ST. BONAVENTURE (May 9) —Sandra Mulryan had her eyes closed backstage and exhaled to finish the last of her breathing exercises. She glanced at her watch. With the remaining five minutes until show time, she thought about uncorrected papers and lesson plans for class and if her husband and six grown children in the audience had eaten dinner. Finally, she rolled onstage in a wheelchair as Mrs. Bramson in Night Must Fall and spoke her first line.
Faculty and staff at St. Bonaventure University who participate in non-classroom activities say they have different reasons as to why they get involved in other activities.
“Being in performances and watching the play evolve is so exciting to me,” Mulryan said. “You learn more about yourself and your abilities with each performance.”
Since 1997, Mulryan, an English lecturer, has performed in more than 15 plays. She said each character she portrays presents a new and exciting persona. For her most recent character, Mrs. Bramson, she had to speak with a British accent.
Mulryan called acting an excellent experience that develops self-confidence. She performs at Shakespeare in the Park in Olean in the summer and at the Olean Theatre Workshop throughout the year.
Patrick Panzarella, associate professor of English, has traveled to more than 100 cities throughout the world.
Panzarella said his traveling began in the 1980s when he became head coach for the St. Bonaventure men’s tennis team. Soon after, he started the women’s tennis team and continued coaching for 21 years. He said the team traveled to Hawaii, the Carolinas and Florida.
Panzarella retired from coaching in 1996 and began to learn to speak Italian, Spanish, French and some German. He studied each language for two years then traveled to Italy, Spain, France and Germany. He traveled to each country several times. In fact, he has been to all 20 regions in Italy at least once.
“I like to watch people and I like to try to learn the languages,” Panzarella said. “I don’t think I’d enjoy it quite as much if I wasn’t trying to do some communication with the people.”
Elise Mora, a Franciscan nun, teaches three Spanish classes a semester and is minister in residence in Francis Hall. A minister in residence resides in a building with students to talk with and advise them in the comfort of their living area.
Although Mora lives miles away from her congregation of sisters in Pittsburgh, Pa., she still meets with them via teleconference to make decisions about life and well-being of the congregation.
Mora has been the director of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults for the past five years. The rite serves as a process through which interested adults are gradually introduced to the Roman Catholic faith and way of life. Mora has helped more than 25 students receive sacraments in the Catholic Church.
“I find a great happiness in preparing young people to receive sacraments—especially the ones being baptized,” Mora said.
Mora said she finds bringing young people into the faith exciting and satisfying.
Larry Sorokes, associate vice president for Franciscan mission, has played piano since he was 15 years old. (As associate vice president, he provides administrative support and leadership in the office of Franciscan Mission.) He played and sang for pay at weddings and now plays for weekly chapel services on campus.
Sorokes has played in several different bands over the years. He admitted he doesn’t play as much as he used to, but wants to get into it a little more.
“I play mostly because it’s therapeutic and relaxing,” Sorokes said. “It kind of takes me out of anything that seems to be stressing me at the time.”
Leslie Sabina, professor of music, said he becomes a better professor with each gig he performs.
“I think to be a decent teacher I better know what I’m talking about. I have to know how to do a gig if I teach about one,” Sabina said.
Sabina plays the tenor, soprano and alto saxophone, along with electric bass guitar. He has played gigs throughout the area from the Hickey Tavern in Allegany to Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo.
Sabina has composed and published more than 50 internationally distributed big-band and saxophone quartet works. He said he started composing at age 7.
“I think the best thing about composing is when you hear it being performed by other musicians,” Sabina said. “That’s the best—when it comes off the paper and becomes the actual music.”
This passion Sabina said he has for music echoes Mulryan’s passion for life in general.
“I’m interested in people, interested in the world,” Mulryan said. “Maybe I’m still like a little kid in my curiosity.”
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