Student play series explores confusion, dysfunctional families

Kara Hodge Entertainment Beat

The Department of Theatre and Dance presents the last of a series of student directed plays Ñ "One Acts Five." The two one-act plays perform tomorrow through April 7 at 8 p.m. in I.G. Greer Arena Theatre.

The one-act play series is a collaboration between the students in two upper-division theatre classes.

The plays are selected and directed by the students in the advanced directing class. The costumes are designed by students in a costume design class.

"One Acts Five" features confusion and dysfunctional families in the two plays "The Sins of the Mother" and "'Dentity Crisis"

The evening begins with "The Sins of the Mother" by Anthony Devaney Morinelli. The play looks at alcoholism and the obstacles it creates in an Irish-American family.

Trapped at home with their alcoholic mother, two maiden daughters deal with "Irish born bitterness" and resentment that replaces love and understanding. As the inheritors of their grandmother's sin, the two daughters seek their redemption together.

Heather Houglan directs "The Sins of the Mother." The cast includes Jen Allman, Marie Anderson, Caryn Crye, Jessie Hanley and Shelby Jennings.

The costume designer is Tara Blake and the stage manager is Kiehl Smit.

"'Dentity Crisis" by Christopher Durang is the story of Jane who is being nursed back from a nervous breakdown by her persistently cheerful mother and her strange brother who keeps changing into her father, her grandfather and her mother's French lover.

Even Jane's psychiatrist is strange Ñ he undergoes a sex change operation and changes places with his wife. All the characters change and leave Jane herself with no identity at all.

"'Dentity Crisis" is directed by Maeve McAuliffe. The cast includes Andrea Gilkey, Rebecca Coffey, Brad Evans, Scott Hurley and Jessica Pearson. The costume designer is Heather Houglan and the stage manager is Aliza Mendelewicz.

Tickets for "One Acts Five" are $3 and may be purchased at the Valborg Theatre Box Office today through Friday from 2-5 p.m. Editor's note: A press release from the Department of Theatre and Dance contributed to this article.

Appalachian Guitar Fest, competition, April 5-8

ASU News Bureau

The Appalachian Guitar Fest and Competition will be held from April 5-8 at Appalachian State University. Concerts in the Broyhill Music Center's Recital Hall will feature guest artists Lily Afshar, Richard Savino, Benjamin Verdery and festival director Douglas James.

Twenty-four guitarists have registered for the competition. Top prize is $1,000 provided by the D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts. Admission to the festival, including all concerts, master classes and workshops is $50.

General admission for a single concert is $12 for the general public and $8 for students. A ticket package for all three concerts is $30 for the general public and $20 for students.

Born in Tehran, Afshar came to the United States in 1977 to study guitar at the Boston Conservatory of Music. She went on to earn a master's and doctorate degree in guitar performance from Florida State University.

In 1986 she was one of 12 international guitarists elected to play for Andres Segovia in his master classes.

The Washington Post calls Afshar's performances "remarkable and impeccable." She won the 2000 Orville H. Gibson Award for Best Female Classical Guitarist. Chosen as "Artistic Ambassador" to Africa for the United States Information Agency in 1995, she won the 10th, 11th and 12th annual "Premier Guitarist" awards. Afshar is a professor of guitar at the University of Memphis and records for Summit Records.

Guitarist Savino has been a featured performer and concert soloist with the Frick Collection and at the Boston Early Music Festival International Series, London Early Music Network, San Francisco/Seattle/Vancouver/Victoria Early Music Societies and the Portland and Los Angeles Baroque orchestras.

Savino records for Harmonia Mundi and Naxos. He is a professor of music at California State University at Sacramento.

"Guitar Review Magazine" describes guitarist/composer Verdery as "an American original; an American master." He has had an exciting and innovative musical career for more than 20 years and has performed and recorded as a solo artist and with distinguished artists such as Leo Kottke, Jessye Norman, Anthony Newman, Paco Pena and John Williams.

Verdery "stretches the boundaries of what we call classical music," James said. He plays arrangements of compositions by Prince and Jimi Hendrix as well as his own compositions. Verdery chairs the guitar program at the Yale University School of Music and heads the guitar program at the Purchase College Conservatory of Music.

James has appeared as a classical guitarist throughout the United States, Europe and Mexico. He has been a featured performer at Italy's L'Estate Chitarristica sul Lago Maggiore, the Stetson International Guitar Workshop, Charleston's Piccolo Spoleto festival and New York's Carnegie and Merkin halls.

He performs on 19th Century guitars when playing music of the Classical and Romantic periods. In 1992 he was the top prize winner in the Arturo Toscanini Solo Guitar Competition held in Italy. He has been featured on NPR's Performance Today program. James records for the Cala Vista label and directs guitar studies and the guitar fest at Appalachian.

The guitar fest schedule is as follows: Friday, April 6: 1-3 p.m. Ñ Richard Savino, master class 3:15-5:15 p.m. Ñ Benjamin Verdery, master class 8 p.m. Ñ Douglas James/Lily Afshar concert 10 a.m.-noon Ñ Lily Afshar, master class noon-2 p.m. Ñ Luthier's display and guitar "play-off" 2-5 p.m. Ñ Competition semi-finals 8 p.m. Ñ Richard Savino/Benjamin Verdery concert Sunday, April 8: 9:30-11:30 a.m. Ñ Douglas James, master class 1 p.m. Ñ Competition final round and awards reception concert For more information, call the School of Music at (828) 262-3020 or visit its website at http://www.music.appstate.edu.