The Department of Music and the Department of Theatre and Dance came together for the one-night show starring Cal State LA’s newest faculty..
Patricia Kilroy and Adam Snow of the music department and Roberto Alcaraz and Daniel Czypinski of the theatre and dance department got together to lead “The Soldier’s Tale” at the State Playhouse on Tuesday night.
Written by Igor Stravisky, “The Soldier’s Tale” follows a soldier (Daniel Czypinski) who is struggling to realize the worth of what he has in his everyday life. On his quest for a wealthier lifestyle, he encounters the Devil (Roberto Alcaraz) who promises to fulfill the soldiers dreams.
The show brought the department faculty together to utilize their talents for one night. With Kilroy on violin and Snow on percussion, Alcaraz and Czypinski were live on stage, bringing the story to life.
Emmanuel Dorado, a music education major, was pleased to attend the show and said it was great to see some of his professors on stage.
“Something that I took away from it was that I learned to respect our faculty more because they really teach us a lot…now we are seeing them in action,” said Dorado.
Another student, Michelle Ferra, attended the show because she wanted to see some of the faculty in action.
“My professor, [Daniel Czypinski], was actually in it so I wanted to see how he did… that was really cool,” said Ferra.
Theater professor Roberto Alcaraz thought it was great to perform in front of students and enjoyed being a part of the show.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to share with [students]. The things that I talk about in the classroom, [I get to] show them my love for it and [I] hope to instill that in them,” said Alcaraz.
Emily Moss, chair of the music department, commented that they had a short amount of time to prepare compared to other productions because it was an all faculty show.
“We had two rehearsals with just the musicians and then a third rehearsal with the actors. The actors rehearsed separately on their own,” said Moss.
She added that he hopes that students enjoyed watching their professors out on stage, showcasing what they are trained to do.
“We don’t just teach, we also are performing musicians and actors and conductors, and for them to see us doing what we do I think is a really important thing,” said Moss.
