Breaking the Silence—Brevard College Department of Theatre Studies and IWIL Present Forget Me Not

The Brevard College Department of Theatre Studies and Institute for Women in Leadership (IWIL) will present Forget Me Not, a moving play about survivors of domestic violence.

The one-act play, which tells the story of five women who have survived domestic abuse, will be performed at 8 p.m. from April 23-25 in The Morrison Playhouse of the Porter Center for Performing Arts on the Brevard College campus.

Forget Me Not is collaboration between the College’s IWIL and the Department of Theatre Studies, and is based on oral interviews conducted by IWIL students. In fall 2008, 12 members of IWIL, under the guidance of history professor and IWIL leader Margaret Brown, conducted interviews with survivors of domestic violence. “It was not easy,” said Carrie Ann Bowen, a junior from New Jersey. “These women we interviewed let us into their lives – and what they told us was hard to hear…”

Other interviewers included Margaret Ann Medley, Emily Barrick, Jessica Crocker, Mavis Figueroa, Jennifer King, Katherine Parnell, Megan Murph, Rebecca Schoonover, Brook Sturgill and Nina Willis. Nine of these students, with the help of Coordinator of Theatre Studies Kelly Carolyn Gordon, went on to turn the transcripts of the interviews into a play. “This was a yearlong project for IWIL, I am very proud of how these women challenged themselves to bring these stories to our community,” said Brown.

In early March 2009, the play was handed over to the College’s Introduction to Directing class; junior Erin O’Rourke, sophomore Kara Ontiveros and sophomore Katherine Parnell, who is also a member of IWIL. After conducting a close analysis of the play, the directors cast Christina Nelson (Violet), Kait McConomy (Azalea), Hunter McCreary (Amaryllis), Kelly Bone (Iris) and Kaitlyn Wood (Zinnia). Wood is also a member of the IWIL program. The entire production team, including playwrights, directors, actors, designers and technicians, is female.

The IWIL women were able to create a moving script, detailing the heart-wrenching deceptions of love as experienced by the five women. These survivors come together to heal a piece of lives once torn apart. “It’s inspiring,” said Nina Willis, sophomore from Charlotte. “I most want people who don’t know anything about domestic violence to have the same experience I did – to understand the world differently after they meet these women.” said Nina Willis.
Play tickets are $10 for adults and $2 for students. 50 percent of ticket sales will benefit SAFE, a Brevard nonprofit that provides programs and services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Tickets may be purchased from 10:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Porter Center Box Office. For more information on tickets, please contact the Porter Center Box Office at 884-8330.
Following the April 23 performance (approximately 9 p.m.), the Brevard College Peer Health Advocate Team and SAFE will host a Take Back the Night march to raise awareness and support victims of domestic and sexual abuse. The march will begin at the Porter Center Amphitheatre.

Actresses from L to R are:
Christina Nelson, Kait McConomy, Kaitlyn Wood and Hunter McCreary.

CONTACT:
Dr. Kelly Carolyn Gordon
Coordinator of Theatre Studies
828-966-5500
gordonkc@brevard.edu

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT IWIL:
Dr. Margaret Brown
Associate Professor of History
828-884-4727 ext. 8356
mbrown@brevard.edu

LEAP 2009

Thirty four incoming Brevard College students — from as far away as Michigan and New York — recently participated in the College’s Leadership Exploration Adventure Program (LEAP). While in town, the students, who will begin college at Brevard this fall, enjoyed teambuilding activities; whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River; rock climbing at Looking Glass Rock; kayaking on Cascade Lake; and hiking in Pisgah National Forest. The weekend’s activities were coordinated by the Brevard College’s Admissions and Campus Life offices along with faculty, students and alumni of the College’s Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education program. For more information about Brevard College, contact 828.884-8300 or admissions@brevard.edu.

Brevard College Free Weight Room Expansion Underway

Construction is now underway to triple the size of the Brevard College’s current free weight room facility, thanks to the Tornado Club. The expanded free weight room will offer 5,500 square feet of work out space and feature all of the latest weight training and conditioning equipment in an open, glass-wall setting.

The current free weight room, which is located in Boshamer Gymnasium, is being expanded to meet the needs of the college’s growing athletics program. Over the past three years, Brevard College has added four varsity sports – football, cheerleading, cycling and women’s golf – and doubled its athletic participation. Currently, more than 350 student-athletes participate in 18 varsity sports at the College.

The Brevard College Tornado Club, the fund-raising arm of the college’s athletics department, is providing all of the support for the expansion, according to College Athletic Director Kim Pate.

“This project is possible because of the overwhelming community support of Tornado Club members who have coordinated donations and discounted construction rates,” said Pate. “This expansion will be a tremendous benefit for our athletic program to meet the needs of our student-athletes. It will also provide a recruiting advantage by offering a state-of-the-art facility comparable to those found not only within the South Atlantic Conference but also at Division I institutions.”

Pate added that the project will benefit the entire College as well. Approximately 70 percent of all Brevard College students, and many faculty and staff, use the College’s current fitness and weight training facilities.

Phase one of the construction is now underway, which includes structural and general repairs. In phase two, the interior of the facility will be completed and the new flooring placed down. The final phase of the project will consist of moving and setting up the equipment from the old weight room as well as placing new equipment in the area.

“The Tornado Club has made the weight training facility a top priority for 2009,” said Jack Schneider, a member of the Tornado Club. “The goal is to have the facility in operation this year. That goal is dependent on gifts, donations and membership dues from the Tornado Club. We encourage community members and businesses to help by joining the Tornado Club!”

Schneider added that several local companies and businessmen have been instrumental in helping with the project, including Denny Whitmire of Jerry T. Whitmire Grading; Tom Shipman of Big Empty Farm Excavating; Jason Fields of Sealing Agents; and Tom Cathey of Vulcan Materials.

This is the third capital project initiative that the Tornado Club has raised funds for since it was formed in 2006. The Club also helped fund the new Brevard College electronic sign and renovation of the College’s main gym, including its new bleachers.

For more information on how to help or become a member of the Brevard Tornado Club, visit http://bcmail.brevard.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.bctornados.com/ or call 828.884.8276.



Rendering: Construction is now underway to triple the size of the Brevard College’s current free weight room facility, thanks to the Tornado Club. The expanded free weight room will offer 5,500 square feet of work out space and feature all of the latest weight training and conditioning equipment in an open, glass-wall setting.

Brevard College Assistant Professor Receives Research Fellowship from Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion Summer

Brevard College Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Benjamin Zeller was recently awarded a Summer Research Fellowship by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion for his proposal “Foodway Conversion: The Application of the Study of Religious Conversion to Foodway Choices.”

Zeller’s project will explore the ways people make life changes about their eating patterns – such as switching from being meat-eaters to being vegetarians – to see how the process may resemble religious conversion.

An avid “foodie,” Zeller chairs the Religion, Food and Eating Seminar of the American Academy of Religion, and is involved in research projects about the intersection of religion and food. At Brevard College, he teaches topics ranging from Hinduism to new religious movements to religion and science fiction.

Zeller holds degrees from the University of North Carolina, Harvard University and the University of Rochester. He recently participated in the Wabash Center Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion Workshop for pre-tenured theological school faculty members.

The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, which is based in Crawfordsville, Ind., supports teachers of religion and theology in higher education through meetings and workshops, grants, a journal and other resources. All Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion programs are funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.