funny on stage as they are in their papers," said Christopher Balogh (freshman-biology).
Reis said Phroth Phest is a perfect way for students to start one of the weekend nights because it's not too late and it will put them in a good mood.
"It's always a great audience," she said. "Everyone is always there to just have fun."

DAILY COLLEGIAN: 304 Season Finale

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/venues/2009/03/19/check_out_a_guide_to_304_befor.aspx

TV

Posted on March 19, 2009 4:00 AM

STUDENT SITCOM

Check out a guide to '304' before the season finale

By Nick Johnson

Collegian Staff Writer

One student-focused sitcom made by Penn State students for Penn State students is being produced -- not on a primetime network, but on campus at University Park.
The project, 304, is produced by students from both the Theater and Film schools, and is entering its third year.
"Every aspect of the show is getting better," said Matt Richards, the current director. "We now have faculty backing and a full cast of writers and crew."
Richards (junior-theatre) said he was most proud of the quality and relevance of the show.
"You don't have to turn to network television to find characters you can relate to," he said.
The show, which will be filming its sixth and final episode of the season at 6 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Pavilion Theatre, has a cast of six main characters and features several intertwining plots that have been developing throughout the entire season. Actor Eddie Szewczyk explained what has happened so far.
"There are lots of parallel plots," Szewczyk (junior-theatre) said. "There's a big build up with Bethanne coming out to Layla, Dan helping Chris with his mayoral run and the relationship growing between Seth and Jamie."
Writer and actor Brad Einstein said the show, although not seeking to be "deep," has a central theme.
"It answers the question, 'How do a group of people still relate to one another when the unifying core is removed?'" Einstein (junior-theatre) said. "It's unique."
QUICK GUIDE TO 304:
The Basics
Set at an unnamed university not unlike Penn State, 304 follows the lives of six college students who share a house. As will happen when any group of relatively unsupervised college students gets together, hilarity ensues.

Dan - Eddie Szewczyk (junior-theatre)

In Dan's own eyes he is a born leader, working as the puppet master behind Chris' run for mayor and breaking up with Layla when she, and not he, is re-elected to the student government.
"Dan is powerful, pompous and way kick-ass cool," Szewczyk said describing his character. "He's a study in human assholeyness."

Layla - Victoria Longwell (junior-theatre)

The most normal of the female inhabitants of the house, Layla still has her quirks.
"She's really passionate about everything," Longwell said. "As a result she's always flustered and hypersensitive."
A member of the student government, Layla has also been dabbling in environmental activism.

Seth - Derek Biddle (junior-theatre)

Seth is intelligent, a good friend and hopeless when it comes to pursuing women. The straight man of the sitcom, he is often an unwilling accomplice to the shenanigans of his housemates. He does, however, have a growing crush on Jamie.
"He doesn't know how to approach her," Biddle said. "There has been some headway made, however."

Jamie - Rebecca Sussman (junior-theatre)

Having moved in during the first episode, she is the newest of the housemates, and much of Jamie's past is still unknown. What the audience does know is she is from Canada, has lived around the world and may have some feelings for Seth.
"A lot of her past is still cloudy," Sussman said. "She's also kind of lost, and is trying to find her place."

Chris - Brad Einstein (junior-theatre)

Following in the footsteps of Kramer, Buster Bluth and Fez, Chris is the house's resident oddball. Executing pretzels and kidnapping political rivals, there is never a dull moment when Chris is around.
"Chris has his own core motivations unique to him," Einstein said. "He is learning to relate to people better."
His current run for mayor has helped his social development, and may be the first thing Chris has truly cared about.

Bethanne - Alyssa Mulligan (senior-theatre)

The house mom and clean freak of the show, Bethanne helps hold the house together. Of all the housemates, Bethanne is the only one who comes close to understanding the character of Chris. She spends time helping him with his problems, even though she has her own issues -- in particular a crush on Layla.
"The big storyline for Bethanne this season is her coming out," Mulligan said. "It's something she needs to deal with."

GANT DAILY: 304

http://www.gantdaily.com/news/12/ARTICLE/43746/2009-02-14.html

February 14th, 2009
Noami McCormack and Steve Sampsell, Penn State University

Sitcom a Collaboration Between Film, Theatre Students

An initiative combining the talents of Penn State students from the College of Communications and the College of Arts and Architecture is under way to produce a sitcom that will make its debut online and on Penn State Network Television (PSN-TV) later this semester.

With guidance from faculty advisers Naomi McCormack, an assistant professor in the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, and Dan Carter, director of the School of Theatre, both film and theatre students have been in charge of writing, filming, producing, editing and acting in Penn State’s first continuing episodic situation comedy.

“I’ve been trying to get this idea off the ground for almost 20 years at three different universities,” Carter said. “It originally was conceived as a television series, but was fraught with difficulties because television has such specific requirements. Then Thom Woodley, a 2000 graduate of both film and theatre at Penn State, pioneered Web-based series, and that model made this suddenly doable.”

“Sitcom 304” is about a group of college students living together in a house at an unnamed university. Described as a college-level “Friends,” the show revolves around six roommates who all have quirky characteristics and are learning to deal with the problems of men and women living together. The title, “304,” comes from the address of the house.

“This is a very big part of something we’d like to develop -- a collaboration between theatre and film,” McCormack said. “This is beneficial for both colleges, and we’re hoping to see the idea develop and continue.”

Students from both colleges involved in the sitcom can receive independent study credits, and McCormack is working on making the project into an official cross-listed communications and theatre course.

“Film students need good actors and usually can’t find them, and theatre students love acting in front of cameras,” said Joseph Buszka, a senior science major, film studies minor and executive producer for the show. “All the film classes I’ve taken have been extremely beneficial, but this is the most hands-on and the biggest challenge to organize. It’s really come a long way, and there’s a lot of experience to be gained from this as a class.”

Three episodes of “Sitcom 304” have been filmed, and those involved with the series encourage people to attend tapings in the Pavilion Theatre on campus to be part of the live studio audience.

Upcoming taping dates/times are:

* Friday, Feb. 13, 8 p.m.;
* Saturday, Feb. 14, 8 p.m.;
* Friday, March 20, 8 p.m.; and
* Saturday, March 21, 8 p.m.

DAILY COLLEGIAN: Cultural Conversations

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2009/03/02/conversations_event_to_feature.aspx


Posted on March 2, 2009 4:53 AM
Variety of dance styles to be performed
What: Cultural Conversations Walks of Life

When: 6 p.m today
Where: Pavilion Theatre
Details: $2 per show or $4.99 festival pass
By Cayla Rasi
Collegian Staff Writer

From belly dancing to ballet, multiple dance styles will be performed tonight at the Pavilion Theatre and showcase dances from around the world in a Cultural Conversations event.

Cultural Conversations started last week and will continue this week. Tonight's performance -- Walks of Life -- is one of many performances taking place this week.

The Cultural Conversations series was created in 2007 by a Penn State theatre professor, Susan Russell, and it lasts one to two weeks every year, said Holly Gombita, Walks of Life's producer and director.

Gombita (junior-theatre and public relations) said Walks of Life will have a variety of styles of dance, including ballet, belly dancing, ballroom dancing, Latin salsa, tango and African-style dancing.

"I wanted to show we can have different cultures that can come together and make a strong show," Gombita said. "It's symbolic to what the theme is."

Other events include theater performances, which will be presented this week, said Alyssa Mulligan, who wrote a one-act play for the series.

"It's an awesome event because it allows students and professional playwrights to get their work out there," Mulligan (senior-theatre) said. "And it's a great environment, a college environment, and they can get criticism and learn how to improve their work."

The performances for Cultural Conversations are diverse but all share a common theme.

"Most of the pieces, all of the ones I have seen for the professional playwrights, have to do with other cultures," Mulligan said. "It's about either cultures outside of the United States or the cultures that make up America."

Emma Futhey (junior-theatre) said Gombita has brought together a wide variety of groups and has made sure there will be an eclectic group of people performing in the festival.

Because of the variety of performances, there are many plays and dances that will appeal to different peoples' tastes, Mulligan said.

"The shows are a way for people to get a new perspective on something," Futhey said. "Maybe people will think of something they haven't gone through before. It's all about perspective, the things in the world, and this is a good way to open up your mind."

DAILY COLLEGIAN: 304

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2009/02/16/psu_sitcom_tickles_funny_bones.aspx

Posted on February 16, 2009 4:51 AM

PSU sitcom tickles funny bones

PHOTO: Samantha M. Shal
Click Photo To Enlarge Print

(From left) Derek Biddle, Victoria Longwell, Rebecca Sussman and Alyssa Mulligan perform a scene in an episode of 304 Friday night in the Pavilion Theatre. The online sitcom follows a group of college students who share a house while attending an unnamed university.

By Nick Johnson

Collegian Staff Writer

Laughing both with and at the cast, the audience did its job at Friday's taping of Penn State's sitcom, 304.
"The audience was really high energy tonight," cast member Rebecca Sussman (junior-theatre) said. "If everyone is engaged, it makes our job easier."
While the focus was on the actors, members from the crew also worked to keep the audience entertained during scene changes.
"We try to entertain the crowd between scenes, it keeps the energy up," executive film producer Joseph Buszka (senior-life science and film) said.
During scene breaks audience members were allowed to talk among themselves, but had to stop once "stand-by" was called. They were allowed to laugh.
"We had issues at previous tapings because people thought they had to be completely quiet at stand-by," Buszka said. "You are allowed to laugh."
As she made her way out of the crowded theater, Lauren Kramer (senior-information science and technology) said she was hooked after just one episode, impressed by the quality of the show.
"I'm going to watch episode one as soon as I get home," she said.
Kramer's friends, Sumara Baldwin (senior-marketing and public relations) and Erin Simpson (senior-journalism and English) said they consider themselves fans.
Baldwin said she had come to the show for the first time last month, and wished she had come before.
"It's great to have something like this on campus," Simpson said, adding she planned to come next month.
Before the taping began, director Jake Schwartz (senior-theatre) took time to bring the audience up to speed with the show's storyline for first-time attendees, outlining the relationships between the six housemates, including recent breakups and budding romances. He also invited those there to return next month for the final episode of the season.
Cast member Victoria Longwell (junior-theatre) said she has mixed feelings about the end of the season.
"I'm excited to resolve plots. It's an opportunity to take the show to a new level," she said. "It will be sad losing people, especially our seniors who have been here since the beginning."

ARTICLE: Pentecost

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2007/11/12/pentecost_offers_entertaining.aspx

'Pentecost' offers entertaining night

PHOTO: Mollie Pritchett

Sara Tode (graduate-theatre) and Alano Miller (graduate-theatre) star in Pentecost, which will continue performances until Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Playhouse Theatre. The play is presented by the School of Theatre.

Reviewed by Stacey Federoff

Collegian Staff Writer

A painting has no language or political affiliation, but arguments, motivations and circumstances of people surrounding it often impose these issues on a piece of art.
This held true for the characters in Pentecost.
The play, written by David Edgar and presented by the School of Theatre, opened Friday night and will continue tonight through Thursday at the Playhouse Theatre at 8.
Gabriella Pecs (played by Nika Ericson, graduate-theatre), an art curator native to the Eastern European country where the play takes place, discovers a painting behind a brick wall in an abandoned church. With the help of British art theorist Oliver Davenport (played by Jason Boat, graduate-theatre), Pecs believes the painting could have been painted in the 13th century, predating any similar paintings and making it truly unique.
Clashing religions, politics and cultures make choosing what do with the newly discovered painting extremely difficult. The Catholic and Orthodox churches and the government and American art historian Leo Katz (played by Alano Miller, graduate-theatre) create an international tug of war over the painting.
The country is in political turmoil at the time of the painting's discovery, and the church in which the painting is found is sought as a place of sanctuary by a group of refugees at the same time the fate of the painting is being finalized by Davenport, Katz and Pecs.
The play shifts its focus from intellectual conflict to physical conflict as the refugees take the three art experts hostage. Though they have different backgrounds, the refugees want to have a place to call home, but are stuck in the middle of bureaucratic technicalities that keep them from settling.
From the beginning of the play, the language barrier between the characters speaking English and those speaking other dialects is a tremendous point of contention. Sarcasm and jokes about language help relieve some of the tension in parts of the play, but emotions run high throughout the almost three-hour drama.
The cast does a tremendous job of performing in different languages and accents, varying from character to character. The variety of languages spoken throughout the play is slightly confusing but creates an experience authentic enough for the audience to feel like true witnesses of the action.
As the hostages grapple for their lives, the language and culture barriers become even more apparent than in the beginning of the play. Confusion and misunderstanding of these refugees and their intentions end as the church is taken over forcefully by the government.
The masterfully constructed set, including the interior of the abandoned church where the painting is found, reaches the height of the stage ceiling and transports the audience to the chaotic country even before the actors appear.
The themes and plot of Pentecost are as relevant and true as they were when the play was written in 1995. The Eastern inhabitants criticize the Western way of life and culture, blaming the West for imposing their culture onto the Eastern countries while absorbing none of theirs.
The refugees are a prime example of the thousands of people affected by political and ethnic conflicts that have continued to rage in those Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries today.
Near the end of the play, the theme revolves back to the art and its ability to shed light on the absurdity of those conflicts. An emotional and dramatic ending to Pentecost allows the audience to make connections between the individuals affected by those events, which seem like a distant number to us in the privileged West.

DAILY COLLEGIAN: Outlaws & Blue Genes

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/venues/2007/09/20/outlaws_act_out_of_the_arts_un.aspx

Outlaws act out of the arts underground
PHOTO: Cody Goddard

Brian, played by Eric Lawry (sophomore-theatre) tries to talk as Victoria, played by Katie Juza (sophomore-theatre and neuropsychology) pulls the phone away from him.

By Stacey Federoff
Collegian Staff Writer

On a Thursday night at 11, the campus is deserted, devoid of the thousands of students who walk the sidewalks during the day.

The Arts Building and its courtyard are eerily quiet in the dark. Not a single note comes from the windows of the Music Buildings. But, the theater in the basement of the Arts Building often overflows with noise from people waiting for a performance to start.

The four producers of Outlaws Playwright's Workshop come out onto the small stage and silence the commotion of the crammed room with the shout, "Welcome to Outlaws!" and the crowd bursts into applause.

The student-run theater group, formed in 1990, features free short plays written, produced and directed by students which are performed in room 6 of the Arts Building at 11:15 p.m. every Thursday.

Each Sunday, a script that has been submitted to outlaws@psu.edu is chosen by the producers to be performed on the following Thursday. The producers also choose a director, who in turn chooses his actors and holds rehearsals before the performance.

Mike Viola (junior-theatre) directed last week's performance, Blue Genes, written by Alyssa Mulligan (junior-theatre).

"You have all the components of a professional show," Viola said. "You have students doing everything, doing it very well and doing it fast."

He said he has acted in and written other student pieces performed by Outlaws and debuted as a director with Blue Genes.

"The experience was very rewarding because I had a very committed and dedicated cast that learned their lines well, pushed their characters and worked well under high-pressure, fast-paced circumstances," he said.

The subjects, characters, and tone of the performances vary each week. Last week's Blue Genes dealt with the decision to genetically engineer unborn children.

Outlaws performs three special shows each year, including a Halloween show in October, A Charlie Brown Christmas before winter break and The Penis Monologues in the spring.

Other performances are only planned a few days in advance from the e-mail-submitted work of students, producer Scott Andrews (junior-theatre) said.

"Other than [the special shows], we have our inbox that we go through. It will be here every Thursday," he said.

Producer Tom Pogue said the group's Web site, outlawspsu.com, will be updated on a regular basis this year to let students know about upcoming performances. The group is also considering using the Pavilion Theatre more often for its shows.

Andrews, who is a new producer this year, said he loves to experience the enthusiasm of the audience crowding the small theater every week, when he gets to shout the weekly welcome to everyone.

"The energy that comes with the audience is awesome," he said. "It's the coolest feeling ever."

REVIEW: Dirty Privates

**WARNING: ADULT MATERIAL**



http://www.collegeotr.com/pennsylvania_state_university/like_the_collegian_phroth_puts_their_dirty_stuff_online_6412


Like The Collegian, Phroth Puts Their Dirty Stuff Online



Posted by ha-mace 02/27/2008 08:05

AMCategory: Tags: Phroth Philms


As their website says, Phroth "is the official Penn State humor magazine." But clearly they are so much more. A couple of weeks ago they came out with another issue of the Phollegian, which is still available on campus btw - I saw a rack in Willard yesterday, and supposedly another issue in April. Anyway, now they're branching out into films philms with this latest video on YouTube which is apparently about cleaning your cock and balls ... and not spraying AXE on your crotch.

I like Phroth because ... well, because they make fun of things at Penn State - kind of like me. Although I am a little jealous that they have a staff of like 100 and it's just little old me writing things by myself. Seriously, you ****ing people can't help me out here a little? Jesus! Sorry.Anyway, the video is pretty funny. Granted it's no "The Landlord," but really, what is? But the video does have a couple of key elements in making something funny.

Liberal use of the terms, crotch-rot and cock and balls

Off camera, fully clothed dry humping.

The phrase "your cock smells like my 12-year old cousin"

Plus Alyssa Mulligan makes me wet too. Is that wrong?

DAILY COLLEGIAN: Prelude to a Kiss

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2008/02/08/aids_project_plays_prelude_to.aspx


Posted on February 8, 2008 12:53 AM
AIDS project plays 'Prelude to a Kiss'
Thespian MasquerAIDS members rehearse for its benefit performance of Prelude to a Kiss.


If you go
What: Penn State Thespians present Prelude To A Kiss When: 7 p.m. SundayWhere: HUB Heritage HallDetails: The play is a part of the annual MasquerAIDS fundraiser. Tickets are $6 and will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today near the elevators in the HUB and at the door.

Stacey Federoff
Collegian Staff Writer


Horror stories about completely transformed newlywed spouses come to life in Prelude To A Kiss.



Presented by the Penn State Thespians and introduced by Sue Paterno, the play written by Craig Lucas will be performed as part of the group's annual MasquerAIDS fundraiser for The AIDS Project of Centre and Clinton counties at 7 p.m. Sunday in HUB Heritage Hall.

The play is the story of newlyweds Peter and Rita, who are visited at their wedding by an old man who wishes to kiss the bride for good luck. When the old man kisses Rita, the two actually end up switching souls.

Alyssa Mulligan (junior-theatre), who plays Rita, said the character wants the rough times in her life to be behind her, whereas the old man wants to have life ahead of him.

"They had to switch from being themselves in order to find themselves and appreciate what they had in the past," she said.

After Peter realizes Rita is not the same person she was before the wedding, he has to find the old man and fall in love with Rita's soul inside the old man's body.

J.P. Welliver (sophomore-advertising and public relations), who plays the old man, would not reveal if everything returns to normal.

"You have to come and find out if the 'happily ever after' happens," he said.

Jessica Gonzalez (junior-film), co-director of the MasquerAIDS performance, said Lucas wrote the play during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s to represent what happens when someone contracts the disease.

"Their body starts to deteriorate, so the soul that you love is still there but the body you love is aging rapidly," she said.

Gonzalez said the play represents the little hope there was when fighting the disease.
"I don't think we realize today how devastating the AIDS crisis was, especially in the gay community," she said. "Back then, it was a death sentence."

She said the play has other meanings, such as accepting others for who they are.
"Even if you don't relate to the implicit themes concerning AIDS, there's still things in it that relate to everyone," she said.

Last year, MasquerAIDS was a cabaret-style revue held at the Days Inn, 240 S. Pugh St., featuring different songs with a theme of hope.

The group moved the annual benefit performance on campus for its eighth year, sponsored by the Penn State HIV/AIDS Risk Reduction Advisory Council and the LGBTA Student Resource Center.

"We're kind of hoping for more students this time and that's why we moved it on campus," said Andrea Schwander (sophomore-geography), production manager and committee co-chair for the event.

Prelude To A Kiss will feature 10 cast members and minimal set pieces on the stage.
"Our goal has been to keep it simple because it's the play itself we want to get attention," Gonzalez said.

Tickets for the performance are $6 and will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today near the elevators in the HUB and at the door.