Published: November 23, 2007 11:58 pm      

St. Francis professor leads area performances

Kenny Resinski enjoys directing plays that his audiences probably won’t forget any time soon.

Resinski is assistant professor of fine arts at St. Francis University at Loretto, where he has taught for 40 years.

He directs plays for STAR Productions at the university, which is made up of St. Francis students and area residents. STAR stands for Students Theatre Area Residents.

He prides his STAR Productions on trying things that other theater groups don’t have the people or budgets to do.

Resinski, who is 66 and a Philadelphia native, received a bachelor’s degree in English in 1963 and a master’s in theater in 1965, both from Villanova University outside Philadelphia.

He entered Villanova with expectations of preparing to become a high school teacher.

Along the way, he took a course on directing, and, in Resinski’s words: “That was it.”

He credits Villanova professor Bernie Coyne with nurturing his blossoming involvement with the stage.

“He gave direction to my work,” Resinski said.

Resinski enjoys giving his audiences something different.

Those selections include “Mozart and the Kiss of Death,” in which the composer is given a punk motif; “Godspell,” in which the Gospel according to St. Matthew is depicted using colorful art clowns; “No Exit,” playwright Jean-Paul Sartre’s depiction of hell; and “Francis and The Fire of Love,” in which the part of St. Francis is played by a woman.

Resinski also enjoys directing mystery writer Agatha Christie’s plays.

He plans to direct Christie’s “The Patient” for STAR Productions in the spring. He likes as well directing plays by Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams and Stephen Sondheim.

What is his favorite?

“Whichever one I’m directing at the present time,” Resinski answered.

And he’s always looking forward to his next play.

Not because he’s unhappy with his current effort, but because he wants to make his next play even better, he said.

His philosophy of directing?

Trust the playwright.

“Work from the words the writer has given us,” Resinski said.

The character of a play is derived from the writer’s words, he said.

Resinski also helps with designing the sets for his productions.

His wife, Bonnie Marie, designs the costumes.

“She is my muse. She inspires me all the time,” Resinski said.

Bonnie Marie Resinski, a native of Amarillo, Texas, has been teaching English at Northern Cambria High School for 20 years.

The couple has been married for 40 years. They met while Resinski was attending Villanova and the future Mrs. Resinski was attending Cabrini College in Radnor, Delaware County.

His wife exerts a calming influence on him, Resinski said.

“Whenever I start worrying about a play, she always says not to be anxious – but to just do it,” he said.

“Her support makes me feel whole,” he said.

Resinski teaches a class he titles “Wrestling As Theatre” at St. Francis.

It is based on professional wrestling and was developed after the couple’s daughter, Rebecca, gave her father an article dealing with the cultural aspects of professional wrestling.

Professional wrestling is a lot like a play, Resinski said.

“The wrestlers are the characters, and they are there to entertain,” he said.