The class of 1965 had 14 donors for All In!

The class of 1966 had 14 donors for All In!

The class of 1967 had 16 donors for All In!

The class of 1968 had 20 donors for All In!

The class of 1969 had 18 donors for All In!

Operatic bass-baritone William Powers reprised one of his signature villainous portrayals, that of “Baron Scarpia” from Puccini’s TOSCA, with the Wichita Grand Opera on Saturday, April 12.

Check it out here

Congratulations, William!

Richard Jenkins, an actor in God’s Pocket,  participated in a video interview about the movie.

You can check it out here

Richard would like to note where he mistakenly states that Wesleyan did not teach him anything. “Needless to say that is not true, but I was referring to what was expected from me as a professional actor. No school really can prepare you for what is in store. That was the point I was trying to make.”

No harm done, Mr. Jenkins!

On Saturday, April 5, 2014, Dr. John Ficca, former head of the Theater Arts school at Illinois Wesleyan, traveled to Glenview, Illinois, to join the staff and supporters of Light Opera Works in honoring actor, Jim Harms, ’67, for his long career in theater, including his many roles in Light Opera Works’ performances over the years.

Trudene Rippe Westerman, ’68, a member of the board of Light Opera Works, introduced Dr. Ficca who spoke to the fact that Jim Harms did not distinguish himself as an actor of note at Wesleyan.  He went on to say that many of his students in the theater department have now distinguished themselves as lawyers, business people, teachers…but that Jim Harms has indeed distinguished himself as a major actor in the world of theater.

Jim Harms has made many contributions to musical theater with his portrayals of Don Quixote in Man of LaMancha, Fagin in Oliver!, the Major General in The Pirates of Penzance, and he has toured nationally and internationally in Evita, The Fantasticks and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Jim has performed in many theaters throughout the Chicago area.  At the Goodman Theatre, he was in the cast ofThe Visit with Chita Rivera, and last season he played Jimmy Tomorrow in The Iceman Cometh with Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy.

Jim Harms is the recipient of an amazing 8 Joseph Jefferson Awards, and he has managed to craft together this long and remarkable career and still remain a wonderful and classy guy.

I retired from teaching in 2008, then was blessed with the opportunity to travel to South Sudan three times to train teachers there. Many of them are only high school graduates with no formal training,so they greatly appreciated ideas on how to change from the rote teaching style that they used. I plan to return in October this year, and I am always so blessed by the time I can spend there.

Dr. William J. Eichorn who is the Minister of Music and the Arts at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in San Diego, California, currently in his 29th year will be taking a choir to France in July and will be singing throughout Burgundy, Alsace, and Champagne . They will also be worshiping in Taize. This will be Dr. Eichorn’s eighth such tour of Europe.