Shane EvansWalking into Neal Newman’s office, located in Grace Hall, is quite an adventure all on its own. Instead of a door, Newman prefers a beaded curtain one must carefully map through in order to get into the office without looking foolish.
His office is decorated in theatrical attire. Play books, masquerade masks and various pictures of past casts can be found in this unique individual’s office.
Newman is entering his 16th year teaching at Cabrini. Before coming here, he taught at Fordham University and the Theater of the Arts.
The theater will have its fall production, and the cast and student directors have all been working extremely hard.
“We have a wide variety of directors, and they’ve all selected their own plays, so it should be a great experience,” Newman said.
“Short Attention-Span Theater” is the name given to the various 10-minute plays that are going to debut on Nov. 17 and run through Nov. 20.
Gia Angeli is a graduate student working on her master degree in education. She earned her bachelors degree in English and communication from Cabrini in 1987. Angeli is directing two of the 10-minute plays: “Broken Hearts” and “So Tell Me About This Guy.”
Each play stars Cabrini’s own students. “Broken Hearts” stars Meredith Rowe, a freshman graphic design and biology major, and Kharisma McIlwaine, a senior English and communication major. “So Tell Me About This Guy” stars Nicole Hearn, a freshman biology/pre-med major, and Kathryn Roper, a sophomore graphic design/fine arts major.
“The 10-minute plays are going really well, in my experience. There are some great actors portraying the roles, and it’s simply a fantastic experience. I’ve met a lot of new friends doing these plays. The rehearsal schedule isn’t bad, and it’s easy to be in a few of the 10 minute plays at once,” Hearn said.
“‘So Tell Me About This Guy” is a hip, ‘Sex and the City’-type of comedy that will have the audience rolling in the aisles.
