Nick Raspanti of Philadelphia to Direct Student Production "Once On This Island" at Chestnut Hill College

PHILADELPHIA, PA (02/04/2010)(readMedia)-- Rick Raspanti, a junior at Chestnut Hill College from Philadelphia, Pa. will direct the student production, "Once On This Island" at the College. The production takes place on Friday, February 5, 2010 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the College Auditorium located at 9601 Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia.

"Once On This Island" is a one-act musical bringing elements of Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet together in the backdrop of the French Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. One night, while a little girl is frightened of a passing thunderstorm, four storytellers tell her the story of Ti Moune, a young peasant girl who falls in love with Daniel, "a grand homme" who lives on the other side of the island. The island, which is ruled by four gods (Asaka, Mother of the Earth; Agwè, God of Water; Erzulie, Goddess of Love; and Papa Ge, Demon of Death) hear the young girls prayer for love and grant her wish, sparking a bet over which is the stronger power: love or death. The story of "Once On This Island" unfolds with song and an unforgettable message of love and tolerance.

"Once On This Island" is the third student-produced musical at Chestnut Hill College, previously running productions of "Godspell" and "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" in past years. Students are in charge of every detail of the production from running rehearsals and directing to props and choreography. "Chestnut Hill College has a way of giving students leadership opportunities in their field that they may not receive elsewhere," says junior Nick Raspanti, the director of this year's production. "It can be difficult to manage and communicate with so many students who also have full course loads, other activities, and work off campus, but in the end watching them perform to the best of their abilities is the most rewarding part of being a director or musical director."

About Chestnut Hill College

Chestnut Hill College, a four-year coed Catholic college in the Ignatian tradition, offers a traditional liberal arts undergraduate program as well as accelerated undergraduate degrees, master's and doctoral programs. The College has been rated by US News & World Report as among the best master's universities in the North, as among the best Northeastern colleges by The Princeton Review, and has been classified as selective by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Since its inception, the College has offered a rigorous curriculum that provides students with a broad background in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The goal of Chestnut Hill College has been to prepare students for life's challenges by helping them to grow intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and socially.