The Arts

Bethel Welcomes Guest Director Clarence Gilyard
For six weeks this fall, Clarence Gilyard, best known for his roles on “Matlock,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Die Hard” and “Top Gun,” relocated his family to campus to guest direct “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Gilyard first learned about Bethel when he met Richard Young, theatre department chair, atthe Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival – Region 3 in January of 2013. “We are honored to have Clarence Gilyard on our campus this fall, giving our students the opportunity to connect with and learn from a nationally respected professional in their field,” says Don Hunter ’06, production manager. “Providing this type of experience to our theatre students is an essential part of their Bethel education.”

Dessert Theatre Becomes Dinner and a Show
For the first time, Bethel offered a dinner theatre option for their summer show, which has traditionally been a dessert theatre. “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” which ran May 31 and June 1, told the story of an average day in the life of the famous comic strip hero and his friends. Charlie was portrayed by Aaron Denlinger ’12. Other cast members included Katie Zook ’13 as Sally, Becki Visker ’13 as Lucy, Tim Becze ’15 as Snoopy, Jimmy Bennett ’15 as Schroeder and Zac Nelson ’15 as Linus.