Asbury University Presents: Engaging Culture Week

WILMORE, Ky. — Asbury University’s Engaging Culture Week will showcase concerts, special speakers, film screenings, workshops, art shows, receptions and the Highbridge Film Festival during the week of April 17-22, 2017.

The event will have Senior Student Art Exhibitions all week. Nicole Baker’s exhibit – “In Man’s Image” — will be in the Kinlaw Lobby, while both Olivia Ericksen’s “Pretty Girls In Pretty Clothes” and Rebecca Hershey’s “The Water Understands” will be in the Asbury Art Gallery (second floor of the Z.T. Johnson Building).

This year’s festivities include a new event. The Asbury Collegian, the University’s student newspaper, is launching “A Year in Review,” a special year-end publication that includes highlights and photos from noteworthy events and news, and a snapshot of life at Asbury for the year. The “Year in Review” will be free and available to all students April 19 at 7 p.m. in the Student Center.

Dr. Jim Shores and Asbury Communication Arts seniors will present “Lead from Your Strengths: A Communication Leadership Workshop,” in the Miller Center Screening Room on April 20 at 4 p.m. Shores encourages students to attend stating, “If you want to be more efficient in your leadership, don’t miss this!”

The week’s fine arts events will continue Thursday evening, with an entertainingly diverse concert, Sounds of Stage and Screen, at 7:30 p.m. in Hughes Auditorium. More than 200 students will perform in ensembles of the Asbury University Music Department that include: Chorale, Women’s Choir, Men’s Glee Club, Handbell Choir, Orchestra and Concert Band. The program is free and open to the public.

Dr. Glen Flanigan, director of bands at Asbury, notes, “Each year, the Sounds of Stage and Screen Concert is one our most popular events with both audience members and student performers. They all enjoy the music from their favorite films, Broadway shows and television programs. We are always pleased to include this performance in the Engaging Culture Week at the University."

The repertoire will be from a wide variety of productions that include, “The Muppets,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Harry Potter,” “Tangled,” “Oliver,” “James Bond,” “Silverado,” “The Cowboys” and “The Magnificent Seven.”

On April 21, John Stonestreet — renowned author and Breakpoint radio host from the Colson Center for Christian Worldview — will be the special speaker for the Engaging Culture Week Chapel held in Hughes in front of the on-campus student body.

Extraordinary writing, film and acting workshops will also be presented throughout the day on Friday by Nancy Stafford (actress), Jennifer Dornbush (screenwriter/author/forensic specialist), Ryan Dornbush (senior VP Alcon Entertainment), Albert Mason (senior producer, Post Time Studios) and John Menick (casting agent/Screen Artists Talent. Unless otherwise stated, all workshops take place in the Screening Room on the third floor of the Miller Center for Communication Arts or The Greathouse Theatre (in Miller) and are open to the public. View the schedule of events.

The Student Theatre Series will present “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams on Friday evening at 7 p.m. in The Greathouse Theatre. Allie Acuff directs this classic American masterpiece — about family devotion vs. personal freedom — acted by Carol Anderson, Chandler Vance, Morgan Newton and Bryce Hockema.

Two special workshops will take place on April 22, with Asbury alums Tate Webb (digital editorial and color correction, TATE IO) and Brady Nasfell (film/TV producer)

The week’s events will conclude on Saturday with the 13th Annual Highbridge Film Festival in Hughes Auditorium at 7 p.m. Asbury alumni, friends and the community are welcome to attend this highly anticipated event. The film festival is entirely produced and promoted through the combined efforts of the Communication Arts Department’s Special Events class and student volunteers.

“I never cease to be impressed with what my great students produce for this event at so many levels. We’ve got some surprises and some audience favorites coming back,” said Professor Greg Bandy. “Besides the event, we also have scores of students creating the films for the actual program. What you see is an impressive distillation of literally hundreds and hundreds of hours of work up on that stage and screen.”

While the film festival honors the creativity and excellence in the storytelling of Asbury’s student filmmakers, it is also open to submissions from high school students. The high school film winner’s entry will be screened at the festival and is eligible to receive a $1,000 scholarship to attend Asbury.

Highbridge Film Festival is a community-wide event that is open to the public. The $15 admission price includes the film screenings, the award ceremony and the Red Carpet Reception in the studio of the Miller Center. To purchase tickets please visit https://hbfilmfest.eventbrite.com. If you are a student visit the café kiosk during lunch hours to purchase tickets.