CINESTELA

A spectacle of talents from the School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts (STELA)
premiered in the Prince Bernhard Gym forming a spectacular show called Cinestela. A once-
in-a-lifetime dynamic of The Greatest Showman, Star Wars, Rio, Trolls, Beauty and the Beast,
and Mamma Mia by the instructors and teachers of the various departments in STELA. It was
an ensemble of performances of singing, dancing, and acting collaborated to foster a show
for the students and teachers to enjoy.
The departments gave their best seen from the costume designs and makeup alone.
The show was relatable to me as it followed through with the theme of uniting as one from the
songs of hope, the determination of the body and spirit, up to the picket signs reminding us
of our finals requirements as students. It was entertaining and delightful to watch my general
education instructors as they performed on stage. From the instrumental music provided by
my Theology teachers to the death-defying stunts of my Physical Education teachers.
Right after the show, I felt happy and fortunate to have such amazing teachers who
have the heart and spirit to do their best not just inside the classroom. They reminded me
again that anything is possible when you put your mind and time into it. Aside from doing their
usual lesson plans and requirements, they allotted their time to practice for the show as their
performance during that afternoon is enough evidence for that. My experience with the show
was good. It was fun, exciting, and surprising to see my teachers and instructors out of their
element once in a while as I cheered and applauded whenever I saw someone familiar on-
stage.
In a technical manner, regarding the presentation all by itself, these are the things I
noticed that can improve next time. Although I can understand that there could be errors with
the audio cues, the parts involving acting scenes would have been better with the actual
voices of the characters. The stunt and actions scenes could have had coordinated properly
with the flying rope tricks. The videos presented during intermissions should have had
subtitles as the audience at the back of the hall couldn’t hear it properly. Finally, the smoke
effects sometimes covered the stage too much that the audiences at the left and right of the
stage couldn’t see what was happening. The show was great with the performances
nonetheless, it just had a few technical problems which I presume was fixed for the last show
that evening.
Cinestela for me highlights that we are all human. We all are unique, we all have our
troubles, and we all have responsibilities to fulfill. It’s fine to have fun once in a while and that
we don’t have to be serious all the time. It emphasizes for me we are all working towards
something in our lives. Everyone has their own problems, and these problems expand our
interactions and adaptability. I am reminded again that anything is possible even with our
individual limitations.