Category Archives: Guest

A Taste of Rehearsal – Juliet and Her Romeo’s Aerial Silks

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100_6233 Just a quick teaser about our rehearsals for Juliet and Her Romeo (which runs from October 21 through October 30)….

One of the many elements we are rehearsing for this production is the use of Aerial Silks – heavy duty fabric suspended from the ceiling, which can be used for a variety of lyrical and stylistic movement.  We are currently working towards using the silks for several scenes from the play, and are very excited to be working with Rachael Inman – an adjunct professor in Belhaven’s Dance department, with an extensive background in aerial dance.

An exhausting but exciting process!

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Paul Patton, guest artist, playwright and lecturer

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100_6107Paul Patton, playwright of Lifting the Veil, shared his lecture The God Talk: The Manipulative Use of Religious Language, at our departmental meeting on September 21.  His lecture was a good warning for our students against using, and allowing others to use, the name of God (and the authority that goes with it) for self-serving ends.

Paul was present for the premeire of his play, directed by senior theatre major Jonathan Dixon, and also shared with several of our classes, including a talk with our Scriptwriting class on generating play ideas from one’s personal history, and encouraged our Acting 2 and Directing class towards “Stewarding the Stirrings of your Soul” by committing to memory those things (scriptures, passages of novels or plays) that stand out as being useful or valuable for further consideration.

Paul’s visit was a significant blessing to our students and faculty alike, and we are thankful for his time with us.100_6096

Visiting guest artist – Paul D. Patton

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Visiting with us Sept. 20-22 will be guest artist Paul D. Patton, playwright of Lifting the Veil, which will premiere on September 21.  Lifting the Veil is based on the true story of the runaway wedding of evangelists Katherine Kuhlman and Burroughs Waltrip, as they struggle to divine the will of God in their hasty marriage.

Paul is the author of over 30 works for the theatre and was the founder of Trinity House Theatre in Detroit.  He is the co-author of the recently published “Prophetically Incorrect: a Christian introduction to Media Criticism”.Paul_Patton Paul has lectured on topics such as “The Idolatry of the Cult of Celebrity” and “God Talk: Lessons in the Manipulative Use of Religious Language.”  He is an associate professor of Communication and Drama at Spring Arbor University in Michigan, where he lives with his wife, Beth.

Paul visited Belhaven previously in 2007 when we produced his play, Kurt Gerstein, winner of the 2007 Christians in Theatre Arts New Play Contest.

Paul will be guest lecturing at several classes, including our Scriptwriting course and performance classes, and will make a special presentation at a whole department gathering on Tuesday afternoon.

Guest instructor – Daniel Cossette

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We were blessed to host acclaimed mime performer Daniel Cossette as a guest instructor during the week of August 30 – September 3.  Daniel was a Performance Journeyman with Mimeistry International (now the Innovo Theatre), and is now a Guest Artist working with Ad Deum Dance Company of Houston, TX.

Mr. Cossette worked with our first semester freshmen and transfer students taking our foundational course in movement for the performers – teaching fundamental techniques of mime and physicality on the stage.