Canevin Theater Essays (734 words) - Broadway Musicals,

Canevin Theater Canevin Catholic High School offers many extra curricular activities. Those students geared toward the physical challenges may choose from various athletic programs such as, basketball, soccer, and football. On the other hand, there are additional activities for those more interested in a mental challenge. These students may join such organizations anywhere from FBLA to Forensics. However, of all the extra curricular activities offered by Canevin, none excites me more than Dramatics. This paper takes a look at my last three years involvement in the annual musical productions here at Canevin. Traditionally, Canevin's dramatics has been a full-scale musical production performed in the spring. Students may audition for chorus, acting or dancing parts or they may join one of the many stage crews. During freshman year, I tried out for the musical Working. Working depicted different careers through dialogue, song and dance. To my surprise, I made callbacks. When the cast list was posted, the role of Anthony Polazzo, the Mason, was awarded to me. After weeks of hard work and rehearsals, it was finally opening night. From that time on, I realized Dramatics was for me. The following year, the start-up meeting could not arrive fast enough for me. The play selected for my sophomore year was Damn Yankees. The musical's main character was Joe Hardy. Joe wanted so drastically to play baseball for the Washington Senators, that he was willing to sell his soul to the devil. When the cast list was posted this time, I was assigned to play the role of Mr. Welch. As owner of the Washington Senator's, I was expected to portray a prestigious and confident businessman who enjoyed his cigars. In one short year, I went from a mason in overalls, to a baseball team owner decked out in a suit and tie. That's show business! Into the Woods was selected as the musical for the following year. The story line included various adaptations of traditional fairy tales. Well, if mason to owner wasn't extreme enough, what would you say about Cinderella's father? Junior year found me playing the character of an older man who marries for the second time, to a woman with two nagging daughters. In a house of four women, no wonder he resorted to drinking. Directed to use a silver flask as a prop and a fair amount of improvisation of libations, I portrayed the character of Cinderella's father as a drunk. When the final curtain came down closing night on Into the Woods, there was, however, one more performance still to come. This year Canevin had been nominated for 6 Gene Kelly Awards, including Best Musical in Budget Level 2. The Gene Kelly Awards sponsored by Pittsburgh's Civic Light Opera recognizes students for excellence in High School musical theater. On the night of the awards, those schools nominated for Best Show perform on the Benedum stage a selection from their production. Extra rehearsals were scheduled, and a final practice with the Benedum orchestra was needed. I am proud to announce that Canevin was awarded the Gene Kelly for Best Costume Design and Best Musical in our division. Additionally, each year two students are asked to represent their school in a final production number. This prestigious honor is always given to two seniors. Unfortunately, this year, two of the practices fell during graduation activities. Since 5 rehearsals are mandatory, our director, Treva Rueso made her selections from the junior cast members. A fellow junior and I were ecstatic to be chosen to join members from all the participating schools in the final production number, Keep Your Eyes on the Goal. The plethora of ecstatic people applauding at the close of the Gene Kelly's was phenomenal. It was indeed an honor to represent Canevin in this collaboration of students exercising their many talents. I have experienced many gratifying moments in my years at Canevin, but few have been as electrifying as sharing with fellow cast and crew members their ability, courage, and commitment in creating the annual school musical. The Dramatic program continues to surprise its supporters with innovative musical theater. Through my experience in putting on a musical, I have learned what it means to work as a team. The camaraderie was intense and rewarding. I

Make Your Own Crystal Geode

Make Your Own Crystal Geode Natural geodes are hollow rock formations that contain deposits of crystals. Assuming you dont have a geological timeframe to obtain a geode and dont want to buy a geode kit, its easy to make your own crystal geode using alum, food coloring, and either plaster of Paris or an eggshell. Crystal Geode Materials Alum (found with spices in the grocery store)Hot waterFood coloring (optional)Plaster of Paris (found in hobby shops) or an eggshell Prepare the Geode There are a couple of ways you can go here. You can crack open an egg and use the rinsed shell as a base for your geode or you can prepare a plaster of Paris rock: First, you need a rounded shape in which you can mold your hollow rock. The bottom of one of the depressions in a foam egg carton works great. Another option is to set a piece of plastic wrap inside of a coffee cup or paper cup.Mix a small amount of water in with some plaster of Paris to make a thick paste. If you happen to have a couple of seed crystals of alum, you can stir them into the plaster mixture. Seed crystals can be used to provide nucleation sites for the crystals, which can produce a more natural-looking geode.Press the plaster of Paris against the sides and bottom of the depression to make a bowl shape. Use plastic wrap if the container is rigid, so that its easier to remove the plaster.Allow about 30 minutes for the plaster to set up, then remove it from the mold and set it aside to finish drying. If you used plastic wrap, peel it off after you pull the plaster geode out of the container. Grow Crystals Pour about a half cup of hot tap water into a cup.Stir in alum until it stops dissolving. This occurs when a little alum powder starts to accumulate at the bottom of the cup.Add food coloring, if desired. Food coloring does not color the crystals, but it does color the eggshell or plaster, which causes the crystals to appear colored.Set your eggshell or plaster geode inside a cup or bowl. You are aiming for a container that is a size such that the alum solution will just cover the top of the geode.Pour the alum solution into the geode, allowing it to overflow into the surrounding container and eventually cover the geode. Avoid pouring in any undissolved alum.Set the geode in a location where it wont be disturbed. Allow a few days for the crystals to grow.When you are pleased with the appearance of your geode, remove it from the solution and allow it to dry. You can pour the solution down the drain. The alum is essentially a pickling spice, so while it isnt exactly good for you to eat , it isnt toxic either. Keep your geode beautiful by protecting it from high humidity and dust. You can store it wrapped in a paper towel or tissue paper or inside of a display case.

Legal skills 2 . Explain the differences between the regulation of Essay

Legal skills 2 . Explain the differences between the regulation of abortion in the United Kingdom and the United States of America; and speculate how any reform - Essay Example The Abortion Act of 1967 was modified by the Fertilization and Embryology Act of 1990.1 The modifications2 were widely hailed as a gain for the pro-choice movement3 because they established an upper time limit to terminate pregnancy at twenty-four weeks and extended the circumstances in which abortions could be performed to include terminations up until birth in the case of fetal handicap. The effect of the 1990 debates in Parliament over the Acts modification was to entrench in the public and parliamentary consciousness that abortion is permissible prior to viability of the fetus. Today, an abortion is lawful in the United Kingdom if covered by one of four grounds listed in the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act of 1990.4 The provisions of the Act allow for an abortion up to twenty-four weeks if approved by two doctors when "the social or environmental or living conditions of either the mother or her existing children are likely to be worsened by the continuation of the pregnancy."5 Furthermore, it tolerates abortion without time restriction on eugenic grounds if "there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped." Abortions for the most part are financed by the National Health Service under the National Health Service Act of 1977. The Act does place some restrictions on the availability of an abortion. Abortions are only permissible if the pregnancy has not exceeded twenty-four weeks. Beyond the twenty-fourth week, the risk of a grave mental or physical injury must exist before an abortion can be legally performed. The Act also provides physicians with broad authority over a womans ability to terminate. T o be consistent with the Act, an abortion can only be legally performed if two medical practitioners believe in good faith that one of the four grounds set forth in Section 1(1) of the Act has been met. The United