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Actors perform Pride and Prejudice in the Pardoe Theater on March 16, 2022. Lead actor Langi Tuifua said hearing the laughter and cheers from the crowd is one of his favorite parts of performing. (Sicily Stanton)

BYU Arts is performing an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice written for the stage by Kate Hamill. The show will run from March 11 to April 1 in the Pardoe Theater.

Pride and Prejudice will be the last show performed in the Pardoe Theater before the department relocates to Provo High School. The Pardoe Theater holds many memories for staff members, locals and students according to Jenna Adams, assistant director of the production.

Preparation for this performance began almost a year ago. Freja Jorgensen, a BYU senior majoring in acting, heard about the plans for this production last May and decided she would audition.

Auditions were held months later in October. On Halloween morning, Jorgensen found out she had been cast in the lead role portraying Elizabeth Bennet. Langi Tuifua, a BYU senior and acting major, also received the news that morning that he would be playing her love interest, Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Rehearsals began in January at the start of the new semester. Jorgensen said actors not only had to begin memorizing lines and blocking but were also expected to participate in a dramaturgy bootcamp about the study of stage dramas.

We had a tea party in character, there was a day where we just learned a bunch of different things an accomplished woman wouldve known back then. We had a PowerPoint night, Jorgensen said.It was all super fun!

Tuifua said theater has been a rediscovered passion of his. He participated in one play as a child and then decided to pursue football instead. When a serious injury interrupted his college football career at BYU, he figured he might as well try theater again.

I just started going through the program and fell in love with it all so now Im doing all forms of acting, Tuifua said.

Caleb Andrus, a BYU senior majoring in theater arts studies, started his time at BYU pursuing acting. Over time he felt more drawn to the directing side of theater production. He was selected to be an assistant director to Stephanie Breinholt, the director, as they worked to put her vision for Pride and Prejudice onstage.

I really admired how particular Stephanie was about things, Andrus said. It was so obvious what she wanted with the costumes, the lighting and the set; it was all so detailed.

The play is an adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice and offers an added sense of comedy and modernism, Jorgensen said. She also pointed out its relatability to the pressures of dating and courtship that BYU students face.

Its hysterical and relatable to the modern audience in the motifs and tropes that it uses, Jorgensen said. I think something that our university community can learn from Pride and Prejudice is that things are never as black-and-white as they seem and people are more good than we give them credit for.

Tuifua agreed with how the play relates to the BYU dating world but also wanted to add his own dating advice for BYU students.

I think every guy, if you bring a girl to this as a date they will probably love you forever, so bring a date, Tuifua said.

More information about the production of Pride and Prejudice and how to buy tickets can be found on the BYU Arts website.

Read more:
'Pride and Prejudice' production marks final show in Pardoe Theater - The Daily Universe - Universe.byu.edu

To have your Easter event added to this list, send information in writing as soon as possible to Carol Pinto-Smith at Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084; or e-mail cpinto-smith@triblive.com; or fax 724-226-4677. Please note if registrations are required and if the event is open to the public.

Bell

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, 8 to 11 a.m. April 16 at the Bell Township Volunteer Department, 201 Main St., Salina. There will be kids games, crafts and egg decorating. Cost: $10, age 13 and older; 3 to 12, $5; and 2 and younger, free.

Brackenridge

Free Easter celebration, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 16 at Generations House of Worship, 1160 Parkside Drive. There will be photos with the Easter Bunny, a trunk-or-treat for children up to age 11, a scavenger hunt for children 12 to 18, face painting, magic show, bounce houses, silent auction, food trucks and 50/50 raffle. Reservations required. Reservations: Eventbrite.com or Generations House of Worship on Facebook.

Free egg hunt, 11 a.m. April 11 in Brackenridge Park, First Avenue. Sponsored by Harvest Church in Harrison. Bring a basket or bag. Public welcome.

East Deer

The Easter Bunny will ride through the township with the firemen from 9 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. April 9. Schedule: 9 a.m., Juniors, Freeport Road; 9:20 a.m., Upper Marion Street; 9:40 a.m., Lower Marion Street; 10 a.m., Fire Pro and Freeport Road; 10:20 a.m., Murray Hill Estates, Old Murray Hill and Yost Drive; 10:40 a.m., Meadow Street; 11 a.m., Front Street; 11:20 a.m., Parsonage Street; 11:40 a.m., Bailies Run and Days Run intersection; noon, West Ninth and Crystal View Drive; 12:20 p.m., Grecos; and 12:40 p.m., Bellview Street by the municipal building.

Fawn

Free Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, 10 a.m. to noon April 9 at Center United Methodist Church, 1575 Donnellville Road. There will be a pancake breakfast, egg hunt, games, crafts and pictures with the Easter Bunny. Details: 724-226-2300 or autumnturk@me.com.

Kiski Township

Free egg hunt, noon April 2 at Apollo-Ridge High School, 1831 Route 56. Children will be separated into age groups. Sponsored by Kiski Township Fire Department.

Lower Burrell

Free egg hunt, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 9 at Flyers Field, Route 56. Sponsored by Lower Burrell Flyers. There will be photographs with the Easter Bunny, a basket raffle and concessions. Reservations required by April 2. Reservations: visit Lower Burrell Flyers on Facebook.

New Kensington

Hop Down the Bunny Trail, noon to 3 p.m. April 9 in downtown New Kensington. Get a map at Voodoo Brewery, 956 Fifth Ave., and follow the bunny tracks down the trail. Paint eggs, read stories and enjoy goodies at the businesses. An egg hunt will be at the end of the trail. Children 12 and younger welcome.

Springdale

Easter tea party for children in prekindergarten through sixth grade, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 2 at Springdale Free Public Library, 331 School St. Reservations required. Reservations: 724-274-9729.

Tarentum

Community Easter party, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 2 at First United Presbyterian Church, 913 Lock St. Free egg hunt, crafts, food and pictures with the Easter Bunny.

Upper Burrell

Free egg hunt, 1 to 3 p.m. April 9 at the municipal building, 3735 Seventh St. Road. Free pictures with the Easter Bunny. Township children age 1 to 12 welcome. Reservations required by April 1. Reservations: 724-335-3517.

Vandergrift

Free egg hunt, 1 p.m. April 9 in Kennedy Park for children toddlers who can walk without assistance through age 10. Rain or shine. Check-in is at 12:45 p.m. at the gazebo. Children will be separated into age groups. Sponsored by Vandergrift Public Library and Uncapher, Uncapher and Fox Attorneys. Studecakers Cupcake Trailer will be onsite and there will opportunities for photos with the Easter Bunny. Bring a basket or bag. Reservations required. Reservations: 724-568-2212 or vanessa.groholski@winonline.org.

Washington Township

Egg hunt, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 9 at Union Presbyterian Church, 656 Route 380. Bring a basket.

West Deer

Drive-thru Easter Bunny breakfast, 9 to 11 a.m. April 2 at East Union Presbyterian Church, 292 East Union Road. There will be stops in the parking lot for children to receive a craft, coloring book and treat bag. Donations will be accepted the support church ministries.

West Kittanning

Free egg hunt, 1 p.m. April 9 at Harvest Church, 143 Reed St. There will be face painting, egg decorating and egg bowling for parents with children age 3 through sixth grade. Bring a basket or bag. Non-perishable food items will be collected for the local food bank. Reservations required. Reservations: under the events tab at Harvestpa.org.

Winfield

Free egg hunt, April 9 in Winfield Community Park. Children 12 and younger from all areas welcome. Gates open at 10 a.m. Children will be divided into age groups. There will be prizes, a petting zoo, face painting, food trucks and vendors. Rain date: April 10. Non-perishable food will be collected for the Cabot United Methodist Church Food Pantry. Sponsored by Cabot Crusaders and Saxonburg Area Business Association.

Read more here:
Easter events in the Allegheny-Kiski Valley - TribLIVE

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Best New Online Slots of the Week | March 18, 2022 - VegasSlotsOnline

TRIPOLI-

The pressure exerted by Russia to appoint a new UN envoy to Libya to succeed Jan Kubis could signal the start of the countdown for the end of mission of the UN Secretary-General special advisor, Stephanie Williams, in Libya.

Williams, who has been acting since last November as the de facto UN envoy to Libya, has not pulled off any notable achievements since her return to the Libyan scene in her new capacity, last November.

In particular, she was unable to ensure the holding of elections on their scheduled date of December 24, hence disappointing most Libya stakeholders who had counted on her ability to pressure the various protagonists into making needed compromises, using her knowledge of the Libyan scene to deliver effective results on the ground.

Despite her insistence on the importance of the elections for ending Libyas continued crisis, the December vote was eventually cancelled, which punctured the halo around the Iron Lady, as Williams was at times called in diplomatic circles.

The high expectations stemmed from her long experience as US charg d'affaires in Tripoli and later as the deputy of former UN envoy Ghassan Salame.

Some Libyans have even blamed her for the electoral fiasco, although the reasons for that impasse are much more complex.

After the aborted vote, Williams was unable to prevent the emergence of a new political divide in the country. The recent elections and constitutional initiatives, which she launched after parliament gave a vote of confidence to the new Fathi Bashagha government, have added to the confusion, as her proposals did not elicit enough interest among political players, especially in the eastern region.

The Security Council is supposed to extend the United Nations political mission in Libya by the end of April, a deadline that coincides with the expiry of Stephanie Williams mandate, which could theoretically be extended. However, Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, has stressed the need to appoint a new UN envoy "as soon as possible."

Since the resignation of Slovak diplomat Jan Kubis in November, no UN envoy to Libya has been appointed. A diplomatic source told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that the African Union will propose to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the appointment of an African envoy.

The same source added that this proposal has the support of Russia and China in the UN Security Council. It is assumed that Guterres will receive the names of a number of personalities from which he will pick a nominee whom he will submit to the Security Council.

The demand for an African envoy representing the UN in Libya is not new. In 2020, Africa nominated Algerian and Ghanaian candidates, one after another, but the two proposals were rejected by the United States.

A government formed by former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha and supported by the House of Representatives in the east is competing with the outgoing government headed by Abdulhamid Dbeibah, who refuses to step down, although the political agreement which had brought his government to power, stipulates that his term expired on December 24.

On Wednesday, Williams called on the Libyan House of Representatives to "respond quickly and positively" to her proposal to form a joint committee with the State Council (an advisory body) in order to set a constitutional basis that would lead to elections as soon as possible.

Last Friday, Williams had announced, in a series of tweets, an initiative that provides for the formation of a joint committee consisting of six representatives from both the House of Representatives and the State Council, which would have met on March 15 for a period of two weeks, under the auspices of the United Nations, to set a constitutional basis that leads the country to elections.

The joint committee was scheduled to meet on Tuesday to start its work but the House of Representatives has not yet named its representatives, nor has it officially announced its position on the initiative itself, except for a statement put out a week ago by 93 members who rejected the Williams plan.

Analysts says the timeframe attached to the initiative was not realistic given the deep differences still separating the House of Representatives and the State Council.

Both the United States and the UN special envoy to Libya seem to fear that in the near future Libyas eastern region tribes could carry on their threats to shut down the oil fields again, in support of the Bashagha government .

US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, proposed Thursday a new mechanism to manage oil revenues in order to help the country avoid economic fallouts from the political crisis.

The rival factions have feuded for years over control of oil production, sales and revenue, fuelling the political chaos and violence that has gripped Libya since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising.

Read more:
Russian pressure on UN to appoint new envoy in Libya could signal end of Williams' mandate | | AW - The Arab Weekly

A boat carrying about two dozen migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya on Saturday, with at least 19 people missing and presumed dead, authorities said.

Libyas coastguard said that a group of 23 migrants Egyptians and Syrians set off from the eastern city of Tobruk earlier in the day. Three migrants were rescued and taken to hospital. Only one body was retrieved and search efforts were continuing, the agency said.

The shipwreck is the latest tragedy at sea involving migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean from the north African nation in a desperate attempt to reach European shores. Libya has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East, hoping for a better life in Europe.

Human traffickers in recent years have benefited from the chaos in Libya, smuggling in migrants across the oil-rich countrys lengthy borders with six nations. The migrants are then packed into ill-equipped rubber boats and set off on risky sea voyages.

At least 192 migrants drowned along the Central Mediterranean route in the first two months of 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. More than 2,930 were intercepted and taken back to Libya. Once back, the migrants are typically taken to government-run detention centres rife with abuse and ill-treatment.

In 2021, at least 32,425 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya. At least 1,553 are presumed to have drowned last year, according to IOM.

Read the original:
At least 19 migrants missing after boat capsizes off coast of Libya - The Guardian