The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

Patrick Houle

Houle can’t wait to grease up Dibden

Chelsea Bingham, Staff Writer February 18, 2015

An iconic American musical, Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s "Grease" will be performed on the Dibden stage April 22-24. Directing the play will be Patrick Houle, JSC alumnus and part-time professor of...

Brown and Senesac in a moment of passion

“Amadeus” keeps the wolf gang of sudden complications at bay

Kayla Friedrich May 8, 2014

A crowd of 48 people filed into Dibden Center for the Arts on Friday, April 25, to witness an interesting rendition of Amadeus, a play by Peter Schaffer, directed by Patrick Houle. Two of the 48 people...

A dancer in the midst of Double Vision

Double Vision at JSC requires a double take

Thomas Benton March 27, 2014

Absurdist ballet: that’s the best description of Double Vision’s Mar. 19 performance at Johnson State College. Double Vision was co-created by intermedia artist Sean Clute and choreographer Pauline...

The Expose poster

Students expose the NSA, on-stage

Kayla Friedrich March 15, 2014

Torture, murder, and suicide were brought to the Dibden stage Thursday, March 6, with JSC Alum and Burlington playwright Eric Hill’s one act, “Exposé in the NSA.” Hill established his production...

Chris Austin, a.k.a. Aurora Rosay, in action.

Talent show showcases FUN, “Dancing” and fathers

Lindsay Brown December 10, 2013

Eleven students showcased their talents in the Bentley Auditorium on Wednesday Nov. 20 to a meager crowd of about 20 students and faculty. The show was sponsored by Living for Giving and the JSC Chorale...

A moment from the Broadway revival of Pippin

Fall musical “Pippin” wonders: Better to burn out than fade away?

Tom Benton September 11, 2013

Kurt Cobain suggested new adjunct theater professor Patrick Houle should make JSC’s fall musical "Pippin." "I was listening to Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ album and I thought of the line in Kurt Cobain’s...

“Into the Woods” fills seats and enchants the people in them

“Into the Woods” fills seats and enchants the people in them

Anna Maria Liccione May 3, 2013

“I’m in the wrong story,” the Baker’s Wife (Kate Kendall) said to Prince Charming (Marcus Provost) after an illicit tryst in the woods. Throughout this fractured fairy tale, things that seem out...

“Into the Woods” almost on to the stage

“Into the Woods” almost on to the stage

Anna Maria Liccione April 18, 2013

Once upon a time... they lived happily ever after. Fairy tales should always have a happy ending, right? Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods will try to answer that question as Russ Longtin directs...

Local “Vagina Monologues” coming soon

Liz Beatty-Owens April 18, 2013

"My vagina is angry!" Several passing college boys snicker, as they peek over their shoulders to see why such an outrageous statement is being screamed from Dewey 132 at 8p.m. on a Friday night. Their...

Victoria Doughty and Jonathan Howard

“The American Dream,” Dibden’s best since Shakespeare

Thomas Benton March 28, 2013

Only one thing reeked about the Mar. 22 performance of Edward Albee’s "The American Dream": audience members’ pants, half of which were promptly filled at the gargantuan volume of the doorbell sound...

Dakotah Senesec and Jonathan Howard rehearse “The American Dream”

Thompson brings “American Dream” to Dibden

Anna Maria Liccione March 14, 2013

Graduating Senior Liz Thompson will be directing fellow students in a production of "The American Dream," for her senior project, a one-act play written by three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning Edward Albee. In...

The Exit 12 Dance Company performance in Dibden on Mar. 7

Roman Baca: Ballet with bullets

Kassandra Cousineau March 14, 2013

"He has a gun!" A man dressed in military fatigues stalks an imaginary enemy down the stairs through the audience. He holds an M16 against his shoulder, finger on the trigger, ready to jerk it backwards....

One-woman “Secret Life” sweet as honey

One-woman “Secret Life” sweet as honey

Lindsay Brown March 14, 2013

A spotlight shone center stage, illuminating a empty stool. A timid woman portraying a young girl entered stage right. Students packed the Dibden Center for the Artson Wednesday Feb. 20 to see a one-woman...

Temptations abound in “Learned Ladies”

Temptations abound in “Learned Ladies”

Anna Maria Liccione February 22, 2013

“The Learned Ladies” by Moliere kept audiences laughing over the weekend of February 14. This 1672 play, directed by Christopher Colt,  examines the dichotomy between the attractions of the mind and...

Taiko drumming: the new Zumba

Taiko drumming: the new Zumba

Lindsay Brown February 7, 2013

On Thursday Jan. 24 the Burlington Taiko Group took to the Dibden Stage with their stomach-rumbling and propulsive sounds. Taiko, meaning "big drum" in Japanese has been practiced in the culture through...

Hypno Lorenzo puts his audience to sleep

Hypno Lorenzo puts his audience to sleep

Kayla Friedrich February 7, 2013

The sound of birds trickled from the sound system making imagination come alive in Bentley 207 as each volunteer picked up their long-lost favorite animal, and searched their minds for the perfect name....

Fall Dance Club performance shines, when it ain’t rainin’

Fall Dance Club performance shines, when it ain’t rainin’

Tom Benton December 6, 2012

This semester’s JSC Dance Club performance was Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. It was also a big step up from last semester’s dance show (though Liz Beatty-Owens’ miraculous Earth, Wind & Fire hula-hooping...

Longtin to bring Kesselmans Anne Frank to Dibden

Longtin to bring Kesselman’s Anne Frank to Dibden

Donny Eaton September 7, 2012

The Nazis. The Gestapo. The Holocaust. The sheer terror of a young woman’s first period. Two families crammed into one attic for two years. The irrepressible will of an adolescent’s first love. The...

“Spring Awakening” exposes the angst of growing up

“Spring Awakening” exposes the angst of growing up

Anna Maria Liccione May 3, 2012

From April 18-21, Dibden audiences were treated to an eight-time Tony-winning musical, “Spring Awakening,” directed by Professor of Fine and Performing Arts Russ Longtin, and musical direction by Assistant...

“Spring Awakening” from Broadway to Dibden

“Spring Awakening” from Broadway to Dibden

Anna Maria Liccione April 12, 2012

From April 18-21, “Spring Awakening” will be at Dibden Center for the Arts. It is a rock musical adapted from an 1892 play originally written by German Frank Wedekind. It was adapted into a musical...

“Two Rooms,” one strong performance

“Two Rooms,” one strong performance

Anna Maria Liccione, Arts and Entertainment Editor/Senior Copy Editor March 22, 2012

The cast of “Two Rooms” delivered a powerful performance Saturday, March 17, bringing members of the audience to tears at the end. This senior project was directed by Taryn Glasser. This project, over...

Students bring “Two Rooms” to Dibden

Students bring “Two Rooms” to Dibden

Anna Maria Liccione, Arts and Entertainment Editor/Senior Copy Editor March 8, 2012

“Two Rooms,” a senior project shared by Performing Arts majors Claire Demarais and Taryn Glasser, will be performed in Dibden Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, March 17.“Two Rooms” gets...

Viver Brasil tells stories through dance

Viver Brasil tells stories through dance

Anna Maria Liccione, Arts and Entertainment Editor/Senior Copy Editor March 8, 2012

On Feb. 13, Viver Brasil Dance Company appeared on Dibden’s stage during their Feet on the Ground tour. With eight dancers and seven musicians, this explosive Creative Audience performance brought the...

“Slave Girl” makes fantasy real

Whitney Nellé, Contributor March 8, 2012

Have you ever wanted to have a conversation with a slave from the 1800s? That fantasy became a reality Wednesday, Feb. 29 for those who attended The American Place Theatre’s Literature to Life presentation...

“August: Osage County” fabulous tragicomedy

Anna Maria Liccione, Staff Reporter February 16, 2012

“Life is very long,” says Beverly Weston, the alcoholic patriarch of the Weston family. This quote from “The Hollow Men,” T.S. Eliot’s 1925 poem, opened the show, and the poem is a continual...

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