Alexis Cash hopes to perform in front of large playhouses and on movie screens around the world – but for now she’s excited about an upcoming part that will put her in front of just one person at a time.
The Point Park University sophomore acting major has signed up to participate in a new program in which actors will portray renters to look for discrimination among landlords.
“We’re going after (the landlords) and trying to make sure they’re being straight with everybody, and not discriminating,” Cash said.
The Fair Housing Project acting gig is just one of the avante guard ways that members of Point Park’s Experimental Theater Project (ETP) is challenging the boundaries of traditional performances, organizers said. The group most recently did a 24-hour play festival that featured a series of performances produced by students. They also are working on a production tied to a book drive, as well as others that will bring actors into the streets.
The Fair Housing Project came about when a young woman was looking for a place to live in the Pittsburgh area, organizers said. After finding a potential apartment, she spoke to the landlord on the phone and set up an appointment. Upon meeting the landlord, he immediately told her he could not rent to her.
When she asked why, he simply said it was because she was black. The young woman wanted to file a complaint but had no evidence.
The Fair Housing Project created a program that would send volunteers on “tests” to see if landlords are abiding by the fair housing regulations or discriminating against potential residents. They are now turning to local students for volunteers.
Meghan Ginley, president of ETP, is looking to take on the task of finding volunteers with the help of her club. The senior acting major at Point Park said she was contacted by Kaleigh Behe of the Fair Housing Project.
“[This collaboration] will be worthwhile,” Ginley said.
Behe told Ginley they were looking for student groups and groups of actors. Considering ETP fit the bill, she decided to jump at the opportunity for a “real-life acting job.”
The Fair Housing Project has been using, and looking for, volunteers to participate in the tests.
“I checked it out and it was legit,” said Ginley. She emailed members of ETP informing them of the upcoming project and got a great response.
Grant Haralson, a junior musical theater student, said he was interested in participating in this program. He has been a member of ETP since he was a freshman. “(This project) involves going on tours of apartments and asking the landlords certain questions,” Haralson explained.
While sophomore acting major Tess DeStefano is not participating in this collaboration, she still sees it as an excellent idea. “I think theater will help open people’s eyes to this issue and stop discrimination,” she said.
There are training sessions for the tours, and Ginley has one planned for a date in the near future. Once a volunteer passes the test, they are ready to go on a test run.
Two or more students of different races or ethnicities will be sent to the same place on different occasions. They will take notes and send them into the Fair Housing Project for evaluation.
“I hope we don’t find anybody who is discriminating, because they could lose their jobs,” Cash said. “But I hope to catch people if they are (discriminating).”
This written evidence is then used when and if someone is taken to court for violating regulations of the Fair Housing Project. For each test, volunteers will receive a stipend of $50.
Ginley already has about eight students interested in the project and is looking for more participants. She and DeStefano said they hope to use their talents and connections with ETP to bring awareness to issues such as discrimination.
DeStefano says she is excited for what is ahead: “We have more people involved to create inspirational work.”
* Originally published for Point Park News Service http://www.pointparknewsservice.com/
February 23, 2012
December 6, 2011
Grad Student Brings Adventure to Campus
Leah Welch jolted up from a deep sleep in the seat of her car. What she believed was an earthquake was actually another car backing into hers in a remote parking lot.
A few years later, she is attempting to hike in New Zealand. Looking like Quasimodo from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," she sustains the irritating pain radiating from her freshly tattooed foot. She trudges on in that forest and in an existence that has seen her cram a life's worth of experiences in just 30 years.
"I think life should be lived experientially," she said smiling.
Leah Welch has traveled the world and is now earning her masters in Journalism while working as a graduate assistant for the Innocence Institute. This is just another experience to add to her long list that includes travels to 48 of the United States, five countries and 30 or so jobs that have grounded in her desire to write.
Welch said she has always been a writer. She wrote a poem when she was just four years-old, and was published by the time she was eight. Her family had an old type-writer that she would write neighborhood stories on to be published in the newspaper of her hometown, Pleasant City, Ohio.
She admits that she was very shy as a child, hiding behind furniture and reading books. Reading a lot of Leo Tolstoy and Emily Dickinson, coupled with speech therapy to correct her "R" pronunciation, made it difficult for Welch to communicate with children her age. She was living in a Southern Ohio town, but talking like a 19th century noble.
However, when it came to defending her siblings, Welch threw all timidity away. Welch recalls an incident at her bus stop when "some punk kid" said something about her younger sister, Hannah.
"I jumped him and pinned him down," laughed the slight woman, who would not exactly intimidate anyone with nothing but her eyes.
That kind of fearlessness developed as she grew older and lead her to her many adventures after high school. Although her resume lists ten jobs, Welch said she has had over 30 different jobs.
"All of the different jobs that I have had, I was attracted to the story of it," she said.
She has written music reviews, been a sports photographer, edited a book, all while working to further her education. Welch received her bachelor's degree in Art and English, with minors in Sociology and Gender Studies, at Muskingum University in December 2002. Three years later, she received her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Chatham University.
"She is always willing to learn new life skills," said Edra Crow, her mother, in a phone interview on Nov. 22.
This willingness also helped encourage Welch to take on new, exciting jobs. While she said she had her fair share of boring run-of-the-mill jobs – like working in a factory, being a waitress at Denny's, a college lunch lady, among many others – the more thrilling jobs kept her interest.
Among these numerous jobs, Welch carries the title of editor of Rory Miller's "Discovering Beautiful: On the Road to Somewhere." Strangely enough, she found the author on a friend's Myspace page, and immediately became attracted to the writing style. After keeping contact back and forth, Miller invited her to edit his book in London, England.
Welch, never one to say "no" to a new adventure, found herself living in England in late 2009. She stayed with Miller's friend while she read and reread his book about his hitch-hiking adventure across America. While there, Welch says they once stole a sailboat in Essex and once unintentionally camped out on a neighbor's lawn.
"Those photos are no longer on the internet," Welch said of the crazy adventures.
Welch had worked as a stand-in for various movies in the past, but wanted to kick it up a notch by being a stunt woman. She began stunt work in the movie "Warrior" (2009), where she met Dean Pyles, the stunt coordinator for the movie.
He invited members of the stunt crew to stay with him and his family in Virginia to study Pyles Vale Tudo, a form of mixed martial arts he created. Welch was the only one who took him up on the offer and spent five months training seven hours a day. To this day she still practices this form of exercise in her spare time.
Although Welch has had unique experiences at each of her jobs, she said her favorite was her internship at National Geographic in Washington, D.C. last summer. She worked in the archive department, filing photographs from the years 1908-1910. All of the photos were either published or had the rights to be published by National Geographic.
Welch then tells a story of how she held an original photograph by Herbert Ponting, an early 20th century expedition photographer known for his work from the Terra Nova Expedition. The man working in the archives department showed it to her.
"In the tiniest voice, I said, ‘Can I hold it?'" she said, smiling and reenacting the expression on her face.
That experience is just one of the many reasons Welch would love to work there with a full-time job. She also said the people there are what really made the job; they are educated, experienced and have personality.
Her dream job would be to work as author John Irving's literary assistant, a position she recently applied for.
"I think if she got that job, she'd stay with it," her mother said.
Currently, Welch is working on her second masters. She decided now was the time to study journalism after a recent terrible car accident left her incapacitated for months. She recalls interviewing at Point Park with braces on both of her legs.
For her mother, this was the most difficult time; however, intrepid Welch would not let it hold her back. "She pretty much rehabilitated herself ... I'm very grateful to have her in my life," Crow said.
Welch was immediately accepted into the program, and now spends her days in class, studying, and working for Bill Moushey alongside Darlene Natale, while another graduate assistant.
"She's a team player," Natale said of Welch and her work ethic. They both agreed when Welch began in late August that they would divide up the work and help each other.
On the rare occasion Welch is not working, studying or attending class, she can be found exercising, volunteering, or getting inked. Her most visible tattoo is quotes from her favorite novels running vertically up her arm on a curve.
Another tattoo, this one on her foot, she got while visiting a friend in New Zealand. Impulsive and ready for a tattoo, she eagerly got it her first day there, not thinking of how irritated it would get trekking in the mountains and forests of New Zealand. Despite that, she believes the timing was right. Welch describes the tattoo as a dichotomy of her past and future, because her feet take her where she wants to go.
But most importantly, she enjoys spending time with her close-knit family on the weekends. While at home, she hangs out with her brother Dan, sister, nieces and nephews; shops and plays Scrabble with her mom; and goes to the movies with her dad John. Welch tries to spend as much time with them as possible.
Welch does not know what the future holds for her, but of two things she is certain: She will get her tattoo finished - one tattoo, head to toe - and writing will be involved.
Until then, she continues living in the moment. She sits at her desk writing a story for the "New York Times" assigned by Moushey earlier in the day. Within an hour it is written, edited by Moushey and sent off to the "Times." She turns away from the computer, relieved, and with a look of utter bliss on her face.
"Anything that makes you feel joy like that is the right thing."
A few years later, she is attempting to hike in New Zealand. Looking like Quasimodo from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," she sustains the irritating pain radiating from her freshly tattooed foot. She trudges on in that forest and in an existence that has seen her cram a life's worth of experiences in just 30 years.
"I think life should be lived experientially," she said smiling.
Leah Welch has traveled the world and is now earning her masters in Journalism while working as a graduate assistant for the Innocence Institute. This is just another experience to add to her long list that includes travels to 48 of the United States, five countries and 30 or so jobs that have grounded in her desire to write.
Welch said she has always been a writer. She wrote a poem when she was just four years-old, and was published by the time she was eight. Her family had an old type-writer that she would write neighborhood stories on to be published in the newspaper of her hometown, Pleasant City, Ohio.
She admits that she was very shy as a child, hiding behind furniture and reading books. Reading a lot of Leo Tolstoy and Emily Dickinson, coupled with speech therapy to correct her "R" pronunciation, made it difficult for Welch to communicate with children her age. She was living in a Southern Ohio town, but talking like a 19th century noble.
However, when it came to defending her siblings, Welch threw all timidity away. Welch recalls an incident at her bus stop when "some punk kid" said something about her younger sister, Hannah.
"I jumped him and pinned him down," laughed the slight woman, who would not exactly intimidate anyone with nothing but her eyes.
That kind of fearlessness developed as she grew older and lead her to her many adventures after high school. Although her resume lists ten jobs, Welch said she has had over 30 different jobs.
"All of the different jobs that I have had, I was attracted to the story of it," she said.
She has written music reviews, been a sports photographer, edited a book, all while working to further her education. Welch received her bachelor's degree in Art and English, with minors in Sociology and Gender Studies, at Muskingum University in December 2002. Three years later, she received her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Chatham University.
"She is always willing to learn new life skills," said Edra Crow, her mother, in a phone interview on Nov. 22.
This willingness also helped encourage Welch to take on new, exciting jobs. While she said she had her fair share of boring run-of-the-mill jobs – like working in a factory, being a waitress at Denny's, a college lunch lady, among many others – the more thrilling jobs kept her interest.
Among these numerous jobs, Welch carries the title of editor of Rory Miller's "Discovering Beautiful: On the Road to Somewhere." Strangely enough, she found the author on a friend's Myspace page, and immediately became attracted to the writing style. After keeping contact back and forth, Miller invited her to edit his book in London, England.
Welch, never one to say "no" to a new adventure, found herself living in England in late 2009. She stayed with Miller's friend while she read and reread his book about his hitch-hiking adventure across America. While there, Welch says they once stole a sailboat in Essex and once unintentionally camped out on a neighbor's lawn.
"Those photos are no longer on the internet," Welch said of the crazy adventures.
Welch had worked as a stand-in for various movies in the past, but wanted to kick it up a notch by being a stunt woman. She began stunt work in the movie "Warrior" (2009), where she met Dean Pyles, the stunt coordinator for the movie.
He invited members of the stunt crew to stay with him and his family in Virginia to study Pyles Vale Tudo, a form of mixed martial arts he created. Welch was the only one who took him up on the offer and spent five months training seven hours a day. To this day she still practices this form of exercise in her spare time.
Although Welch has had unique experiences at each of her jobs, she said her favorite was her internship at National Geographic in Washington, D.C. last summer. She worked in the archive department, filing photographs from the years 1908-1910. All of the photos were either published or had the rights to be published by National Geographic.
Welch then tells a story of how she held an original photograph by Herbert Ponting, an early 20th century expedition photographer known for his work from the Terra Nova Expedition. The man working in the archives department showed it to her.
"In the tiniest voice, I said, ‘Can I hold it?'" she said, smiling and reenacting the expression on her face.
That experience is just one of the many reasons Welch would love to work there with a full-time job. She also said the people there are what really made the job; they are educated, experienced and have personality.
Her dream job would be to work as author John Irving's literary assistant, a position she recently applied for.
"I think if she got that job, she'd stay with it," her mother said.
Currently, Welch is working on her second masters. She decided now was the time to study journalism after a recent terrible car accident left her incapacitated for months. She recalls interviewing at Point Park with braces on both of her legs.
For her mother, this was the most difficult time; however, intrepid Welch would not let it hold her back. "She pretty much rehabilitated herself ... I'm very grateful to have her in my life," Crow said.
Welch was immediately accepted into the program, and now spends her days in class, studying, and working for Bill Moushey alongside Darlene Natale, while another graduate assistant.
"She's a team player," Natale said of Welch and her work ethic. They both agreed when Welch began in late August that they would divide up the work and help each other.
On the rare occasion Welch is not working, studying or attending class, she can be found exercising, volunteering, or getting inked. Her most visible tattoo is quotes from her favorite novels running vertically up her arm on a curve.
Another tattoo, this one on her foot, she got while visiting a friend in New Zealand. Impulsive and ready for a tattoo, she eagerly got it her first day there, not thinking of how irritated it would get trekking in the mountains and forests of New Zealand. Despite that, she believes the timing was right. Welch describes the tattoo as a dichotomy of her past and future, because her feet take her where she wants to go.
But most importantly, she enjoys spending time with her close-knit family on the weekends. While at home, she hangs out with her brother Dan, sister, nieces and nephews; shops and plays Scrabble with her mom; and goes to the movies with her dad John. Welch tries to spend as much time with them as possible.
Welch does not know what the future holds for her, but of two things she is certain: She will get her tattoo finished - one tattoo, head to toe - and writing will be involved.
Until then, she continues living in the moment. She sits at her desk writing a story for the "New York Times" assigned by Moushey earlier in the day. Within an hour it is written, edited by Moushey and sent off to the "Times." She turns away from the computer, relieved, and with a look of utter bliss on her face.
"Anything that makes you feel joy like that is the right thing."
November 14, 2011
Bess Rogers Performs at PPU
Indie music echoed off the walls of the Point Park Lawrence Hall Ballroom as "The Adventures of Bess Rogers and AllisonWeiss" came to a close on Friday, Nov. 9.
"I think we've been having too much fun," Rogers said of the tour, laughing with Weiss and band mates Stephanie Barker and Joshua Ingram.
Rogers performed at Point Park University last year at a Campus Activities Board (CAB) sponsored event. She enjoyed her time here so much that she asked to come back for another concert, and the Sport, Arts and Entertainment Management (SAEM) Club was more than happy to promote the event.
"Something like this doesn't happen often," Shea Smith, SAEM Club vice president, said during the sound check in the Lawrence Hall Ballroom on Wednesday.
Smith explained that most of the club members enjoy Rogers' music and could not wait to bring her back.
Since the concert fit the club's budget, they were able to book four opening acts: Eric Lutz, The Ansaris, Hunter Paulson and Bailey Park.
Club members suggested these acts, all from Point Park with the exception of The Ansaris, hoping to bring in a larger audience. than the 30 that attended last year.
That hope was fulfilled beyond expectation as 50 students and parents attended.
David Wilson, a member of the SAEM Club and Bailey Park, booked Rogers after she gave him a available date from her tour schedule. Smith found a space and proper equipment for the concert.
The free concert began at 5:45 p.m. with Lutz's acoustic set. The next band to play was The Ansaris, from Burgettstown, Pa.
Before the concert, singer Ryann Bartoletti was eager to talk about her band.
"[Performing] is rewarding," she said during the sound check.
The Ansaris formed two years ago when Bartoletti met Carter Dean and they began playing together. "We became best friends," Bartoletti said.
Although Bartoletti describes her band as a "camp fire band," they started playing shows as a favor to a friend. Now, they perform at local venues near their hometown, in Weirton and on the South Side.
"Carter has a creative mind," Bartoletti said.
She said he alters his personal experiences, translating them into lyrics.
"[They're] twisted love stories," she said of the EP album The Ansaris is working on.
The band performed a mixture of original songs and covers, Dean on guitar and Bartoletti singing and playing tambourine and ukulele.
The next act was freshman creative writing major Hunter Paulson. The Lancaster native has been performing intermittently for seven years, but Wednesday was his first Pittsburgh performance in front of his Point Park friends.
Although he was nervous performing in a new area, Paulson said he goes into another world on stage.
"[Performing] is like another level of existence for me," he said.
Paulson describes his music as "psychedelic folk" and writes about his everyday life. "Living in the city inspires me," he said over the bass.
Paulson played "stripped down" versions of his recordings, moving to the music coming from his guitar.
"[Tonight], it's just my guitar and I," he said of his set for the evening.
Next up was Bailey Park, consisting of David Wilson on guitar and vocals and Michael Cunningham on guitar and background vocals, a harmonizing acoustic group.
They played original songs, broken up by a rendition of The Beatles' "All My Loving."
After their last song, they received applause from the audience, and left them to anticipate Bess Rogers' performance.
Rogers came out with Weiss and the band. She played her set first with the full band, and talked to the audience in between songs, making sure to thank them for coming.
Rogers, the Brooklyn native has been touring professionally for about seven years, but she has been playing music since she was 5-years-old.
"It's what I always wanted to do," Rogers said before the show.
According to Rogers, her parents were very involved with music, sparking her love for music. She played the flute and harpsichord when she was younger, but started playing guitar at 13.
Rogers writes her music based on a variety of life experiences. During the concert, she explained what inspired her song "Favorite Day," an intimate song about her former boyfriend, who is now her husband.
She studied music composition at State University of New York Purchase and recorded her first three albums there.
While touring with Ingrid Michaelson, Rogers played at Madison Square Garden. Although she said it had the worst acoustics, "it was definitely one of those things [she'll] remember for the rest of [her] life."
After playing a few songs with the band, Rogers began her solo set. She played acoustic versions of songs from her new album, "Out of the Ocean." The first song, "In the Water," was soft, like a lullaby.
After Rogers finished her solo set, the band returned and Weiss had a turn to play her own music. The concert ended around 9:30 p.m. with Weiss's more electric set.
Both artists invited the audience to stick around after the show for an opportunity to take pictures and have their merchandise signed.
"[This was what made] the event special," Smith said.
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