As the semester comes to a close, the Moorpark College Art, Dance, and Music departments will be hosting a number of events to commemorate the immense amount of hard work their students have put in all semester long.
These events range from art sales to jazz concerts and will give students a chance to show off the skills they have gained thus far, all the while providing the community with hours of entertainment. They run from May 1 to the last week of the semester, May 15. These events are listed below in order of occurrence:
MOORPARK COLLEGE ART SALE – MAY 1 AND 2
Visit the Moorpark College Art sale and shop for all things such as paintings, photos and hand-made household items, like ceramic mugs and bowls. This sale happens biannually during and allows students to purchase artwork done by other students at reasonable prices. The art sale takes place on Wednesday, May 1 and Thursday, May 2 starting at 9 a.m. in room AA-124.
For questions, email Gerry Zucca at [email protected]
ORIGINAL STUDENT ONE-ACTS – MAY 1-11
Watch fellow Moorpark College students perform in the Spring 2019 Student
One-Acts. These shows run on a block schedule from May 1 to May 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Moorpark College Performing Arts Studio Theater. They will feature a series of original, student-directed, written and performed theatrical scenes of varying themes and messages. The one-acts will be split up between Bill A and Bill B, which are as follows:
Bill A: May 1 at 2:30 p.m. and May 2, 4, 8, 10 at 7:30 p.m.
“Calypso,” “Me and My Mind,” “Heart,” “Dance,” and “I. L.O.V.E. Y.O.U.”
Bill B: May 1, 3, 9, 11 at 7:30 p.m. and May 8 at 1:30 p.m.
“Raw Sugar,” “Park’s Liquor,” “Dance,” “Ash Tree,” “Maroon,” and “Square Dance.”
Miccala Jackson, a student who has acted in previous Moorpark College productions, such as Clue and in the Fall 2018 One-Acts, will try her hand at directing this semester. She will be directing “Park’s Liquor,” and is confident that each of these one-acts will bring the audience something different. The one-act, which was written by Reece Oliver in the FTVM program, is unique because it was made for a different medium.
“It’s different than the other ones,” Jackson said. “It’s not written for theater, it’s written to be a sitcom on television.”
Though it strays from the traditional one-act, the difference in themes and intentions are what makes the show. It allows the audience to get the most out of the experience.
“We have a lot of interesting shows this year. All of them are written from the play-writing class, except for two,” she said. “There’s a lot of lessons and moments in the show that are very good to know about.”
Tickets are on sale now on the Performing Arts Center (PAC) website. For questions, call the box office at 805-378-1485.
BEETHOVEN BONANZA – MAY 3 AND 4
The Moorpark College Symphony Orchestra and Choir will be coming together on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the PAC to perform some of Beethoven’s classic symphonies. Our orchestra will be performing “Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius with a special appearance from the choral program, as well as “Symphony No. 4” and “Mass in C major” by Ludwig van Beethoven. The show is to support the music department and the talented singers, musicians and soloists in an end-of-year Beethoven Bonanza.
Tickets can be purchased online at $16 for students, seniors, children, and faculty, and $20 for adults. For any questions, call 805-378-1485.
ALL ABOUT JAZZ – MAY 5
The award-winning Moorpark College Jazz Ensembles will pay tribute to the late jazz musician Clyde Reasinger at the 2019 All About performance on Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m.
Reasinger was a skilled trumpet player who played with many bands and artists, such as Gil Evans’ Orchestra and Quincy Jones. He would often perform with the Moorpark College Wind Ensemble after retiring in Camarillo.
Brendan McMullin, the Moorpark College Wind & Jazz Ensemble Director, was even invited to perform at Reasinger’s memorial service. Reasinger had a great impact in the world of Jazz and on our own music department, according to McMullin. He hopes his students and the audience will recognize his immense talent through this show.
“Both of the college bands will be performing numerous pieces that were some of his favorites from his own book, ” McMullin wrote in a statement about the show. “Halcyon [Reasinger’s wife] has been very grateful that we are sharing his legacy with the next generation of jazz musicians.”
The show will take place in the Moorpark College PAC and tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students, children, and seniors. Purchase online for 20% off your ticket.
A DYNAMIC EVENING OF MUSIC – MAY 9
Join the college’s Wind Ensemble as they collaborate with the Simi Valley High School Ensembles. It will be a mix of music composed from Gustav Holst and Percy Grainger as well as some Broadway classics. Simi High, led by their Director of Ensembles Matthew Smith, will perform together with the Moorpark College’s Wind Ensemble.
The show will take place on Thursday, May 9 at 6 p.m. in the Moorpark College PAC. Tickets, which are $20 for adults and $15 for students, children, and seniors, can be found online at a 20% discount.
EVENING OF DANCE – MAY 14 AND 15
Watch as the students enrolled in all levels of Moorpark College dance classes, from jazz to improvisational dance, showcase the hard work they have put in semester-long. The show is meant to highlight the importance of dance for the sake of enjoyment and expression, rather than talent and precision.
Beth Megill, a Moorpark College dance teacher who is taking part in choreographing the students, said that the dancing in this show is about inclusivity and learning, which helps connect people.
“Dance doesn’t have to be about precision, form, and being good or bad,” Megill said. “Dance can be about the spirit in motion telling a human story and we’ve all got that.”
The Evening of Dance will take place on Tuesday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. in the Moorpark College PAC.
Tickets will be on sale soon on the PAC website. Email [email protected] for questions.
