(BLOOMFIELD, NJ) -- The Company @ Bloomfield College, the College’s first and only theater company, will host a benefit on Thursday, February 28. The reception (6:00pm) and performances (beginning at 7:00pm) will be held on campus in the Center for Technology+Creativity.
“Theater is important in that teaches students about collaboration and teamwork. It helps them with time management and being prepared. And studying scripts fosters critical thinking and assessment of human psychology,” said Dr. Fiona (Freddie) Harris, Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric and Coordinator of the Company. “Our students are really talented and we discovered a need for a performance outlet here at the College. We are hosting this benefit to sustain and ensure that we can keep producing theater at Bloomfield College.”
At 7:00pm, students will perform Searching for Answers, a student improvisational piece about young people who are grappling with the aftermath of tragedy, directed by Bloomfield College’s acting teacher, Kellei Cosby.
After a brief intermission, special guest Kyle Marshall's contemporary dance production of Colored will begin.
Kyle Marshall, who first came to campus last year and helped Bloomfield College students tell their personal stories through contemporary dance, is a 2018 NY Dance and Performance “Bessie” Jury Award recipient and a 2017 NJ State Council of the Arts Fellow. His dance company, Kyle Marshall Choreography (KMC) has performed at venues including Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, Joe’s Pub at the Public, Actors Fund Arts Center, NJPAC, NYC Summerstage, Wassaic Arts Project, and Conduit Dance (PDX). Commissions have included "Dance on the Lawn" Montclair's Dance Festival, NJPAC and Harlem Stage. Marshall currently dances with the Trisha Brown Dance Company and Doug Elkins choreography etc. Marshall is a graduate of Rutgers University with a BFA in Dance.
“One of our aims with the Company is to have students work alongside, and be exposed to, determined people making a living in the Arts,” said Dr. Harris. “We want them to witness the sort of passion and dedication it takes to ‘make it’ as a working artist in this contemporary landscape. Kyle is a wonderful example to our students.”
The College encourages the campus community as well as the public to attend this event on Thursday, February 28. As this evening is designed to help raise funds for The Company @ Bloomfield College, there is a suggested donation of $20, though every donation, no matter the amount, is appreciated.
To reserve your seat, please email Dr. Harris at [email protected]. Please note when you RSVP if you will be attending the reception as well as the performances.
For those who want to contribute to The Company, but cannot attend the performance, you can make your gift online. Please select “Other” from the drop-down menu and enter “The Company” in field). Checks can be mailed to the Office of Institutional Advancement, 68 Oakland Avenue, Bloomfield, NJ 07003. Please include 'The Company' in the memo section.
A comprehensive, liberal arts institution located in Bloomfield, New Jersey serving 2,000 students with inspiring stories. Bloomfield College offers over 40 academic programs, Division II athletics, and co-curricular clubs and organizations. The College is committed to enabling students, particularly those who have been historically excluded from higher education, to realize their intellectual and personal goals. More than half of the student body identify themselves as first-generation and are the first in their families to enroll in college. The College was ranked No. 1 in NJ and No. 20 nationally in promoting the social and economic mobility of its low-income students to high economic achievement, including top economic quintiles. U.S. News & World Report ranked Bloomfield College the 14th most diverse National Liberal Arts College in the United States.
