By: Michael McCarrick, Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, mqm5415@psu.edu, updated by the Lion’s Eye Web Staff
Brandywine may not have a theater program where students can perform in play productions, but a group of students are making an effort to help fill that void for the performer in all students.
A new club arrived this semester, and it is called The Performing Arts Club, where students interested in acting, singing, dancing, and improvisation can come together and express their creative talents.
Their first meetings featured acting and improv that attempted to reflect the day-to-day events of a Brandywine student. The problems and struggles students face during their first year of college, such as picking a major and making new friends, were acted out. This made it easy for club members to relate and contribute since it harkened back to their experiences as a freshman. Students came in with written dialogue to read from and improvised lines of their own to make the scene more entertaining.
With seven students establishing themselves as original club members, they hope to add to the short list and make it one of the most popular activities on campus. The club leaders make it clear that no talent or experience in performing arts is necessary to join.
“[The Performing Arts club] is pretty much for people who like to sing, act, and dance,” club president and student Sharia Mitchell said. “We accept anybody in the club, no auditions,”
The club started after Mitchell and her friends noticed that other entertainment clubs on campus couldn’t include everyone.
“While there was a drama club for experienced students, there wasn’t a performing arts club for inexperienced students,” Mitchell said. “Here you can be yourself, and we take anyone with acting and musical talent. We also take script writers and people with a fashion sense.”
The club had their first live performance on December 1 after practicing for it on each Monday in Main 101. Meetings are held on Mondays and Wednesdays during Common Hour in Room 205 of the Main Building; and snacks are provided. The Performing Arts Club is just getting started, and students interested should join them before they hit it big soon.