Independent filmmaker Joshua Zeman to speak at Driver Lecture

Randolph College will host New York filmmaker Joshua Zeman for a film screening and lecture on independent film making at 7 p.m. Thursday in Nichols Theatre.

The lecture is part of the Sara Driver ’77 Digital Filmmaking and Lecture Series, which is funded by Martha (Lou) Miller Driver ’50 and Al Driver.

Zeman will show his critically acclaimed horror documentary Cropsey, which explores a boogeyman-like figure in New York urban legends. In 2010, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times called Cropsey “one of the best movies of the year” and “one of the scariest movies of the year.”

Communication studies professor Jennifer Gauthier said the lecture will provide students, as well as the general public, with the opportunity to learn about the independent film industry from a professional. “He has a wealth of experience in many different roles, including producing, directing, screenwriting, and serving on film festival juries,” she said.

Zeman has been creating independent films for more than 10 years. In addition to Cropsey, which he wrote and directed with Barbara Brancaccio, Zeman is the writer and director of The Urban Legends Project, a documentary premiering this spring that examines the true crimes that inspire urban legends. Currently, he is directing his first narrative feature, No Man’s Land, which focuses on a well-respected journalist who agrees to interview a family of right-wing extremists involved in a tense standoff with the FBI.

Zeman is currently in residence at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts in Amherst, Virginia.

Randolph wins awards for publications and special events

Randolph College earned three awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) last week, recognizing the quality of the College’s publications and events.

Randolph magazine and the Bulletin, the College’s alumnae and alumni magazine, each won an Award for Excellence in the category of Magazine/Tabloid Improvement I. This category, which includes all schools with enrollment under 5,000 students, recognizes improvement in the overall publication over a period of two years, and only gives two Awards of Excellence.

Randolph magazine is produced by the Office of College Relations, and the Bulletin is produced by the Office of College Relations and the Alumnae and Alumni Office.

Randolph College also received a Special Merit Award in the Special Event category for its entry, “Celebrating the Ninth President of Randolph College.” Randolph competed against schools of all sizes in this category, which was designed to recognize university or college events organized by the institution’s communications and marketing team. Randolph’s entry included announcements, publications, and an event surrounding the 2013 retirement of John E. Klein.

The awards were presented at a banquet Tuesday, February 18, during the CASE District III annual conference in Orlando, Florida.

“These awards recognize the important work that the women and men who work in College Relations and the Alumnae and Alumni Office do day in and day out to share the good news of Randolph College,” said Wesley Fugate, vice president and chief of staff, who oversees College Relations. “This team works diligently to not only produce outstanding publications and events but also produce a product better than the last. I am so pleased that their hard work and talent has been recognized by their peers.”

All winners can be found on the CASE District III website: http://www.casethree.org/award_programs/2013_-_2014_winners.html

Randolph produces “The Great American Trailer Park Musical”

UPDATE: After inclement weather caused the cancellation of the final showing of The Great American Trailer Park Musical, another performance has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m.

The newest production from the Randolph College theatre department invites audiences to come laugh along with the residents of Armadillo Acres in what Talkin’ Broadway called a “wheel-spinning, mud-splattering good time of a show.”

The Great American Trailer Park Musical opens in Thoresen Theatre on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., with shows each evening through Monday. The comedy tells a story of perseverance as the main characters deal with challenges in their lives.

Brooke Edwards, the Randolph theatre professor directing the show, said the show is entirely comedic and not to be taken seriously. “It’s about keeping on keeping on. It is pure entertainment,” she said. “It has a lot of fun music and really ridiculous characters. We have had a really good time.”

She could not even recite a sentence summarizing the plot without breaking into laughter. “An agoraphobic wife and her toll collector husband face challenges in their marriage when a stripper, who is running from her crazy ex-boyfriend, moves into their trailer park.”

The show centers on Jeannie (Marianne Virnelson ’17) and Norbert Garstecki (Kirk Mortensen). Jennie’s fears have confined her to her trailer for 20 years ever since their son was kidnapped, but she hopes to prepare herself to go out for the couple’s upcoming anniversary—if their marriage survives the arrival of Pippi (Claudia Troyer ’14), who has moved to town in hopes of starting over. The story is narrated by a trailer park trio of Betty (Emma Bartholomew ’14), Linoleum “Lin” (Emily Sirney ’14), and Donna “Pickles” (Grace Cummins ’16). Bentley Kennedy-Stone ’16 rounds out the cast as Duke, Pippi’s angry ex-boyfriend.

The show proceeds through hilarious events and ends with the reuniting of the Garsteckis with each other—and their long lost son.

The 90-minute show includes musical styles such as 1940s swing, 1950s rockabilly, ’70s disco, and ’80s rock. Edwards said Kelly Malone Dudley ’95 infused the choreography with dance moves that accompany those musical genres.

The set, the costumes, and the acting were planned to emphasize the over-the-top nature of the show so the audience can enjoy it as the spectacle it is and laugh with, rather than at, the cast. “I just hope everybody has a good laugh and that they feel good when they leave,” Edwards said.

Students get opportunity to thank scholarship donors

Next week, students have a special opportunity to express gratitude to people who have helped them receive a Randolph College education.

The College will hold a Scholarship Thank-a-thon from 7:30 to 10 p.m. on Tuesday in the Student Center. Students just need to bring their own pens and they will be given paper and an envelope.

Students only need to write a few paragraphs to express appreciation for the gifts that help make their education possible, said Terry Bodine, donor relations coordinator. The Thank-a-thon is a good opportunity to enjoy snacks, socialize with other students, and introduce themselves to their scholarship donors.

Gifts to the College and its scholarship funds are crucial and help more students afford a quality liberal arts education. “Without these generous donations, Randolph could not continue to provide the grants and scholarships that make higher education possible for so many of our students,” Bodine said.

Students who receive scholarships from a specific donor or endowed fund will be given information to write a letter to their specific donors, while students with general scholarships will write letters to annual fund donors. Students who cannot attend the Thank-a-thon will be able to submit a letter online.

Professors honored by Annual Fund gifts and sunflowers

Some alumnae and alumni recently surprised some of their favorite professors with sunflowers, and gifts to the College, just before Valentine’s Day.

The Randolph College Annual Fund recently held a special campaign to reach out to some of the College’s younger alumnae and alumni. Staff asked them to make gifts in honor of their favorite professors, who would receive a sunflower and an acknowledgement of the graduate’s gift.

When snow threatened to impact the College on Valentine’s Day, the Annual Fund staff moved quickly to deliver the flowers early.

“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to those who supported the Annual Fund through their participation in our Valentine’s Day campaign,” said Tamera Jamerson, director of the Annual Fund. “The professors were, of course, delighted to have been honored and remembered by their former students in such a special way. Annual Fund participation is absolutely vital to our students and faculty, as it ensures that the College will continue to provide transformative educational experiences in a close-knit, caring community.”

View some photos of professors receiving their sunflower valentines in this Facebook photo album.

Alumna leads United Way fundraising campaign

Maggi Keyes Beckstoffer ’86 plans to jump out of an airplane for the United Way this spring.

As the campaign chair for the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg, Beckstoffer promised to go skydiving along with other local United Way campaign leaders if the organization met certain fundraising goals. They are on target to raise more than $13.5 million by the time the campaign ends, so she is looking forward to the jump in May.

“We’re doing very well,” she said “We’ve had some challenges along the way, but between jumping out of an airplane as a way to raise money and using direct mail, we’re going to be very successful.”

Maggi Keyes Beckstoffer ’86 has been leading the fundraising
campaign for United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg.

Beckstoffer, who majored in psychology and philosophy at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, volunteers with numerous causes, and has served on her local United Way board for more than six years.  She is the first woman, as well as the first small business owner, to chair the campaign for this United Way chapter.

She has owned MBM Marketing, a company that organizes and executes marketing campaigns for small and medium-sized businesses and community banks, for about 15 years. Her background in philosophy and psychology helps her see business problems from different angles and motivate her clients’ target audience, she said.

“Understanding how different people think and where they’re coming from is critical to success in any business,” she said. “The College gave me confidence, wisdom, and the ability to think for myself, which has allowed me to build relationships with my clients and leaders in the community and be successful.”

Beckstoffer put those skills to work for the United Way campaign last summer. As campaign chair, she threw the opening pitch at a Richmond Squirrels game to kick off the fundraising,  and then she began meeting regularly with community and business leaders to promote the campaign. Her marketing expertise helped her craft a direct mail effort to complement other forms of fundraising.

The volunteer work requires a lot of time and dedication, but Beckstoffer said it is worth it to help the community. “I feel like I’m very fortunate in my life,” Beckstoffer said. “People have helped me and my family along the way. I am in a position where I can use my skills and talents to help others, and it just feels like the right thing to do. It’s a privilege.”

First 2014 Star Party scheduled for Saturday

The Winfree Observatory at Randolph College will be open Saturday with views of the moon and Jupiter available for astronomers.

The first Star Party of 2014 will begin at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. During Star Parties, Randolph students open Winfree Observatory for members of the campus community and the general public to use the telescope to view celestial objects.

Hart Gillespie ’15, the student who organizes the events, said the full moon will be the main focus of Saturday’s Star Party. Jupiter will be visible, and attendees may also get the chance to look at the Pleiades star cluster and the Double Cluster in the Perseus constellation, he said.

In case of inclement weather, check http://randolphscience.org to confirm whether the event is still being held.

Other Star Parties this semester will be on March 29 at 8:30 p.m., part of the Randolph College Science Festival, April 12 at 9 p.m., and May 10 at 9:30 p.m.