Volume 57, Issue 5
The Student Voice of Nyack College
15 December 2011
Penn State Reputation Soiled Punishment
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by Katlyn Giberson
Staff Writer
When citizens across the country hear the words “Penn State” many
think “highly respected, strong education, and great at football.” But due to
recent events that have been brought
to the attention of people nation wide,
their reputation is being tarnished.
Ex-Defensive Coordinator for
Pennsylvania State University, Jerry
Sandusky, was arrested this past November and charged with 40 counts of
sexual abuse on 8 young boys. Some
of these counts include involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, corruption of
minors, endangering the welfare of a
child, and indecent assault. Sandusky’s
bail was set at one hundred thousand
dollars; he posted bail and is currently
a free man until trial. If convicted, he
could face life in prison.
Joe Paterno, head coach of
Penn States football team, has been
scrutinized for not reporting the incident to the police when he presented
the information to the university’s authorities. Many think Coach Paterno
visibly saw the abuse performed by
Sandusky, although that is not true.
The Long Island Press says that a Penn
State Graduate Assistant saw the acts
performed on a young boy, and on
the night of March 2, 2002, he made
a phone call to Paterno explaining
what he saw. Long Island Press then
goes on to say that on March 3, “Paterno [called] Tim Curley, Penn State
Athletic Director to his home the next
day and [reported] a version of what
the grad assistant had said.”
This caused controversy beyond Sandusky, and a frenzy now
surrounds Joe Paterno. Did he fulfill
his obligation? What there a moral
obligation he refrained from fulfilling? While many debate the answers
to these questions, Penn State believed
there was more to be done on his end
and as a result, fired Joe Paterno.
Not only did Sandusky’s actions affect the life of Joe Paterno,
but they affected the credibility of his
own organization “The Second Mile”
whose goal is to “provide children
with help and hope.” It is now quite
difficult for them to assure to parents
that their children will be safe as they
take part in their programs.
Black Friday: Less Money, More Pain
by Katlyn Giberson
Staff Wrter
Friday November 25th was
the United States annual Black Friday
shopping extravaganza. Every year
major companies and “mom-and-pop
shops” create amazing sales, saving
people anywhere from hundreds to
thousands of dollars. While it is a tradition for many, this day of spectacular sales has been taking a turn for the
worse over the past few years.
While in line at many stores,
you can’t help but overhear conversations people are having. They talk
about how she just saved twenty bucks
on jeans at Sears or saved two hundred
and fifty dollars on an HD TV at Wal-
Mart. One thing that was also said a
lot this Black Friday was, “Black Friday shopping sure isn’t what it used
to be.” Many complained that there
weren’t as many great sales this year
as there were years in the past. Yes,
saving three hundred dollars on a lap
top computer is fantastic, but not many
people even feel safe battling the multitudes of people at well-known chains
like Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy.
This year more than ever there
have been many reports of violence
at the time of door opening for many
major companies. For example, at a
local Wal-Mart in Little Rock, Arkansas, a video was caught of a riot over a
two-dollar waffle maker. The Huffington Post reported that the video shows
people pushing, shoving, and hitting
others just to get this waffle maker.
Huffington Post also tells a story of a
woman who, while in line for an Xbox,
used pepper spray on at least 14 customers to get her electronic item.
Many Black Friday veterans
will tell you that they don’t remember
the last time the holiday was as violent as it has been the past few years.
Many barely go out and brave the crazy crowds of people anymore. With the
number of super sales declining and
the number of psychotic shoppers on
the rise, many shoppers are now staying home on Black Friday and waiting
for the Cyber Monday sales.
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The Story of Salinger’s Nine Stories
by Katlyn Giberson
Staff Writer
One of Nyack’s favorite
professors, Brad McDuffie, has recently released a book titled Teaching Salinger’s Nine Stories. His book
is a teaching companion to go along
with J.D. Salinger’s book of short
stories Nine Stories. The short stories
compiled in Salinger’s original book
are “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,”
“Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut,”
“Just Before the War with the Eskimos,” “The Laughing Man,” “Down
at the Dinghy,” “For Esme -- With
Love and Squalor,” “Pretty Mouth
and Green My Eyes,” “De DaumierSmith’s Blue Period,” and “Teddy.”
Sitting down with Professor
McDuffie was a great experience. As
I was listening to the answers he was
giving me, I could feel his love for what
he does and the passion he has when it
comes to this book. When asked what it
was like teaching Salinger he explains
that, “it is thrilling in many ways.” He
says that Nine Stories, to him, is like
a collection of riddles. He loves when
students come into his class after reading and share their thoughts on the
material. He enjoys discussing with
them the answers to the riddles. He
believes Salinger “challenges us to see
the world in a different way.” He not
only appreciated the challenge to the
readers but the history of Salinger and
his stories.
His pure excitement and passion for teaching the text was his inspiration to write this book. He had
conjured up this idea with his friend
William Boyle, and as he spent
time working with the University of
South Carolina publishing team, the
book began to form. Unfortunately,
the publishing company was a little
insecure when it came to McDuffie
and Boyle writing together, seeing
as they had never collaborated before. In the end, William Boyle had
to drop the project.
Brad McDuffie’s book was
released on November 25th 2011,
taking him less than ten months from
the time of signing to release.
for Sins
by Jeremiah Rivera
Staff Writer
Have you ever read parts of the
Old Testament where people sinned
and got smitten by God’s wrath, and
you became terrified? When I was
younger, I would read areas of the Bible about people having terrible things
happen to them for doing wrong. I
got scared because I didn’t want those
things happening to me. I was afraid
to pray because I thought every time
I messed up God would be angry,
ready to judge me. Many Christians
still think like this. I hear people say,
“God allowed me to get sick to teach
me a lesson,” or “God caused this natural disaster because the nation won’t
repent.” I’m here to inform you that
God is no longer punishing anyone for
their sins.
“And if anyone sins, we have
an Advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins,
and not for ours only but also for the
whole world” (1 John 2:1-2 NKJV). If
we sin, Jesus is our Advocate. In the
Greek, the word “Advocate” (parakletos) means “one who pleads another’s
cause before a judge.”
Verse two says that Jesus is the
propitiation for all sin. “Propitiation”
(hilasmos) means “appeasement of
wrath.” Let’s say you owed a debt and
had to go to court for it. The debt was
your sin, and you were found guilty.
Then Jesus came along to take your
place. By sacrificing Himself on the
cross, He paid the price for every debt
you owed, and you are free. Now tell
me, how can you be punished for a
debt that was already paid?
“Isn’t God just?” Abso-
lutely. Sin had to be punished,
or God wouldn’t be just. But
the truth is it was! All wrath
that God had toward sin was
completely poured out on Jesus
at the crucifixion. That means
there is none left for you! In the
same way that a guilty man can’t
go to prison for a sentence that
was paid for, God can’t punish
you for your mistakes. For Him
to do so would mean that Jesus
died for nothing.
I’m not saying everyone is
saved or that there won’t be a Day of
Judgment for those who reject Jesus.
.... continued on page 2
Community
Page 2
Beauty Tip: Brushing Away Breakouts
The Forum
1 South Boulevard
Nyack, New York 10960
forumeditors@nyack.edu
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David
15 December 2011
by Megan Brokenborough
Staff Writer
Is your make-up making you
break out? Although all make-up is
not compatible with everyone’s skin,
which can cause irritation and the
dreaded break out, it may in fact be
what you are applying your makeup with that is the culprit. Make-up
brushes can be wonderful and aid in
beatifying your canvas, but if they are
not properly cared for, their charm can
wear off, and all you’re left with is a
bacteria-ridden wand of bristles.
Brushes can easily trap dirt,
dead skin and bacteria. This is definitely a problem, especially when the
Carrera
Editor & Chief
Gabrielle Do
Publishing & Design
Jesse Williams
Photography Editor
Dr. Kevin Pinkham
Advisor
Verse of the Week
“In the sixth month the
angel Gabriel was sent
from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a
virgin betrothed to a man
whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David. And
the virgin’s name was Mary.
And he came to her and
said, "Greetings, O favored
one, the Lord is with you!”
Luke 1:26-28 ESV
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Submit your questions
and art to Audrey King at
fineprint@nyack.edu by
Jan. 31.
even baby shampoo because it is gentle and won’t ruin the bristles. When
washing it with shampoo or soap, rinse
the brush in warm soapy water, rinse it
and dry it with a clean towel.
For those of you who want a
more professional alternative, there
are specific brush solutions that you
can invest in to keep dirt at bay; these
solutions you can pick up anywhere
from Target to Sephora. Now, for the
extremists out there, you can soak your
brush in alcohol—that will definitely
obliterate any bacteria for sure. But be
warned: because of the harshness, the
alcohol may damage the bristles. Well,
I hope this tip was helpful, try it out
and as always, feel luxurious doing it.
Friendly Service and Fine Selections at Pickwick Bookstore
by Elisabeth Scheffel
Staff Writer
Looking for fun reads, fiction
fantasies, or non-fiction history books?
Check out Pickwick Bookstore in
downtown Nyack. Pickwick is located
on South Broadway Avenue, right next
to the European Chocolate Shoppe.
The owner of the store, John, is
very friendly and accommodating. He
greets every person that walks into his
store, and he is eager to talk about the
town of Nyack. No customer is unimportant or burdensome to him.
A resident of Nyack, he knows so much
about the town and about Nyack College. When asked about the students
of Nyack College, John became ecstatic. He has had students from Nyack
come into his store since he has started
working there in 1975.
He claims that the bookstore is very
popular among college students. Graduate students come back regularly and
visit the store. Parents of Nyack students stop by and enjoy their time at
the bookstore as well. John mentioned
that Nyack College has a strong tradition that influenced the town, and he
was glad to share the history of how
Nyack College used to be.
Pickwick Bookstore is a great store to
get books and learn about the history
of Nyack College. John is very interested in giving a tour of the store and
teaching about how Nyack College got
its property. For used and new books,
from all genres, Pickwick Bookstore is
the place to go.
Pickwick has been open since
1945. The bookstore is open every
day of the week, except for certain
holidays. From Monday to Saturday,
it is open from 9:30 A. M. to 7:00 P.
M. On Sundays, it is open from 11:00
A. M. to 6:00 P. M.
The Pickwick Bookstore sells all kinds
of books, from fiction and children’s
books to nonfiction, novels and cookbooks. The store offers both new and
used books. Books are at a bargained
price, and there are sales regularly
throughout the year.
a dynamic duo that sing their original
pieces while accompanying themselves using various combinations of
guitars, piano, and banjo. Their style
can be described as a charismatic
mixture of blues, swing, and modern
acoustic as interpreted by their childhood upbringings in folk music.
Jordan and Alethea have virtuous ideals regarding their approach to music
that can be difficult to find in many
young musicians these days. They lament the simplicity found in modern
pop music and see their goal as glorifying God by creating quality music
that can be appreciated by both musicians and common people. And while
most musicians today have adopted a
folk flavor due to its trendiness, Alethea and Jordan are the real deal. They
have both been brought up with folk
music since childhood in Ohio. Alethea
was singing with her father’s band at 5
years old. When I asked if the title of
a folk band is what they’re aiming for,
Alethea responded with this: “That’s
not really our goal. We don’t want to
achieve a genre. We just want to express ourselves [in our style].” Jordan
says: “God is giving us a lot of inspiration and we are just trying to keep up
with it.”
The Truth and I are currently working on recording a demo of about 3-4
songs that they aim to finish by Christmas. Until then, you can like their band
page on Facebook, where you can see
pictures and get updates from them
including new recordings and performance dates.
“Nyack College Musician Radar: The Truth and I”
by Nelson Silva
Staff Writer
The featured theme for
the art in this year’s Fine
Print is Film Noir, a Black
and White style of art established in 1940’s crime
films with themes of
Shadows and Light, Passion and Disillusionment.
dirt and bacteria are then transmitted
onto your beautiful face, not to mention contaminating perfectly amazing
make-up. To combat this “make-up”
educed violence against your face,
make sure to wash your makeup
brushes regularly. It is recommended
to wash brushes out once a month, but
if that isn’t enough for you, washing
them twice a month is perfectly acceptable, but if you have a propensity
towards OCD wash at your own risk.
What you use when you
wash out your make-up brushes can
be fairly simple and casual or it can
be more intentional and serious. For
those more casual, you can actually
wash your brushes with shampoo,
It was a stormy August evening in Nyack. Alethea was invited by
Jordan to his sister’s house for dinner.
The electricity was out, leaving few
options for activities and as the wind
and rain beat against the windows,
they wound up playing a guitar in the
living room by candlelight. Something
inexplicable seemed to click. “It was
like something out of a 1940’s MGM
film” Jordan recounts. That night they
composed a song titled “Dragonfly”,
marking the beginning of a musical
collaboration called The Truth and I.
The Truth and I is comprised
of Nyack College vocal majors Jordan
Wilhelm and Alethea Brown. They are
Punishment for Sins
.... continued from page 1
I’m saying until that Day, the world
isn’t under judgment. Jesus said, “If
anyone hears my words but does not
keep them, I do not judge that person.
For I did not come to judge the world,
but to save the world. There is a judge
for the one who rejects me and does
not accept my words; the very words I
have spoken will condemn them at the
last day” (John 12:47-48 NIV).
To conclude, we should never
feel that bad things happen to us as
punishment. God isn’t mad or frowning at you, but is pleased and smiling.
You can come boldly to Him, and He
will love you unconditionally. How’s
that for good news?
Interested in joining
The Forum?
Please Contact The Editorial Team for Spring
Semester ‘12
Volume 57, Issue 5
Christmas
Page 3
CHRISTMAS CHEER A Visit from St. Nicholas
I have always thought of
Christmas time, when it has come
round, as a good time; a kind,
forgiving, charitable time; the
only time I know of, in the long
calendar of the year, when men
and women seem by one consent
to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below
them as if they really were fellow
passengers to the grave, and not
another race of creatures bound
on other journeys.
~Charles Dickens
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not
a creature was stirring, not even a
mouse; The stockings were hung by
the chimney with care, In hopes that
St. Nicholas soon would be there; The
children were nestled all snug in their
beds, While visions of sugar-plums
danced in their heads; And mamma
in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap, Had
just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap, When out on the lawn there
arose such a clatter, I sprang from the
bed to see what was the matter. Away
to the window I flew like a flash, Tore
open the shutters and threw up the
sash. The moon on the breast of the
new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of
mid-day to objects below, When, what
to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny
Brittany ?
Jeremiah Rivera
reindeer, With a little old driver, so
Semi-sweet Chocolate Peppermint
Meat Lasagna
lively and quick, I knew in a moment
Bark
“O Holy Night”
it must be St. Nick. More rapid than
”Carol of the Bells”
Elf
eagles his coursers they came, And
It’s Christmas, Charlie Brown!
he whistled, and shouted, and called
Laura Bowlen
Jesse
Williams
them by name; “Now, Dasher! now,
Momma’s Dressing
Green Bean Casserole
Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On,
“The Christmas Song”
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and
by Nat King Cole
The Santa Clause
Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to
The Muppet Christmas Carol
the top of the wall! Now dash away!
Amanda ?
Daniel ?
dash away! dash away all!” As dry
Ham and Hot Apple Cider
Christmas Ham
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” leaves that before the wild hurricane
”All I Want For Christmas is You”
fly, When they meet with an obstacle,
Jack Frost!
by Mariah Carey
mount to the sky; So up to the houseHome Alone
top the coursers they flew, With the
Nelson ?
sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas
Fresh Snowflakes
Morgen Lippolt
too. And then, in a twinkling, I heard
“Island of Misfit Toys”
Homemade Pizza
on the roof The prancing and pawNightmare Before Christmas
“I’m Getting Nothing For Christmas”
ing of each little hoof. As I drew in my
by Relient K
head, and was turning around, Down
Gabrielle Do
It’s a Wonderful Life
the chimney St. Nicholas came with a
Snickerdoodles
bound. He was dressed all in fur, from
David Carrera
“Where Are You Christmas?”
his head to his foot, And his clothes
Christmas Ham
The Grinch
were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
“Winter Wonderland”
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his
It’s a Wonderful Life
back, And he looked like a pedler just
opening his pack. His eyes—how they
twinkled! his dimples how merry! His
cheeks were like roses, his nose like
a cherry! His droll little mouth was
drawn up like a bow And the beard
fdsafd of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his
teeth, And the smoke it encircled his
head like a wreath; He had a broad
face and a little round belly, That
shook when he laughed, like a bowlful
of jelly. He was chubby and plump,
Directions:
a right jolly old elf, And I laughed
when I saw him, in spite of myself; A
1) Cream together shortening and brown sugar.
wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
2) Stir in egg and molasses and mix well.
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to
3) Fold in dry ingredients and stir.
dread; He spoke not a word, but went
4) Cover and chill till firm (1 hour or so).
straight to his work, And filled all
the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
5) Preheat oven to 350°.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
6) Roll dough into small balls and roll in white sugar.
And giving a nod, up the chimney he
7) Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.
rose; He sprang to his sleigh, to his
8) Bake at 350° for 9-10 minutes.
team gave a whistle, And away they
9)Leave on sheet one minute until set.
all flew like the down of a thistle, But
10) EAT THEM!!!
I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out
of sight, “Happy Christmas to all, and
Staff’s Christmas Favorites
Megan Brokenborough
Candy Canes
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”
The Nutcracker
Jeremy Fuscaldo
Turkey
“All I want for Christmas”
by My Chemical Romance
It’s a Wonderful Life
Maggie Felisberto
“Baby It’s Cold Outside”
by Balcalhau
Scrooged
Elisabeth Scheffel
Peppermint Bark
“Hark the Harold Angels Sing”
Elf
Aneesa Moore
Monkey Bread
“Deck the Halls”
The Polar Express
Katlyn Giberson
Mac N’ Cheese
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
!
s
y
a
olid
H
y
p
ap
Merry Christmas Nyack! H
Renee’s Yummy Molasses Cookies
by Renee Curry
Guest Writer
Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
by Clement Clark Moore
15 December 2011
Feature
“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” Review
Page 4
by Nelson Silva
Staff Writer
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward
Sword has gameplay that is challenging and mentally stimulating, a story
that is well developed and beautifully
depicted, and it is arguably the best addition to the franchise yet.
Skyward Sword takes place
long before the events of Ocarina of
Time and is an origin story of the entire
series. Despite this, it retains an individuality that is usually lost in similar
cases, and doesn’t get carried away trying to explain everything. The opening
relays the story of a powerful evil being that arises to conquer the land that
will one day become Hyrule. The goddess who watches over the land creates
a floating island above the clouds to be
a haven for human inhabitants. This
is where we find this game’s incarnations of Zelda and Link, who are lifelong friends. In fact, Zelda isn’t even
a princess this time around. There is a
heavy focus on character development.
A goal in each game is to connect the
player with Link as much as possible,
and the added details about his inner
journey achieve that like never before.
Although I wasn’t a fan of the “Navi”
in this game, I was completely enticed
by Ghirahim, the fabulously coldblooded antagonist whose backstory
proved to be the Nintendo plot twist of
the century. Overall, this game gives
us a cinematic experience that finally
uses a visual style that fits the graphic limitations of the Wii console in a
beautiful way.
The first thing to be praised
about the gameplay is the revolutionized combat. Nintendo’s ambitious
goals of motion control have finally
been realized in Skyward Sword. With
the use of the Wii Motion Plus, sword
control has never been more intuitive
and direct. Enemies attempt to predict your movements causing you to
watch for openings, keeping gameplay
fresh and deliberate. Boss battles have
progressed from the procedural threephase format and now seem to depend
heavily on unseen HP. The puzzles
keep you thinking in new and creative
ways and are no longer restricted to
dungeons, rather you will find yourself solving problems all throughout
the surrounding areas. Although the
their trainee, Clarence Odbody, to help
console with George to continue living
his life—and if Clarence succeeds, he
would earn his wings.
Before he accomplishes his
mission, we get a glimpse of George’s
entire life. We see him helping his
deceased father’s business, keeping
Bedford Falls in one piece, and raising his wife and kids. The breaking
point occurs when $8000 is accidentally misplaced and George is in deep
trouble. Thus, we see him taking out
his frustrations on his family, begging
his rival, Mr. Potter, for help, and getting drunk and crashing his car into
someone’s tree.
Luckily, Clarence intervenes
into George’s life and shows him what
it would be like if he was never born at
all, forcing George to realize how im-
portant his life is and how he shouldn’t
throw it away.
What is truly amazing about
this movie is that it still manages to
hold up after all these years and stand
with classics like “Bride of Frankenstein”, “The Wizard of Oz”, and
“Gone with the Wind.” Not only has it
become a classic, it was one of Frank
Capra’s last few masterpieces in filmmaking before he officially retired in
the 60s—after It’s a Wonderful Life,
he still managed to direct other good
movies, but none of them has reached
a status as high as this film. The story
itself reminds us that life is truly worth
living when we help make a difference
for someone we know.
It’s just like Clarence Odbody
said near the end of the movie, “No
man is a failure who has friends.”
by M. Felisberto
News Editor
performing the play, that it would allow the students to shine in performances and not get overwhelmed by
the language.” Beaumont was a contemporary of Shakespeare, so the
English used in the play may at times
sound like one of the Bard’s constructions. However, Burning Pestle is simpler and much more accessible.
Pinkham is excited to be directing Burning Pestle next semester.
He remembers being involved with
the theatre as one of the best parts of
his time as a student at Nyack. “Those
were the best times, the most fun times,
and they offered the opportunity for
the closest friendships and often some
of the strongest growth was coming
out of those experiences, both intellectual and emotional and spiritual... A
lot really came out of it for those of us
involved.”
When he thinks about what the
theatre provided for him as a student,
Pinkham says that “there is a spirit of
camaraderie that comes out of the theater opportunities that I want to bring
back. There is a level of community
landscapes are much smaller and fewer than in Twilight Princess, they are
much more detailed and the fact that
you return to them many times allows
you an opportunity to actually get used
to them.
This is the most challenging Zelda yet. I see a prevailing idea
of quality over quantity in this game,
ranging from characters, to landscapes, to items. This isn’t to say there
aren’t plenty of side quests and areas
to explore. This was the most exhilarating gaming experience I have had
on the Wii Console and I believe it is
an essential for any Nintendo player –
whether they are a long time Zelda fan
or newcomer to the series.
Holiday Classic: It’s a Wonderful Life
by Jeremy Fuscaldo
Staff Writer
As you know, the Christmas
holiday is a time of giving and not receiving; a time of sharing rather than
taking; a time of thankfulness; a time
of togetherness and unity and a time of
love, peace on earth and good will toward your fellow man. It is also a wonderful way to describe Frank Capra’s
classic holiday movie, It’s a Wonderful
Life—the story about a man, who consistently helped others throughout his
life rather than helping himself.
The movie starts out when the
citizens of Bedford Falls pray for a beloved man, George Bailey, who’s contemplating suicide. Meanwhile, the top
angels in heaven, Joseph and Franklin,
hear everyone’s prayers and assign
Photography submitted by Forum Staff
Nyack College Presents: The Knight of the Burning Pestle
Cast list:
Citizen—Kevin Winkle
Wife—Allison Birch
Rafe—Ben Wallin
Venturewell—Jeremiah Rivera
Jasper—Simon Song
Master Humphrey—LeeAnn Mailly
Luce—Courtney Soucek
Mistress Merrythought—Ayodele Campbell
Michael—Eric Cabrera
Master Merrythought—Christian Jackson
Tim—Philip Strangolagalli
George—Suzanne Wagner
A Tapster— Elizabeth Kendrex
A Boy—Laura Satre
A Host—Stephanie Ginsberg
A Barber—Mitchell Woodford
Three Knights:
Knight 1—Jesse Williams
Knight 2—Joshua Phoenix
Knight 3—Andrew Taylor
A Captive Woman—Felicita Ruiz
A Sergeant—Shanna Lewis
Soldiers:
Soldier 1—Audrey King
Soldier 2—Hannah Shipman
William Hammerton—Brittany Wetherill
George Greengoose—Petra Brown
Pompiona—Thanee Xiong
The Prologue— Chelsea Geyer
Who is the knight of the burning pestle? Why is he coming to Nyack? What makes his pestle burn? I
sat down with Dr. Kevin Pinkham,
English professor at large and thespian
extraordinaire, to find out more about
this knight coming next semester.
The Knight of the Burning
Pestle is an early seventeenth century
play by Francis Beaumont. One of the
first parodies and metadramas, Burning Pestle demolishes the fourth wall.
The play revolves around a play being
performed in which a young woman
falls in love with her father’s apprentice, but is engaged to a richer man.
The Romeo and Juliet type story gets
interrupted, though, when two “audience members” decide that they don’t
like the way the play is going and want
to see it take a different direction.
Pinkham read the play on the
recommendation of his colleague, Dr.
Charles Beach. After reading through
it, Pinkham said, “I had a vision for
and maybe even family that comes out
of that that I haven’t seen anywhere
else on campus in my years here as a
professor.”
And it has been a long time
since Nyack has done a play. “The last
thing that I’m aware of that was on a
larger scale,” Pinkham says, “was Danaher: The Musical back in 2006,” but
he caveats, “if we’re talking written by
a famous playwright or a famous musical, now we’re starting years before
that... Basically, it seems like the only
outlet for student performance on the
campus in the past few years has been
Opera Workshop, and if you’re not an
opera singer, you’re not going to be
part of it.”
The cast list for Burning Pestle
has been posted. Come next semester,
you will be able to see Kevin Winkle
as the Citizen with Allison Birch as the
Wife, Courtney Soucek as Luce and
Simon Song as Jasper, and Ben Wallin
as Rafe, the eponymous Knight of the
Burning Pestle, as well as many more
talented student performers.