The Banner, Vol. 41 No. 5 - November 13, 1996

              ■"• ■■■■JL.:;.-
The
nner
 "We will shout for joy when you are victorious and we will lift up our banners in the name of our God." Psalm 20:5	
Volume 41, Number 5 A Publication of the Students of California Baptist College November 13, 1996
Ibsen's "A Doll's House" a magnificent success
performance, the set, lighting, sound, props, and costumes were done very well.
Those on the production staff
worked very hard to provide
the best quality a show can
have. Take time to notice
that thefurniture pieces fit
the period. The set is exquisite. A lot of work went into
the design and production of
the set, which paid off for
those watching the play. The
audience felt like they were
in the room as participants,
not just spectators.
If you are looking for a
P    ...-=.-.      > fast-paced play with intellec-
jjj^lSPk** tb w-     '■' I1 ti    ¥•    '" tually stimulating dialogue,
this might be your ticket this
weekend. One can't help but
laugh at the childish games
these adults play, but the reality is that we play these
same kinds of games with
each other.
10        ]ni      AmyKuyper/r^tar       When asked about how
Thompson, Lessard, and Swindall play their parts with style   _ .
Celebration team shares message with area churches
By Jeff Otterman
Guest Writer
"A Doll's House", being
performed at the Wallace
Book of Life Theater this
weekend, showcases the wonderful talent of the students
from California Baptist College.
This play, directed by
Melodie Yocum and assisted
by Michael Hoffman, brings
to light the struggles women
have had, and still might have
dealing with gender related
issues.
The talents showed here
include the incredible acting
of Samantha Swindall who
plays Nora Helmer, a subservient wife. Aaron Wooten
plays her domineering husband Torvald Helmer with
excitement.- Swindall and
Wooten work very well as a
team, showing their strengths
as they pull the audience into
the plot.
The play is filled with humor, irony, and drama, constantly posing serious questions about relationships and
marriage to the listening audience. The three act play
written by Henrik Ibsen takes
place at the Helmers' flat in
Norway, 1886. Three other
fine acting performances
were turned in by Patrick
Thompson, Melissa Lessard,
and Frank Mihelich.
Bit parts rarely get noticed,
but the two actresses who
played their parts well were
Cid LeDuc and Nicole
Lindsey. There were several
children who dedicated their
time to this production. They
are Ryan Konecni, Allison
Konecni, Casy Ensign, Amy
Easton, Brittany Smith, and
Byron Yocum.
Aside from the acting and
By Catherine Dicus-Collins
Staff Writer
The Celebration team is
coming onto its tenth year of
performing under the direction of Melodie Yocum. "We
are off to a good start and a
full schedule for the fall," said
Yocum. The group performs
nearly every weekend.
Yocum is thrilled with the
prospects of this coming year.
"We have a fantastic cast, one
of the highest energy ensembles that I have ever
worked with." The cast includes Frank Mihelich, Mike
Belcher, Chris Seay, Hannah
Anderson, Jason Franklin, and
Rebecca Woodall.    Doug
Yocum is the percussionist
and handles rhythm and
sound effects. "The group is
just a lot of fun. They have
fun while they are acting,
and it shows. Audiences will
react well to the script because the cast is enjoying
themselves," said Yocum.
Wendy Slack and Mary
Stanley are the booking managers for the Celebration
team. They do all of the
office work like publicizing
the team, receiving phone
calls and making phone calls
to churches and other facilities to arrange for the team to
perform.
Tom S. Long, the author
of the script, has taken the
Old Testament events that are
normally passed over and has
made these stories relevant to
our lives, showing us that God
can speak to us through them.
"Even though this is a comedy, the message that we are
presenting is to read your
Bible," said Yocum.
"Drama is a ministry and
passion; it makes C.B.C. distinct. It's not geared for Hollywood, but for the ministry,"
said team member Frank
Mihelich. This is Mihelich's
first time with the Celebration team. There is a lot of
work that goes into the production and he appreciates
that everyone works hard.
Mihelich's personal goal
is "to raise the standard of
Christian theater. To me, theater people in the church are
still wondering if it's okay to
act in the church." Mihelich
feels that as a company, their
goal is to "try to do something worthwhile that glorifies God."
Rebecca Woodall has
been on the Celebration team
for a very short time. Her
favorite scene is at the end
where the whole message
comes together. Her personal
goal is "to be open for the
Lord to use [her]." She enjoys the accountability in the
group and the bonding that is
occurring.
Mike Belcher's reason for
joining Celebration is that it
was like a touring company.
This is also Belcher's first
year in Celebration. He enjoys the "comic friendship."
"I feel like we are really becoming a family." His goal is
that he "would like to improve [his] craft and know
the Lord better."
Everyone in the group believes that this play really
reaches out to believers. One
thing completely distinct that
separates this play from other
plays is that it does just that.
The message of this play is to
read your Bible. Believers
need a message just as much
as nonbelievers do, but do
not normally receive one.