When a detective walks into a theatre for a murder investigation, the last thing you would expect him to do is to have a hand in improving the play. So is the story of “Curtains,” a play-within-a-play musical produced by the Musical Theatre Club.

It all begins when the “late, if less than great” Jessica Cranshaw (played by Juliet Schick) dies after her final performance as Madame Marian in the acting troupe’s production of “Robbin’ Hood.” Every player is a possible suspect, so Detective Frank Cioffi (played by Connor Kertiss) decides to quarantine the troupe in the theater until he uncovers the perpetrator.

Within the acting troupe is an exorbitant group of actors, directors, stagehands and producers. Notable players are Cranshaw’s understudy and Cioffi’s love interest Nikki Harris (Mary Davis), the business-focused producer Carmen Bernstein (Johanna Alonso), her ambitious daughter and dancer Bambi Bernét (Emma Gilligan), the divorced composer couple Georgia Hendricks and Aaron Fox (Katie Allison and Daniel Morris, respectively) and the fervent British director Christopher Belling (Scott Armiger).

After a scathing review by the animated Boston Globe critic Daryl Grady (Sam Saper), the troupe tries to improve. Hendricks takes Cranshaw’s role to Fox’s dismay, and Cioffi offers to increase the production value of the musical, while hardly acknowledging the murder of Cranshaw and two subsequent characters.

The portrayals of the “Curtains” cast made for memorable characters. Saper’s performance of Grady could be likened to a zany cartoon of the play’s setting (1959), with his active movements and the use of his cigar. Alonso’s Bernstein added a cynical yet comical edge to the “sausage-making” of the theatre, making the later reveal of the support for her daughter’s Broadway ambitions all the more heartwarming.

The levity in which murder and the troubles of the theatrical troupe were handled made “Curtains” so enjoyable. The script and score of the play were wonderful but were brought to life by the comedic timing of the actors. The moments where Cioffi would lament having quarantined Harris to the theater were memorable gags. The comedy was not only found in the dialogue but in the songs as well.

The songs of “Curtains” impressively brought in a range of emotions to the audience. Songs like “I Miss the Music” and “Thinking of Missing the Music” encouraged spectators to yearn for Hendricks and Fox to reunite.  Morris’s emotional performance in the former song changes the spectator’s view of the character from annoyance to that of sympathy. The romance finally comes to fruition in the latter song, a  touching duet between Morris and Allison.

Allison’s Hendricks truly shines in her solo in the song “Thataway!” Her vocal talents along with the rest of the ensemble were reminiscent of the classic Broadway musicals of the past.  The dancing practiced by Gilligan was also a splendor to watch in the song and other scenes, proving her character’s dancing expertise.  All the songs, taught by vocal director Daniel Morris and assistant vocal director Tara Kitchelt, were performed well. The dancing ushered by choreographers Tricia Goudreau and Jocelyn Ko added in the flair that made the musical performances truly eye-opening.

The song “He did It” has the characters mirror the speculations of the audience. The cast and crew hilariously accuse others of the slayings. The accused are frozen and bathed in a pointer’s malicious red light, as both the characters and audience consider how they could have committed the act. This prop choice by prop master Corbett Parsons helped encapsulate the mood of the scene.

Due to these songs and comedy, the audience participation was highly palpable. People were speculating who the killer was between scenes and audibly laughing at the gags, antics, and jokes the characters offered. Freshman biochemistry major Jason Essifie lauded the play for its masterful “mix of humor and suspense.”

Ultimately, the musical was about the power of theater, and the reprises of “Show People” and “A Tough Act to Follow” depicted the love and fervor people in the theatre industry feel towards their work, drawing Cioffi in as well.

For the Musical Theatre Club to return to this story after 11 years, one can see the work and love the whole crew has for the nuances and message that “Curtains” offers. They clearly dedicated this show to their roots and to the wonder of musicals.

Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque are not typically the answers you would get when asking a college student what musical genres they are interested in.

UMBC’s Collegium Musicum embraced their rare interest and put their hard work on display with “Roman House Music: Early Music from Rome’s Local Music Scene” at Linehan Concert Hall on Thursday April 26.

Led by Dr. Lindsay Johnson, the ensemble is devoted to learning Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music. Of course, with mastering music from a different time period, comes the mastery of instruments and styles from the period as well.

Sackbuts, a harpsichord and an organ were all a part of the concert, going to show the devotion the group has for their craft. Each musician had to tirelessly practice such unique instruments in order to gain an understanding of how to play them well.

The show consisted of seven songs, each sampling style from the time period of 800-1750 A.D. The amount of performers per song varied with there being as little as two, then expanding up to six musicians performing at once, making for intricate pieces that relied on precise timing to maintain the cohesion between the instruments.

Furthermore, between some songs, musicians would come out and give an introduction to a song, providing a short insight into the composer’s career and style, as well as the meaning of the song.

Between this and the artists smiling faces, it was apparent that each performer was genuinely interested in the time period. They went beyond the notes and sheet music and learned even deeper about the music they played, showing the crowd their true passion for their craft.

As a whole, the concert was enjoyable, as it brought back sounds from forgotten genres and left the crowd with a positive impression on songs from the past.

In a way, it was an educational experience, as it is rare that one gets to hear such unique instruments, as well as the historical music performed by the ensemble. The sound set a theme for the auditorium, allowing listeners to get a feeling for what music and arts were like in the early Roman era.

Collegium Musicum was a pleasant surprise, putting on an entertaining show that was informative, as well as fun to watch. Seeing performers that are truly passionate about their music gives viewers a deeper appreciation for the concert.

It is also refreshing to see artists express themselves through the specific instruments and genres that they enjoy playing, as, for them, that is the purest form of expression.

The chance to gain perspective on a historical culture was an added bonus, making the ensemble one to pay attention to next time they have a show at UMBC.

Where did the year go, guys? The sun is shining, but everyone is stressed with finals and projects and summer jobs and graduation … it’s a lot. I get it; I am right there with you. And if you’re graduating in a few weeks, that is a whole other level of stress! This can be a pretty crazy time of year, but we can all put our summertime to good use by taking the time to think about our own professional development and create goals for ourselves for the upcoming school year - or if you’re graduating, whatever your next step is!

If you already have a summer job, internship, or research experience - congratulations! If you want to take your summer experience to the next step, be sure to register for the Intern Success Practicum, a zero-credit pass/fail course that puts your experience on your transcript to give it more of an official, professional look. You can register on your UMBCworks account, or make an appointment at the Career Center to have a staff member help you register. It can only help you!

If you don’t have anything lined up for the summer yet, you are certainly not alone. You can still make an appointment to help with the job search, or just look through the 400+ summer job/internship postings that are on UMBCworks RIGHT NOW! There are plenty of opportunities; you just have to find them! Taking summer classes can also be a valuable use of time, and might even help you graduate early. Even volunteer positions at your local non-profit can be great skill-builders and resume boosters, so don’t despair if you’ve yet to find a summer position!

No matter what your situation or year in school, here is a Summer To-Do List:

• Update your resume - make sure everything is up-to-date and spelled correctly. If you don’t want to come in for an appointment, our Resume Resource Page has plenty of information.

• Critically think about your career path - even if you have decided your major and are confident in your career paths, there is a lot to be gained from continuously evaluating your goals and exploring all of your options. Who knows what you will find! Check out our resources for Discovering Your Options. You can also register for our Dependable Strengths Workshop on June 1st - a free full-day program that will build your confidence and help you take action toward career success.

• Set some goals for yourself - are you bad at making decisions? Feel like you have some things you can improve on? Take some time to read about Decision Making and Goal Setting and think about what you want to get out of the next school year.

• Graduating? We are still here! - If you are graduating soon, the Career Center’s resources are still available to you. See the attached flyer to learn more.

Even though the semester is closing up, we still have events! Stop by Commons Mainstreet on May 10th from 11:30-2pm to have your photo taken for #hearmebark and tell us what your next step is after graduation! Also, this year is the first year that UMBC is hosting the Maryland Career Consortium (MCC) Career Fair, with 100+ recruiters looking to hire students and alumni! And in case you didn’t know, the Career Center is still open during the summer session, so feel free to make an appointment! We are always here to help.

[Re-post from the Career Center myUMBC group]

Cancer is most devastating when it metastasizes—when tumor cells break away, travel through the bloodstream, and then attach elsewhere, only to grow another tumor. A significant amount of scientific research has focused on finding ways to prevent metastasis. For some time, scientists have understood that a particular biochemical pathway, known as the PDK1 pathway, is active in metastasizing cancer cells. But no one knew why.

In a new paper published in PLOS ONE, Songon An and colleagues have shown for the first time that the PDK1 pathway regulates the formation of a three-protein complex that facilitates two chemical pathways: One builds purines (two of the four building blocks of DNA) and the other produces thiamine, a B vitamin. While it’s still unknown how purine and thiamine levels contribute to metastasis, the authors hypothesize ways they could be related, and they are planning further research to reveal any links.

For example, the three-protein core complex that PDK1 regulates is sometimes joined by three more proteins. Together, the six proteins form a larger complex called the purinosome, which carries out all 10 reactions necessary to build purines. Without the three peripheral proteins, however, purine production only goes halfway, and the molecule the core complex makes is more likely to end up as the vitamin thiamine.

Making purines is an energy-intensive process, so one hypothesis is that decreasing purine production during metastasis helps the cell survive while it is detached from a nutrient source like an organ. “Looking at this metabolic switch—which pathways are in use during metastasis versus when the cell is attached—may be where our research goes in the future,” says An.

The team’s immediate next step is to validate the function of the three-protein core complex. After that, they’ll investigate whether the core complex and the six-protein purinosome are actively coming together and breaking apart in metastatic cells. “Blocking those dynamics could be an alternative way to block metastasis,” An says.

A broader goal for An and collaborator Greg Szeto, UMBC assistant professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering, is to map the various protein complexes and the signaling pathways they regulate in cancer cells. “We want to put every signaling pathway into the same context,” An explains. “Whenever the proteins have different spatial assemblies, we would like to know which pathways are on and which ones are turned down.”

So far, the researchers have only looked at one pathway at a time (such as PDK1), but by using a cutting-edge technique that can detect many proteins at once within a cell, “now we are going to target multiple signaling pathways at the same time, so that we can understand the complete picture of the regulatory map for purine metabolism.” That knowledge could provide more new insights into the causes of metastasis and how to prevent it.

Image: Songon An and Danielle Schmidt in the lab. Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.