Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Hall of Fame Induction set for Saturday during Pirate Football

It’s a time of celebration at Independence Community College. The ICC Athletic Department has announced the inaugural class that will be inducted into the newly-formed Pirate Athletic Hall of Fame.

A total of 10 individuals were selected the first year, including numerous record breakers, national champions, All-Americans and community members that have been valuable pieces of ICC athletics since the school’s inception in 1925.

Induction ceremonies are scheduled as part of the Pirate football game against Montgomery County rival Coffeyville on Saturday, Oct. 23, which will include other activities over the course of the weekend.

Members of the inaugural class are: Ira Stockebrand (1931-49), Pirate football and basketball coach; Dave Dennis (1946-48), national champion golfer; Bob Sneller (1956-64), national champion men’s basketball coach and NJCAA Hall of Famer; Rick Park (1961-63), member of 1963 national champion team and NJCAA Hall of Famer; Wardell Wright (1975-77), two-time All-American in football; Margozata Raubo (1991-93), NJCAA All-American who holds numerous ICC women’s basketball records; Ruben Patterson (1994-96), all-time leading scorer in ICC men’s basketball history; Lamar Garrett (2003), two-time national champion and All-American in track; as well as two distinguished community boosters, Don Harris and Paul Torrance.

“This is a way to honor people that made monumental strides helping the athletic department do some of the wonderful things it has done,” said ICC athletic director Tammie Geldenhuys. “We have a really rich history of winning traditions. I’ve been amazed, now that I’ve gone back, to see the number of candidates and nominations. Looking at all these people in history, it just amazes me the things people have done. I don’t want them forgotten because they are important pieces of the past. We’ve looked back at people all the way from the start of ICC back in the 1920s. It’s just been a wonderful picture of athletics here. I would love everybody to see that same vision. I think the way you do that is bring people back.”

Athletes are not eligible for membership into the Pirate Hall of Fame until at least seven years have passed since competing at ICC. Coaches and administrators will become eligible for nomination after leaving their nominated position. All others become eligible upon nomination.

“We picked 10 the first year because we are starting for the first time and going all the way back to the 1920s,” Geldenhuys said. “We may do 10 again next year or we may do five, or we may do no more than five. We’re still working on that. But we have such a wide range of years and sports to go through. It’s an exciting process, and I think it’s one that I hope will carry through until the end of time.”

Geldenhuys said she has been busy contacting inductees or members of their family to participate in the weekend’s activities. Other past players and coaches are also expected to be in attendance.

“Every time I talk to somebody on the phone, every one of them said this is where it all began for them,” Geldenhuys said. “Many of these candidates have gone on and been Hall of Famers at other colleges, institutions or even at the NJCAA level. But this is still where they began, and they have phenomenal memories of what they were a part of.
I think that’s a valuable piece of history. I also want people to realize that, even after all this time, they have made a difference. This is just our way of saying thank you.”

Activities will get underway at noon on Oct. 23 with the Hall of Fame Luncheon in the Fireside Room on the ICC campus. Prior to the football game, there will be a tailgate party set for 5 p.m. at Emmot Field.

Game time is set for 7 p.m., with the induction ceremony taking place at halftime of the Pirate-Red Raven football contest. After the induction ceremony, there will be a reception on the track near the hospitality tent for fans to mingle with the inductees.

Friday, October 15, 2010

County History topic of Tuesday’s Learn ‘n Lunch at ICC

The Independence Community College 55 & Better Club will host the October Learn ‘n Lunch on Tuesday, October 19th, with Andy Taylor, Editor of the Montgomery County Chronicle. Taylor will present a program on the historical account of cowboy movie actor Nip Vann, who shot and killed the town marshal of Caney in 1913 and was chased across the globe by the slain marshal's cousin, an employee of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department.

All interested persons aged 55 and ‘better’ are invited to participate in the senior citizen’s Learn ‘n Lunch at 11:30 a.m. with the program. Great Western Dining’s all-you can eat cafeteria lunch will be offered to seniors at half price, approximately $3.00.

For more information about the 55 and Better Club, call Pearlene Barker, ICC Receptionist, at (620) 331-4100.

Inge Center Grant Among Largest In the Nation

Media contact: Bruce Peterson (620) 332 5492

The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded a $35,000 grant—one of the largest in the nation in its category—to the William Inge Center for the Arts, to continue to bring acclaimed actors, directors, and playwrights to Independence Community College and the general public.

The Endowment awarded 162 “Access to Artistic Excellence” grants across the country, and only seven theaters nationwide were awarded larger grants than that to the Inge Center in that category. The seven theaters which received larger grants included the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.

“We are humbled that our arts organization at Independence Community College can compete successfully on the national stage with large and nationally respected arts organizations,” said Peter Ellenstein, Inge Center Artistic Director. “I think it speaks well for the stature of the Inge Center and ICC within the national theater landscape.”

In Kansas, the Kansas University Center for Research, presented at the Lied Center, was awarded $30,000; Music Theatre Wichita received the same amount

“We aspire to excellence in all our educational and artistic programs, and this grant will aid us to continue hosting outstanding artists who share their expertise with students and the general public,” said Ellenstein.

“These artists include playwrights, actors and directors, who each contribute to the education of our local children at year-round workshops exclusively for high school and other students,” he said. “The guest artists also lend our Inge House Playwrights-in-Residence expertise and valuable advice in the shaping of new and vibrant plays.”

Each semester, this funding helps bring numerous guest artists to Independence. The next group of artists arrives in late October. On Thursday, November 4, they will conduct a day-long series of workshops for high school students. They then perform in readings of new plays-in-progress, by professional playwrights-in-residence, on Saturday, November 6.

The William Inge Center for the Arts, at Independence Community College, is sponsor of the annual William Inge Theatre Festival, which every year brings to southeast Kansas one of America’s great playwrights for four days of professional theater workshops and performances. The 30th Annual Inge Festival takes place April 13-16, 2011, honoring Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman.

The Inge Center is named for Independence native William Inge, a Pulitzer and Oscar winning writer whose works include “Picnic,” “Bus Stop,” “Splendor in the Grass,” and “Come Back, Little Sheba.” The Inge Center is supported in part by grants from the Kansas Arts Commission, the Kansas Humanities Council, The Dramatists Guild Fund the Hallmark Corporation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information on Inge Center activities, call (620) 332-5492 or visit www.ingecenter.org.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Inge Center lands Kansas Arts Commission Grant

Media contact: Bruce Peterson, (620) 332-5492

The William Inge Festival Foundation announces that they are pleased to receive a general operating support grant from the Kansas Arts Commission. The award aids in funding year-round educational and artistic programs of the William Inge Center for the Arts at Independence Community college.

The award amount of $5,286 is scheduled for use during the current fiscal year.

“General operating support funds are applied wherever needed the most, and in this case they will likely be spent to help bring guest artists to Independence to provide workshops during the Festival and throughout the year,” said Inge Center Artistic Director Peter Ellenstein. “The Kansas Arts Commission is of extraordinary importance to arts groups throughout Kansas, especially those in rural areas that have fewer corporations and foundations from which to seek support.”

The Inge Center, named for the late Pulitzer Prize (“Picnic”) and Oscar winning (“Splendor in the Grass”) writer William Inge, a native of Independence, is best known for its annual William Inge Theatre Festival, which celebrates its 30th year April 13-16, 2011. The Festival will honor Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning dramatist Marsha Norman.

The William Inge Festival Foundation, founded in 1992, support the annual festival and activities of the William Inge Center for the Arts at the College. Additional major supporters of the William Inge Center for the Arts include the National Endowment for the Arts, the Hallmark Corporation, and Independence Community College.

For more information on Inge Center activities, visit www.ingecenter.org or call (620) 332-5492 or (800) 842-6063 ext. 5835.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Actor to Celebrate work of Dylan Thomas at ICC

Dylan Thomas, 19, a one-man portrayal of the master poet Dylan Thomas, will be the featured presentation on Friday, October 15th at Independence Community College. The staged event will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the William Inge Theatre. Tickets will be available at the door and are $7 for adults and $5 for students. ICC faculty, staff and students get in free.

Written and performed by Philip Watt, the one-man show is a journey back in time that explores a critical year in the life of young Dylan Thomas, the self-appointed 'Rimbaud of Cwmdonkin Drive". 1933, Swansea, South Wales. Under the direction of Louis Wells, Watt brings the neglected young Thomas to light onstage, illuminating the particular genius of a self-made poet. Thomas's personality at 19 gives insight into the mind of a conflicted, witty, and ferociously observant young man who became one of the poetic masters of the 20th century before his untimely death at age 39.
Approved by the Estate of Dylan Thomas, the show was created entirely from Thomas's letters, poems, and three of his short stories. The two-act account of the life of the young poet begins at his home in Wales, where Thomas reveals his daily observations, his “codes of appreciation”, his poems, and the story "Just Like Little Dogs", exposing the famed “young dog” identity. In the second act, the poet continues to reveal himself through observations about Wales, and his poetry is marched out for full inspection, in Swansea bars and the surrounding country. Thomas's move to London is illuminated with the visionary story "Prologue to an Adventure" and an excerpt from "Adventures in the Skin Trade".
Featured works include: Especially When the October Wind, The force that through the green fuse, I see the boys of summer, When once the twilight locks no longer, and Before I knocked. Poems from Dylan’s recently published notebooks make a significant contribution to understanding the young poet.
Philip Watt began his acting career at age 15. He has performed with the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati in Two Weeks with the Queen (American premiere), Burbank Center Stage in Dandelion Wine, Greenway Court Theatre in The Theban Warriors, Dessalines in For the Love of Freedom, Part II. Watt played Crookfinger Jake in The Threepenny Opera with Patrick Cassidy and Theodore Bikel at UCLA’s Freud Theater. He appeared in Michael Jackson’s Stranger in Moscow and Eve 6’s Tongue Tied. He was in NYC’s Much Ado about Nothing, and at the Beckett Theatre he appeared in Pagan Worship, Jimmy’s No. 43.
Philip received a Master of Arts in Teaching, English, from Bard College in 2006 and holds a B.F.A. in Dramatic Performance from Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, 1998. He is a member of AEA/SAG.
Louis Wells is a freelance director working in the New York area. New York credits include A Second Wind, In the Middle of the Ocean, and Miss Julie. Other recent productions include The Sandman, and Oyou for Terra Firma Dance Theatre, both of which he wrote; the premier of IRL for George Street Playhouse, and Rimers of Eldritch for Mercer College, where he is on faculty. Mr. Wells also teaches at Rutgers in Newark where he directed Neil LaBute’s Autobahn last spring; currently he is directing an off-off Broadway production.
Louis Wells has a Directing MFA from Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts. Productions there include Serenading Louie, The Brothers Karamozov, and The Baltimore Waltz.
For more information, contact Matt Hoven, ICC Professor of English and Literature, at (620) 332-5434 or by email at: mhoven@indycc.edu.

Friday, October 1, 2010

ICC Students to Observe International Flag Day

The public is invited to Independence Community College to observe International Flag Day on Tuesday. A special ceremony and flag rising will be held at 12:00 pm. at ICC’s Avenue of Flags, located on the walkway between the Fine Arts Building and the Student Union on the south side of the main campus.

The special ceremony, organized by International Student Sponsor, Professor Brenda Sanchez and her students, is being held to introduce ICC’s international presence on campus, raise flags representing home countries, and celebrate the American Flag which will be raised while ICC’s Pep Band plays the National Anthem.

Twenty-five foreign countries are being represented this year on campus by ICC students, faculty, and staff members. The following is a listing of the countries and those representing them at Tuesday’s celebration.

Canada - Andrew Minchuk and David DeWolfe; China - Hai-yan Deng and XiaZhi Zang; Columbia - Natalia Bernal, Andres Bernal, Laura Bernal, Wayne King, Christian Gutierrez, Victor Vergara, and Armando Castilla; Denmark - Partricia Gersen; Ecuador - Alex Guevara; El Slavador - Luis Guzman; Eygpt, Professor Mona Saleh; Ethiopia - Abiy Ghirmay and Meron Giday; Georgia – Zauri Phirtskalaishvili.

India – Professor Archana Lal; Indonesia – Rehandyatama; Ireland – Professor Matt Hoven and Hannah Joyce Hoven; Kazakstan - Yerbolata Saizin; Netherlands - Giovani Stuart and Don Stuurland; South Korean - Su-Hyun Kang, Hyun-Woo Kim, Ji-Han Kho, and Seung-In Baek; Latvia - Daiga Celmalniece, Liena Priede, and Sabine Fillipovoca; Mexico - Jose Rios Vincente; Moldova - Denis Delimarschi; Panama – Coach Jenny Madrid; Puerto Rico - Denisse Smith and Coral Pinon; Romania – Professor Camilla Jardic; Venezuela - Nairobys Montano; South Vietnam - Binh Vu; Zambia - Christopher Simwinga; and Zimbawa - Stacey Zulu.

For more information about ICC’s international student programs, contact Professor Sanchez at (620) 332-5448 or email: bsanchez@indycc.edu.

‘Circle Mirror Transformation’ on ICC Stage

ICC Theatre will present Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie baker in the William Inge Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on October 7th, 8th, and 9th, and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 10th.
Baker’s play is about four lost New Englanders who enroll in a six-week-long community-center drama class and begin to experiment with harmless games. It is in this class that hearts are quietly torn apart, and tiny wars of epic proportions are waged and won. This beautifully crafted diorama is a Petri dish in which we see, with hilarious detail and clarity, the antic sadness of a motley quintet.
The play is directed by ICC Theatre Professor Jon Sidoli. The Set Designer is guest artist Dan Williams of Wichita. The Lighting Designer and Technical Director of the production is ICC’s Nathan Lee. The cast of ICC students includes Taryn McCallister, of Bartlesville, as Marty; Colin Stephens, of Seattle, WA, as James; Asa Walker, of Cherryvale, as Schultz; Jessi Kebert, of Independence, as Theresa; and Paige Almond, of Altamont, as Lauren. Aysha Baros, of Altamont, will be the production stage manager.
“We were so happy to get the rights to produce this play,” said Sidoli. “I believe this will be the first production of this play in Kansas. Many professional regional theatres have jumped on this play. I think Annie Baker is one of the best new playwrights out there. Her sense of the delicacy yet depth of emotional needs coupled with her playwright’s craft make for a remarkable script.”
The New York Times reported: "Annie Baker's play is an absolute feast. Circle Mirror Transformation is the kind of unheralded gem that sends people into the streets babbling and bright-eyed with the desire to spread the word. The play traces the lives of a handful of small-town Vermont residents who gather each week for an acting class taught at the local community center. By the play's end we seem to see to the very bottom of these souls, and feel how the artificial intimacy of the acting class has shaped their lives in substantial ways.”
Tickets are only available at the door. Tickets are $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for non-ICC students. Admission is free to ICC staff and students with a valid ID. The play is recommended for teens and above.
For more information about the ICC Theatre Program, contact Sidoli at (620) 332-5422 or by email at: jsidoli@indycc.edu.