Int'l Theatre Festival Converges on Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara will soon host the first international Shakespeare festival in the nation, thanks in large part to the vision and work of John Blondell, Westmont theater arts professor. The Lit Moon World Shakespeare Festival will feature 11 days of events celebrating Shakespeare, Thursday, Oct. 12, through Sunday, Oct. 22.
Westmont has hired a new director for the San Francisco Urban Program. Scott McClelland is heading the off-campus program he describes as a “maturity accelerator” for students.
The San Francisco program began in 1971 and operates in a 108-year old house near Golden Gate Park. There are 22 students enrolled this semester.
Westmont once again had the largest team of volunteers at the United Way’s 15th annual Day of Caring. About 115 students, faculty and staff spent their Saturday morning volunteering at North Kellogg Open Space and Ellwood School.
Last year, Westmont’s team had more than 90 volunteers take part in Day of Caring, Santa Barbara County’s biggest single-day volunteer event.
Westmont has taken a major step toward keeping its campus up to date technologically by going wireless. The $100,000 upgrade includes the installation of wireless access points at most of the campus residence halls as well Voskuyl Library and Kerr Student Center. The technology will allow students and faculty to connect to the Internet outside of their offices and rooms on campus.
You may want to fasten your seatbelt for this theatrical performance. Recent Indy-Award winning actor Mitchell Thomas performs the world-premiere of “The Earthquake Predictor Rides the Bus”, Friday, Sept. 22, and Friday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. The entire performance takes place on a moving bus. Audiences will be picked up and dropped off at the entrance to Stearn’s Wharf, at the corner of State Street and Cabrillo Boulevard.
Susan Savage, associate professor of art, will show her paintings in the Art Rental and Sales Gallery (ARSG) at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Friday, Sept. 15-Oct. 26. An opening reception will be held Friday, Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m.