Theatre students expand capacity for empathy through service
by Rachel Jantzi
Theatre provides more than entertainment, it’s a mirror of our world and we wish that reflection to look a little kinder as Hesston College Theatre works to serve our campus and beyond.
Safehope of Harvey County, an outreach agency for those who have experienced sexual violence, requested an original piece on abuse and trauma that was researched, written and performed by students on and off campus for various audiences.
Students have taken the show “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” into high schools and led powerful talkbacks on the children of the Holocaust.
Inspired by a boxer-cladded character in last fall’s production, the theatre department accepted donations of new undergarments and socks. This large donation was delivered by students to a shelter they researched prior to going and then toured upon arrival.
Ongoing service projects include Theatre for Young Audiences which offers family friendly messages, a local playwriting competition that has given a voice to our community as they write their stories, see them performed and participate in a talkback session afterward and a summer theatre camp experience for middle and high schoolers that puts a show together in a wildly collaborative whirlwind of a week.
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, 20222023-24 Performing Arts Schedule
September 23 – Bel Canto and Alumni Choir Concert
September 28 to October 1 – “Steel Magnolias”
October 29 – Sunflower Soiree
November 11 – Masterworks concert
December 2 – Christmas collaboration
January 24 – Treble Choral Festival
February 28 to March 3 – “Little Shop of Horrors”
April 26 to 27 – “Pen to Paper to Performance”
May 10 – International Chorale and Alumni concert
May 14 to June 4 – Europe tour
2023-24 Music Reunion Events
40 Years of Bel Canto Singers
Homecoming Weekend 2023, Sept. 22 to 23
Bel Canto Singers Tour
March 10 to 17, 2024
All Hesston College alumni are invited to meet up with the choir on tour for a short rehearsal before the concert and sing with the choir during the performance.
Planned community visits:
March 10 – Harrisonburg, Va.
March 11 – Lancaster, Pa.
March 12 – Lansdale, Pa.
March 13 – Kidron, Ohio
March 15 – Goshen, Ind.
March 19 – Hesston, Kan.
Choir Tour to Europe
May 14 to 29, 2024
This trip is open to all Hesston College alumni and friends. Maybe you want to relive the experience you had as a student, share it with someone else or you missed out on this opportunity when you were a student. Maybe you just want to spend two weeks with Euro-Ken Rodgers!
This tour will include a short music festival in Joure, Netherlands, and begin by traveling alongside the International Chorale. You are invited and encouraged to sing with the International Chorale for a portion of their performances, including the bon voyage concert on Friday, May 10, 2024, at Hesston College. Participants will meet in Amsterdam and are not required to travel to Hesston before the start of the trip.
