Jan. 14 Concert to Kick Off Local Celebrations Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King

CHESTERTOWN, MD––The life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be celebrated with a special concert on Saturday, January 14th, at 4 p.m. in Norman James Theatre at Washington College. The theater is located in William Smith Hall. Ample parking is available on the college campus and along Campus Avenue in Chestertown.

"Songs of the Civil Rights Movement" will feature local talent including Sombarkin, Pilgrim Travelers, New Gospelites, Bob and Pam Ortiz, Mt. Olive Mass Choir, Still Pond Coleman Mass Choir, Sylvia Frazier, Stask and El Piostrowski, Bob and Janet Kelley, Rev. Anthony Brown, and God’s Wealth. The concert is FREE and open to the public. Sponsors include the Chester Valley Ministers' Association, Kent County Arts Council, Washington College's Office of the President, Center for Environment & Society, CV Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, and Office of Multicultural Affairs.

The songfest is one of two events honoring the legacy of Dr. King. The other is the annual MLK Breakfast on Monday, January 16th, at 7 a.m. at the Rock Hall Volunteer Fire Company. Breakfast tickets cost $10 and are available at the door. Contact jtitus2@washcoll.edu or jfairchild2@washcoll.edu or call 410-778-7295 for information.

Washington College Riverside Players Present Comedy "Almost, Maine"

View photos from the dress rehearsal

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Washington College Riverside Players will present David Cariani’s comedy Almost, Maine Thursday and Friday, April 21 and 22 at 7 p.m. in Norman James Theatre.

Founded in 1998 as an independent student-run group, Riverside Players allows students to propose, direct, act in, design, and produce plays without necessarily being involved with the drama department.

Almost, Maine is a comedy about love, loss, and love once again. The entire production takes place at 9 p.m. one cold winter night in the fictional town of Almost. “We journey through the characters’ lives and are given snapshots into what occurs in their lives that night,” says director Grace Holliday, a Washington College junior.

Holliday says she chose to produce and direct this play because of its universal theme. “Love is something every single person has experienced, or is experiencing, or will one day find they are experiencing. This is a comedy, yes, and it is romantic, but more than any of those things, it is real,” she adds.

The cast of Almost, Maine includes Tim Meren ’13, Katie Muldowney ’12, Mike Zurawski ’12, Emily Robart ’12, Mike Liberto ’14, Alyssa Velazquez ’12, James Julius Winn ’11, Antoine Jordan ’12, Sam Bitzelberger ’14 and Emily Broomell ’12. “Working with this incredibly strong cast is an absolute pleasure,” says Holliday. “They are full of ideas and enthusiasm for this show and it really comes across.”

Norman James Theatre is located in William Smith Hall on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue. Admission to Almost, Maine is free and open to the public.

Photo: In a rehearsal, the character of Pete, played by Tim Meren ’13, hopefully awaits the return of his girlfriend.


Books-into-Film Event at WC To Screen and Discuss Robert Altman's "Short Cuts"

CHESTERTOWN—Miller Library at Washington College will host three free screenings of Robert Altman’s 1992 film Short Cuts beginning Friday, Feb. 25, and then follow up March 2 with a discussion of the film and the Raymond Carver short stories that inspired it.

The film will be shown Friday, Sunday and Monday, Feb. 25, 27 and 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Norman James Theatre on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue.

The following Wednesday, March 2, at 5:30 p.m., Christopher Ames, Provost and Dean of the College and a professor in the English Department, will lead a discussion of the book and the film in the Sophie Kerr Room of the College’s Miller Library. He will guide the group in exploring literary and film devices (plot, characterization, setting, etc.) and examining how the subtleties of language in a novel can be reinterpreted through image, music and sound. The discussion will take place in the Sophie Kerr Room of Miller Library.

Altman based his Short Cuts on ten short stories written by Carver. In an unusual twist, those ten stories were later published as a collection and titled Short Cuts. The movie is a fascinating example of cinematic adaptation. Set in Los Angeles, it interweaves the characters from the ten stories into a remarkable performance that won a special Golden Globe award for Best Ensemble Cast and earned Altman an Oscar nomination for Best Director. The cast includes Tim Robbins, Julianne Moore, Robert Downey, Jr., Frances McDormand, Jack Lemmon, Andie MacDowell, Lily Tomlin, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Peter Gallagher, Lyle Lovett, and Tom Waits.

The screening and discussion are part of a statewide Books-to-Film project sponsored by five college libraries and the Maryland Humanities Council through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Friends of Miller Library organization is offering a free copy of the Short Cuts book to the first 25 persons who sign up to participate in the screening and discussion. To sign up, please contact Ruth Shoge at rshoge2@washcoll.edu or 410-778-7292. For more information go to: http://millerlibrary.washcoll.edu.

Photos: Top, Madeleine Stowe and Tim Robbins in a scene from Robert Altman's film Short Cuts. Middle, Washington College dean of faculty Chris Ames, who will lead the literary/cinematic discussion March 2.

'Sankofa' Screened at Washington College

The African-American Heritage Committee and Washington College will present a showing of the film "Sankofa" at Norman James Theatre on Friday, June 13, at 6:30 p.m., with food, drink and discussion following.

"Sankofa" features a lush, expressive style and energy, juxtaposing the brutalities endured by plantation slaves with the beauty of the landscape and the spiritual will of the oppressed. Layered throughout the film is a complex musical score composed of African drumming, electronic rhythms, and American jazz and blues. It's a visceral and deeply moving portrait of plantation life viewed from an African perspective.

"History is power," said director Haile Gerima, "which is why we named the film 'Sankofa.' 'Sankofa' is a philosophical, mythological bird passed down from generation to generation from the Akan people of Ghana. The name means [that in order] to move forward, you must reclaim the past. In the past, you find the future and understand the present."

The special screening of "Sankofa" is co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost & Dean and the Office of Campus Events & Visitors. Admission is free and open to the public. (Some material is not suitable for audiences under 16 years old.) For more information, call 410/810-1416.

June 6, 2008