While Lasell University may not have a major for musicians, countless students on campus have found their own opportunities to showcase their many talents.
Last spring semester, MUS201: Rock Workshop was offered to students for the first time. The course helped students create and build a foundation in songwriting and structure while teaching how to learn and perform rock songs.
The workshop is taught by Flynn Cullen, a full-time musician and Berkeley School of Music alumnus and supervised by Assistant Provost and Chair of Graphic Design Ken Calhoun. When asked why the school decided to start a Rock Workshop, Calhoun recalled the effect of COVID-19 on the performing arts classes.
“We struggled to get a lot of these performing arts classes and music classes—the actual performance aspect of music—up and running,” said Calhoun. “So we started with rock.”
However, because the arts are still recovering from the lapse in classes during the pandemic, enrollment is down in the few existing music programs and classes. The supposed lack of interest may cause the institution to remain cautious about offering more courses like Calhoun’s Rock Workshop, but he is optimistic about seeing future enrollment if the classes gain enough interest.
Ten students are needed to register for the class to run the workshop. Sign-up sheets distributed at the Activities Fair each semester are used to gauge the rising or falling interest in the workshop.
Provost Calhoun describes the current program as “really small,” but claims that there is a demand among the student body.
“There are students on this campus who want to perform, who want to play music, who want to act,” said Calhoun. “We want to provide that, not just for the educational purpose, but for the sake of giving students some communities to become involved and to find family.”
Many Lasell students have found their family on stage alongside performers from Regis College and performed in “Legally Blonde: The Musical” at the Performing Arts Theatre in Weston, Massachusetts, for three shows from Nov. 21-23.
The play has been in the works for the past few months, with the director, actors and cast members working diligently to put on the best show.
Elle Woods, the bubbly blonde “sorority sister valley girl,” is played by Lasell senior Gina Destito, who has been thrilled by the opportunity to star on stage.
“I’ve never played a character quite like Elle Woods before—she’s a force of nature,” said Destito. “She’s a true triple threat, and it’s been such a wild ride learning how to balance her energy, charm and depth.”
Destito says that playing the lead role “in a show as high-energy and dynamic as Legally Blonde has been an experience [she] never could have imagined.” “Legally Blonde” is Destito’s first production with the Greater Company Players (GCP), the combined theater club of Regis College and Lasell University.
“Stepping into such a big role was a wonderful surprise,” Destito said. She said that GCP surrounded her with a “supportive and positive environment,” created by the “guidance and support of [the] amazing directors.”
When asked if any adjustments were made to the original script of “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” GCP Director Julia Burke commented that because the script was “set in the early 2000s,” the directors had to “adjust a few things that felt too outdated to present onstage.”
“We kept the highlights of the time period, which audiences will see through the costumes designed by Samantha Laney,” Burke said. “One of the reasons I love theater is the ability to work with designers who see their own individual vision within the script,” Burke said. “Most of our designers stray from the source material in ways that won’t upset the plot but feel new and refreshing. The worst thing is to copy the original version of something just because you think you have to.”
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