Director and writer Beth Watkins—a professor of communication arts and theater at Allegheny—and local artist Brian Thummler worked last fall with Allegheny students to create a play based on Greek myths, folktales and modern medical stories.

The play was devised through improvisational rehearsals in which students contributed both dialogue and ideas. Faculty in the neurosciences also were consulted in the development of the script.

Devising—or creating a theatre piece through creative collaboration—was a new process for most of the company, said Watkins. “The performance will combine movement, music, puppetry, genetics, neuroscience and storytelling in a larger examination of the human condition,” she added.

The play will feature puppetry designed by Thummler and original songs by Philadelphia composer Bob Michel. The company includes student actors Stephanie Armstrong, Jordan Metcalfe, Camilo Matos, Kaitlin Mackenzie, Sara Odioso, Dan Winston, Steve Reaugh and Drew Pirrone-Brusse.

Marianne Broome is stage manager, Allegheny adjunct instructor of music Aimee Reash is the musical director, and Allegheny theatre staff designers Michael Mehler and Sarah Russell will oversee the scenery, lighting and costumes for the production.

“Chewing Your Fingers to the Bone” contains strong language and is recommended for mature audiences only.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $7.50 for non-Allegheny students, senior citizens and Allegheny employees. Although admission is free for Allegheny students with identification, they are asked to make reservations. For more information or to order tickets, contact the Playshop Theatre box office at (814) 332-3414.

Susanne Ortner-Roberts is widely acclaimed in Germany, Israel and Switzerland, both as a soloist and as a member of the German Klezmer quartet Sing Your Soul. Tom Roberts is one of the leading exponents of early jazz piano in the world. He has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City and on “The Tonight Show” and “A Prairie Home Companion.” He also arranged and performed music for “The Aviator,” a film directed by Martin Scorsese.

For more information about the Silberman Series, visit www.allegheny.edu/events or call Allegheny’s Office of Conference and Event Services at (814) 332-3101.

As the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, Greenberg has worked toward gay inclusion in both the civil and the religious frames. In his lecture, he will share his radical and his pragmatic solutions to the conflict between traditional Judaism and homosexuality as a way of clarifying the role of religious thought in helping democracies address complex moral issues.

A senior teaching fellow at CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Greenberg is a popular speaker on issues of faith, sexuality and tradition. He received the Koret Book Award for Philosophy and Thought for his book “Wrestling with God & Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition.”

The Samuel Schick Lecture Series is supported by a gift from the Barry and Florence Friedberg Family Philanthropic Fund.

Greenberg will also participate in a lunch discussion on “The Environment and Social Change” on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 12:15 p.m. in Room 206 of the Henderson Campus Center. The discussion also will include Eric Pallant, professor of environmental science at Allegheny, and Jane Ellen Nickell, college chaplain. Lunch will be provided, but space is limited and registration is required by Nov. 10. To register, call (814) 332-2800 or email barmstro@allegheny.edu.

In anticipation of Greenberg’s visit, the documentary film “Trembling Before G-d,” which features personal stories of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews who are gay or lesbian, will be presented on Monday, Nov. 9 at 8:30 p.m. in Quigley Hall auditorium. The film includes Greenberg’s story.

Greenberg’s visit is part of Allegheny College’s Year of Social Change, a series of activities, workshops and public events aimed at inspiring the campus and community to seek a more just and equitable world.

For more information, contact the Allegheny College Office of Religious Life at (814) 332-2800 or barmstro@allegheny.edu.

Phillips, a resident of Saegertown, sings tenor and is a music major and psychology minor. Voss, from Lexington, Mass., sings bass and is a music major and German studies minor.

For more information about the recital, contact the Allegheny College music department at (814) 332-3356.

Ables’ presentation is sponsored by the Allegheny College Center for Political Participation.

The public also is invited to attend a dinner at 6 p.m. in the Tippie Alumni Center, prior to the lecture. There is no charge for the dinner, although space is limited and reservations are required by Nov. 13. To register for the dinner, visit cpp.allegheny.edu or call (814) 332-6202.

Log Cabin Republicans is an organization that works within the Republican Party to advocate for equal rights for all Americans, including gays and lesbians. Ables’ lecture will focus on the politics of equal rights today.

“This is an important topic,” said Daniel M. Shea, director of the Center for Political Participation and a political science professor at Allegheny College. “We often think of the gay rights movement as an important issue in most elections, but we rarely think of it in terms of the Republican Party. I am sure Scott Ables’ talk will be illuminating.”

Ables has served as a keynote speaker at national and state conventions sponsored by several organizations, including the American Psychological Association, Volunteers of America and the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. He is president of the Ventura Group, which provides educational and training services to mental health professionals and educators in the U.S. and Canada.

For more information about this event, call the Center for Political Participation at (814) 332-6202.

Williams, a 1967 graduate of Allegheny, will address the impact of sea-level rise on coastal and wetland systems, natural resources and habitats, and societies worldwide. He will discuss how some coastal management and engineering practices will become more difficult and may not be economically or environmentally sustainable. Williams also will present other options that may be more appropriate for adapting to coming coastal change—such as relocating infrastructures to higher elevations and converting low-lying developed areas to parks.

The author of more than 300 research papers, Williams has worked at the U.S. Geological Survey since 1983. He has led or participated in more than 80 field studies on shorelines around the world. In June, Williams received the 2009 Coastal Zone Foundation Award for career achievement.

The presentation is sponsored by the Allegheny College geology department. For more information, call (814) 332-2350.

The concert will include special arrangements by Dan Cervone of Meadville, Lee Williams of Edinboro, and Al Zurcher of Gannon University and the Dave Stevens Big Band. Aimee Reash, an instructor of music at Allegheny, will be the featured vocalist with the jazz band.

The jazz band and percussion ensemble are directed by Ronald Stitt and Stephen Corsi, respectively. Both are instructors of music at Allegheny.

For more information about the concert, contact the Allegheny College music department at (814) 332-3356.

Tysiachney has served as assistant director of public affairs at the college and co-editor of Allegheny magazine since 2006. He began his tenure at Allegheny in 2000 in the division of development and alumni affairs, holding positions in alumni relations, prospect research and communications.

“Allegheny’s public affairs team is experienced, strong and dynamic,” said Scott Friedhoff, the college’s vice president of enrollment and communications, in announcing Tysiachney’s appointment.

“Josh’s experience working in different communication media, along with his appreciation for the college’s rich history and distinctions, provides him with a solid foundation to help us build on our success and explore new opportunities to enhance Allegheny’s strong reputation and expanding prominence on the national stage. I could not be more pleased that Josh has accepted this critical position at such a healthy and prosperous time in the college’s history, as we develop a new strategic plan that will guide us toward our approaching bicentennial.”

Founded in 1815, Allegheny College is a selective college of the liberal arts and sciences in northwestern Pennsylvania, where 2,100 students with unusual combinations of interests, skills and talents excel.

In addition, Professor Geffen presented  — via Skype — at the Imagining America National Conference in New Orleans on October 1. The panel, “Community Arts in Rural America: Stories from the Field,” focused on the role of arts in transforming, creating measurable change, and impacting economic development, with emphasis on college-community collaborations. Professor Geffen’s presentation highlighted the decade of collaboration between the Arts & Environment Initiative and PennDOT. Panel co-presenters included Jesikah Maria Ross, director of Art for Regional Change at UC Davis, and Elliot Knight, co-director of Black Belt 100 Lenses at the University of Alabama.

Associate Professor of Computer Science Gregory M. Kapfhammer recently presented a poster at the 3rd International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM 2009). Co-authored with Erik Ostrofsky ‘11, “An Empirical Comparison of Methods for Compressing Test Coverage Reports” identifies some of the fundamental trade-offs associated with the compression and storage of coverage data.  For instance, the poster reveals that a compression method tailored to the text-based eXtensible Markup Language (XML) can create a coverage file that is smaller than the corresponding report in a compressed binary format. Further information about this poster and other related research is available at http://www.cs.allegheny.edu/~gkapfham/research/kanonizo/.

Professor of Environmental Science Eric Pallant and Meredith Hanlon ‘09 attended the 7th International Globelics Conference 2009, “Inclusive Growth, Innovation and Technological Change:  Education, Social Capital and Sustainable Development,” jointly organized by the Consortium pour la Recherche Economique et Sociale (CRES) of the Universite Cheikh Anta Diop and the United Nations University Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT), held in Dakar, Senegal, October 6-8. They presented a paper co-authored with Associate Professor of Economics Steven Onyeiwu titled “Sustainable and unsustainable agriculture in Ghana and Nigeria: 1960-2009.”

Adjunct Instructor of Music and Woodwind Area Coordinator Julie Hepler will perform the Concerto in Bb for Bassoon and Orchestra, K. 191 with the River Cities Symphony Orchestra on October 30 in Parkersburg, W.V.  Julie teaches courses in music history and appreciation, as well as private clarinet, saxophone, oboe and bassoon for the College. An active performer, she is the principal bassoonist of the Lake Erie Ballet Orchestra and the River Cities Symphony Orchestra. She is a frequent performer with the West Virginia Symphony, the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra and the Youngstown Symphony. In the past, she was the principal bassoonist of the Baton Rouge Symphony and has appeared with the orchestras of New Orleans, Mississippi and Buffalo, among others. Julie Hepler has performed as a bassoon soloist with the Erie Chamber Orchestra, the River Cities Symphony Orchestra and the Baton Rouge Symphony.

Assistant Professor of Classical Studies Judson Herrman was invited to present his recent work on Demosthenes at the Classical Commentary Writers’ Workshop at Georgetown University on October 16 and 17.

Mike Richwalsky, of the Office of Public Affairs, was the featured speaker at the CUPRAP West conference, held October 12 at Robert Morris University. He spoke on social media usage for marketing here at Allegheny and trends in the marketplace. CUPRAP is the professional organization of college and university marketing professionals in Pennsylvania.

Several photographs by Adjunct Professor Richard Sayer were shown at the Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Institute open house on October 2. The photographs were of Sue Kilburn, a Meadville woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. A breast cancer and breast care educator, Ms. Kilburn will continue to use the photographs and her story to try to help others. The Meadville Tribune ran a story by Richard Sayer on October 1 to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month. The story and an audio slideshow with pictures from the exhibit can be seen at http://www.meadvilletribune.com/multimedia/local_story_273180127.html . Representative Kathy Dahlkemper read the Tribune story on the House floor.

People & Places, published monthly during the academic year, reports on the professional activities of members of the College community and highlights student achievements. Please submit items to people@allegheny.edu. Questions about People & Places? Contact Kathy Roos at kathy.roos@allegheny.edu. We reserve the right to edit copy for length.

"Porta Hedge" by Justin Shull

MEADVILLE, Pa. – Oct. 30, 2009 – The Art Galleries at Allegheny College will present “Engineering Eden,” a national invitational exhibition featuring work by nine artists, from Tuesday, Nov. 3 to Tuesday, Dec. 1. An opening reception with talks by artists Justin Shull and Vesselina Traptcheva will be held on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. The galleries will be closed Nov. 25-29 for Allegheny’s Thanksgiving break.

The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, is part of Allegheny’s Year of Social Change, a series of activities, workshops and events aimed at inspiring the campus and community to seek a more just and equitable world.

“Engineering Eden” seeks to encourage individuals to consider how they are forming their world – for better and worse – and how the ideas they shape affect their lived experiences. The exhibit examines the ethical implications of changes that people make to the world as well as the futures they imagine for themselves and the environment.

Interactive agricultural installation by Leah Gauthier

Shull’s interactive “Porta Hedge” – a mobile, artificial hedge that accommodates people in its interior mobile observation lab – will be installed on the Gator Quad, just outside the main gallery entrance. “Ground Truthing,” a video installation by California artist Krista Caballero, will be housed inside the Megahan Gallery.

The show also will include photographs by Curtis Hamilton, Josh Winer, Todd Forsgren and Mark LaRosa, drawings by Traptcheva, and a sculptural environment created on-site by Thomas J. Stevenson. In addition, the exhibit will feature an interactive agricultural installation by Leah Gauthier, an enclosure for the study of hermit crabs’ socioeconomic behavior by Roberto Loring, and anthropomorphic organic sculptures by Erie artist Suzanne Proulx.

Gallery hours are: Tuesday through Friday, 12:30-5 p.m.; Saturday, 1:30-5 p.m.; and Sunday, 2-4 p.m. The Art Galleries are wheelchair accessible. The Art Galleries are located in Doane Hall of Art, east of North Main Street between College and John Streets.

Because programs are subject to change, the public is encouraged to call ahead at (814) 332-4365 to verify. For more information about future exhibitions, visit www.allegheny.edu/artgalleries.