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Category: Theater

Solano College Welcomes Reporter and Author Cheryl Wills to Campus

Award-winning television personality and author Cheryl Wills will speak at Solano College on Monday, March 19, 2018.

Wills, the primetime anchor for NY1 Live at Ten and host of public affairs talk show In Focus with Cheryl Wills on Spectrum News NY1 in New York City, is the author of three books about her great-great-great-grandfather Sandy Wills who fought in The Civil War: Die Free: A Heroic Family Tale, an illustrated children’s book, The Emancipation of Grandpa Sandy Wills and a young adult book, Emancipated: My Family’s Fight for Freedom.

Wills was the first journalist invited to speak before the General Assembly of The United Nations in March 2011 about the impact of slavery on her family during the UN’s International Remembrance of Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and is the Founder and Commander of the New York Chapter of the Sons & Daughters of the United States Colored Troops, a national organization based in Washington, D.C.

At Solano, Wills will speak about finding her roots and how knowing where she came from has contributed to her success, lead a discussion on underrepresented populations, discuss the benefits of community colleges and the importance of faculty and staff in a student’s journey to achieving their goals. After her presentation, there will be a question and answer session.

Who: Author and Spectrum News NY1 anchor Cheryl Wills
What: A presentation on finding her roots and how it contributed to her success
When: Monday, March 19, 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Where: Solano College Theatre, 4000 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield, 94534
Tickets: This event is free and open to the public. Nearby parking is available in lots 2, 4 and 6. Parking permits can be purchased for $1 in any lot.

Wills has interviewed some of the most powerful people in the world including The First Woman President of Africa: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Will’s groundbreaking report earned her a prestigious medal from the United Nations Correspondents Association. She also scored an exclusive interview with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Will’s personal favorite was going one-on-one with the late great writer and activist Maya Angelou.

For her work as a journalist, Wills has received awards from The New York Press Club, Newswomen’s Club of NY Front Page Awards and The Associated Press. In 2017, she was awarded The Association of Social Studies Teachers/UFT’s The Rosa Parks Award for Social Justice for “illuminating the struggle for Black equality from The Civil War to present” and the Dr. Martin Luther King Award from three prominent Jewish organizations at The Israeli Consulate for bridging the gap between African Americans and Jews. Additional accolades include: The YMCA National Black Achievers in Industry Award and The Carl T. Rowan Leadership in Media Award. She has twice been honored by McDonald’s, first in 2010 as a broadcasting legend and more recently, in 2015, she received the first ever Harold Dow Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her contributions to broadcast media.

In addition to her work in the media, Wills has been featured in Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016), Law & Order on NBC, Limitless on CBS, The Strain on FX, Freedomland (2006) with Samuel L. Jackson, The Brave One (2007) with Jodie Foster, among other stage and film productions.

About Solano Community College

The College has served the community in Solano County since 1945 when it was founded as Vallejo Junior College. In the early 1970s, the College moved to its present Fairfield site, and is presently serving over 8,000 students throughout the academic year.

In addition to the campus in Fairfield, the College has one Center in Vacaville, and one in Vallejo. To further serve the community, SCC offers courses at Travis Air Force Base, and operates a School of Aeronautics at the Nut Tree Airport.

Currently, Solano Community College offers Associate Degrees and Certificates in various disciplines, to include transfer courses to California State Universities (CSU) and Universities of California (UC), and provides training in several trades. Solano will also begin offering a bachelor’s degree in Biomanufacturing in 2017. For more information, please visit us at www.solano.edu.

Solano Community College Opens Theater Season with Peter and the Starcatcher on Newly Renovated Stage

(Fairfield, CA) – Solano Community College opens its recently renovated main stage theatre with the five time Tony Award-winning play Peter and the Starcatcher November 3-19. Based on the best-selling novels of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatcher tells the coming-of-age tale of how a miserable orphan comes to be known as “the boy who wouldn’t grow up.”

“We are all very excited to open our newly renovated main stage theatre with this amazingly funny and heartwarming show,” said Director Christine Mani. “This story goes back in time to before Peter was Peter, before Hook was Hook and before Wendy even existed – though we do meet a wonderful young girl named Molly.”

In Peter and the Starcatcher, a young orphan and his friends are shipped from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by corrupt King Zarboff. Befriended by the mysterious Molly, Peter and his new friend are on a quest to keep a magical secret safe and save the world from evil. Marauding pirates and jungle tyrants run amok in this music-filled, action-packed journey through Neverland.

Called “the most exhilarating storytelling on Broadway in decades,” by The New York Times, Peter and the Starcatcher is suitable for all ages and takes audiences into a world where anything can happen. Written by Rick Elice, with music by Wayne Baker, Peter and the Starcatcher explores the depths of greed and despair and the bonds of friendship, duty and love.

Who: Solano College Theatre Arts
What: Peter and the Starcatcher
Where: Solano College Theatre 4000 Suisun Valley Rd, Fairfield, CA 94534
When: November 3-4, 9, 11 and 16-18 at 7:30 p.m. and November 5, 11-12 and 19 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: Student $12, General $24, Senior/Military/Faculty $18 To purchase, call 707-864-7100 or visit http://blogs.solano.edu/theater/index.php/tickets/

“This hilarious play on the much-loved tale, takes you into a world were anything can happen,” said Mani. “Come out and celebrate this magical opening season with us.”

Cast:
Elizabeth Bowen – Grempkin
Kaylie Butler – Lord Leonard Aster
Bri Costello – Molly Aster
Aeric Chancellor – Mrs. Bumbrake
James Dean – Ted
Allen Denberg – Pirate/Mermaid/Molllusk
Norah Jones – Prentiss
Nancy Lopez – Sanchez/Mack
Makali Mates – Captain Robert Falcon Scott
Sean McName – Hawking Clam/Alf
Ben Mendiola – Keyboards
Joel Miller – Percussion
Kevin Rebultan – Smee
Khalea Ridad – Pirate/Mermaid/Mollusk
Robbie Robbins – The Black Stache
Matthew Sennett – Peter
McKenna Sennett – Pirate/Teacher
Katie Watkins – Bill Slank/Fighting Prawn.

About Solano Community College

The College has served the community in Solano County since 1945 when it was founded as Vallejo Junior College. In the early 1970s, the College moved to its present Fairfield site, and is presently serving over 8,000 students throughout the academic year.

In addition to the campus in Fairfield, the College has one Center in Vacaville, and one in Vallejo. To further serve the community, SCC offers courses at Travis Air Force Base, and operates a School of Aeronautics at the Nut Tree Airport.

Currently, Solano Community College offers Associate Degrees and Certificates in various disciplines, to include transfer courses to California State Universities (CSU) and Universities of California (UC), and provides training in several trades. Solano will also begin offering a bachelor’s degree in Biomanufacturing in 2017. For more information, please visit us at www.solano.edu.

SCT’s ‘Spring Awakening’ enlightens, entertains

SCT’s ‘Spring Awakening’ enlightens, entertains
By Tony Wade From page B2, Daily Republic | March 25, 2016
http://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/fairfield/scts-spring-awakening-enlightens-and-entertains/

ROCKVILLE — One of the things I love about live theater is how it can achieve so many different things. It can educate, entertain, be an avenue for escape from everyday life and serve as a catalyst for conversation.

Great theater can often combine those things.

Solano College Theater’s latest production, “Spring Awakening,” is one of those works that manages to be enlightening, disturbing and entertaining all at once.

I have seen companies put on shows that use strobes or smoke or loud noises to let patrons know beforehand they will be utilized. I liked that Solano College Theater let it be known that the current show contains sexual content and explicit language. I have seen local shows that were great, but neglected to do so and when children of an inappropriate age were present it was, at the very least, awkward.

I usually talk around specific plot points in a review, but that would be difficult to do with this show. So if you are planning to see this production (and you should) let this serve as your spoiler alert. You can just stop reading here and skip down to the bottom where I give the show three and a half stars out of four.

“Spring Awakening” was originally written as a play by German dramatist Frank Wedekind in 1890 or 1891. It explores the sexual oppression of the late 19th century and how ignorance of the basic facts of life such as the physical and psychological changes that come with puberty and knowledge about the specifics of reproduction lead to erotic fantasies and sometimes serious problems.

Needless to say, the themes of the play caused it to be banned as pornographic when it was first staged in 1906.

The musical version of “Spring Awakening” was conceived 100 years after Wedekind’s original idea and infused with alternative rock music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Steven Sater. The Broadway show debuted in 2006 and won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and the original cast album won a Grammy.

Solano College Theater’s production was outstanding, but I expected no less. A cursory glance at the first page of the program had so many names of people who I, like a Pavlov dog, now automatically associate with quality theater, including choreographer Staci Arriaga, technical director Darsen Long and set designer Darcia Tipton.

But honestly, they had me at director: Christine Mani.

The cast members were superb. Standouts included Kirstin Pieschke as Wendla Bergmann, who is naive about the ways of the world and gets no help from her mother. Pieschke set the tone for the afternoon with her great version of the lead-off tune, “Mama Who Bore Me.”

Sage Georgevitch-Castellanos was perfect as Melchior Gabor and he projected the charisma and self-confidence of a young man sure of his beliefs even though they are at odds with those who have power over him. He shone on songs like “All That’s Known” and the duet with Pieschke, “The Word of Your Body.”

I liked Annika Sund in last year’s production “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” and I absolutely loved her in the current show. She played three different Fraus and two Frauleins. Sund has a real presence whenever she graces the stage and was at turns frumpy, sexy, funny or stern – depending on the character and/or situation.

Travis Reaves did a great job as Moritz Stiefel, the neurotic friend of Melchior, and he, along with Caitlin Waite (another standout from “Dead Man’s Cell Phone”) beautifully delivered the tortured “Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind.”

I am pretty sure I have never talked about characters wearing a mic in a review before, but must for this production. I thought it was done so artfully throughout the show. Mics would be pulled out of a pocket or dragged onto the stage as a prop with a mic stand and in the song “My Junk,” the cast members doled them out in a way that wedded technological necessity, choreography and music in one of the coolest ways I have ever experienced.

I hadn’t read my program so I had no idea the music was being performed live, which I think speaks to the musicianship of the rockin’ band (Les O’Connor on guitar, Mark Middleton and Tony Gotelli on keyboards and A.J. Garcia on percussion) who were unseen, but definitely heard.

I loved the music in the show and bought the original Broadway cast recording after seeing Solano College Theater’s version. One of my favorite tunes is one whose title I can’t fully print here: “Totally (effed)”

“Spring Awakening” covers issues that include suicide, coming of age, puberty, child abuse, abortion and homosexuality. It was like a whole season’s worth of the old “ABC Afterschool Specials” in one show.

Kudos to Solano College Theater for tackling a production with such deep and controversial themes and for pulling it off with style.

Reach Fairfield writer Tony Wade at toekneeweighed@gmail.com.
‘Spring Awakening’

7:30 p.m. Friday, April 7-9
2 p.m. April 10
Solano Community College, Studio G Theatre, 4000 Suisun Valley Road, Rockville
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2511500
three and a half stars out of four

Solano Community College Theatre Presents “Dead Man’s Cell Phone”

The Solano Community College (SCC) Theatre is proud to present Dead Man’s Cell Phone. SCC Theatre Arts professor Dyan McBride is director for the production and describes the play as follows, “Sara Ruhl’s absurd romantic comedy is a tale for today’s telecommunication obsessed audiences. How do we connect in a world that never disconnects? What does it mean to fall in love? Who are we truly linked to and why? Confabulations, flights of fancy and unexpected twists arise in this wildly imaginative new piece that explores the paradox of technology’s ability to both unite and isolate people in the digital age.”
Stage management for Dean Man’s Cell Phone is being provided by Sarah Lambert. The design team includes Darcia Tipton (Scenic/Properties), Ken Hein (Lighting), Thomas Nabarrette (Sound), and Rebecca Valentino (Costumes/Hair/Make-Up).

The performance dates are as follows:
October 21, 22, 23, 24, 29 & 30th at 7:30 p.m.
October 24, 25, 31, and November 1st at 2 p.m.
Student Matinee on October 30th at 10 a.m.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone will take place on the campus of Solano Community College, 4000 Suisun Valley Road in Building 1400, Studio G. General Admission is $15, Seniors and Military $10, and Students are $5

Tickets can be purchased at Brownpapertickets.com. For more information, contact Dyan McBride at (707) 864-7000 ext. 4312 or dmcbride@solano.edu

SCC Hosts 13th Annual MLK Community Event: “Ordinary People Who Did Extraordinary Things”

FAIRFIELD, CA, JANUARY 13, 2014: Solano Community College’s (SCC) 13th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Multicultural Celebration will be held on Sunday, January 19, 2014, at 3:00 p.m., at the SCC Fairfield Campus Theater. The event will include a phenomenal program featuring interviews of civil rights veterans, Ms. Sherie Labedis and Mr. Charles McLaurin, conducted by middle school students Marcus Fleming and Mekhi Little. The community is encouraged to attend this free, family-friendly event.
In addition to the interviews, Mr. Jim Bracy (retired SCC Vice President, Student Services); Dr. Sarah Chapman, SCC Trustee; and Mr. C.C. Yin, McDonald’s Owner will be recognized for their lifetime service and achievements. The program will include musical performances, well-deserving accolades, and historical information in a light-hearted environment.
For additional information about the MLK event, please contact Dr. Karen McCord, Psychology and Ethnic Studies Professor/ Ethnic Studies Program Coordinator, at karen.mccord@solano.edu or 707.864.7000, ext.4428 or Mr. Thomas Trujillo, SCC Bookstore Manager at thomas.trujillo@solano.edu or thomas.trujillo@solano.edu.