By Ashlyn Scearce- Staff Writer and Assistant Editor
The University of Lynchburg’s Theatre Department showcased its renowned Curtain Call on Friday, November 15, at Hailey Theatre, featuring original songs crafted exclusively for the performers by New York City composers
Alumni Syd Lawrence ‘24 singing “Dinosaur Dig”. Photo by Ashlyn Scearce.
The performance welcomed alumni artists Madison Bakalov ’24, Georgia Brown ’22, Elizabeth Martin ’21, and Sydney Lawrence ’24 back to the stage to join current Theatre members. Accompanying the singers were band artists Dana Ballard and James Ballard on keyboard, Brian Mesko on guitar, Eric Hollandsworth on bass, and Ken Brand on drums.
Mytro Riley, ’27, a Special Education major, who attended the show said, “I thought the show was amazing; I saw it last year and my expectations were just as high, and they were reached just like last time. I thought everyone who sang was amazing and the music in the background was great as well.”
The Ensemble sang “Requiem for a Phoenix”. Photo by Ashlyn Scearce.
Some of the songs were written to describe the artists’ anxieties and fears.
Abi Monteclaro,’25, a Studio Art major, who was invited to the show by a friend said, “I’ve never been to Curtain Call before, and honestly, I didn’t know what it was before I agreed to go. I thought the show was nice. I especially enjoyed the song about spiders because it made me giggle to see the singers getting into character after seeing them perform a serious song before it”.
Lexi Miller, ‘27, a Biomedical Science major, added “I actually liked that song because I could relate to it; I hate spiders and I think they did a good job at expressing their feelings about them”.
Director Dana Ballard and songwriter James Ballard giving their thanks to the audience and production staff. Photo by Ashlyn Scearce.
In January, these performers will take this cabaret to 54 Below in New York City. Ticket proceeds from the show went directly to funding for the trip. For more information on the University of Lynchburg’s Theatre Department and their upcoming events visit Lynchburg.theatre on Instagram.
