Harold Goldstein
After 50 years, the Pierce College theatre arts department kicked off their anniversary celebration Friday with the multi-play production, “Golden Encore.”
This being the theater arts department’s 50th anniversary, “Golden Encore” is more than a normal performance.
With help from audience members, the crew was able to pick out specific scenes of various plays that were flexible for certain cast members to come back and play their associated roles.
“Most of the plays were audience favorites,” said Cynthia Stults, a Pierce student currently working as an actress. “A lot of it had to do with which actors were able to come back and do different roles.”
The production was split into two acts showcasing plays of several genres. The first act ranged from William Shakespeare and children’s theatre (Hamlet, Peter Pan) to classic plays and musicals (Of Mice and Men, My Fair Lady).
The second act had a more mature nature ,with genres ranging from controversial plays and contemporary playwrights (Master Harold and the Boys, The Heidi Chronicles) to comedy (Noises Off).
As a finishing touch, a brief history stringing the plays together, was given, featuring Edward Dow on how the theatre arts department went from a small bungalow to what it is today.
The atmosphere inside the theatre was warm and inviting.
While waiting for the show to start, a drummer, bass player and pianist, who also played background music for the production, played a calming jazz melody. Throughout the production, the actors did not miss a single cue in their performances even though they had to jump in and out of many different characters.
The music was well done.
With just three musicians, the different atmospheres of each play were done well to get the audience into the overall mood.
With an anniversary so significant, the theatre arts department wanted to do more than to create a single play.
“Our theatre manager came to me and said, ‘it’s our anniversary. Can we do something other than a normal play?'” said RoZsa Horvath, professor of theater arts and director of “Golden Encore.” “And I said, ‘Sure! I’ll do it.’ I’ve been working on it pretty much all summer.”
Recurring Pierce students and Pierce alumni who have acted in various plays at Pierce in the past, had come back to replay their original roles from past performances.
“I’m an extras actor,” said Arcinio White, currently a psychology major at Pierce. “I’m an extra on certain sets of movies and stuff like that. I just try to work in theatre so I can get better, and hopefully become a union actor.”
A few actors were not current students or alumni of Pierce, but rather came upon the production by way of advertisements.
“The first time I ever went to Pierce was due to ‘Noises Off,'” said Elizabeth Mitchell, who appears in “Golden Encore.” “I was driving down Victory Boulevard one day and all of a sudden, I saw a big billboard outside that said ‘Auditions: Noises Off.’ And I sped home, dialed the number, got the information and have been part of this ever since.”
“Golden Encore” will be playing again Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.
General admission will be $15, and students and seniors can get in for $12.
With more than 320 plays in the theater arts department’s 50 year history, directed by RoZsa Horvath, “Golden Encore” takes a leap through time to show various periods of its growth. This picture from an Oct. 24 rehearsal shows the opening scene that introduces Children’s Theater, which was headed by Ellen Albertini Dow. ()