Ned Donovan - Ithaca ‘12

Hey everyone,

Last April I took a bartending course through a Portland Maine based company called the University Bartending program.  They are a subcompany of the dogfish company (http://www.thedogfishcompany.com/) and they send a team around to different states every year to give classes to various cities.  They are coming to Ithaca at the end of april!  So if anyone is interested in taking their course, I will give you the information here.

The University Bartending program will be giving a class at the Holiday Inn in Ithaca’s downtown.  The will be there April 24-26.  The class lasts the whole weekend, at the end of which you will be well trained in the skill of bartending, as well as given a letter of recommendation.  The class being offered is what’s known as a “weekend Professional” class.  The class description from their website is as follows:

Description: The Professional Course is designed for the student who is interested in working as a bartender after completing the course. In theProfessional Course, students are trained in all aspects of professional bartending. Students in the Professional Course learn “hands on” during extensive pouring lab sessions.

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to share with you a review written about our production of “A New Brain” here at Ithaca College.  It’s a great review, and you still have tonight, tomorrow, and two shows on saturday.  www.ithaca.edu/theatre for more information.

Here’s the review.

~Ned Donovan

Hey everyone,

I was procrastinating doing my homework and I wanted to find some solo songs from obscure musicals which I could use for auditions.  This led me to google “Musical Theatre Audition Songs from Obscure Shows”.  One of the things to come up was a blog written by Chris Caggiano, who is a professor at the Boston Conservatory.  He asked his students to write papers defending choices as to what is the most Underrated Musical of all time.  Their answers were widely varied, which is interesting, and with the exception of a couple shows that truly don’t make sense (Wicked, The Last Five Years, Spelling Bee) all of which have great acclaim, and have either been successful in professional production, or in being listened to and appreciated by most theatre people.  Their other answers were: Bat Boy, Scarlet Pimpernel, and Children of Eden, among others.  His blog can be read here.

City of Angels Playbill

It got me thinking about this question, as it is something which we talk about frequently here at IC.  Shows and songs are thrown around talking about what should be appreciated more.  Many people bring up Mack and Mabel, Title of Show, and others.

Hey everyone,

my brother sent this to me, this is written by a friend of his.  He has a followup post in her honor on his own page.
Read and enjoy, it’s funny, and kind of touching in a way…it’s also completely false (my brother has not disappeared off the face of the planet…I talked to him earlier today)

http://13brokenpencils.blogspot.com/2009/01/did-you-know-him.html

Much love to everyone,
~Ned Donovan

Hey everyone,

This is a post specifically designed for my musically inclined friends who play instruments.  I just stumbled across this on youtube, and I think it’s worth posting.  I do not play any instrument well enough to be considered for this, but this is an amazing opportunity I don’t think you all should pass up.  To my friends from home who play instruments, to my buddies here in the Ithaca College School of Music.  Whatever it is you play, you should try this out.  I would love to be able to tell everyone that I know someone who did this.  Anyways watch this video, and you can read more about it http://www.youtube.com/symphony.

~Ned Donovan