Electric City Renaissance – Scranton, Pa

Electric Theatre Company’s Zuppa del Giorno will put their unique spin on a Shakespeare classic with “The Very Nearly Perfect Comedy of Romeo and Juliet,” playing Feb. 4-22.

Zuppa del Giorno is Electric Theatre Company’s contemporary American commedia dell’arte troupe. “The Very Nearly Perfect Comedy of Romeo and Juliet” is Zuppa’s eighth production and will feature international actors and directors working with Scranton artists Conor McGuigan, Heather Stuart, and David Zarko, with NEPA actors Pat Brogan, Tila Paris Angley, and Teresa Mastrobuono, and with New York actor David Berent.

“Romeo and Juliet” has rarely been described as a comedy but Zuppa’s take on the story will include transforming the starcrossed lovers into a pair of red-nosed clowns. “It all fits perfectly,” said Electric Theatre artistic director David Zarko, “the play is so based in commedia, it wants to be a comedy right up until the last fatal decision by Romeo. The play is so exciting when it keeps trying to work out right for the lovers. It freshens the story up, makes it new again, gives us a window onto how it must have been to have seen the play for the first time, knowing nothing of the outcome.”

For those who just can’t get enough of the Bard, Electric Theatre Company partners the Marywood University Theatre Program and North Pocono High School will present “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Feb. 20-21 and April 1-3, respectively. The Electric Theatre provides professional training workshops to Marywood and North Pocono students involved in both productions.

For more information on showtimes and prices, visit the Electric Theatre Company site.

First Friday Scranton will take a month off in January. And though there won’t be an art walk on the first Friday in January, the group is planning a First Friday Mixer, instead, on Thursday, Jan. 15, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The first ever First Friday Mixer will be held at the Radisson Lackawanna Hotel with hors d’oevures and a cash bar. It will be a great opportunity to mingle with local artists, art lovers and the downtown businesspeople and organizers that make First Friday possible.

The mixer will feature a special collaborative mural created by Heart to Art for First Friday and sponsored by Marywood University and Keystone College.

Admission is a $5 donation or free with a Friends of First Friday discount card.

Beginning Sunday, our area will play host to delegates from 40 countries across the globe, including the Vatican, for the fifth session of the Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom at the Marywood University. Past sessions have been held in Rome, Brussels, and Washington, D.C.

The conference will be held Nov. 23-25 and will feature international parliamentarians and delegates discussing legislative opportunities to address human rights, sovereignty, security, environmental protection, poverty, and extremism.

Michael Kozak, Senior Director for Democracy, Human Rights and International Organizations, National Security Council, will deliver the keynote address on Sunday. The session topics include “Our Common Nature: Religion and Legislature Protecting the Environment”; “Counterterrorism, Dialogue, and Extremism”; “Keeping the Public Healthy: Obstacles and Necessities in Prioritizing Public Health”; and “Identity, Sovereignty, and Human Rights in a Globalized World.”

The public may attend the conference by registering in advance ($120 for all three days, or $50 a day per person). Limited seating is available. Register Online at www.religionandpolicy.org.

Summer’s nearly over and, with that, students will soon be arriving at our local colleges to begin or continue their higher education. We’ve compiled a list of some online resources new and returning students will need to make the most of campus life in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Today, we’ll focus just on the University of Scranton, Marywood University, Lackawanna College and Keystone College with additional schools to come over the next several days. If you know of any we missed, be sure to comment below.

The University of Scranton

• Campus Map – A good map of the campus is a must for any new student and the University of Scranton’s map shows each building with notes on parking.
• Dining – The U’s Campus Dish provides menus and meal plans as well as the locations where you can pick up food on campus.
• Radio and Newspaper – You can listen to the U’s student-run radio station WUSR or browse The Aquinas, the University of Scranton’s student newspaper.
• Blogs – Get an inside look at what’s going on at the U with their Student Blogs. The Journalism department also maintains a Journalism Blog.
• The Arts – Follow all the latest news on the University of Scranton Players or Sigma Tau Delta’s Mu Omicron Chapter for English and Theatre majors.
• Social – Get social with the U’s MySpace and Facebook pages.

Marywood University

• Campus Map – Marywood’s campus map allows you to take a closer look at any of the buildings on campus with the option of making the map printable – sure to be handy for any incoming freshmen. Marywood also offers a virtual tour of the campus.
• Dining – Along with meal plans and dining locations, the Marywood Dine on Campus site provides nutritional information, tools and links.
• Athletics – Become a super fan and follow all of latest the Pacers’ athletic news.
• Blogs – You can browse through the archives of Marywood’s Student Blogs as you get ready for the new school year and, when classes start, expect many new posts.
• Social – Join Marywood’s MySpace group.

Lackawanna College

• Campus map – Take a virtual tour of several buildings around the Lackawanna College campus.
• Online campus – Lackawanna College’s online campus is another great resource with a calendar of events and important links.
• Newspaper – Check out Off the Vine, Lackawanna College’s student newspaper, to get a feel for what’s going on around campus.

Keystone College

• Campus map – Familiarize yourself with the campus before your first day with a virtual tour of Keystone College.
• Dining – College doesn’t have to be about Ramen noodles and peanut butter; browse the Keystone dining site for meal plans and menus.
• Blogs – You can review the college’s blogs or dig a bit deeper into your interests with the Culinary Arts Blog, Education Blog, Sports Management Blog and Fine Arts Blog.
• RSS – Keep up with Keystone news as it happens when you subscribe to the school’s news feed.
• Social – Join the Keystone College group on MySpace.