The McPherson College Jazz Festival is proud to present The Mike Steinel Quintet in concert at the McPherson Opera House on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, $15 and $5 for students and may be obtained at the door or by calling the ticket office at 620-241-1952. The concert will also include warm-up selections from the McPherson College Jazz Band under the direction of Kyle Hopkins, associate professor of music and director of bands, and the Smoky Valley High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Shawn Knopp.

Mike Steinel, originally from Marion, Kan., is an internationally recognized jazz performer and educator who has taught Jazz Studies at the prestigious University of North Texas for 28 years. Steinel is best known as author of “Essential Elements for Jazz Ensemble,” a popular jazz band method used by student musicians around the world. His numerous original compositions are published and performed all over the globe. He has performed and recorded with scores of prominent musicians, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Cobb, Kevin Mahogany, Bobby Shew and Lee Greenwood.

Hopkins said he was excited to welcome such a talented musician and native Kansan to the festival.

“In just our second annual McPherson College Jazz Festival, we have one of the top jazz educators, composers and performers in the world,” Hopkins said. “What makes that even more special is that he grew up in Marion, just down the road from us.”

The Steinel Quintet’s performance is the final event of the McPherson College Jazz Festival, which will bring more than 400 middle school and high school student performers to McPherson on Nov. 5 and 6. This is the second year that Hopkins and McPherson College and have hosted this highly successful jazz festival.

The festival will feature 22 bands from 20 Central Kansas schools performing on Thursday, Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Mingenback Theatre and Brown Auditorium on the campus of McPherson College. These festival performances are free and open to the public. The Steinel Quintet members will serve as adjudicators and clinicians for the festival on Nov. 5.
School bands will be performing from Hesston High School, Salina South High School, Salina Central High School, Nickerson High School, Chapman High School, Chapman Middle School, Abilene High School, McPherson High School, Inman High School, Larned High School, Smoky Valley High School, Wichita South High School, Goddard High School, Newton High School, Fort Riley Middle School, Lakewood Middle School, Hillsboro High School, Sterling High School and Sterling Middle School.

Then on Friday, Nov. 6, the Steinel Quintet will visit area schools, giving jazz masterclasses. The festival will culminate with the Quintet’s performance that evening at the Opera House. Other members of the Steinel Quintet include Rosana Eckert, an internationally recognized live and studio vocalist, songwriter, jazz educator, and voice-over talent; and Pat Coil, a celebrated pianist, composer and programmer. Rounding out the group are professional musicians and recording artists Jeff Eckels on bass and Steve Barnes on drums.

The Jazz Festival and final concert are sponsored by McPherson College and Holman, Snell and Munsey Financial Services. More information is available by calling Hopkins at 620-242-0521.

Charles Schultz sets down his pencils, shuts off his desk lamp and calls it a night.

McPherson College’s staging of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” – which opens next week – imagines what Schultz’s “Peanuts” characters do next. Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the iconic comic come to life, stepping out from the panels of a funnies strip.

Dr. Rick Tyler, professor of speech and theatre and director of the musical, designed a set for Brown Auditorium that’s a gigantic version of an artist’s drafting table – complete with oversized pencils in a huge mug, a scattering of pillow-sized peppermints that the characters use as stairs, and a massive desk lamp arching over the set.

“The idea is that Charles Schultz leaves for the night and the characters come to life and tell a day in the life of Charlie Brown,” he said. “It’s so different and to me it’s a lot more creative.”

Much of that creativity results from coming up with creative ways to use the oversized desk supplies as props in the show’s scenes – a tape dispenser turned on its side turns into Schroeder’s grand piano, a box of crayons turns into a television set, Lucy’s psychology stand unfolds from out of a box of matches.

Not only is it fun for the members of the cast, it’s also proven to offer interesting challenges to the college’s Stagecraft class. Dr. Tyler said that students in the class have often asked him how to build an enormous version of a mundane desk supply.

“I don’t know,” Dr. Tyler has responded. “I’ve never built a giant coffee mug before.”

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” is the senior show for Josh Hall of Kansas City, Kan. For Hall, playing Charlie Brown in the show makes a fitting bookend on his education in theatre, as seeing a production when he was 11 years old completely changed the direction of his life.

“It was the first show that I saw, and I knew that I wanted to do theatre,” he said. “It’s what started it all, so I thought it would be good to finish with it as well.”

Although Charlie Brown is usually presented as a melancholy, depressed character, Hall connects with the lead role on a different, deeper level – as more happy-go-lucky and upbeat.

“He’s this awkward, curious kid,” Hall said. “He’s just trying to find his way in the world and find what makes him happy. I think all of us can connect with that. It’s all about little victories for Charlie.”

Hall said audiences should come to the musical for a bit of childhood nostalgia, becoming re-acquainted with some old friends.

“The whole show is probably my favorite moment,” Hall said. “Living in that moment of being able to live out such an iconic character. Everyone and their brother knows the Peanuts gang. I think it’s the relatability. Each one of those kids describes stages of life that we go through or moods that we have. People connect to their innocence as well as their maturity.”

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” is showing at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2-3 and 9-10. Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3.50 for children ages high school and younger as well as seniors. Reservations may be made by contacting the theatre box office at 620-242-0444 or at [email protected].

Cast is: Josh Hall, senior, Kansas City, Kan. (Charlie Brown); Addie Johnson, senior, McPherson, Kan. (Lucy Van Pelt); Brant Busse ’06, director of residence life and residence director of Metzler Hall (Schroeder); Chandler Dohe, sophomore, Limon, Colo. (Snoopy); Aubrey Hollinger, sophomore, Lyons, Kan. (Sally Brown); Chris Rakowski, senior, Joppa, Md. (Linus Van Pelt).

Crew is: Dr. Rick Tyler, professor of speech and theatre (director); Dr. Joshua Norris, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities (musical director); Kyle Hopkins, associate professor of music and director of bands (orchestra director); James Covel, senior, Goddard, Kan. (stage manager); Eric Johnson ’89 of McPherson, Kan. (technical director).

Buckle your swashes, hoist the mainstay, and prepare for… Shakespeare?

Yes, the opening production of the 2015-2016 theatre season at McPherson College will be “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare – but with a pirate-themed, Caribbean twist in its setting. The show will be performed at 7:30 p.m. in Mingenback Theatre Sept. 10-12.

Dr. Rick Tyler, professor of speech and theatre, said that he was working with students last year to decide on senior shows, and they chose “The Taming of the Shrew” one of them. When discussing setting, one of the seniors said that they always wanted to be in a play about pirates. Tyler thought – Why not?

“It doesn’t really matter where it’s at,” he said. “As pirates, we can go anywhere.”

In “The Taming of the Shrew,” three young men in Padua, Italy, are all trying to win the hand of a beautiful woman named Bianca. Bianca’s father, however, refuses to allow Bianca to marry until there’s a suitor for her ill-tempered older sister, Katherine – the “Shrew” of the title.

The suitors’ dilemma is solved by a friend of one of them – the brash, wild Petruchio – who agrees to marry Katherine sight-unseen. In a series of comedic episodes during their wedding and honeymoon – Petruchio “tames” Katherine by essentially wearing her down claiming his undying love as the excuse. For example, he doesn’t allow her to eat or sleep for several days, saying he won’t allow her to eat inferior food or sleep in an inferior bed.

At the end, Petruchio makes a bet with Bianca’s new husband about who married the better woman. They agree that whoever can get their wife to come when they call will have won the bet. Bianca – “untamed” – refuses to come, but a humbler and more loving Katherine comes to Petruchio.

If it all seems rather misogynistic, that’s because it is. “The Taming of the Shrew” was a product of the times in which Shakespeare wrote it. Without changing the script, however, (apart from the occasional addition of an “Aye, Cap’n” to have fun with the pirates setting) Tyler and the student actors are presenting the play in a much more egalitarian and balanced way.

Through tone of voice, posture and other physical gestures, the actors show that Petruchio has come to truly love Katherine and that he’s also changed – from being a brash, wild, violent young man into being a caring and compassionate husband.

In short, Katherine also “tames” Petruchio.

“It’s breaking that mold that the men are always in charge,” Tyler said.

Addie Johnson, senior, McPherson, Kan., plays Katherine in the play as her senior project at MC. In a behind-the-scenes twist, her mother and father on the stage are also her mother and father in real life.

“It’s fun,” Johnson said. “This is the first time I’ve done Shakespeare.”

The pirates setting has been enjoyable, Tyler said, but has also presented some interesting and difficult challenges. For example, it’s a costume-intensive show. In particular, after the popularity of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series of movies, it’s especially difficult to secure costumes that don’t look like Johnny Depp’s character of Captain Jack Sparrow. The language was a double challenge, too – both having to learn and understand Shakespearean language and having to do it with a “Pirate” accent.

Tickets to “The Taming of the Shrew” cost $5 for adults and $3.50 for children ages high school and younger as well as seniors. Reservations may be made by contacting the theatre box office at 620-242-0444 or at [email protected].

Cast includes: Logan Schrag, sophomore, McPherson, Kan. (Lucentio); Chandler Dohe, sophomore, Limon, Colo. (Tranio); Aubrey Hollinger, sophomore, Lyons, Kan. (Bianca); Michele Johnson ’89 of McPherson, Kan., (Baptista’s Wife); Eric Johnson ’89 of McPherson, Kan. (Baptista); Addie Johnson, senior, McPherson, Kan. (Katherine); Brandt Busse ’06, director of residence life and residence director of Metzler Hall (Hortensio); Joshua Hall, senior, Tonganoxie, Kan. (Gremio); Ashley Burch, freshman, Pittsburg, Kan. (Baptista’s Servant); Brett Crist, freshman, Quinter, Kan. (Biondello); Chris Rakowski, senior, Joppa, Md. (Petruchio); Lora Kirmer, senior, Holly, Colo. (Grumio); Alex Barmore, freshman, Lakewood, Colo. (Curtis); Connor Kresky, freshman, McPherson, Kan. (Nathaniel); James Covel, senior, Goddard, Kan. (Phillip); Johnathan Feaster, junior, Harrisburg, N.C. (Tailor); Ashley Burch, freshman, Pittsburg, Kan. (Haberdasher); Rick Tyler (Merchant); Dr. Josh Norris, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities (Vincentio); Marissa Patton, junior, Tribune, Kan. (Widow)

Crew includes: Rick Tyler (Designer and Director); Whitney Murray, sophomore, Kansas City, Kan. (Stage Manager); Eric Johnson (Technical Director); Karl Timmerman, junior, Tulsa, Okla.; Johnathan Feaster, junior, Harrisburg, N.C.; Whitney Murray, Ashley Burch (Set & Paint); Crystal Osner, junior, Conway Springs, Kan.; and Addie Johnson (Costumes).

Pirates, “Peanuts” and a police murder mystery are just a little of what audiences can expect for the 2015-2016 theatre season at McPherson College. This year, the performing arts department at MC will be presenting some classic tales and audience favorites, some with new twists on the familiar tales.

The season kicks off with the season’s oldest play, but with a new twist – “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare, showing Sept. 10-12. While the lines haven’t been changed and it still happens in Padua, Italy, this production uses costuming, accents and the stage set to place the Shakespeare’s classic comedy in a Caribbean pirate cove. In the comedy, a father has two daughters – the younger one beautiful and the older sharp-tongued and strong-willed. The younger has a multitude of suitors, but they have no chance of marriage until the older sister is married first. Enter a charming, dashing, brash young man up for a challenge. He determines that he shall tame this “shrew” and all bets are placed against him. And maybe he will be tamed by his new bride in return.

Next, comes a stage adaptation of one of the most beloved comic strips of all time, with “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” by Clark Gesner, showing Oct. 2-3 and 9-10. Just imagine what might take place on Charles Schulz’s drawing table when no one is around. The cast of endearing young six-year-olds made famous in the “Peanuts” comic strip have a heyday recreating moments from all the days of Charlie Brown – from Valentine’s Day to baseball season.

On Nov. 13-14, come see “The Great Cross Country Race” by Alan Broadhurst, a retelling of Aesop’s Fable of the race between the tortoise and the hare. Animals in the woods cannot find anybody to compete with the overconfident hare in the cross-country race, until the slow-moving tortoise agrees to challenge him. A series of diversions for the fleet-footed hare continue to throw him into altercations with “humans,” as the tortoise plods steadily and relentlessly on to the finish line. In the end… but, well, we all know how it ends, right?

The next play comes in the spring semester, and it’s a classic murder mystery – “The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie, showing March 4-5. This is the world’s longest running play by one of the best mystery writers of all time, and has celebrated more than 60 years on the London stage. A group of strangers is stranded in a boarding house during a snowstorm, one of whom is a murderer. The suspects include the newly married couple who run the house, a spinster with a curious background, an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef, a retired Army major, a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift, and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. If you already know the twist ending, please keep it to yourself!

Rounding out the offerings for the year will be “Hotel Paradiso” by George Feydeau and Maurice Desvallieres (translated by Peter Grenville) showing April 15-16. When the neighbor’s wife complains that her husband shows her no attention, the henpecked hero makes plans to whisk her out for a night of frivolity. Originally set in Paris in 1910, McPherson College will instead transport the production to New Orleans, where this bedroom farce finds an assortment of characters stealing through the halls and rooms of a cheap hotel.

All shows start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to all shows cost $5 for adults and $3.50 for children ages high school and younger as well as seniors. Theatergoers may also obtain a First Nighter’s Membership, which costs $75 for an individual, $150 for a double membership and $225 for a family membership. Membership includes show admission for the entire season as well as a student-produced dinner themed to the production served before every show. Reservations may be made by contacting the theatre box office at 620-242-0444 or at [email protected].