Night of Worship

Never have the musical talents at CCA been more evident as they were on May 21st. That Thursday night, the instrumental melodies of the band combined with the superior vocals of the choir to produce an unprecedented performance in a single, night of worship concert called Songs of Faith.

 

“Their melodies and rhyme are at once engaging and inviting in their simplicity. Yet the gospel message of conviction, faith, redemption, hope, comfort, strength, and encouragement, freely given in Christ through His limitless love and sacrifice, are expertly woven throughout each piece, making each one deeply moving and profound,” writes Mr. Jim Mullen, Band Director, in the spring recital’s program.

 

All fifteen pieces captured the ears and hearts of the audience. From the introduction, followed by “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus,” featuring solos by Mikele Sammaritano on the Alto Saxophone and Chris Bellaflores on the flute, there was no doubt of a captivating performance.  Adding to the evening’s highlights were the notable piece by senior, Jessica Thomas, in “My Help” based on Psalm 121, which concluded her high school performing experience.  Freshmen Johnny Jones so astounded the auditorium of listeners with his voice, that Academic Dean, Dr. Bryan, asked Jones to repeat his rendition of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” the next day at the high school chapel alongside Mrs. Monica Colon, Choral Director, on the keyboard.

 

Life is often very difficult, and God many times seems to be silent among the deafening difficulties of life. “Then God sends us just the right song at the precise moment needed to encourage us in our walk, teach us about His ways, and touch our hearts at a deep and profound level,” explains Colon. That is the God that is so true, perfect, and involved. Right down to a night of worship.

 

Thespian Festival: The Foundation of our Connection

Throughout high school, countless connections are made. Connections that fizzle, some that stay strong, others that are firmly rooted, a few that are composed of fun and set to the soundtrack of laughter—but other connections are something much more raw and personal.

 

This kind of deep, soulful connection is rarely achieved, but is ultimately and indescribably meaningful. And one of the most effective ways to capture this magnetic connection is through the performing arts. While acting and singing alongside your peers under the guidance of your directors, something vibrantly unique takes place.

 

In the midst of pouring yourself out onto the stage for the sake of portraying a character, a sharp connection is made between student and student, and student and director. It is a connection that runs so incredibly deep, and is deepened with each stride, trial, performance, applaud, and even critique. The height, and for seniors the unavoidable end, of this connection occurs amongst a whirlwind of five days at the Florida State Thespian Festival.

 

The Florida State Thespian Festival is arguably the pinnacle of theater for students involved in drama. These five days in Tampa are spent amongst 7,000 other “Thespians” from around the state of Florida, all displaying their talents for judges in individual events, and for some, on a mainstage platform.

 

Students who attend compete, watch other students’ performances, and attend workshops to further any array of theatrical skill. In order to compete, students had to obtain a high score of Superior at the district level in order to move on to this state festival. This year at States, which took place April 22-26, CCA students Jessica Thomas and Erica Toderic both won superiors for solo musical, Ben Sturman, David Greenberg, Robert diScipio, and Jordan Glindonbrong were also awarded with

Superiors for their pantomime. Shannon Anderson received a Good for her solo musical, and Savannah Davis and Lauren Kostoff were awarded a Good for their duet acting scene.

 

However, besides the titles, ribbons, shows, workshops, and all of the other seemingly surface-level elements of this trip, what may not be as readily recognized are the true, and honest connections made throughout our troupe.

 

These connections can be detected in smiles, encouragements, and tons of “spirit fingers” seen shared amongst these students. But also detectable is our directors’ connection with each one of us—it can be traced through knowing smiles, laid-back laughter, affirming pats on our shoulders, and even critiques. Mr. and Mrs. Flay’s confidence in each of their students pushes us all to believe in ourselves; their understanding has been and will continue to be a comfort for so many.

 

During one night the troupe shared together, Mr. Flay told the students, “I’m here to teach you about life…Theater is just the icing on the cake.” And as any senior, past or present, can attest, that is precisely what is forever etched on our hearts and permanently posted in our minds—it is the foundation of our connection.

 

It is no secret that the students who attend this festival certainly don’t all come from Christian schools, and that most of them don’t have any sort of relationship with God. But our connections truly are such an incredible, walking testimony our troupe displays—our connections with each other are a direct translation of our connections with God.

Make ‘em, Laugh!

If laughing can burn calories, then the audiences present during CCA’s three performances of Play On last week lost pounds upon pounds. Play On, written by Rick Abbott, is actually a play within a play, and CCA’s talented 10-person cast did an outstanding job in portraying a team of amateur actors who worked to present a murder mystery.

 

The mystery, entitled “Murder Most Foul,” revolved around a ruby diamond that mysteriously caused its beholder to fall ill. During the first two acts of the show, the cast within the play attempted to rehearse their parts as the playwright, played by junior Kim Kelly, repeatedly changed the script with an oblivious, over-controlling air—much to the aggravation of the actors. Meanwhile, the serious and easily flustered Director Gerry Dunbar, played by senior Kate Bayse, attempted to direct her actors from a seat in the actual audience, an element that contributed greatly to the audience’s sense of participation in the play. During the actual intermission, CCA students distributed additional show programs for “Murder Most Foul,” and the cast presented this murder mystery during the third act.

 

The CCA small cast truly bonded during rehearsals, an aspect of the play that became evident during the actual performance. “Because the cast was so small, we really had the chance to become a family,” states senior Becca Pettingell.

 

Throughout the show, the actors and actresses played perfectly quintessential roles with an outstanding professionalism that contributed greatly to the play’s hilarious character development. “The hardest part about this show is that the actors have to be good actors in order to play bad actors, and they have to concentrate so they remember when to mess up the ‘Murder Most Foul Lines,’ ” explains senior Victoria Petrocelli, the Stage Manager of Play On. Senior Jessica Thomas, costumed as an overweight and older woman name Polly Benish, assumed a notably quirky expression after very line, the sight of which was enough to cause laughter. Senior Trevor Glindomrong played her husband Henry, and at one point exited in the wrong direction from stage, crashed into the set, and remained throughout the rest of the performance with crutches and a sling. Smitty, played by sophomore Katlyn Cervone, was a studious girl who always worried about her mother’s reaction to her daughter’s spending so much time in rehearsal, and senior Savannah Davis impressively played the overdramatic actress Violet Imbry, who repeatedly forgot her lines during the performance of the murder mystery.

 

Throughout the play, junior Ben Sturman displayed a natural ability for physical comedy. The stage manager Aggie Manville, played by Becca Pettingell, maintained a responsible and proactive character while the technician, played by junior Robert DiScipio, continued to interrupt the rehearsals at all the wrong moments. He hilariously recorded the sound of a thunderstorm to play over the playwright’s final speech. Senior Nic Segraves claimed one of the most hysterical scenes of the night in his role as Saul Watson, who took pain medication for his kidney stones during the performance of the murder mystery, and was overcome by drowsiness. The personalities of this smaller cast took up the entire stage and carried the plot with hilarious dexterity.

 

In his Director’s Notes, CCA Fine Arts Director Tim Flay explains that he chose the play because “Right now there isn’t a person who hasn’t been affected, in some way, by the things that are taking place in our country and in our economy…I know that humor has carried me through many tough situations in my life…I can’t think of a better time to laugh, than now.” Although this comedy was a first for CCA’s drama department, the cast and crew’s goal for laughter met with hysterical success.

 

 

CCA’s Second Annual Film Festival

Best picture, best screenplay, best cinematography, best actor and actress. These are just some of the awards that will be given out at CCA’s second Film Festival on March 20th, starting at 7:00pm in the CCFLTheatre.

In the mix, there will be various videos and clips, including some from ETV and Focus, as well as six original short films produced by CCA’s Video Production students. Those involved in producing the short films had to go through a painstaking process that began back in September which included all aspects of pre production, production, as well as post production.

The film festival will also be a time to display other projects that the TV Production classes have been working on. Director of his own short film, David Vendrell comments, “By going to the Film Festival you will be able to see a program of CCA that doesn’t capture too much attention with the exception of FOCUS. You will laugh and cry as very talented kids show the skills that God has blessed them with.” The cost of admission is $5; don’t miss an opportunity to encourage your fellow students as they display their filmmaking talents!