Community Briefs

‘Goals for Coffee’ teams Dunkin’ Donuts, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in program benefiting local food bank

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Just before the cast of &#8220;Shout! The Mod Musical&#8221; gathered around a piano to rehearse a few songs from the 1960s, the students took a few moments to savor their surroundings in Wilkes University&#8217;s Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s really welcoming,&#8221; said Gabby Lajara, 18, of Brigantine, New Jersey.</p><p>&#8220;I love doing the shows here,&#8221; said Kevin Rizzo, 19, of Allentown.</p><p>Their director, Teresa Fallon, agreed, and then some.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a beautifully designed theater,&#8221; she said of the Darte Center, which turns 50 this month. &#8220;You know how people who deal with boats say a boat is &#8216;yar&#8217; because it&#8217;s so beautiful and smooth and easy to handle? Well, this building is &#8216;yar.&#8217; It&#8217;s a joy to work here.&#8221;</p><p>Credit for the design goes to Tony Award-winning scenic designer Donald Oenslager, whose vision included a 34-foot deep stage with a hydraulic orchestra pit plus 480 seats tiered so well that Darte fans will tell you it&#8217;s almost impossible to have your view blocked, no matter where you are seated.</p><p>Theater productions draw a diverse crowd, Fallon said, citing a group of bikers who came out for a recent production of the rock opera &#8220;Tommy&#8221; and a group of Red Hat Ladies who thoroughly enjoyed a show about Elvis Presley.</p><p>The Darte Center is home to a wide variety of arts, and audiences will see several of them represented when Wilkes celebrates the building&#8217;s golden anniversary during a celebration that begins at 8 p.m. Oct. 24.</p><p>Scenes from this year&#8217;s plays, including &#8220;Our Town&#8221; and &#8220;Shout! The Mod Musical!&#8221; will be performed, along with modern dance, ballet and selections from the Wilkes University Chorus, Chamber Singers, Civic Band and Jazz Ensemble.</p><p>No matter what a student&#8217;s major, chair of the division of performing arts Steven Thomas said, that student is more than welcome to nurture his or her creativity through the arts programs at Wilkes &#8212; and the public is also welcome to enjoy the many lectures, concerts and plays.</p><p>Shawn Pierre, 21, of Moscow, recalls visiting the Darte Center as a child and attending shows as a teen before deciding to enroll as a theater major at Wilkes.</p><p>As for Ashley Potkulski, 21, of New Egypt, New Jersey, she remembers exploring her grandfather&#8217;s attic and finding a script from the era when her mom was a Wilkes history major who took part in plays. Seeing such &#8220;treasures&#8221; among the souvenirs made her all the more eager to study musical theater and perform on the same stage.</p><p>By the way, Fallon said, it&#8217;s pure coincidence that the next theatrical presentation, &#8220;Shout!&#8221; contains songs from the 1960s, when the Darte Center was built.</p><p>As her young protegees gathered around a piano to sing such pieces as &#8220;Downtown,&#8221; &#8220;Windy,&#8221; &#8220;Son of A Preacher Man&#8221; and, of course, &#8220;Shout!&#8221; their toes were tapping and hips swaying. The students have really embraced music from half a century ago, Fallon said with a smile.</p><p>They&#8217;re grateful to embrace a theater from that era, too.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Dressed in their mod attire, Wilkes University students are prepared to present excerpts from &#8220;Shout! The Mod Musical,&#8221; Oct. 24 during the 50th anniversary celebration for the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_wilkes.darte_.51.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dressed in their mod attire, Wilkes University students are prepared to present excerpts from &#8220;Shout! The Mod Musical,&#8221; Oct. 24 during the 50th anniversary celebration for the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photos </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_OUR-TOWN-PHOTO-1-Ashley-Potkulski-Gianna-Chase1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ashley Potkulski and Gianna Chase depict some of the charm of old-time, small-town life in Wilkes University&#8217;s production of &#8216;Our Town.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_OUR-TOWN-PHOTO-1-Ashley-Potkulski-Gianna-Chase1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Ashley Potkulski and Gianna Chase depict some of the charm of old-time, small-town life in Wilkes University&#8217;s production of &#8216;Our Town.&#8217; </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photos </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_OUR-TOWN-PHOTO-4-The-Wedding-Taylor-Lamerand-James-Cahill-as-George-Emily1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Taylor Lamerand and James Cahill portray George and Emily, the young couple who get married in &#8216;Our Town,&#8217; which was Wilkes University&#8217;s first theatrical offering of the 2015-2016 academic year. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_OUR-TOWN-PHOTO-4-The-Wedding-Taylor-Lamerand-James-Cahill-as-George-Emily1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Taylor Lamerand and James Cahill portray George and Emily, the young couple who get married in &#8216;Our Town,&#8217; which was Wilkes University&#8217;s first theatrical offering of the 2015-2016 academic year. </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted photos </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_wilkes.darte_1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">&#8220;You know you make me want to shout!&#8221; is a lyric fans of the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts might want to apply to their favorite theater. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_wilkes.darte_1.jpg</photo3><caption3>&#8220;You know you make me want to shout!&#8221; is a lyric fans of the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts might want to apply to their favorite theater. </caption3><photoCredit3>Submitted photos </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> 50th anniversary celebration</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts, corner West South Street and Riverside Drive, Wilkes-Barre</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 8 p.m. Oct. 24</p><p><strong>Admission:</strong> Free</p><p><strong>Reservations:</strong> www.community.wilkes.edu/DDD50</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes University’s Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts to celebrate 50th anniversary Oct. 24