St. Mary's College of Md. News Briefs


Happenstance Theater Company, one of Washington, D.C.'s pre-eminent performance troupes, as they perform "BrouHaHa." Happenstance Theater Company, one of Washington, D.C.'s pre-eminent performance troupes, as they perform "BrouHaHa."

Happenstance Theater Company to perform "BrouHaHa" at St. Mary's College

Wednesday, Sept. 20 and Thursday, Sept. 21

St. Mary's College of Maryland's department of theater, film, and media studies will host Happenstance Theater Company, one of Washington, D.C.'s pre-eminent performance troupes, as they perform "BrouHaHa" on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 20 and 21 at 8 p.m., in the Bruce Davis Theater, Montgomery Hall Fine Arts Center, on the St. Mary's College campus. The performance lasts about 80 minutes.

Performances of "BrouHaHa" are free and open to the public but seating is limited. Reservations are required. To make reservations, contact the Theater Box Office by email at boxoffice@smcm.edu or by phone to 240-895-4243. Tickets must be picked up no later than 7:45 p.m. the evening of the performance.

Happenstance Theater Company is a six-member, Rockville, Md.-based performance troupe steeped in the traditions of commedia dell'arte, clowning, circus, and vaudeville. The company is a multiple Helen Hayes award-winning ensemble hailed by the Washington, D.C. press for its superb improvisatory skills, physical humor, and, above all, spontaneous interactions with the audience.

In "BrouHaHa," the show the company brings to St. Mary's College, a troupe of Victorian clowns greets the end of the world with pathos and levity. Their curiosity at the precipice lights up the darkness like a firecracker! What happens in that moment of illumination?

"BrouHaHa" takes its inspiration partly from the dark comedy of Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, famous for his play "Waiting for Godot," and from Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini's late Neorealist-inspired film about circus performers, "La Strada."

A screening of "La Strada" will take place at 8:10 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12, a week before the "BrouHaHa" performances, in Cole Cinema, located in the Campus Center on the St. Mary's campus. Hosted by Mark Rhoda and David Ellsworth of the theater, film, and media studies department, the screening is free and open to the public.

St. Mary's College of Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education through 2024-2025. St. Mary's College, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Approximately 1,700 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary's River in Southern Maryland.

St. Mary's College Invites Prospective Students to Open Houses

St. Mary's College of Maryland invites prospective students and their families to learn more about the value of a St. Mary's College education at one of our open house events this fall on Saturdays, September 23, October 14, and November 11.

Each open house will feature opportunities to learn about the distinctive academic programs, career development program, campus life and extra-curricular activities, as well a financial aid, scholarships and work-study programs available on the public honors College campus. Student-led tours of the College's waterfront campus will also be offered.

Attending one of this year's open houses is an opportunity to learn about how a St. Mary's College education will prepare a student for a lifetime of personal and professional accomplishment.

To register for an open house visit www.smcm.edu/admissions/visit-campus and scroll down to select the open house date you wish to attend. If students are unable to join us for an open house, campus tours are available on a daily basis throughout the year.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Troy Townsend Talks Clean Energy at TEDxLeonardtown

St. Mary's College of Maryland Assistant Professor of Chemistry Troy Townsend will be one of the featured speakers during the "Creating Change Locally" TEDxLeonardtown event taking place on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 9:30 a.m.—3:30 p.m. at Leonardtown High School, 23995 Point Lookout Road. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxleonardtown-tickets-34524292087

Townsend is one of nine speakers of the Technology Entertainment Design (TED) (x for local) presentations. The one-day event will feature speakers who have created change within their community or field of expertise and perform their 15-minute talk for a live audience as well as recording for the TEDx Channel. Lunch will be served.

Townsend's research investigates the design, synthesis, and device applications for inorganic nanocrystals with a focus on energy and power systems. He has investigated solar fuel generation from water and sunlight using inorganic nanoscale photocatalysts and implementation of nanomaterials into photovoltaics, LEDs, and batteries.

Recently, Townsend was awarded a $100,000 technology product development grant through the Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program. He is currently working with Solar Tech Inc., a Maryland-based startup company, to develop a proof-of-concept process to print low-cost and lightweight solarmodules. When that process is in place, Solar Tech Inc. will be able to produce solar panels faster and at a fraction of the cost of traditional silicon-based photovoltaics.

The Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program promotes the development and commercialization of products and processes through industry/university research partnerships. MIPS provides matching funds to help Maryland companies pay for the university research.

The science and politics of global climate change, join the discussion at St. Mary's College

St. Mary's College Professor of Political Science Michael Cain and noted climatologist Michael Mann from Penn State University lead a discussion on the science and politics of global climate change. "Global Warming is not a Chinese Hoax" is part of the Natural Science & Mathematics Colloquium series. The discussion, free of charge and open to the public, takes place in the Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary's Hall on Tuesday, September 12, at 7 p.m.

Cain has served previously as chair of the political science department of St. Mary's College. Since 2002, he has been a senior technical adviser to the U.S. government on energy development issues working in Bulgaria, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Romania, Tajikistan and Ukraine. Mann has been at the forefront of the science and political battles over climate change since his first article on global climate change was published. He was recently one of the key speakers at the "March for Science" in Washington, D.C.

"Global Warming is not a Chinese Hoax" will begin with short introduction followed by a discussion with the speakers and moderator, and time allotted for questions from the audience. A book signing will immediately follow the event.

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