West Virginia Division of Culture and History to present Marshall University Musical Theater Performance on Nov. 18 

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History will continue this season’s Collegiate Series with a musical theater performance by Marshall University students entitled “An Evening of Songs & Scenes” on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. The program will take place in the Norman L. Fagan West Virginia State Theater at the Cultural Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. The Collegiate Series is free and the public is invited to attend.

“An Evening of Songs & Scenes” is directed by Beth McVey and features Bruce S. Rous on piano. McVey is bringing 12 music and theater students who will perform 13 numbers including such favorites as “Somewhere That’s Green” from Little Shop of Horrors; “Gypsy in Me” from Anything Goes; and “I Wanna Go Home” from Big, among others.

McVey attended Marshall University and the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and enjoyed a successful 28-year career performing and starring in numerous shows on Broadway and across the country. Her Broadway credits include 42nd Street, Annie, Nine, Phantom and Beauty and the Beast. She also has had starring roles in four national tours including Lend Me a Tenor, Guys and Dolls, Urinetown and Copa Cabana.

McVey has received several awards in her career including Miss West Virginia in the 1973 Miss America Pageant; finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, nominated as Best Actress in a Touring Musical by the American Theatre awards in 2001 and she was honored as a Graduate of Distinction by the Education Alliance of West Virginia in 2001. In June of 2004, McVey moved back to Huntington and is currently teaching, directing, serving as executive director of ARTS and serving on the executive board of the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center. Recently she was honored as the Marshall Distinguished Alumni for 2008 and is serving as an honorary professor for the fine arts department at Marshall this year.

Rous has a diverse background in music and theater. He has worked on more than 50 regional productions, the ABC-TV pilot “Where’s the Party?” and was pianist for The Improv comedy club in New York City. His Broadway and off-Broadway credits include She Loves Me, Peter Pan, Grease, and Nunsense Amen. Rous has been on national tours with The Sound of Music, Cats, Guys and Dolls and Peter Pan.

In addition to his theater credits, Rous has served as coach, teacher or musical director at New York University, Sarah Lawrence College, Manhattan College and American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Currently he is an adjunct professor at Marshall University.

For more information about “An Evening of Songs & Scenes,” call (304) 558-0162 in the evenings or Jacqueline Proctor, deputy commissioner for the Division, at (304) 558-0220.

The Collegiate Series will continue on Tuesday, Nov. 25, with a piano recital by John Mark Walkup, an associate professor of music and chairman of humanities, education and social sciences at New River Community and Technical College. The series consists of performances and lectures by students and faculty from colleges and universities across the state. First Lady Gayle Manchin hosts the program.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

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