Fall 2014 Newsletter

RED MASQUERS NEWSLETTER Volume 4, Issue 1

red masquers

newsletter

fall 2014

SAINT GENESIUS, PRAY FOR US. IN MY OLD SCHOOL, WE NEVER SAID BREAK A LEG…. IN THIS ISSUE

My dearest Red Masquers,

I could not be more pleased to be your President at such an integral time in the history of our organization! The past few years have brought about some huge developments, with our 100th anniversary, the steady growth of the Theater Arts Program as a whole, and (of course) the forthcoming addition of a brand spanking new theater in a central location on Duquesne’s campus. We undoubtedly have an exciting future in store, and I know I’m not the only one who can’t wait to see what lies ahead.

Amidst all of this change, however, it is important that we never lose sight of the bonds that have held the Masquers together for over a century. (Bear with me, now). After reading the first draft of our remarkably good-natured VP’s article for this very newsletter, I teased him relentlessly for its extreme sappiness. (You’re very welcome, friends- a single document can only handle a certain level of sap, and I warn you, we are walking a fine line with this one). Because, you see, it’s kind of difficult not to get nostalgic when reflecting on the many ways in which the Red Masquers can touch a person. The relationships built and rebuilt,

the lessons learned, the experience gained, and the fun had—all are essential parts of my college experience, and I am certain that anyone who cares enough to read this has (or one day will have) similar sentiments.

I’m sure you know where I’m going with this, but I have room for just a bit more sap, so I’ll say it in case I’ve lost you along the way. The Red Masquers are, above all else, a family. A dysfunctional and dramatic, somewhat Kaufman and Hart-esque (know the reference) family, if you will—but a family nonetheless. With that in mind, I encourage everyone who ever has been, or wants to be, touched by the Masquers in the same way I have to immerse yourself in this family in any way you can. You will be welcomed with open arms.

We have a very exciting year ahead of us, with a lot of big things planned. Help us to make some great memories in our last season in Peter Mills Auditorium. We’ve got something for everyone!

Faithfully (and sappily) yours,

Marsha Mayhak, President

Life Backstage By Rachael Fanale

Page 2

Open Doors By Nupur Charyalu

Page 3

The President’s Address by Marsha Mayhak

RED MASQUERS NEWSLETTER | Volume 4, Issue 1 2

I came to Duquesne with no theater experience. After I sang “Happy Birthday” for my first audition---for Threepenny Opera last August---the first words spoken were: “you are completely tone deaf,” courtesy of the always honest (for better or for worse) director, John Lane. Luckily, I was still cast, and my life was changed.

I got way too involved doing theater at Duquesne last year. I had too much fun acting to stop. Theater brings dozens of new lifelong friends, and it is addictive. The indescribably beautiful Morgan Paterniti, whom I had only briefly met before auditioning together, became a dear friend rapidly during 3Penny rehearsals. John, who commands the biggest presence of anyone I have ever met (both in stature and in action), is a brilliant director who is almost entirely responsible for the Tony-caliber author of this column.

I have only been acting for a year, but I have trouble remembering what life was like pre-theater. The Red Masquers, should you decide to test the waters of Duquesne

theatre, will become a close ring of friends. I am always saddened to learn of people who quit their extracurriculars in college, be they sports, chess, theater, etc. Our program is often less stressful and demanding than high school programs, and I highly encourage anybody with the slightest interest to give theater a chance.

-Michael Makar, Lighting Chair

WHO CAN JOIN THE MASQUERS?

Any Duquesne student is welcome to join the Red Masquers! There are no requirements or fees and you do not have to be any specific major. Even if

you’ve never done theatre before, now’s your chance! Since we are part

of an educational institution, we strive to make sure anyone who

wants to learn has the opportunity!

CONTACT [email protected] TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW YOU

CAN JOIN US.

“You’re a Stage Manager? What do you even do?”

Unless someone has been involved in theatre or knows someone who has, it is very common to have no idea what a Stage Manager is or what they do. The answer to what a stage manager does is very simple:

everything. From keeping order, to building sets, to helping with lights and sound, and even acting, a stage manager does everything.

While I often say that it takes a special kind of crazy to love stage managing, it is a really amazing way to get involved with theatre if you’re not cast or not interested in acting. The Stage Manager and assistant stage managers get to be at every rehearsal.

They know the ins and outs of a show, sometimes better than the actors themselves. Stage managers are involved in every step of the process, and have an amazing vantage point as to how the production came to be.

Though there is not nearly as much recognition but a lot of work, being a Stage Manager or an Assistant Stage Manager is extremely rewarding and a fantastic way to get involved in theatre.

-Rachael Fanale, Class of 2017

Something New by Michael Makar

Life Backstage by Rachael Fanale

mailto:[email protected]


A LOOK BACK AT LAST SEASON….

Golden Age of Hollywood Cabaret The theme of last year’s Starlight Room Cabaret was the

Golden Age of Hollywood. 8 talented singers and dancers sang classics like Hooray for Hollywood to

entertain the crowd.

Genesius Project Groundbreaking In April, several representatives from the Duquesne

theatre community participated in the groundbreaking of the new black box theater.

Hi everyone! My name is Taylor Brink, I am a senior Psychology Major/French Minor and am the Vice President and Lighting Chair for the Red Masquers. I would firstly like to thank you for reading this newsletter. I know that the beginning of the school year can be a little hectic and I'm sure you already have a ton of things to read. From overly strict and eventually useless syllabi to random university emails about construction, and the always informative NiteSpot emails, there is enough reading material going around to make one's head spin. So thank you for taking a few minutes to actually read this.

Ok, enough about you let's talk about me now. As I mentioned above I'm kind of a big deal (kidding of course...or am I?) and am heavily involved with this wonderful organization. I joined the Red Masquers in the fall of my freshman year which seems like forever ago considering I am a senior this year. I first joined because I had done theater in high school, but really I had nothing else to do. Things really haven't changed all that much. I still did theater in high school and I still don't have much else to do. So yeah...I guess the Red Masquers has been a giant time filler for me. No big thang you know? Maybe I've picked up a few friends along the way (but really I have picked up a lot of friends along the way. They're the best). Anyway, do theater stuff. It's fun.

And now for the most important part. My birthday is coming up soon so here is a recipe for my favorite kind of cake...*cough* hint *cough*....

Ingredients needed:

1 box Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake mix

1 pkg. Instant butterscotch pudding (make sure it's instant)

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bundt pan, or whatever pan you prefer to use.

Pour everything together in a bowl, beat on low speed to blend, then beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 50-60 minutes, but adjust time if using a pan other than a bundt pan. Cake is done when tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve to your favorite Red Masquer Vice President...I mean enjoy!

-Taylor Brink, Vice President

INTERESTED IN WORKING BACKSTAGE?

Contact our Vice President, Taylor Brink at [email protected] to get

started!

Jobs range from set building and stage management to costumes and makeup.

A Message from Your VP by Taylor Brink



Coming into Duquesne University with a major in Biology set me up with the belief that I would have no time to pursue my passion of acting with my extreme workload. The Red Masquers proved me wrong.

In my freshman year as a Bio major, I landed a lead role - the biggest role of my life - and was able to rehearse, perform, and still ace my exams the next day. Being a part of this group has been the greatest experience. They are talented, flexible with schedules, understanding, and down to earth. Did I mention talented?! I love being a member of the Red Masquers. I’ve performed in two of the plays so far in my first year and both were amazing experiences.

The Red Masquers is the theatre family that you always dreamed to have in college. They exceeded my expectations of college theatre. There is definitely a place and chance for everyone, no matter what year, major, or background. Play on!

-Nupur Charyalu, Class of 2017

WANT TO RECEIVE E-MAIL UPDATES?

Send a message to [email protected] to be added to the Red Masquers Mailing List. You can choose to

receive All Announcements – which includes auditions, shows, activities, etc. – or Show Only – which will only

tell you when shows are happening.

Open Doors by Nupur Charyalu

IMPORTANT DATES FOR THIS FALL

Auditions for I Am a Camera August 26th and 27th

Premieres Play Submission Deadline October 15th

I Am a Camera Performances October 2-4 and 9-11

Starlight Room Cabaret November 2nd

Premieres XXXVIII December 3-6

Stay tuned for more information about how to get involved in our productions and for details on social events like the Halloween Party and Christmas Party



Executive Board

President – Marsha Mayhak

Vice President – Taylor Brink

Secretary – Caitlin Young

Historian – Abby Blackmon

Chairs

Light Chairs – Taylor Brink & Michael Makar

Sound Chair- Molly Hamelin

Set Chair – George Ramey

Costume Chair – Marsha Mayhak

Props Chair – Alex McCleod

Ad/PR Chairs – Caitlin Young & Amy del Rio

House Chairs – Brittany Urban & McCall Behringer

Social Chair – Abby Blackmon

Faculty Advisor – John Lane

If you are interested in a chair position, please contact Taylor Brink ([email protected]). We have a lot of seniors who need to be replaced for next year,

so please don’t hesitate to volunteer today!

2014-15 BOARD AND CHAIRS



What a time to be a Red Masquer- really! Exciting things are happening for our group from the brand new theater to getting more notoriety on campus.

We are here at a huge turning point in the life of the Red Masquers, and it’s up to all of us to keep that notoriety growing. We can’t sit on our butts and wait for people to learn about us, we all have to take pride in our organization and tell people about what we do. Right now is the perfect time. Why? The new theater is smack dab in the middle of campus and literally everyone is asking questions about it. However I would like to hear less “Wait, there’s theater at Duquesne?” and more “So when is it going to open?”

I may be the Ad/PR Chair, but there is only so much I can do as one hobbit sized person. I can run around postering campus all day and night, but there is one job that requires everyone helping out – word of mouth – one of the most powerful tools of advertising. We have Masquers from all across in the board in terms of majors, grade level, and other activities, which means tons of people to reach out to about what we do! So talk to people about us. Invite all of your friends to come. Invite them all to like the Facebook page. Wear your Red Masquers t-shirt around campus. Put a poster for an upcoming show on your dorm room door. The possibilities are endless, and the results are amazing.

We are a group full of amazingly talented people, and more people should know that. You are the key to making that happen. Posters and e-mails also mean so much. They are easy to ignore or throw away. When a person is right in front of you talking passionately about why they love this group or why this show is amazing, it’s completely different. It suddenly makes all of the things being said in those posters and e-mails real to people.

We have a fantastic season ahead of us, and I want to make sure we leave Peter Mills with a bang. If you talk to even 5 people about the Red Masquers, it will make a tremendous lasting impression that should carry over to the opening of the new theater. We want to make sure that people are as excited for the

opening of the space as we are. It’s going to be a beautiful building that deserves to have the whole campus buzzing about coming to see the first show ever in this new space. We can’t wait until next year and hope that the space itself will bring attention to our productions; we have to start right now so that people already know.

-Caitlin Young, Secretary

.

W e h

A LOOK BACK AT LAST SEASON….

3Penny Opera The cast of 3Penny Opera performs the Act II Finale,

“What Keeps Mankind Alive” during the premiere show of the 2013-14 Season.

Awakening One of our most interesting performances of the year, Awakening, challenged the cast to explore new acting

styles through this symbolic work.

The Strindberg One Acts An evening of two plays written by Swedish playwright

August Strindberg. Pictured above is The Stronger, in which one character speaks throughout the entire play

while the other remains completely silent.

Big Things Are Happening by Caitlin Young

Looking for ways to get involved with the Red

Masquers or the Pittsburgh Theatre Community in

general?

Be sure to keep an eye on the Red Masquers Blog, which is

found under the announcement tab at

www.duqredmasquers.com.

Any audition notices, events, and opportunities will be posted

there.

http://www.duqredmasquers.com/


red masquers newsletter

thanks to:

Marsha Mayhak, Michael Makar, Rachael Fanale,

Taylor Brink, Nupur Charyalu, and Caitlin

Young.

CONTACT US

WWW.DUQREDMASQUERS.COM

FACEBOOK.COM/DUQREDMASQUERS

TWITTER.COM/DUQREDMASQUERS

[email protected]

RED MASQUERS NEWSLETTER Volume 4, Issue 1

Documents

Fall 2014 Newsletter