Sundiata
The Legendary "Lion" King of Mali

Presented by

The PSUGA Players & Penn State Greater Allegheny

Directed By

Dr. Jay Breckenridge & Coni Ciongoli Koepfinger MA

With special guest artist

Temujin Ekunfeo

The Story
Sundiata is based on the true story from 13th century Africa of the rise to power of crippled son of King Fatta & Queen Sogolon in the Kingdom of Mali. With his strength and courage he united the land and conquered the Kingdom of Sosso and its king Sumanguru.
The Production Ensemble
Special Guest Artist
Temujin Ekunfeo, Temujin The Storyteller - Our special guest artist, has been performing throughout the country since 1968. His list of talents includes lecturer, workshop developer, musician & instrument maker. As both a scholar & performer of African culture Temujin feels a strong commitment to researching African Folklore from the Americas as well as from the continent of Africa & shares it by means of family oriented, audience participatory storytelling programs & experiential "Playshops" for youth & adults. All of this is done in the ancient tradition of the "Itinerate African Bard" hailing crowds with his talking drum. Special thanks for his costumes & drums that he supplied for our production.
Muge Atkin - Sogolon/Nana/ Soothsyaer - Was born in Turkey and is an Applied Psychology major at PSUMK. She loves playing soccer and working with children and plans to become a criminal lawyer.
Greg Cyprych - King Nare/ Stage Manager - Is a HPA major at PSUMK & is helping the ensemble & crew stay focused.
Andrew Fletcher - King Nare - Is a sophomore at PSUMK majoring in businees marketing. He also enjoys basketball and socializing with his friends. (Do to circumstances, Andrew was unable to perform in the production.)
Ryan Goer - King Sumanguru/Witch - Is a sophomore at PSUMK majoring in sports medicine and hails from Dallas, Texas.
Cornelius Henke - Griot - Is a film major at PSUMK who is currently working with local charities & production companies in addition, his fine storytelling has helped to make this production a huge success.
Dashon Howard - King Mensa/guard/heckler- Is an IST major at PSUMK who was born in Detroit. Dashon is very well versed in computers & continues to stay at thew forefront of today's high-tech world. Most of Dashon's previous credits include behind-the-scenes work, including a variety of multimedia presentations & technical constructions in sight & sound. Making his second appearance on the PSU stage, Dashon is happy to share his talents with us.
Rich Kirsch - Balla Fasseke/stranger - Is a fourth year IST student with a business minor. After graduating, Rich will be pursuing a career in the IT field.

Leah Pelkey - Sassuma/Dankaran (child)/soothsayer - Is a sophomore at PSUMK majoring in Secondary English Education. Besides Theater 208H, Leah participates in Lion Ambassadors & ACE, plays for the fastpitch softball team & writes foe ABSENCE. She holds down two babysitting jobs, loves reading novels & venturing into the great outdoors. Leah shouts out a special, thanks for everything Mom, Dad, Eric & Chris - I love you!

Jeff Reed - Hunter/Dankaran (adult)/witch/heckler/King - Is a Communications major at PSUMK who enjoys theater & is helping to make this production a success.

Husani Tompson - Sundiata/stranger - Is from Pittsburgh & a sophomore at PSUMK. He is a corporate Communication major with a minor in Marketing. AT 19 he thoroughly enjoys theater classes & has quite a gift for understanding the work on & off the stage.

William Westerlund - Griot (Madu) - Is currently a senior at PSUMK who plans to graduate in the spring of 2007. When not sharing his exquisite art of storytelling with today's audience, William studies IST.

Lighting:

Richard Lancaster - Is an athlete from Washington, D.C. that plays basketball & baseball for PSUMK. He is a sophomore majoring in Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Management. Rich enjoys creating his own vibe behind-the-scenes as our lighting designer.

Sound:

Bing Lin - Is originally from China & is a sophomore at PSUMK majoring in computer engineering. Bing is having fun with his computer as our sound designer.

Set & prop design:

Joel Cuban - Is an adult student & senior at PSUMK majoring in IST who has over the years enjoyed both watching & working in theater. Sharing his talents as our set and prop designer, his masks and original designs area special asset to the show's ambiance.

Producing Directors:

Dr. Jay Breckenridge, Ph.D.- Is an Associate Professor of Theater Arts at PSUMK. In his other life, he can be found juggling, storytelling & wandering around on stilts. He also works with the Heritage Players Community Theater in Bethel Park, PA where he serves on the board as technical Director.

Coni Ciongoli Koepfinger, MA - Teaches English & Theater at PSUMK, Duquesne University, Carlow University & Point Park. Her plays & poems have been performed all over the globe, including a recent win at the Bay Area Festival, an opera at Hoxton Hall in London & a children's musical in New York. Her research includes, Teacher's Pet, a novel that explores a revision of pedagogy for teaching composition.

Special Thanks

Barry Shields - Scenic Artist - Whose exhibitions include his plain air style paintings at various local commercial art galleries, the Carnegie, the Westmoreland Museum & the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.


Web Design & Photos by Joel Cuban

Copyright 2006