The Ithacan

Ithaca College is known for its respected Department of Theatre Arts, and the students who participate in its shows are known to be extremely dedicated to their craft.

“As a playwright, I aim to have anti-racist and feminist conversations in the theater that fuel collective responsibility and enthusiasm,” Lenelle Moϊse ’02 said.

The cast and creative team of the play “Ironbound,” written Martyna Majok, involve three Ithaca College alumni, two professors and a current student.

The play “In the Red and Brown Water” draws from Yoruba religion to tell a black woman’s coming of age story.

Every character besides the narrator is played by a member of the audience. Some stay in their seats … while others are brought onto the stage.

Catherine Weidner, professor and chair of the Department of Theatre Arts, said that overall, ALANA students represent 26 percent of the Department of Theatre Arts.

Derek Hessing, a former Marine, created the Inner Strength fitness class this semester. It meets twice a week.

To change up the opera classic, stage director Jennifer Williams, said she decided to restage the opera in what she calls an alternative present.

The Kitchen Theatre Company is presenting a play written by Wendy Dann ’93, Ithaca College associate professor in the Department of Theatre Arts.

On Dec. 1, the Dillingham Center will present “Winter Bodies,” a ballet dance concert choreographed by professors in the department, until Dec. 4.

Performing Arts for Social Change (PASC), a theatrical group at the college made up of students and Ithaca community members, hosted a workshop Sept. 5 in Studio 3 of Dillingham Center to teach acting techniques and exercises based on the Brazilian writer Augusto Boal’s book, “Theatre of the Oppressed.”

The Department of Theatre Arts at Ithaca College has hosted several meetings to discuss issues regarding diversity within the department.