Encore Summer 2025 Newsletter fostering and encouraging alumni engagement in performance arts and live entertainment for all elizabethtown college blue jays

The Bard is back on Campus

A new kind of story took Elizabethtown College by storm this past spring with the performances of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which hit the Tempest Theater in mid-March. The legendary play was brought to life once again by director Griffin Yeyna and student director Madison Stewart.

Despite being a story over 400 years old, Midsummer was extremely popular on campus, closing its run with a sold-out Tempest Theatre!

The story, penned by William Shakespeare in 1595, intertwines the stories of four young Athenian lovers, a group of amateur actors, and a fairy kingdom, all converging in a moonlit forest near Athens. The play explores themes of love, illusion, and the power of dreams, often with humorous and chaotic results.

Inaugural Encore Intensive Weekend

Earlier this year, Encore welcomed many talented alumni back to campus to participate in our first Encore Intensive! It was a weekend filled with classes, shows, and plenty of camaraderie!

The weekend kicked off on Friday, February 14th with classes ranging from Self Producing to Scenic Design, and everything in between! The day of events was wrapped up with a friendly design competition that consisted of reimagining popular musicals & plays. The evening was topped-off with a viewing of the One Act Festival that was sponsored by Sock & Buskin.

After a first day that would be tough to beat, the second day of classes began with a great class by Alumni Tim Finlan, '92 that looked at how theatre experiences could be utilized in professional presentations. The day rounded out with many other classes and discussions, and as has become the tradition, the weekend wrapped up with a group dinner at Twisted Bine.

We are excited to make this a yearly event, and we are just starting the planning for the 2026 Encore Intensive. If you would like to participate as an instructor, attend classes, or have ideas for discussions you would like to see, please fill out the form below. Keep an eye out for more information in early 2026, and we hope to see you back on campus for this great event!

Encore Summer Service Day

Current students and alumni came together in July to help prepare the theatre spaces for the return of students this fall. The projects ranged from painting to costume shop organization. There was fun for all!!

Some ongoing projects, like repainting the Emotion Costume Storage, and touch-up of the box office were checked off the list. One big project to share is a whole new organization to the tool room, which has remained unchanged for at least 25 years!!

Thanks to all who joined us, and we are looking forward to another volunteer day to wrap up Homecoming weekend on October 5th. We hope to see you there!

Alpha Psi Omega, Sigma Phi Chapter Inductions

Etown recently welcomed its newest inductees into Alpha Psi Omega. As the sole national theatre honor society, APO's mission is to encourage and recognize excellence in theatre production throughout a student's academic journey.

Alpha Psi Omega was founded in 1925 and strives to recognize and honor exceptional achievement and dedication in the theatre arts. As a national theatre honor society, their purpose is to foster a thriving community of passionate theatre practitioners and scholars, promoting creativity, collaboration, and leadership within collegiate theatre programs. Through the network of casts, they aim to inspire lifelong engagement with the dramatic arts and encourage the highest standards of excellence in theatrical performance, production, and education.

Congratulations to the newest members of the Sigma Phi Chapter of Alpha Psi Omega. Seek a life useful.