http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/ A blog for the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. en Copyright 2013 Thu, 02 May 2013 18:54:07 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.31-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 4870=Dance News|4677=General Announcements|4871=Theatre News|4873=Upcoming Dance Events| This week New York's Tony Awards committee nominated Santino Fontana (U of M '04) for his outstanding performance of a leading role in Broadway's musical revival of "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella." Mr. Fontana, was a member of the inaugural class of the Guthrie Theater/ U of M BFA Actor Training program in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. One of his first professional roles was as Shakespeare's brooding prince Hamlet for the Guthrie Theater production directed by Joe Dowling. This week Fontana was recognized for playing yet another prince, the charming one with Cinderella's glass slipper. Besides winning Cinderella's heart, Fontana has won accolades from the press as well as the League of Broadway Theater Owners and Producers, which organizes these awards with the AmericanTheatre Wing. Joe Price, head of the Guthrie Theater/ University of Minnesota BFA Actor Training program commented, "Everyone in the U of M Theatre Arts and Dance Department, students and faculty are very proud of Santino and this extraordinary recognition of his professional career in the theatre. We wish him the very best." The Tony Awards ceremonies take place at Radio City Music Hall on June 9 and are nationally telecast . See the Startribune http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/celebrities/205494871.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2013/05/santino_fontana_u_of_m_04_nomi.html 394619 Thu, 02 May 2013 18:54:07 +0000 Drive away Winter's darkness and welcome Spring's light. Walpurgis Nacht, an ancient festival celebrating the end of winter/darkness and the beginning of spring/light, was appropriated by the Catholic Church with the canonization of St. Wapurga in 870. In this site specific performance event directed by Michael Sommers, performers and audience move along the West Bank. There is no seating. Audience will gather at the Amphitheater between Anderson and Ferguson Hall on the West Bank. The festival will proceed at 8pm rain or shine. No reservations necessary. https://events.umn.edu/025283 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2013/04/welcome_spring_at_ancient_walp.html 393791 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:27:49 +0000 Associate faculty member Tessie Bundick, costume designer and make-up artist exhibits her work at the Hennepin History Museum in "The Enchanting Picture She has Painted: A Look at the Work of Hennepin County Artist Tessie Bundick." Bundick has designed costumes and make-up for feature films, theatre, and television. Powering famous faces, combing and arranging locks, and designing costumes, Bundick has worked with wide a wide variety of stars-- River Phoenix, Emmy Lou Harris, Garrison Keillor, Chet Atkins, the Everly Brothers, Jose Ferrar and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Opening April 6 at 6:00pm, this exhibit includes costumes, original photos, and personal correspondence with the artists. The Hennepin History Museum is located at 2303 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis. Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for seniors and persons under 18 years of age. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2013/03/costume_designer_make-up_artis.html 389918 Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:29:37 +0000 SPUNK brings new blood and revives the Penumbra Theatre, writes the StarTribune. Patdro Harris directs this sensuous and witty journey through African American life at the dawn of the twentieth century. SPUNK, based on folklore collected by literary icon Zora Neale Hurston, features Keith Jamal Downing, T. Mychael Rambo(associate faculty), Mikell Sapp, Dennis W. Spears (associate faculty), Jevetta Steele and Austene Van, who bring to life this rich mixture of storytelling, dance and the blues. Costume design is by alum Amanda McGee , a recent MFA student and set design for SPUNK is by Lance Brockman. Penumbra's Artistic Director Lou Bellamy and Brockman are both recently retired faculty of the UMTAD. Don't miss seeing SPUNK which plays March 14 - April 7. For more info or to buy tickets, visit Penumbra's website. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2013/03/spunk_at_penumbra_-_see_alumni.html 389118 Sat, 16 Mar 2013 22:54:12 +0000 Theatres and vaudeville stages were the entertainment outlets that Americans sought before the days of movies, television, and the Internet. The University of Minnesota celebrates that bygone era with a new exhibit, titled "Creating the World for the Stage: 1893-1929 - An Exhibit of Scenic Sketches." Painted renderings of backdrops, sketches and other artifacts from the Performing Arts Archives at the University of Minnesota Libraries are featured in the exhibit that explores the exotic worlds created by the scenic artists for both public theatres and private fraternal spaces of the Freemasons. The exhibit is guest curated by Professor Lance Brockman of the University's Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. Presently on view the exhibit concludes March 15, 2013 at the Elmer A. Andersen Library, West Bank of the Twin Cities Minneapolis campus and is free and open to the public. The exhibit documents the backstage technical environment of the popular stage during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The artifacts include original renderings and materials from Twin City Scenic Company, Great Western Stage Equipment Company, and the Holak Company. The companies used these materials to market their painted drop scenery to public theatres across the country and later to fraternal organizations, such as the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Brockman said that the Freemasons use of theatre and set design in their degree rituals helped them to boost membership. "What had once been recitation, previously, now becomes a lively and fun theatrical presentation - you can see how attractive this would be to potential members," Brockman said. "And as public theatre became less and less of a market for these scenic studios, the Freemasons became more and more of a market." Brockman, who is retiring after 37 years, was instrumental in acquiring the collections for the University of Minnesota, beginning in 1983. His research into this period of set design, he said, was primarily to help him teach theatre students about the nearly lost craft of painted drop scenery. "The exhibit shows people that we have the collections and it's also a great resource for scenic artists," said Peter Baker, a theatre arts student who assisted Brockman with the design and installation of the exhibit. "The art of painting these drops was never really passed down. It sort of died off. But having the sketches and being able to look at the extant work, you can actually pick out how they did it, how they painted it. It becomes a resource, not only for the historical context, but the practice itself - the art, as well as the artifact." Theatre arts student Nicky Rodriguez assisted Brockman with the exhibit curation. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Friday; and 8:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. For more information, go to z.umn.edu/stage. All images are available online at lib.umn.edu/scrbm/paa/scenery. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2013/03/last_chance_to_see_scenic_art.html 388530 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:37:49 +0000 U of M Theatre alums Faye Price and Noel Raymond, are honored as "Art Heroes" and are featured on Minnesota Public Radio news for their spirited leadership and clear artistic vision of Pillsbury House and Theatre, located on Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis. As co-artistic directors, Price and Raymond face many challenges reports MPR. "It's in a neighborhood which has sometimes had a reputation for crime as much as creativity. It's a professional theater company in a community center that suffers from the low expectations assigned to a 'community theater.' And its budget took a beating in the recession." Price ruminated on all three issues recently as actors ran through their lines on Pillsbury's stage for a remount of the play, Buzzer. It's a provocative piece that's typical Pillsbury fare, highlighting issues of race, class and friction related to urban gentrification. The play got rave reviews last year, and it's now remounted at the Guthrie Theater, and co-artistic director Price sees challenge ahead. "I can't begin to tell you how many people think that, because we're in a neighborhood center, because we're in this neighborhood in particular, that if you come to see a play here your expectations shouldn't be very high," she said. "That's what people expect, and we always change their minds." Read more of Marianne Comb's news feature on Art Heroes Faye Price and Noel Raymond. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2013/02/alums_faye_price_and_noel_raym.html 386632 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:49:35 +0000 Theatre Arts & Dance professor, Rachmi Diyah Larasati has written Dance That Makes You Vanish: Cultural Reconstruction in Post -Genocide Indonesia. Published by the University of Minnesota Press in March, the new work explores the transformation of dance form in the highly charged political repression in her native homeland during the 1960s. Indonesian court dance, a purportedly pure and untouched tradition, is famed throughout the world for its sublime calm and stillness. Yet this unyieldingly peaceful surface conceals a time of political repression and mass killing. Between 1965 and 1966, some one million Indonesians--including a large percentage of the country's musicians, artists, and dancers--were killed, arrested, or disappeared as Suharto established a virtual dictatorship that ruled for the next thirty years. In The Dance That Makes You Vanish, an examination of the relationship between female dancers and the Indonesian state since 1965, Rachmi Diyah Larasati elucidates the Suharto regime's dual-edged strategy: persecuting and killing performers perceived as communist or left leaning while simultaneously producing and deploying "replicas"--new bodies trained to standardize and unify the "unruly" movements and voices of those vanished--as idealized representatives of Indonesia's cultural elegance and composure in bowing to autocratic rule. Analyzing this history, Larasati shows how the Suharto regime's obsessive attempts to control and harness Indonesian dance for its own political ends have functioned as both smoke screen and smoke signal, inadvertently drawing attention to the site of state violence and criminality by constantly pointing out the "perfection" of the mask that covers it. Reflecting on her own experiences as an Indonesian national troupe dancer from a family of persecuted female dancers and activists, Larasati brings to life a powerful, multifaceted investigation of the pervasive use of culture as a vehicle for state repression and the global mass-marketing of national identity. Rachmi Diyah Larasati is assistant professor of cultural theory, critical studies, and dance history in the department of Theatre Arts & Dance at the University of Minnesota. She also holds an affiliate graduate faculty position there in the Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies and is a former guest faculty at the Brown University Critical Global Humanities Research Institute. Get the Book! http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2013/02/dance_prof_rachmi_diyah_larasa.html 386328 4870|4677|4871 Fri, 22 Feb 2013 18:06:52 +0000 St. Paul, Minn. - The University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Centennial Showboat announced today plans to present SWEET REVENGE!, an action-packed tale of high adventure, June 13- August 24 to be performed aboard the famous boat that last summer drew nearly 11,000 visitors to Harriet Island, downtown St. Paul. In SWEET REVENGE! (or No Mother to Guide Her) by Lillian Mortimer, Ralph, the repentant criminal steals the heart of a farmer's daughter only to have con man Livingstone claim her for his own. Split second escapes and skin-of-the-teeth rescues abound as criminals seasoned on the wicked streets of New York City prey on a community of country folks. Caught in a desperate web of deceit, secret lovers must battle to overcome powerful forces to escape. PETER MOORE and VERN SUTTON, the dynamic duo of that scored Showboat hits The Vampire! and The Demon Barber of Fleet Street join forces once again for this one-of-a-kind evening of family entertainment juxtaposing this classic American melodrama with song and dance routines. When asked what can audiences expect in SWEET REVENGE!, director Moore quipped, "Crooked cops, a down-on-his-luck good guy, a big-city con artist, a killer and his side kick, a heroine caught in his evil clutches, plus a nasty whiskey-swilling granny... and oh, did I mention a raging storm complete with tornado that strikes on stage? What more could you expect from a night at the theater? And where else but on the Showboat can you cheer on the hero and hiss the bad guy?" Reviewing a recent revival of this 1905 melodrama, the New York Times commented, "If this brave tale of death, seduction, deceit, betrayal, and poetic justice cannot make you happy, you are in grave peril." The Showboat also prides itself as home to olios, vintage musical interludes featuring song and dance. Spiced with fun gimmicks, colorful costumes and surprises, these tuneful crowd- pleasers are straight from the golden days of vaudeville. The Minnesota Opera veteran, maestro Vern Sutton returns to "direct with a sharp eye these musical vignettes...some poignant, some naughty" (St. Paul Pioneer Press) underscoring the evening's fun. Docked on the banks of the mighty Mississippi at Harriet Island in beautiful downtown St. Paul, the Showboat offers welcoming public spaces, bars and a beautiful upper deck lounge with spectacular views of the city's skyline. Visitors stroll along embankments with wide green lawns shaded by towering cottonwoods as they step aboard. The Centennial Showboat - a floating palace with a fully air-conditioned 200 seat theater is styled after a vaudeville house, complete with painted scenery, footlights and nineteenth-century stage magic. Owned by the University of Minnesota since 1958, the Minnesota Centennial Showboat proudly presents SWEET REVENGE for this 55th summer of fun and laughter. Visitors last year found "a perfect summer evening" for a first date or family outing. Tour groups, reunions, employee gatherings enjoy special rates. Unsolicited comments by one audience member sum up the response of many. "A talented cast of singers and actors kept me laughing and entertained the whole night...I'm going again and taking others with me." Convenient FREE parking for cars and busses is available. Arrive by bike on the Lilydale Trail or by boat and dock for FREE on the island. The University of Minnesota Centennial Showboat is completely accessible. SWEET REVENGE! performs 2:30 pm matinees every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: and evenings at 8:00pm Tuesday through Saturdays June 13- August 24, 2013. Thursday nights feature post-show Talk/Backs, informal Q & A sessions with cast members. Ask about Family Fun Special rates for Friday nights and Saturday matinees. Discounts for students with valid ID, seniors 62+ and groups rates for 15 or more are available. Reserve tickets ($23-$25) by calling 651.227.1100 or by visiting www.showboat.umn.edu. for more information. FACTS What: SWEET REVENGE! with Musical Olios aboard Minnesota Centennial Showboat When: June 13- August 24, 2013 Where: downtown St. Paul, Minnesota Harriet Island, docked on the mighty Mississippi Tickets: $23.00-$25.00 showboat.umn.edu or call direct 651-227-1100; ask about rates for students, seniors, groups 15+ and Family Fun specials. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2013/02/sweet_revenge_to_thrill_minnes.html 384148 Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:04:43 +0000 Stephen Kanee (March 17,1941-January 18, 2013) Born in Winnipeg, the only child of Sol and Florence Kanee, Stephen grew up in a household devoted to the arts, surrounded with love and nurtured by his aunts and uncles and grandparents, especially by his dear Bubba Rose Kanee. His father introduced him to fishing at an early age and Stephen enjoyed happy childhood summers out in the boat at their cottage in Lake of the Woods. Stephen's mother ignited in her son his lifelong passion for theater, art and music. Stephen said it was Florence, along with his Bubba Rose, who gave him the inner strength to follow his heart into the dramatic arts. His apprenticeship in the family flour milling business took him to London, where his interest in theater led to an internship at the avant-garde Royal Court Theatre. In 1974, as a student at the University of Minnesota Theater Department, he was awarded a McKnight Fellowship in Directing, which brought him to the Guthrie Theater. At the University, he met and fell in love with MaryAnn Lippay. They married in 1981, and their life together became a celebration of love, wit, music, food, art, travel, family and friends. They were a truly devoted and joyous couple, and counted themselves lucky to find each other and the love they shared. Stephen, who was mentored at the Guthrie by Michael Langham, scored his first success with his production of Harold Pinter's 'The Caretaker.' It was followed by the first Guthrie production of 'A Christmas Carol,' which brought together for the first time playwright Barbara Field, scenic designer Jack Barkla, lighting designer Duane Schuler, costume designer Jack Edwards, and composer Hiram Titus. 'A Christmas Carol,' became a perennial Minneapolis favorite over a 35 year run. For the Guthrie, he also directed 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' 'Rosencrantz and Guidenstern are Dead,' 'Catsplay,' 'Hamlet,' 'Great Expectations,' 'The Tavern,' 'On the Razzle,' 'The Birthday Party,' and I.B. Singer's 'Teibele and Her Demon,' which was later moved to Broadway. Elsewhere, he directed for the Cricket Theatre, the Houston Grand Opera, the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Meadowbrook Theater, and Park Square Theatre, among others. Stephen was a gifted and adventurous director, highly theatrical in style, aware of the music and nuances of his texts. His use of the challenging Guthrie thrust stage was masterful. Under his direction, there never was a bad seat in the house. When in 1980 the opportunity arose to pursue his lifelong ambition, teaching, he accepted a faculty position at New Mexico State University, which he held for five years. He then returned to the Guthrie to help steer the theater through a period of transition. In 1986, he realized his dream to join the faculty of the University of Minnesota Department of Theater Arts and Dance. As an Associate Professor and Head of the Directing Program, he directed 'Old Times,' 'Spring Awakening,' 'Restoration,' Mrozek's 'Tango,' 'Two Gentlemen of Verona,' 'The White Devil,' 'The Dybbuk,' 'The Visit' and many others, at Rarig Center and on the Showboat. His theater wisdom and advice helped guide and inspire theater professionals all over the country. He retired from the faculty in 2003. Stephen said the happiest, most stimulating times of his career were with his students. He will be deeply missed by his students and theatre colleagues, who had the priviledge of knowing him. Donations may be made to the U of M Dept. of Theater Arts and Dance or charity of choice . A Memorial Celebration is planned for the spring. Hodroff-Epstein 612-871-1234 --Excerpted Star Tribune January 27, 2013 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2013/01/teacher_theatre_director_forme.html 383503 Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:45:41 +0000 University of Minnesota's Department of Theatre Arts and Dance/Theatre Latte Da co-production of Spring Awakening , the critically acclaimed show described as "a vital leap forward for the American musical" (Time Out) has been selected as the Top Play of 2012 by City Pages, the Twin Cities' weekly publication. SEE: http://www.citypages.com/2012-12-26/arts/top-10-plays-of-2012/ Carl Flink, Chair of Theatre Arts and Dance expressed his appreciation commenting, "We are very proud of this important achievement for our department which represents a significant moment; Spring Awakening engaged over 5,000 members of the public during its run this past spring and demonstrated powerful proof of how the academy and a community partner can come together to create high quality art rooted in an educational setting and experience for students." Spring Awakening, presented on the Rarig Center's Stoll Thrust, April 12- May 6, 2012 was also honored with the Twin Cities ' Ivey Award, and Lavender Magazine's Critic's Choice for its artistic excellence. In a related story, both Peter Rothstein, Spring Awakening's director and Carl Flink, its choreographer were named Artists of the Year for their outstanding contributions in 2012. City Pages theater critic Ed Huyck noted Rothstein's controversial production of Oklahoma! in Seattle, his production workshops for Illusion Theatre, Playwrights Center and his own Theatre Latte Da production of Company, as well as the Spring Awakening co -production with the U of M. Linda Shaprio, City Pages contributor in dance, pointed to Flink's distinguished work as dancer/ choreographer/dance company director for Black Label Movement (BLM) and frequent collaboration with scientists. She praised his choreography with BLM which "deals with everything from the sinking of an iron ore ship... to using dancers to convey catastrophic changes in human cells." Flink continues to widen the scope of dance with its "interconnectedness with science, and probes the outer limits of the body in motion," she concluded. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2013/01/musical_spring_awakening_named.html 381705 Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:15:39 +0000 Minneapolis, MN -Striking clocks, surprise midnight visitors, imagine what A Christmas Carol might look like set in a contemporary New York penthouse. Writer Steve Epp re-tools Dickens' Victorian tale as an edgy, media-saturated comic mash-up in a little one-act experiment Want and Ignorance present: Little Dickens advised and directed by Dominique Serrand and Nathan Keepers of The Moving Company. Conceived over a year ago, the original idea for this comic sketch grew from a discussion by Marcus Dilliard and his Master of Fine Arts graduate students in Design/Technology at the University of Minnesota, when they began studying the screen adaptations and twentieth century spin-offs of Dickens' text. The goal was to illuminate the "outdated" notions of Want, Ignorance and the Common Good. For this resulting production, they designed the visual environment by weaving together vintage film clips with videos excerpted from modern retellings of A Christmas Carol to sharpen the send-up. Seating is limited for this experimental dark comedy to be performed live on stage December 13-16 at the Open Eye Figure Theatre, 506 East 24th Street Minneapolis, 55404. Free parking available at S.E. corner of 24th and Portland. Recommended for ages 12 and up. This production is a Reimagining Community and Arts Partnerships Program(RiCAP) project in collaboration with The Moving Company. For tickets and information about Little Dickens visit openeyetheatre.org/dickens or call the Open Eye Figure Theatre ticket office at 612-874-6338. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for general admission; a small ticketing fee appplies. Epp, Keepers and Serrand are founding members of The Moving Company, a theatrical company, based in the Twin Cities. Formerly, they were company members and directors of the celebrated Tony Award-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune which disbanded four years ago. Dilliard is a long-time collaborator with both theatre companies. Dominique Serrand (Advisor/ Director) Paris native Dominique Serrand was one of the co-founders of Theatre de la Jeune Lune and Artistic Director of the company from 1978 to 2008. He studied at the National Circus School and the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris. Serrand has been knighted by the French Government and inducted into the Order of Arts and Letters.His directing credits include Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, and the Guthrie Theater among others. In 2005, Theatre de la Jeune Lune received a Tony Award for Best Regional Theatre. Marcus Dilliard has designed for theater, opera and dance across North America and in Europe, including numerous productions for Theatre de la Jeune Lune, The Guthrie Theater, The Minnesota Opera and The Minnesota Orchestra. He has also designed the lighting for productions at the Children's Theatre Company, American Repertory Theater, The Intiman, Penumbra Theater, Dallas Theater Center, The Shakespeare Theatre, The Athens Festival, Arena Stage, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Minnesota Dance Theater, Flying Foot Forum, Katha Dance Theater, Portland Opera, San Diego Opera, The Spoleto Festival (Italy), Flanders Opera, The Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Pacific, The Ordway Music Theater, Pittsburgh Opera, Ft. Worth Opera, Vancouver Opera, Le Opera de Montreal, Canadian Opera Company, Chicago Opera Theater, and Boston Lyric Opera. He is the recipient of an Ivey Award, a Sage Award and two McKnight Theater Artist Fellowships. He is the Head of the Design and Technical Theater Program at the University of Minnesota and is a member of United Scenic Artists, the U.S. Institute for Technical Theater and is a graduate of Boston University's School for the Arts. Steve Epp (Adaptor /Playwright) - Steve Epp was an actor, writer, director and co-Artistic Director at Theatre de la Jeune Lune from 1983-2008. In his 25 years with Jeune Lune, Steve collaborated in the creation and performance of over 50 productions. He was the winner of the 1993 Outer-Critics Circle award for best new play. Most recently Epp co-authored a new one-person play, The House Can't Stand, and Come Hell and High Water for The Moving Company. Epp holds a degree in Theatre and History from Gustavus Adolphus College. He was a 1999 Fox Fellow, and a 2009 McKnight Playwrights Center Theatre Artist Fellow. He currently appears in Goldoni's Servant of Two Masters produced by the Yale Repertory Theatre and Shakespeare Company now playing at the Guthrie Theater. Nathan Keepers (Advisor/Director) is Artistic Associate of The Moving Company, where he's co-conceived, created and performed in Come Hell and High Water, Werther and Lotte and The War Within/All's Fair. Nathan was with Theatre de la Jeune Lune for 11 seasons and performed in various productions including, Fishtank, The Deception, The Miser, Tartuffe, The Little Prince and others. Locally he has been on stage at The Jungle Theater (Waiting for Godot, Fully Committed, The Swan), the Guthrie Theater and Children's Theatre Company. Nationally, Keepers has worked at Playmakers Repertory, American Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Alley, La Jolla Playhouse and The Folger Theatre in Washington, DC. He's studied with Pierre Byland in Switzerland, and Philippe Gaulier in London. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/12/theatre_arts_dance_in_partners.html 380174 Sat, 08 Dec 2012 19:26:01 +0000 Minneapolis, MN - University Dance Theatre's Dance Revolutions presents some of the most stunning work by celebrated American choreographers of the '80s and'90s: Donald Byrd, Bill T. Jones, Shapiro and Smith, and Arnie Zane. Dance Revolutions takes center stage December 6-9 at the Rarig Center's grand Whiting Proscenium Theatre on the University of Minnesota's West Bank campus. The program features four powerful pieces performed by students under the guidance of director Toni Pierce-Sands and Cowles Visiting Artists Rosalynde LeBlanc Loo, Germaul Barnes and Brian Harlan Brooks. Opening Thursday, December 6, Dance Revolutions continues December 7 and 8 nightly at 7:30pm and concludes on Sunday, December 9 with a 2:00 pm matinee performance. A question and answer session with special guest Donald Byrd and U of M's Director of Dance Ananya Chatterjea immediately follows the opening night performance. What can audiences expect? "An evening of engaging, inspired and breath-taking pieces by masters of modern choreography," says Dance Revolutions director Toni Pierce-Sands, "Donald Byrd's finger popping, totally hip Jazz 1 (1997) with musical accompaniment by legendary Max Roach invites you in with its beat, then Shaprio and Smith's Family (1988) explores life in and around your living room's favorite armchair-- amusing, and touching. The evening concludes with Arnie Zanes' powerful The Gift/No God Logic (1987) paired with Bill T. Jones' joyous D-Man in the Waters, Part 1 (1989)." The four-part fully produced program has been shaped and set according to the rigorous standards of the original choreographic creators by their chosen professional representatives. Through these Visiting Cowles guest artists and their exacting attention to form, content and spirit, the piece is recreated. As these artists teach, choreograph, rehearse repertory and lecture in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance and the Twin Cities community at large, the Cowles Land Grant Chair provides support. For tickets and information about Dance Revolutions call the U of M Arts Ticket Office at 612-624-2345 or visit dance.umn.edu Customer parking is available at the 21st Ave Parking Ramp is located across the street from the Rarig Center, on the University of Minnesota West Bank Campus. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/12/dance_revolutions_opens_dec6_f.html 378458 Sun, 02 Dec 2012 22:40:21 +0000 Part sex farce, part revenge drama, part romantic comedy, Aphra Behn's The Rover, staged by guest director Joel Sass opens the University of Minnesota's Theatre Arts & Dance season with laughter, sword play, and the provocative question "Should not women do as men do?" Presented at the Rarig Center's Stoll Thrust stage on the West Bank Campus, The Rover will be performed by the senior class of University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater's BFA Actor Training Program and play November 1 through November 11, 2012. Director/adapter Joel Sass observes, "In The Rover, love is a bullfight - raging hormones, and the thrill of seduction edge ever so close to impending danger...that's where the glamorous gets ugly, even violent." Playwright Behn undercuts the double standard says Sass, "This is the work of a self- actualized individual willing to explore beyond women's social confines of the 1600s. Her women are caught in a clash of strict social roles, and their own recognizable modern I-want-this-now impulses." During Behn's own time she was suspected of plagiarism and accused of lewdness because of her gender. Only recently has Behn been recognized for her influence; as Virginia Woolf admonished in A Room of One's Own (1929) "All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn." The Rover opens tomorrow night! For the behind-the-scenes scoop, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM0suBnODtc&list=UUYV2lVUpk5jmldOgAqtX4DQ&index=1&feature=plcp http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/10/the_rover_directed_by_joel_sas.html 373876 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:14:37 +0000 Joanie Smith, faculty member and choreographer of Shapiro and Smith Dance, was honored for Outstanding Performance recognized in a single work "Celebrating Our 25th Year," as were faculty member/artists/choreographers Toni-Pierce and Uri Sands for Outstanding Performance of "January(Part 1 and 2)" at the 2012 Sage Awards held at the Cowles Center in downtown Minneapolis. The yearly event celebrates the local dance community and highlights its top work, as judged by a panel of peers. Dance Program alumni Andrew Lester and Eva Mohn both received Sage Awards for Outstanding Performer. Morris Johnson of UMTAD was named best dance educator for which he earned the 2012 Sage Award. The evening was also filled with many nominees from the U of M's dance and design/tech programs and a striking performance by Ananya Dance Theatre. The awards, now in their eight year are named for Sage Cowles, arts benefactor, choreographer and dancer. Kudos to one and all! http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/10/dance_faculty_and_alumni_recei.html 372779 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 21:29:05 +0000 MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (10/11/12) -Nationally known playwright Lee Blessing's new play Courting Harry will be given its first public reading on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. at the Rarig Center's Kilburn Arena Theatre, 330 21st Ave. S., Minneapolis, on the U of M's West Bank. Blessing, a Minneapolis native, has been on campus since Wednesday, Oct. 10 working with playwriting students and rehearsing with student performers in the U of M's Theatre Arts and Dance Department. "We are thrilled to have a playwright of Lee Blessing's stature interacting and challenging our students," said Carl Flink, chair of the Theatre Arts and Dance Department. "We are so excited to join in this Reimagining Community Partnership with alumus Ron Peluso, of St. Paul's History Theatre, who will direct and produce Courting Harry in the spring as part of their season." Blessing's residency will culminate in a workshop reading of Courting Harry which explores the lifelong friendship Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger and Justice Harry Blackmun, both natives of St. Paul. The friendship was put to the test in one of the most contentious cases of all time: Roe v Wade. The reading is free and open to the public, however, seating is limited and reservations are required. Please email Jenna at frank585@umn.edu. This reading is performed by theatre students under the guidance of Dominic Taylor, U of M Professor of Playwriting and the direction of History Theater Artistic Director Ron Peluso. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/10/nationally_known_playwright_le.html 370918 Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:26:19 +0000 This Sunday, September 30, Twin Cities Public Television's MN Original will feature Carl Flink, Theatre Arts and Dance, Chair and his Black Label Movement (BLM) in an exploration of "The Moving Cell Project." The program airs at 6:00pm on TPT's Channel 2 and the Life Channel at 10:00pm. This new episode focuses on the scientific and artistic exchange between BLM, artistic director Carl Flink and his longtime collaborator biomedical engineer David Odde as they examine the latest findings on the turbulent interior of the cell resulting in a potential scientific modeling tool called "body storming" and the creation of Flink's ballistic quartet HIT. The BLM story and the full episode will also be posted on TPT's companion website www.mnoriginal.org Visitors to the site will find additional content, web exclusive videos and links to MN Original artists. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/09/carl_flink_black_label_movemen.html 367162 Fri, 28 Sep 2012 17:59:06 +0000 Minneapolis -This week the 2012 Ivey Award for artistic excellence was presented to Theater Latte Da for its production of Spring Awakening, staged by artistic director Peter Rothstein, with musical direction by Denise Prosek and choreography by Carl Flink, chair of Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota. The Ivey Awards at The Historic State Theater, downtown Minneapolis, featured a live performance of Spring Awakening's musical number, "The Bitch of Living " by cast members David Darrow, Tyler Michaels, Grant Sorenson, Jack Tillman, Ross Orenstein, Derek Prestly, James Kennedy, Charles Robison, James Person and Elander Rosser. "I want to congratulate Peter Rothstein and his entire Theater Latte Da company," commented Carl Flink. "It was a joy to work with him and his creative team as the choreographer for this project. In my capacity as department chair, I am also deeply grateful to Peter for his clear artistic vision, and for reaching out to our Theatre Arts and Dance Department to join him in this extraordinary opportunity to partner with our faculty, student performers, designers, stage managers, and technicians. It is difficult to imagine a more perfect partnership that exemplifies the power of dynamic public engagement between the university and community partner. Thank you for joining us in making this possible." Latte Da's unique production of Spring Awakening, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's dynamic rock musical hit celebrating the rebellious imperatives of youth, was produced in a partnership with the U of M's Theatre Arts and Dance department and combined the talents of theatre professionals and student performers to comprise the ensemble of twenty. Drawing enthusiastic crowds over its six week run April 12- May 6 to the U of M's Rarig Center, Spring Awakening earned rave reviews and critical acclaim from the Twin Cities press. The Ivey Awards are based on evaluations performed by more than 150 volunteers who watched more than 1,000 performances in the past year. The eighth annual Ivey Awards presentation occurred September 24, 2012. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/09/the_ivey_awards_honor_spring_a.html 366868 Wed, 26 Sep 2012 21:57:01 +0000 Ananya Chatterjea is the founder and artistic director of Ananya Dance Theatre; her dance company uses its performances to raise awareness around issues such as environmental racism, violence against women, and the ravages of unrestrained capitalism. She is also Director of Dance at the University of Minnesota's Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. Minnesota Public Radio has recognized her as the first in a new series called "Arts Heroes" identifying her as "one of Minnesota's finest artists who is also an exceptional community leader." In launching this series, the MPR news explained the selection criterion."These are not just artists who do a charitable project on the side, but have made it their passion and life's work. Their art actively seeks to address social ills, transform their communities and the world." Earlier this month Chatterjea's Ananya Dance Theatre performed Moreechika: Season of Mirage, which deals with impact of oil drilling, both on communities and on the environment. "One of the dances in Moreechika is inspired by the explosions of gas pipelines in Nigeria, another by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and its effect on wildlife. A third dance examines how the pursuit of beauty leads women around the world to contaminate their bodies with toxins found in cosmetics made with petroleum products. The Bhopal disaster is referenced in the work, along with the familiar human costs and crime associated with the new oil boom in the Dakotas," reports news anchor Marianne Combs. Read and hear MPR's "Arts Heroes" news feature here. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/09/u_of_ms_dance_director_ananya_chatterjea_honored_mprs_first_arts_hero.html 366468 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:32:45 +0000 Twin Cities Public Television's MN Original Episode #315 featuring Theatre Arts and Dance Chairman Carl Flink and Emilie Plauche Flink performing Carl's A Duet for Wreck at The Soap Factory in downtown Minneapolis has been nominated for a regional Emmy Award. The final results will be announced on Saturday, September 29. Watch the video at: http://www.mnoriginal.org/episode/319-caitlin-karolczak-vocalessence-chris-faust-heiruspecs/a-duet-for-wreck/ "Wreck" premiered at Southern Theater in Minneapolis in 2008. Dance Magazine said of it: "The powerful dancers, risk-takers all, deliver the combination of buoyant athleticism and feral intensity that is the hallmark of Flink's style." A reviewer for the Star Tribune wrote: "Embedded in this dark mass of embodied need are gorgeously rendered portraits of memory or longing, which surface like air bubbles from the dark emotional depths of 'Wreck.' " http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/09/emmy_nomination_for_mn_orignal.html 366256 Fri, 21 Sep 2012 17:17:39 +0000 The Chicago Tribune (July 19, 2012) names Nick Harazin one of the top ten " hot new faces on the Chicago Theatre Scene" and praises him for his acting chops in the city's tough and highly competitive field. Critic Chris Jones singles out ten actors who have been burning up Chicago stages in the previous 12 months. " You may well not yet know their faces. We think you should. And in many cases, we think you will soon." Harazin, an Apple Valley, MN native, gave a "richly empathetic performance [ in Andrew Hinderaker's new play I'm Going to Change the World] that made you only want more of the actor behind it." While on the Twin Cities campus, this U of M Theatre Arts and Dance grad played many roles including the lead in Macbeth and the role of John Harker in 2003's much celebrated Showboat production of Dracula under the direction of the late Charles Nolte. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/08/alum_nick_harazin_named_a_hot.html 362550 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 23:30:25 +0000 HEADLINE: Luverne Seifert, who leads the U of M's Bachelor of Arts Actor Training program, and his wife Darcey Engen, who heads Augsburg' theatre program are featured in a cover story about a unique site -specific production of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" in the Star Tribune( 7/21/12). Writer Graydon Royce reports that the century old drama finds fresh meaning and receptive audiences in the farmland of southern Minnesota. Using historic homes in five Minnesota towns, and recruiting local actors along the way, this rolling tour is underwritten by Minnesota's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. "More than 100 years ago, Chekhov wrote 'The Cherry Orchard' about Russian aristocrats who lose their country estate while examining how land becomes part of family identity," states the reporter. That same issue now faces Minnesota farm families as they must decide what to do with the land they grew up on. Rent? Sell? Move there and work the farm? Seifert's The Cherry Orchard Project "brings to farm communities a classic play that resonates with the modern-day reality of land being bid up because of high commodity prices and aggressive agribusinesses." Click here for article: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/07/ba_actor_training_programs_luv.html 361095 Mon, 23 Jul 2012 18:06:13 +0000 The University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts and Dance is pleased to announce its 2012-13 performance season. Classes begin on September 4, which also signals the start of the auditions, rehearsals, design plans, shop activities and creative work that lead to the public productions of the fall, winter, and spring. On October 22 and 23, the first Creative Collaboration of the BA program, a new work based on Romeo and Juliet and led by Barbra Berlovitz , will take the stage. Creative Collaborations present informal showings after a series of intense rehearsal weeks focused on ensemble theater creation; production elements are usually light, and creativity and artistic risk are always high. Also in October, a departmental collaboration with Theatre Mu, under the direction of Artistic Director Rick Shiomi, will open for public performance. The project will involve Asian students and cultural organizations, and is the first of this season's RiCap initiatives (the department's Re-Imagining Community Partnerships Program). Tentatively titled Under My Skin: The Asian American Experience, it will be based upon the stories, experiences, and perspectives of Asian American students at the University of Minnesota. In November, the season's second Creative Collaboration, developed in cooperation with Workhaus Playwright's Collective, will be presented. The project is expected to focus on a way of playwriting through improvisation that places the actors, the director and the playwrights in a constant state of reciprocal collaboration. This project is as yet untitled. From November 1 through 11, the Stoll Thrust Theater will host the annual Senior Classic from the BFA/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program. The Classic showcases the work of the senior class; this year's production is The Rover: A Banish'd Cavalier, to be led and adapted by well-known director Joel Sass from the play by Aphra Behn. The Rover will be the BFA program's first in the tenure of new program director Joe Price. Also in November, the BFA/Guthrie Theater Actor Training program will present its sophomore class projects in American Realism in the Kilburn Arena Theater. Three projects will be performed in repertory. December 6 through 9 will bring the always-popular University Dance Theatre presentation of Dance Revolutions on the grand stage of the Whiting Proscenium Theatre. The annual concert will feature work by Cowles Visiting Artists and faculty artists, featuring the performance of students majoring in Dance. The exciting line up of repertory Works include Bill T. Jones' masterwork D-Man In The Waters (Part 1), Arnie Zane's The Gift/No God Logic, Donald Byrd's JAZZ 1 and Shapiro & Smith's Family. December 12 is the last day of classes for the fall semester, and will be immediately followed by a special weekend of performances of a project led by Design/Tech Program Director Marcus Dilliard. The Dickens Experiment is intended as an opportunity for MFA design candidates to be involved with a new work, and will be presented at Open Eye Theater. In an alliance with The Moving Company, which worked with the Department last fall on All's Fair/The War Within, Steve Epp is writing the adaptation and Dominique Serrand will direct. The Dickens Experiment will be based, in part, on Dilliard's long years of association with A Christmas Carol. This is the Department's second RiCap project of 2012-2013. The second semester will begin with a big change in the Rarig Center landscape, as the Kilburn Arena closes for a complete renovation; it will re-open in the fall of 2013 as a flexible performance space with a LED lighting system and a spring floor among many other improvements. It is the first renovation of the Rarig Center since it opened its doors in 1973. Classes begin on January 22, which will also mark the start of work on a Creative Collaboration with Nautilus Music -Theater. The work will create a music-theater-dance exploration of Jethro Tull's rock-n-roll cantata Thick as a Brick. The work will be seen in late February. In March, faculty member Michael Sommers will lead and present another Creative Collaboration in the general area of shadow puppets. In early March, the junior company of the BFA/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program will present its Greek Project, and in April the sophomore company will open and perform its Shakespeare projects in repertory. From April 12 to April 21, the Department will present its third RiCap project, in collaboration with Theatre Novi Most, with a script by well-known playwright Constance Congdon. The project will be directed by faculty member and Novi Most founder/artistic director Lisa Channer. A Miracle is inspired by the play An Ordinary Miracle by Russian writer Evgeny Shvartz, and is described as "a fairy tale for adults" for audiences of all ages. Vladimir Rovinsky, co-artistic director of Theatre Novi Most, will also participate. Also in April, the BFA Junior Company will perform their comedies in repertory, and the Senior Company will present their New Plays and Snapshots in repertory at the Guthrie Theater's Dowling Studio. In May, the freshman company of the BFA/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Projrect will present its annual Fresh Scenes program in the Stoll Thrust. For the second year, a series of Frameworks lectures will be presented, coordinated by Professor Sonja Kuftinec, featuring many of our guest artists and faculty members. And in the summer of 2013, the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance once again moves it base of operations to the Minnesota Centennial Showboat, permanently docked on Harriet Island in St. Paul, presenting a summer season with a troupe of young actors from across our programs. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/07/department_of_theatre_arts_dan.html 359804 Mon, 02 Jul 2012 21:08:55 +0000 THE VAMPIRE! J.R. Planche's haunting thriller interspersed with musical olios straight from the golden days of vaudeville opened aboard the Minnesota Centennial Showboat to cheers of enthusiastic audiences this week. The dynamic duo of directors, Peter Moore staging the melodrama and Vern Sutton directing the tuneful interludes of song and dance spiced with fun gimmicks and surprises, leads the talented cast of ten Showboat Players, who strut their stuff as actors, singers and dancers. The entire company of performers and crew --all University of Minnesota theatre students -- are presently preparing for theatrical careers through the BFA and BA actor training programs. Playing through August 25, The VAMPIRE! and musical olios are performed at 8pm Tuesday-Saturday; with 2:30 pm matinees Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. For ticket information visit showboat.umn.edu or call 651-227-1100. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/06/the_vampire_aboard_centennial.html 359106 Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:15:42 +0000 The University of Minnesota's Theatre Arts and Dance Department learned today that Professor Ananya Chatterjea, Director of Dance, and Associate Professor Carl Flink Chair of Theatre Arts and Dance, have both been recognized as 2012 McKnight Choreography Fellows. These artists will be presenting works in the coming weeks, under the auspices of Northrup. For details, see this website http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/06/ananya_chatterjea_carl_flink_n.html 357435 Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:36:59 +0000 In a special to the Star Tribune, dance critic Caroline Palmer raves that U of M Theatre Arts and Dance chair, Carl Flink's "choreography is a key" part of Spring Awakening's success as a "theatrical event that shines with raw brilliance." Palmer credits Theater Latte Da's director Peter Rothstein's talent for integrating stage direction with Flink's choreography throughout the production. Flink's contribution is original, in that it doesn't seek to copy the Broadway production fashioned by Bill T. Jones. "Flink...brings his own movement interpretation to the stage...At times the performers are literally flinging themselves at the walls, shimmying down poles or climbing into the audience. They grapple with the space around them in the same way they are wrestling with all the lessons of life." Palmer concludes "Each artist makes visible and tangible the internal hormonal slam-dance that defines the teenage years." Read Caroline Palmer's April 29 StarTribune article scroll down BY CAROLINE PALMER --Special to the Star Tribune. April 29,2012 Theatre Latté Da and the University of Minnesota of Theatre Arts and Dance's take on "Spring Awakening" summons all of the seething anger, shattered dreams and daring hope of adolescence into a theatrical event that shines with raw brilliance. Part of its success is thanks to Carl Flink's choreography and how well director Peter Rothstein integrates it throughout the production (book and lyrics by Steven Sater). When Frank Wedekind wrote the source work in 1891 he described as "a tragedy of childhood" and Flink picks up on this dark theme throughout the movement - it fairly roils with the barely-contained energy and scrambled desires of disaffected youth. The teenage characters have reached an age in which they finally understand life's injustices. This hard-won awareness translates, understandably, into extreme physical, as well as emotional, response. Bill T. Jones choreographed "Spring Awakening" on Broadway (and earned a Tony Award for his efforts). Flink picks up on the high-flying jumps and pogo-style bounding Jones brought to the work, spurred on by Duncan Sheik's sometimes punk rock influenced score. Each artist makes visible and tangible the internal hormonal slam-dance that defines the teenage years. But Flink doesn't seek to copy Jones - he brings his own movement interpretation to the stage. At times the performers are literally flinging themselves at the walls, shimmying down poles or climbing into the audience. They grapple with the space around them in the same way they are wrestling with all the lessons of life (Tyler Michaels as the doomed Moritz embodies this conflict particularly well). And then sometimes they simply breathe. The madness slows down momentarily. The movement finds a softer, understated and more lyrical tone in many of the musical's anthemic songs such as "Mama Who Bore Me" and "The Word of Your Body." "Spring Awakening" has a lot to say about betrayal. Parents fail their children, teachers fail their students and friends fail one another. Knowledge and truth are undermined by secrecy, pride and selfishness. Flink integrates all of these challenging ideas into his choreography. It's not neat and tidy - rightfully so. Instead it is performed by the entire cast with all the raging heart and rugged soul of young people who so desperately yearn to be set free from the bounds of social convention that they must express themselves by using every means necessary. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/04/choreography_is_a_key_in_sprin.html 354309 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:34:19 +0000 BA Theatre Program Head Luverne Seifert, and Director Joel Sass seek audience members for their upcoming promenade-style project: Frankenstein April 30 and May 1 at 8:00 and 9:00 pm each evening Location Whiting Proscenium. Limited availability: 30-40 warm bodies per performance. Reservations contact Zoe Wilson ( wils1303@umn.edu ) No Admission charge, reservations REQUIRED Questions? contact Zoe Wilson. You're invited, if you dare...." valk, this vay" http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/04/frankenstein_seeks_warm_bodies.html 353048 Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:06:02 +0000 The reviews are in! Critics and audiences jump to their feet applauding. Score a smash hit as Theater Latte Da presents in partnership with U of M Theatre Arts and Dance SPRING AWAKENING now on stage through May 6 at the Rarig Center's Stoll Thrust. Graydon Royce of StarTribune "Spring Awakening beautifully reminds us that every generation needs its voice." "Denise Prosek finds the thrumming heartbeat of Sheik's music with a perfect ear." "All this effervescence lifts the ensemble's energy, and it creates contrast for the poignant, quiet moments." Morgan Halaska of Metro Magazine "Peter Rothstein's ability to harness the energy of his cast and showcase their sheer talent is astounding." "The cast . . is in a word, phenomenal." "See Spring Awakening while you can." Chris Hewitt of Pioneer Press "You could light a bonfire with the energy coming off the stage at Theater Latte Da's "Spring Awakening." "Immediate and urgent...the kind of thrill you get only from live theater." "...I wouldn't want to miss any of it." "A raw and vital evening of musical theater." Ed Huyck of City Pages "...bursts with energy at every turn... you want to jump out of your seat and join in by the end of the show." "...Director Peter Rothstein and choreographer Carl Flink present a piece that is overwhelming in its constant movement and energy.. " John Olive of HowWasTheShow.com "A sexy and deservedly popular theatrical tour-de-force" "[Director] Peter Rothstein's work on Spring Awakening is perfect!" "Call the box office ASAP and make reservations. I don't want you to miss this one." Special pricing for students and faculty. Tickets for SPRING AWAKENING are NOW available 612- 624 -2345 or LatteDa.org http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/04/see_spring_awakening_while_you.html 351724 Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:14:35 +0000 Theater Latte Da presents in partnership with the U of M Theatre Arts and Dance department Spring Awakening beginning April 12 at the Rarig Center, West Bank campus for a four week run. "Students will perform this rock musical about teenagers discovering sexuality" reports Nickalas Tabbert of MN Daily. Spring Awakening is a dynamic rock adaptation of Frank Wedekind's expressionistic play about a group of teenagers coming of age in an uncomprehending world. Quickly banned when the play first appeared in 1891, the contemporary musical is still provocative in its uncompromising gaze at the trials, tears and exhilaration of the teen years. Winner of eight Tony Awards and hailed as Best Musical of the year by the New York Times and a host of other media. Time Out hailed it as "A vital leap forward for the American musical," Spring Awakening is a celebration of the rebellious imperatives of youth. The first musical in four years at Rarig, the cast of 20 includes 14 U of M students who are working with a team of professional players, under the guidance of Theater Latte Da's artistic director Peter Rothstein and choreographer Carl Flink of Black Label Movement, and U of M Theatre Arts and Dance chair. According to Rothstein, there was no better place for the musical than on campus because the topic is relatable to the audience. For complete article click here. For ticket information (612)624-2345 OR LatteDa.org Minnesota Daily: Spring Awakening Opens as First Main Stage Musical in Four Years http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/04/spring_awakening_previews_apri.html 350745 Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:22:05 +0000 U of M's Dance program scored major recognition at the American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA) North Central Regional Conference at the U of W-Madison earlier this month. Department Chair Carl Flink's dance "Lost Lullabies" with its eight cast members: Timothy Herian, Eben Kowler, Germaine Lindsey, Uriah Mendoza, Alex Pham, Justin Reiter, Jeff Robinson, Elander Rosser was selected to go to the National College Dance Festival in Washington, D.C. "Lost Lullabies "will be performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Thursday, May 24, - Sunday, May 27; schedule yet to be announced. Also garnering honors, Twin Cities' Orlando Hunter, U of M student choreographer and dance major performed his own work "Mutiny" and was selected for the Regional Conference Gala concert presented on April 1, 2012. Chairman Carl Flink reported proudly, "Our students also presented papers the ACDFA as well. It was big weekend for the program and the University of Minnesota!" http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/04/u_of_m_dance_earns_kudos_at_re.html 350372 Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:35:21 +0000 JOHN COWLES, JR. 1930-2012 (March 18, 2012) Our community, city, and state are marking the passing of John Cowles, Jr., who died over the weekend after a long battle with cancer. He was surrounded by family. Department Chair Carl Flink noted that Cowles was "an enormous patron of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance and a key figure in the performing arts landscape of Minnesota in which it is embedded. It could be argued that the Guthrie Theater would not exist without his critical efforts to recruit Sir Tyrone Guthrie to a small upper midwest urban area in the 1960s. Our dance program has reached the level of national prestige it now holds almost solely based on the long-time and sustainable support of both John and Sage Cowles in terms of the Cowles Guest Artist Chair, the Barker and endowed professorships. He was simply one of the finest human beings I have ever had the privilege to know in my life. "His obituary (http://www.startribune.com/local/143100356.html) illustrates that Cowles was a model of humble and quiet leadership and dedication to our Minnesota community and beyond. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, he was one of the key builders of the rise of Minnesota as a center for equal justice, the arts and thoughtful politics. He and his life partner Sage continued that leadership up to his passing as represented most publicly by the opening of the Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts downtown in fall 2011." http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/03/john_cowles_jr_1930-2012.html 346502 Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:00:39 +0000 The American Composers Forum (ACF) recently announced nine grants totallying $40,000 in support of "Live Music for Dance Minnesota." The U of M's Theatre Arts and Dance department is well represented among those honored. In fact, three of the nine awards went to projects headed by dance faculty members leading professional companies: Ananya Dance Theatre, Shapiro & Smith Dance, and Black Label Movement (BLM). Ananya Dance Theatre, lead by Ananya Chatterjea, was awarded funds to work with composer Greg Schutte, and Joanie Smith of Shapiro & Smith Dance will hire live musicians for upcoming projects through their ACF award. UMTAD Chair and BLM choreographer Carl Flink will collaborate with composer Greg Brosofske with ACF funding for composer/choreographer teams. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/03/umtad_well_represented_as_acf.html 346013 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:37:10 +0000 Theatre Novi Most, a partnership between UMTAD Professor Lisa Channer and Vladimir Rovinsky, presents a blending of two absurdist works in what is described by Graydon Royce in the Star Tribune as "a refreshing break from the kitchen-sink drama that fills our schedule." The first act is based on the short work "Picnic on the Battlefield" by Fernando Arrabal, while the second draws it's material from Slawomir Mrozek's "Enchanted Night." The show runs through March 18 at the Southern Theatre. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/03/professor_lisa_channers_theatr.html 346005 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:21:17 +0000 University of Minnesota theatre alumnus Sugith Varughese, the award-winning screenwriter, director and actor, will visit the Xperimental Theatre in Rarig Center as a part of the Meet the Artist Series on Wednesday, March 28 at 2:00 pm. Varughese's credits include writing for the Muppet series "Fraggle Rock," "Blue Murder" and "Blobheads." He also co-wrote the IMAX film "Lost Worlds: Life in the Balance" and directed the award-winning shorts "Kumar and Mr. Jones," "Mela's Lunch," "The Secret Life of Goldfish" and "Tongue Tied." His film acting credits include "Mission to Mars" and "Orphan" while his television career includes "Little Mosque on the Prairie," "An American in Canada," and "Metropia." He has also done stage work and numerous radio plays. Winner of the Writers Guild of Canada award, Varughese became the Toronto Public Library's first screenwriter-in-residence. A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota, Varughese additionally holds an MFA in film from York University and has taught at Humber College and Centennial College. He currently teaches at the Toronto Film School. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/03/meet_the_artist_sugith_varughe.html 345828 Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:45:48 +0000 University of Minnesota's Department of Theatre Arts and Dance faculty member and director of theatre and undergraduate studies, Mathew LeFebvre, will be honored with the 2012 Theatre Development Fund's Irene Sharaff Award for distinguished costume design. Bestowed upon a designer who has demonstrated unusual promise in the field of costume design, this year's award focuses on designers in education. As both a talented designer and a teacher, LeFebvre has made great contributions "to the theatre, education, and theatre education through dedication to excellence and creativity," according to Stephen Cabral, director of the TDF Costume Collection, who also states "I can think of no one who deserves the recognition more." The award will be presented this spring at a ceremony in New York City. Congratulations on this special honor, Mat! http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/03/tdf_to_honor_mathew_lefebvre_p.html 345678 Thu, 08 Mar 2012 21:49:17 +0000 Costume/set designer and U of M theatre faculty member Mathew J. LeFebvre was featured this week in the Twin Cities Public Television series "MN Original" for his artistry in the theater. Using examples from his "home away from home" Penumbra Theater and The Guthrie Theater, the episode shows the depth of his craft and art. His most recent work with the production of A Christmas Carol resulted in the creation and fabrication of almost 200 different costumes. LeFebvre's demonstrates his approach to design for the theater, explaining his costumes are based on the idea of "characters reflected in their clothes". To learn more, click here to watch the full feature of MN Original. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/02/mathew_j_lefebvre_costumeset_d.html 338760 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:30:19 +0000 Artistic director Carl Flink, whose "choreography occasionally induced gasps" (Star Tribune), and his company of Black Label Movement intertwined both athleticism and poetry in their program "Visceral", performed at the Cowles Center February 10-12. "Visceral" featured movements from A Modest Proposal, HIT, The Bleeding Heart, and the world premiere of Canary. The company drew inspiration for the action-packed dance program from a variety of sources including living cells of the human body and John Bohannon's research of energy, economy and dance. The choreography opened up a world of both daredevil aggression and a world of competing forces, while also showing the interconnectedness of everything. To read more about this high intensity concert click here to read Caroline Palmer's Star Tribune review. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/02/carl_flink_dept_chair_creates.html 338668 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:00:38 +0000 ""The Sorcerer's Apprentice" has an air of Old World magic in Open Eye Figure Theatre's production," praises The Star Tribune. Michael Sommers, Open Eye Figure Theatre co-artistic director and U of M professor of theatre, presents a "mesmerizing tale of (a) young marionettes' grab for power" in his new 55 minute adaptation of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" which opened recently. To read Graydon Royce's review of February 15 in The Star Tribune click here. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/02/sommers_sorcerers_apprentice_m.html 338614 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:51:26 +0000 Michael Sommers, artistic director of the Open Eye Figure Theatre and U of M theatre professor, makes magic with a haunting marionette performance of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," complete with an original musical score played live. Most people know the story as Disney's "Fantasia", but Sommers utilizes a simpler approach to show off the intricate, mystical relationship between puppeteer and puppet rooted in this ancient art form. Drawn from Goethe's original 100-line poem, Sommers' adaptation skillfully crafted to fit his Open Eye performance space is a labor of love five years in the making. He creates a 50-minute transporting experience into the European marionette tradition. Now showing through March 4th at the Open Eye Figure Theatre. Note: special student pricing. Click here to read full article entitled "Magic and Marionettes" by Tony Wagner in the Minnesota Daily, February 9th, 2012. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/02/michael_sommers_casts_a_spell.html 338522 Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:45:07 +0000 Theatre Arts and Dance chair, Carl Flink and his Black Label Movement present "Visceral" at the Cowles Center, February 10-12. Hailed as "intense physicality with sophisticated structuring,"(Dance Magazine) BLM will present the world premiere of Flink's surreal new work, Canary and the Twin Cities premiere of HIT performed by Bryan Godbout, Megan McClellan, Eddie Oroyan, and Laura Selle Virtucio. The program includes a special live performance of BLM's viral Internet hit, A Modest Proposal. Interweaving science and art, this innovative piece, which features Science Magazine's correspondent John Bohannon brought audiences to their feet at last fall's T.E.D. gathering in Brussels,Belgium. Capping off the evening will be a solo work titled For She performed by Laura Selle Virtucio, A Duet for Wreck performed by Carl Flink and Emilie Plauche Flink , and the BLM classic This Bleeding Heart.... Tickets for performances: Friday, Feb 10, 8pm; Saturday, Feb 11, 8pm; Sunday, Feb 12, 7pm maybe purchased at www.thecowlescenter.org The Cowles Center is located at 528 Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/02/feb_10-12_carl_flink_black_lab.html 336953 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:05:23 +0000 Arthur Ballet (1924-2012) "It's hard to express how important Arthur Ballet was to the university and tens of thousands of its students, to the Guthrie and to the American theatre," according to Donald Schoenbaum, former managing director of the Guthrie. "Professor Ballet was one of the almost legendary figures responsible for the growth of this department from the 1950s to the 1980s" said University of Minnesota Theatre Arts and Dance Department Chair Carl Flink. "He was a great advocate for the power of live theatre and film to the general public." Professor Lance Brockman, former colleague, recalled "Ballet's Intro to Theatre classes introduced generations to live performance and it was his contribution that made the theatre scene in the Twin Cities so vital and important. His connections with the National Endowment for the Arts Theatre Program and the Office of Advance Drama Research (OADR) promoted and developed a generation of American playwrights." Arthur Ballet died January 30, 2012. For additional information go to The Star Tribune. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/02/arthur_ballet_1924-2012.html 336253 4677|4871 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:44:24 +0000 An informative exploration of the Black Arts Movement, a four-part lecture series, launches Thursday, January 26 when Lou Bellamy, Founder and Artistic Director of Penumbra Theatre Company speaks on Penumbra's Birth and the Black Arts Movement at 7 pm, ,Regis Arts Center's in the In-Flux Room, just across from Rarig on the West Bank. The first lecture in a new series on "Reshaping the Black Image on the American Stage: Penumbra's Legacy and Influence" is presented by the University of Minnesota Theater Arts and Dance Department, curated by Dominic A. Taylor, Assistant Professor of Performance, in partnership with Penumbra Theatre Company. This event has been made possible by a grant from the University of Minnesota Imagine Fund: Supported by a generous donation from the McKnight Foundation. The series,composed of four lectures and conversations, are free and open to the public. Upcoming speakers and topics: · March 1, 2012: Gender and Sexuality and the Black Arts Movement with Sydné Mahone, · April 19, 2012: Black Cultural Traffic and the Black Arts Movement with Harry Elam, Jr · April 26, 2012: The Future of the Black Arts Movement with Paul Carter Harrison All lectures and conversations will take place from 7pm to 9pm in The In-Flux Room at the Regis Arts Center. Each will be in an informal format, a 20 minute presentation followed by a 40 minute conversation, 20 minutes of questions from the audience, and 40 minutes to mingle. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/01/black_arts_movement_series_lau.html 334367 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:54:08 +0000 NBC's prime time news magazine, "Rock Center with Brian Williams" profiled Penumbra Theatre's Founder and Artistic Director Lou Bellamy on its December 26 broadcast. Besides being a "legend in the theatre world" according Brian Williams, Lou Bellamy is also Professor Emeritus of the U of M's Department of Theatre and Dance. Penumbra staged its original play, I Wish You Love, written by Dominic Taylor and designed by Lance Brockman, both department faculty members, at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.in July 2011, after it had played in St. Paul. This striking musical drama about Nat "King " Cole caught the attention of NBC as it was the network that aired his show in the 1950s. "We are truly honored to receive this national recognition for our mission, our art and our uncompromising commitment to tell the African American story," stated Mr. Bellamy. " As with Nat's television show, NBC is now bringing Penumbra into the living rooms of millions of Americans. This television program reaches a broader and more diverse audience than we could ever get into our theatre and introduces us to people who may never have the chance to experience the power of art for social change. And, for that we are grateful." The production of I Wish You Love returned to St. Paul's Penumbra stage and concluded with a sold out run in December. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2012/01/nbc_features_penumbra_theatre.html 328502 Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:27:28 +0000 The Director of University Dance Theatre and faculty member Toni Pierce-Sands along with Cowles Visiting Artist Uri Sands were named 2011 Artists of the Year by City Pages. (see citypages.com Dec. 21) " More than a couple of talented artists who happen to be life and artistic partners Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands are dancers with a mission. When they combined their initials to form TU Dance in 2004, they were determined to create a company and school that reflected the increasing diversity of the Twin Cities' urban community," writes Linda Shapiro. "In its relatively short life, TU Dance has managed to achieve artistic success, popular acclaim and broad reach in the community." In the past year, these distinguished artists opened a state-of-the-art dance center offering dance a wide variety of experiences from ballet to Afro-Brazilian Dance, evolved a crack ensemble of performers animating Uri's multilingual choreography which has earned numerous awards attracting national attention and loyal fans, and their Ordway concert last May was the first ever to sell out the 1,000 seat house. Most recently their collaborative talents as choreographer and director were seen in the dance " ...And Let Go " as part of UDT's Dance Revolutions concert at Rarig Center. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/12/toni_pierce-sands_and_uri_sand.html 328329 Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:20:00 +0000 When Theatre Arts make-up instructor and designer Tessie Bundick was cast as an extra in the recent Coen brothers' film, A Serious Man, she began taking notes recording the production details of the celebrated writer/producer/directing team in action. She shares her behind-the-scenes observations of the technical aspects of the Oscar nominated film appear in December's online edition of the USITT Northern Boundary News. (http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/theatre/NBS_Dec11/Article2/Article2.html ) Appearing as an extra in two scenes --a funeral and a bar mitzvah--Bundick shares her particular interest in the wardrobe choices and costume fittings with the film's designer Ms. Mary Zophres, who has collaborated with the Coen brothers on many of their films. Zophres's designs were researched for this project by pouring through period photos at the Jewish Historical Society of the upper Midwest. Bundick reveals the designer's meticulous hunt for clothing and eye glasses to achieve an accurate 1967 period look for the film set in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Besides describing in detail the work needed to transform a St. Louis Park synagogue location into a setting with sufficient light in preparation for shooting, Bundick allows the reader to glimpse the collaboration between the Coen brothers and Roger Deakins, director of photography and cinematography. A Serious Man went on to win many awards and was nominated for two Oscars for best picture and best screenplay. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/12/tessie_bundick_on_being_an_ext.html 328125 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:09:00 +0000 The BFA Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program Senior Class Company present final performances of their Senior Classic, a Chekhov repertory playing in our intimate Arena Theatre December 8-10. Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard, classic works in the dramatic repertory, fill the space with comedy, pathos (and beautiful costumes). Special note: Frameworks panel discussion on these Chekhovs on December 8, a reception and great talk about Chekhov, starting at 6 p.m. in In-Flux at the Regis. Electronic ticket accounts and comp card systems are in effect for the Chekhovs. Tickets are $5 for any student, $10 for everyone else, with a small ticketing fee. See the events listing on theatre.umn.edu for performance schedule. Still another special note: no late seating for the Chekhovs, due to the configuration of the Arena for these performances. University Dance Theatre presents its annual concert on the grand stage of the Whiting Proscenium. Four powerful works choreographed by Ananya Chatterjea, Stephen Petronio, Uri Sands and Dianne McIntyre (who recreates Helen Tamiris' 1937 masterpiece How Long Brethren?). Grace and athleticism from youthful dancers in a beautiful evening (or matinee!) December 9-11. An opportunity to taste the very best in contemporary dance. Preview is on Thursday, December 8. Electronic ticket accounts and comp card systems are in effect. Tickets are $5 for any student, $10 for everyone else, with a small ticketing fee. See the events listing on theatre.umn.edu for performance schedule. Special note: all evening performances, including UDT, at 7:30 p.m. Matinees at 2 p.m. Also, please be aware that on several evenings in the next few weeks, we will have multiple performances in Rarig and there are also activities at Ted Mann. We recommend that you acquire your tickets in advance, and allow yourself plenty of time for parking and arriving. Tickets: visit tickets.umn.edu or call 612-624-2345. Also, during this busy period: The X presentation of Stop Kiss in the Xperimental Theatre, December 8-11. See the events listings on theatre.umn.edu for details. Tickets for this event are FREE http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/12/what_a_week_for_celebrating_an.html 326753 Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:10:53 +0000 Carl Flink, University of Minnesota's Theatre Arts and Dance Chair, and his Black Label Movement company of dancers recently performed two pieces in Brussels hosted by an international gathering of cutting-edge technicians, engineers and designers, better known as TED. The first work, "A Modest Proposal" (also titled "Dance, You PhD") featured collaborator and Science Magazine correspondent John Bohannon with Black Label Movement dancers complemented with local performers. A second presentation, "Space Walk" ( also titled "Dancing in Zero Gravity") featured Eddie Oroyan with the Dancernauts, same company plus U of M dance alumna Jessica Ehlert. See the all the action at TEDxBrussels with BLM http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/12/carl_flink_umtad_chair_his_black_lable_movement_tedxbrussels.html 326641 Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:38:00 +0000 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/12/post.html 326269 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:55:35 +0000 The Great(er) American Past Time, a new play by sophomore Nico Swenson, makes its debut at the Rarig Center's Xperimental Theatre this weekend, November 17-20. Meet the Joneses seen through a set of plot lines and symbolic characters like Ignora Ramuse. Swenson's "themes--excess, greed, capitalism,(and) consumerism -- stand up on their own feet in a cultural political and economic landscape marked by conflict between the 'haves ' and the 'have-nots'," writes the Minnesota Daily's Sarah Harper. Theatre-goers take note: tickets are free, but reservations are required. Email thex@umn.edu http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/11/the_greater_american_past_time.html 322575 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:23:22 +0000 Annie B. Parsons, co-founder and acclaimed choreographer of the theatre /dance company, BIG DANCE THEATRE, currently performing at the Walker Art Center, will speak to the B.A. Mentoring Student group on Friday, November 18 at 4pm in the Nolte Experimental Theatre. Professor Luverne Seifert, who heads the B.A. performance track will host the event. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/11/choreographer_annie_b_parsons.html 322535 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:33:32 +0000 One director calls it more of an event than a play. The Star Tribune calls it "Storming the walls of academia " (November 6, 2011 p.E3). International artists Dominique Serrand and Steve Epp were engaged by the University to work with 15 student actors to create a totally new performance which opens November 10, for one weekend only. The world premiere of this wild comic, poetic and tragic show represents a new way of energizing the U's theatre program, reports the Star Tribune. Sparking the imaginations of student cast, these two professional directors, formerly of the Tony Award-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune and now The Moving Company were invited as "outside " pros by the Theatre Arts and Dance Chair, Carl Flink at the request of students. Epps calls the new work " a celebration of our national stupidities" which wrestles with the inner battles throughout society, between individuals and within individuals. Serrand seems intent of about "igniting students with the idea that they can make change" to transcend our national malaise and political paralysis. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/11/the_war_withinalls_fair_funny.html 321474 Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:27:21 +0000 "Fear and Loathing in Salem" is the Minnesota Daily headline today as The Crucible opens for a weekend run. The project comes from the sophomore class of the BFA/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program. See www.mndaily.com/2011/10/27/fear-and-loathing-salem for the complete story. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/10/the_crucible_in_the_daily.html 318154 Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:59:46 +0000 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/10/michael_sommers_reps_us_at_int.html 316401 Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:16:07 +0000 Today theater students, Alexander Hathaway and Joseph Pjfferoen, share the stage with best-selling author/playwright Dava Sobel to present with her a dramatic reading from "And the Sun Stood Still," her new play. Ms.Sobel is on campus today to introduce A More Perfect Heaven which explores how Copernicus revolutionized the cosmos. The actors will perform two scenes from her new play which is published as part of this new book. Sobel's talk with the dramatic reading starts at 7:00pm in Coffman's University Bookstore is presented FREE of charge as part of the bookstore's Author Series. It will be recorded and eventually broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/10/today_student_actors_share_the.html 315816 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:55:26 +0000 In the current issue of the American Theatre Magazine (Oct '11), lighting designer and faculty member Marcus Dilliard, briefly discusses his challenging experience caused by the producing companies financial constraints while lighting The Deception, a 2008 co-production by Theatre de la Jeune Lune and La Jolla Playhouse. A striking color photo by director Dominique Serrand with set by David Coggins and costumes by Sonya Berlovitz shows actress Emily Gunyou Halaas bathed in brilliant light. This photographic image was also featured in a U.S. exhibition as part of a tribute to artists and companies that have vanished in the past four years. The text of Marivaux's The Deception was adapted by actor Stephen Epp and director Dominique Serrand. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/10/marcus_dilliard_in_american_th.html 315802 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:56:47 +0000 Professor Robert Rosen's students using masks and techniques they learned in five weeks in his class recently performed in a creative collaboration for packed houses and wow'em. Thematically centered around the idea of evolution, the performance was lighthearted and humorous with students" pretending to be animals, people and everything in between" reported MnDaily's Sarah Harper, who concluded this "grand tradition of script-less, narrative-less improvisation-fueled vignette-centric productions " proved intriguing and highly creative. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/10/masks--_a_journey_through_civi.html 315664 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:24:19 +0000 "U of M theater is no longer a bank-breaker," declares the MnDaily's A&E blog by writer Sarah Harper. "Most theatre events will be free, and any show that isn't free, students will only have to pay five bucks. And that's not limited to U of M students. Any student with any type of (current) student ID will be able to slam down an Abe Lincoln and see a play. Non- students will be charged only $10," reports the blog. And the same deal goes for dance events. Peg Guilfoyle, the Theatre Arts and Dance department's producing director explains," In an attempt to fling wide the doors of Rarig...we've completely revamped the pricing structure. " Great news for everyone pinching pennies and wants the thrill of experiencing live performance. See "the satisfying welcoming list of FREE events and information on the U of M'sTheatre Arts and Dance website suggests the Daily's blogger who knows a good deal, when she sees one. You can read the full story here: http://www.mndaily.com/blogs/ae-blog/2011/10/03/u-m-theater-no-longer-bank-breaker http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/10/theatredance_revamps_pricesno.html 312743 Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:46:21 +0000 ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR. U of M Theatre Arts and Dance (TAD) seeks a full-time ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR who serves as the chief administrative support person in a vibrant University department serving 400 major students by 85 employees. Duties include assistance to the Chair, office and human resource management, curriculum planning and fiscal management. The ideal candidate has 5 years of related experience with two years in a supervisor role. See full list of duties and requirements, and apply online: http://employment.umn.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=97840. Learn more about TAD at http://theatre.umn.edu. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. PRODUCING DIRECTOR. U of MN Theatre Arts and Dance seeks a full time PRODUCING DIRECTOR to manage and produce all performance and public events at a dynamic University department, residing in the vibrant Twin Cities arts community. The ideal candidate has a bachelor's degree (masters degree preferred); 3 years related professional experience; knowledge of, experience with and appreciation of traditional and experimental performance production and the promotion and marketing of it; demonstrated ability to problem solve, lead, multi-task, organize, facilitate and think broadly while paying attention to details, communicate, negotiate, budget resources, manage projects, and supervise and manage employees. Compensation is commensurate with experience in the $60,000s Application deadline: October 31, 2011. For more information and to apply visit http://employment.umn.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=98043. Learn more about TAD at http://theatre.umn.edu. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/09/job_opportunities_at_tad_1.html 310257 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:59:22 +0000 REMEMBERING 9/11: A Performance and Community Dialogue brought together students and faculty from across the university campus to consider how we choose to remember the tenth anniversary of September 11th. This unique production, devised and created by both dance and theatre majors, was directed by two graduate students Mike Mellas and Elliot Leffler, who moderated an engaging and thought-provoking discussion with the audience following the performance. For more details click on Minnesota Daily's news story "The Power of Memory" by Sarah Harper. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/09/remembering_911_performance_sp.html 307719 4870|4871 Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:23:00 +0000 The University of Minnesota 's Department of Theatre Arts and Dance announced today its upcoming 2011-12 season of performances, which will be directed by a host of distinguished guest artists and faculty, and will feature premieres, new plays, as well as a co-production with the critically acclaimed Theatre Latté Da. New pricing for admission to these events was also unveiled. "We are thrilled to bring to campus this spectrum of remarkable talent from across the nation and the Twin Cities," said Carl Flink, department chair. "Our season line-up of theatre and dance events shaped by visiting artists, directors, choreographers and collaborators will leave an indelible mark on our audiences and especially our students -- sharpening their skills, stretching their minds, and challenging their imaginations. We are delighted they have accepted our invitation to be guest artists, who together with our distinguished faculty will engage in a truly unique learning community. This season is a fantastic manifestation of our department's Reimagining Community and Arts Partnership as we continue to work to create a learning community without walls." Reimagining Community and Arts Partnership (RiCAP) is a departmental initiative that has built a series of partnerships and joint ventures over the past two years with local arts organizations. During the past academic year students have participated in productions with numerous community-based professional arts organizations. The admission prices for the season's 34 performances, many demonstrations, and lecture series have been reduced in an effort to attract, engage and develop new audiences. The new policy is easily explained as "Free, $5, $10." The majority of events, specifically, creative collaborations, BFA studio series, student-run experimental theatre performances, informal dance showings, and public lectures are free. Other ticketed performances are $5.00 for students with a student ID. Other members of the public will pay $10.00. This pricing policy extends to all season events, with the exception of the Spring Awakening musical. UMTAD programs are presented in the Barbara Barker Center for Dance and the Rarig Center on the West Bank Arts Quarter. The UMTAD 2011-12 Season includes a vibrant array of events and productions: The War Within/All's Fair, a newly devised work by Dominique Serrand and Steve Epp, former artistic directors of the internationally renowned Theatre de la Jeune Lune, now members of The MovingCompany, kicks off the season. In the war between the stuff that drives us apart and the instinct to hand together, who wins? In this comic work-in-progress, the ferociousness of being right is counterpoised by the ridiculous of being wrong (and vice versa). How do we get driven to the edge, and perhaps, off the cliff of absurdity? Deadly funny, daringly disturbing. The War Within/All's Fair opens November 10 and plays through November 13 only. Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard will be presented in repertory by the BFA/Guthrie Theater Acting Program Senior Class. In Uncle Vanya, laughter and tears merge while hopes and dreams fade. The playwright etches such genuine and vivid characters that even life's common crises become dramatic and important, then give way to wistful yearning. Joseph Price whose credits include Kansas City Actors Theater, Buffalo's Oasis Theater, and Chicago's A Red Orchid Theater directs this production. The Cherry Orchard unfolds as an ancestral estate is to be sold at auction, revealing the old Russian nobility's incapacity to cope as a modern world confronts them with the inevitable -- progress. Sari Ketter, whose credits include the Guthrie Theater, Great Lakes Theatre Festival and Intiman Theatre will direct. The two Chekhov masterworks will open December 1 and 2 and play alternately through December 10 Dance Revolutions, a fully produced concert directed by Toni Pierce Sands featuring choreography by Ananya Chatterjea, Stephen Petronio, Uri Sands and Helen Tamiris takes the Whiting proscenium stage December 9-11. The concert is under the guidance of Cowles Visiting Artists Ori Flomin and Dianne McIntyre. Aristophanes' classic comedy, The Birds, explores a cautionary tale of an ideal city gone wrong. Faculty member director Robert Rosen brings his heightened sense of fun and satire to this outrageous tale adapted by William Arrowsmith. The Birds begins February 23 and plays through February 26. University Dance Theater will show their fresh thinking and moves in their Spring Concert, March 2 and 3 with two performances per evening. Spring Awakening, the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, will be staged by Peter Rothstein, artistic director of the critically acclaimed Theater Latté Da, in a co-production. Denise Prosek will provide musical direction and Carl Flink will create the choreography. Spring Awakening is a dynamic rock adaptation of Frank Wedekind's expressionistic play about a group of teenagers coming of age in an uncomprehending world. Banned when the play first premiered in 1891, this contemporary musical is still provocative in its uncompromising gaze at the trials, tears and exhilaration of the teen years. Spring Awakening is a celebration of the rebellious imperatives of youth. Note: this production, which opens April 14 playing through May 6, has special pricing; check theatre.umn.edu for details spring 2012. A collection of new plays will be performed by the BFA students in the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie Theater, April 19 and close on April 29 The Vampyre! stalks the Minnesota Centennial Showboat which opens June 15, 2012 and performs eight times weekly through August. The dynamic duo of Peter Moore and Vern Sutton returns to stage this tale of true love, high adventure, sword fights and those ever popular olios -- the highly entertaining musical interludes from the days of vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley. Free special events exploring themes and topics relating to the season's programming are planned. For example, Frameworks Lecture Series presents visiting artists and leading scholars who provide engaging and informative insights. Associate Professor Sonja Kuftinec curates this lecture series. Check the events calendar on this website for upcoming presentations. The public is free to visit studio performances of creative collaborations guided by faculty members and affiliated faculty members. Throughout the season artists Robert Rosen, Barbra Berlovitz, Luverne Seifert, Carl Flink, Kym Longhi and Joel Sass will lead students in creating original works with masks, Greek poetry, the concept of Valhalla, and Frankenstein. Theatre arts and dance students produce their own series for the 2011-12 season in the Nolte Xperimental Theatre offering scripted plays, devised works and musical interludes. Scripts slated for staging in the coming weeks are Hamlet, The Great(er) American Passtime, Stop Kiss, and Equivocation. Devised works include Bagging History, The Found Orchestra Project, Animus and 24-hour theatre. For specific information on performances presented by the University of Minnesota's Department of Theatre Arts and Dance contact this website's events calendar. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/08/university_of_minnesota_theatr.html 305577 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:13:43 +0000 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Producing Director Tom Proehl. Although he was only with the department since August 2010, he had a tremendous impact on the faculty, staff, and students. As a mentor, educator, and friend, Tom brought an energy and passion to the Theatre Arts and Dance community that will be carried on through those he inspired. For more information, read Graydon Royce's obituary of Tom here. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/04/producing_director_tom_proehl_1.html 285286 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 20:07:33 +0000 In Caroline Palmer's recent Star Tribune special report Big dance town, the U of M's strong Dance Program was noted as helping the Twin Cities become a top location for dance. She also mentioned several dance faculty member's companies that help diversify the dance scene, including Shapiro & Smith, Ananya Dance Theatre, Black Label Movement, and TU Dance. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/03/dance_program_and_faculty_enha.html 282466 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:16:41 +0000 The University of California Riverside presented Choreographies of Access: Global dances, Local Knowledges, (Mis)Translated Bodies, Jan 31-Feb 3, 2011. U of M Dance professor Diyah Larasati and Setyastuti (Utik), professor in dance at the Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta (ISI) Indonesia, were brought to UCR, to workshop, present, and discuss with faculty and students their collaborative works. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/02/ucr_choreographies_of_access_w.html 275971 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:36:43 +0000 Associate Professor Louis Bellamy will be retiring from the U this spring after 32 years of service. As a scholar, historian, and professor, Bellamy has made a unique contribution to the department, shepherding countless students through their exploration of the black American experience and its influence on the theatre landscape. As a practitioner, Bellamy has left an indelible impression on a generation of young theatre artists including actors, directors, and technicians. The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, University Libraries Archives and Special Collections, and Penumbra Theatre will be hosting an event from 5:00-7:00pm on Tuesday, February 22 at the Elmer L. Andersen Library to celebrate the legacy of Lou Bellamy and his contributions to the theatre. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/02/associate_professor_lou_bellam.html 274765 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:23:37 +0000 MINNESOTA CENTENNIAL SHOWBOAT AUDITIONS 2011 The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by C.G. Bond Directed by Peter Moore Auditions for the Minnesota Centennial Showboat will be held on Sunday, January 30, 2011 (12p-3p, 4p-7p) and Monday, January 31, 2011 (6p-11p) with callbacks on Monday, February 7, 2011 (6p-11p) Specific information and sign-up sheets for audition times will be posted on the Rarig Production Notices Bulletin boards (lower level of Rarig Center by tunnel entrance). Locations for auditions and callbacks for the Showboat Company are TBD The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is being directed by Peter Moore, Musical Direction by Vern Sutton PETER MOORE has directed locally at the Guthrie, Torch Theater, Park Square, Actors Theatre of Minnesota, Hennepin Stages, History Theatre, Illusion Theater, The Playwright's Lab, the U of M, and Theatre in the Round. Other directing credits include Off- Broadway's York Theater, the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, the Winter Garden Theater in Toronto, Virginia Premiere Theatre in Williamsburg VA, the San Diego Rep, the film of Autistic License, numerous live industrials and videos and the STAR WARS: DARK FORCES audio-cassette series for Lucasfilm. For auditions you should prepare a one-minute classical monologue (comic or dramatic). In addition, you should prepare to sing a song accompanied by piano. You will be asked to sing 16 bars, but be prepared to sing the song in its entirety if the whole song is requested. Please bring sheet music with you for the accompanist. Using taped accompaniment or singing a cappella is not acceptable. THE ENTIRE AUDITION MAY NOT EXCEED 5 MINUTES. Rehearsals are slated to begin Monday, May 2nd. Rehearsals will employ standard U Theatre rehearsal times until Finals Week is over, when they will shift to a 40-hour rehearsal week. Rehearsals will continue into techs, dress rehearsals and preview performances, with the Showboat season opening on Friday, June 17 and performing Tuesday-Saturday until August 27, 2010. NOTE: Because these are paid positions, there are further eligibility requirements that must be met in order to be cast in the Showboat Company. These are posted here and will also be available at auditions. For questions, please contact Christine Swartwout, Production Stage Manager at swart073@umn.edu or Tom Proehl, Producing Director at tcproehl@umn.edu SHOWBOAT 2011 AUDITION INFORMATION AND ELIGIBILITY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Actors who are cast in the Showboat production of The Demon Barber of Fleet Street for the summer 2011 run are employees of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, University of Minnesota. The following are the criteria that must be met in order to be hired as a member of the Showboat Company: Students must be 1) enrolled in a degree-granting program 2) meet the minimum enrollment credit requirement for spring semester (for undergraduates that number is 6; for graduate students, it is 3) 3) registered for fall semester 2011 classes by April 19. NOTE: If you are graduating in May, you can be hired as a temporary employee -- no summer registration is required. However, you must meet item 2 above. If you have questions regarding the above information, please ask the stage managers during auditions or check with Shelly Emmel in 580E. If your situation doesn't fit within the above criteria, please inform the stage manager at the time of your audition. Failure to do so could result in the loss of a role. PERFORMING ON THE SHOWBOAT You should be aware of the special kind of performance conditions connected to a Showboat production. The performance experience for the audience extends beyond the stage and the performance schedule to include pre-show, intermission and post-show. It is part of the Showboat atmosphere for the audience to interact with the Company in a personable and friendly manner. Consequently, actors and staff greet the audience before the play begins, serve front of house and ushering functions, and may even offer brief entertainments, like pre-show discussions. Following the show, actors and staff say good night and shake hands with the audience as they leave. Many alumni and friends return to see the Boat on an annual basis. It's crucial that they feel welcome and excited about the experience each time. Many of our patrons are long-time Showboaters who have looked forward to the Boat's annual summer production, often attending more than once in a summer. This production will help us to maintain public visibility and demonstrate that the Showboat style of theatre is alive and well. Additionally, the acting company and staff help run and maintain the production. Company members will be assigned duties connected with running the show (shifting scenery, assisting with costume changes, control board operation, etc.), maintaining the show and the performance space (e.g. sweeping the stage, picking up programs, straightening chairs, cleaning the makeup area and dressing rooms spaces, etc.). PROMOTIONAL and EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will be the tenth production on the Minnesota Centennial Showboat in its permanent location on Harriet Island. We need to continue building an audience for the Boat and this unique style of theatre entertainment in this location. Part of the employment contract will require participation in promotional and educational activities. These may include appearances at local parades, festivals, and events, television and radio shows, service club/chamber of commerce type of events, and educational workshops with K-12 students from the community. Details of these events will be discussed as part of the first company meeting. Understudy Responsibilities Two students will be cast in understudy roles. The understudies will properly study and execute assigned understudy roles, in order to aid fellow Company Members that may need to be replaced in emergency situations. This includes solid knowledge of all dialogue, blocking, musical numbers, choreography, and audience speeches needed to ensure a smooth performance. Other aspects of understudy preparation include: a comprehensive knowledge of the duties as backstage crew member, technical assistant, and other pre-show and post-show assignments as assigned by the Production Stage Manager or Deck Manager. CONTRACT SCHEDULE AND PAYMENT The current contract for the Showboat Company runs from the beginning of rehearsals Monday, May 2, through the end of performances and strike on Sunday, August 28, 2011. The week of May 9-14 rehearsals may be suspended due to Final Exams (though there may be rehearsals late in that week, depending on cast members' finals schedules). The structure of the season will work like this: May 2- June 16-- Rehearsals, techs, dress rehearsals and previews. Previews will include special complementary performances for company members' families and friends. During this time, there will also be promotional run-outs built into the schedule as well as workshops designed for the company members' benefit, including a vocal maintenance, showboat history, wig maintenance, and audience services. Company members will put in an average of 40 hours per week/six days a week during this period. June 17 -- Opening Night of The Demon Barber of Fleet Street June 18 - August 27 -- Performances of The Demon Barber of Fleet Street are Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m. only -- Sunday and Monday are days off. This is basically 8 performances a week with two full days off. There may be additional time commitments during this period for promotional activities. A schedule for these events will be released at a later date. August 28 - Strike of The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. All Company members help with striking the technical elements for the show and returning them to Rarig. A Company post-mortem will be lead to allow company members a chance to give critical feedback of their experiences. Payment for the contract period is a stipend of approximately $6,120.00. This rate does not take your individual tax rate into consideration. All contracts will be issued before the first Company meeting (tentatively slated for early-February). For questions or more information, please contact Tom Proehl (625-1052, tcproehl@umn.edu) or Christine Swartwout. (625-6819, swart073@umn.edu). http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/01/showboat_auditions_held_sunday.html 270309 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 21:55:07 +0000 Congratulations to our faculty members who received 2011 Imagine Fund Awards! 151 awards were distributed representing $755,000 in support for research in the arts, design, and the humanities were made in December, 2010, for the 2011 academic year. The programs are supported by a generous grant from the McKnight Foundation, from new internal reallocations from the University of Minnesota Graduate School and the Office of the Vice President for Research, and from the creation of the chairs through the Permanent University Fund. Lisa Channer "Three Festivals: Pure Research on European Dance-Theatre trends" Ananya Chatterjea "Arts against gender violence: performance and social justice" Marcus Dilliard "2011 Prague Design Quadrennial and USITT Study Tour" Megan Lewis "Performing Africa Research Residency" Joanie Smith "Theatrical set for new dance work, When We Last Spoke" http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2011/01/faculty_members_receive_2011_i.html 266459 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:18:22 +0000 City Pages named Joanie Smith as one of their 2010 Artists of the Year. Dance program alum, Emily Johnson, was also one of the artists who received this honor. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/12/associate_professor_joanie_smi_1.html 265098 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:51:04 +0000 The Woyzeck Project was listed on Star Tribune theatre critic Graydon Royce's list of the top five shows that most impressed him in 2010. This project was created by theatre instructor Luverne Seifert, Chair Carl Flink, and Flink's company Black Label Movement with Department of Theatre Arts and Dance students. It was presented at The Southern Theater this past fall as part of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance's Re-imaging Community and Arts Partnerships (RiCAP) initiative. RiCAP explores, strengthens and supports meaningful relationships amongst the department, our community and performing arts groups throughout the metropolitan area. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/12/woyzeck_project_makes_graydon.html 264969 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:29:25 +0000 Due to the inclement weather over the weekend, we will be adding a performance of Continuously Rich: Dance Revolutions 2010 at 8:00pm on Monday, December 13 at the Barker Center for Dance, 500 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis MN 55455. There will be a $12 suggested donation at the door and we will honor any tickets from patrons who were unable to attend the performances this past weekend due to the weather. Seating is limited, and will be on a first come, first serve basis. For more information, please call 612.624.5060 or email umdance@umn.edu. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/12/continuously_rich_dance_revolu.html 264165 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:21:25 +0000 DANCING INDONESIA'S SILENCE, by Mahilam Palanisami was one of the 18 short films selected from around 70 submissions for MNTV 2010, a three-part program highlighting the best in Minnesota filmmaking in the past two years. The series will be broadcast on TPT in December. MNTV is an innovative partnership between IFP MN, Twin Cities Public Television, Jerome Foundation, Walker Art Center, and Intermedia Arts, which gives emerging Minnesota filmmakers the opportunity to screen on television and to be compensated for their work. The film will air on 10:30pm, Dec. 12 on TPT2; 9pm, Dec. 19 on statewide TPTMN. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/12/short_film_featuring_dance_pro.html 263890 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:21:35 +0000 Introductory Video to exhibition Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives from Fowler Museum on Vimeo. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/12/diyah_larasati_featured_in_fow.html 263883 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:08:19 +0000 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/12/check_out_the_highlights_of_ou.html 262384 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:22:54 +0000 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/12/professor_mathew_lefebvre_disc.html 262232 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:55:31 +0000 Ananya Chatterjea, Associate Professor and Director of Dance, will be one of the artists participating in Identity and the Arts, a panel hosted by the Minneapolis Arts Commission. The panel will discuss how Minnesota's art scene has shaped the way Minnesotans think about themselves, and if there is such a thing as a shared Minnesota culture and how the arts have shaped it. Savethedate_Nov30_MNidentity.pdf http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/11/director_of_dance_ananya_chatt_3.html 261412 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:19:58 +0000 Rachmi Larasati from The Global Conversation on Vimeo. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/11/assistant_professor_diyah_lara_1.html 261356 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:01:01 +0000 TU Dance, a company founded by faculty member Toni Pierce-Sands and her partner Uri Sands, performed their latest work at the O'Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. For more information about this performance, check out Caroline Palmer's piece A sublime performance from TU Dance. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/11/dance_faculty_member_toni_pier_3.html 261354 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:54:08 +0000 Emily Johnson, a graduate of the University of Minnesota's dance program, brought her company Catalyst, Dances by Emily Johnson to Northrop Auditorium to perform her latest work The Thank You Bar. For more information about this piece, check out Camille LeFevre's article on MinnPost and Caroline Palmer's article in the Star Tribune. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/11/dance_program_alum_emily_johns.html 261253 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:59:41 +0000 Professor Michal Kobialka's 1993 book about the theatre of Tadeusz Kantor, A Journey Through Other Spaces, has just been translated into Romanian. O Călătorie ĭn Alte Spaţii: Teatrul lui Tadeusz Kantor had an official book launch on November 2, 2010 in Bucharest. The book was translated by Cipriana Petre. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/11/professor_michal_kobialkas_199.html 259675 Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:49:39 +0000 Luverne Seifert, instructor and head of BA Performance Program, is part of the ensemble of four actors in the Guthrie Theater's production of Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. Check out the reviews: Going all ha-ha on Hitchcock Weekend outlook: farcical Theater review: Hitchcock's '39 Steps' at the Guthrie needs a few more edits Review: Guthrie takes 39 Steps to inspired comedic heights Thriller goes slapstick Review: The 39 Steps @ The Guthrie Theater http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/11/head_of_ba_performance_program_1.html 259329 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:27:18 +0000 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/11/chair_carl_flink_featured_on_m.html 258294 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:17:26 +0000 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/10/faculty_member_michael_sommers.html 257104 Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:34:01 +0000 New Producing Director Tom Proehl has received a fellowship to participate in The Creative Community Leadership Institute. Sponsored by Intermedia Arts, The Creative Community Leadership Institute provides comprehensive training and support for community-engaged artists, organizers, educators, administrators and developers. Each year 25 leaders from the community development field and the arts/culture field participate in this institute to learn more about the history and ecology of arts-based community development, partnership skills, strategies for sustainability, negotiation and conflict resolution, learning styles, program design and project planning, fund-raising, assessment, public relations and advocacy. The program consist of hands-on learning activities, lectures/discussions, critical readings, site visits, case studies, community interactions, writing assignments, creative engagement with guest artists and other presenters from the field, and a laboratory project in which fellows collaboratively design an arts-based community development program. This opportunity will help Proehl as he continues to shape and develop the department's Re-imagining Community Arts Partnerships (RiCAP) initiative. RiCAP explores the relationships between the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance and the performing arts community in which it is embedded. It focuses on the importance of creation and production to the department's educational and research mission and training of theatre and dance students--the next generation of artists and arts leaders--and how strong community partnerships could transform that mission. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/10/producing_director_tom_proehl.html 255170 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:30:50 +0000 Kalere Payton (MFA 2009) received the Emerging Artist Ivey Award for her costume design work at several local theatres including Penumbra, Park Square, and the Guthrie. For more information, check out Graydon Royce's recap of this year's Ivey Awards and Quinton Skinner's Ivey Awards 2010: worthy recipients, few surprises. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/09/mfa_alum_kalere_payton_receive.html 248978 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:51:04 +0000 HERE IS A FIELD LAUNCHES GLOBAL CALL TO THEATRICAL ACTION New play premieres worldwide this October In Minneapolis Avalon Theatre 1500 E. Lake Street Oct. 5th 7pm followed by reception and discussion with playwright FREE In the Middle East, is hope as fragile as life? In October 2000 a young Palestinian citizen of Israel, Aseel Asleh, was shot by an Israeli security officer while demonstrating peacefully in the Arab village of Arabeh. He died and was buried in his "Seeds of Peace" T-shirt. Culled from documentary transcripts and interviews, this is the story of his life, his death, and the values his family struggles to sustain, as told through the eyes of his sister, Nardeen. "There is a Field is much bigger than the story of one family," notes playwright Jen Marlowe. "It offers an important opportunity to consider the struggles facing Palestinians inside Israel within the wider Israel/Palestine discourse." The play, which juxtaposes Aseel's optimistic vision of a non-oppositional world next to the realities of struggle his sister confronts daily, gains further resonance in light of the current Middle East peace talks. About the Minneapolis staging: Co-sponsored by In The Heart of the Beast and Bedlam Theatres, the reading in Minneapolis is directed by Sonja Kuftinec, a theatre professor at the University of Minnesota who worked as a facilitator at Seeds of Peace camp for several years. The reading features participation from a diverse Twin Cities community including Palestinian and Jewish Americans [Matt Carlyon, Jackie Koury, Elliot Leffler, Carra Martinez, and Esther Ouray]. For more information about the Global Call see www.donkeysaddle.org http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/09/associate_professor_sonja_kuft.html 247926 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:49:35 +0000 Kevin McCarthy died of pneumonia at Cape Cod Hospital in Massachusetts at the age of 96 this past Saturday. Since graduating from the University of Minnesota in the late 1950s, he appeared in more than 50 films and received an Oscar nomination for his role in 1951's Death of a Salesman. For more information: Invasion of the Body Snatchers actor dies aged 96 'Body Snatchers' actor McCarthy, 96, dies in Mass. (AP) http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/09/u_of_m_alum_kevin_mccarthy_die.html 247920 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:32:49 +0000 H. Lee Adey, Professor Emeritus from our Department, passed away on Thursday 9/9. Lee was a strong advocate of the undergraduate students and served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for years. He was also a member of the directing faculty and worked with colleague, Wendell Josal, for eight years at The Stagecoach (Theatre) in Shakopee, MN. Lee received his MA from this department and retired in 1996. Star Tribune Announcement http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/09/professor_emeritus_h_lee_adey.html 247685 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:32:48 +0000 Southern Theater presents Theatre Novi Most The Oldest Story in the World (world premiere) A new telling of the epic of Gilgamesh, directed by Associate Professor Lisa Channer September 24 - October 3, 2010 Combining rigorous physical theater, live music and striking stage images, The Oldest Story in the World examines the enduring human question: How do we live knowing that we must die? The play weaves the story of king Gilgamesh and his companion Enkidu through different locations and time periods--Victorian England, modern day Iraq, the sexually charged realm of the gods--to resurrect this remarkably moving and relevant ancient story about how to live a human life, and the consequences of arrogance. The Oldest Story in the World brings top video and theater designers from New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Minneapolis together with playwright and affiliate faculty member Kira Obolensky and some of the Twin Cities' most dynamic physical actors including many U of M affiliate faculty members, students, and alums - Barbra Berlovitz, Julianna Drajko, Erik Hoover, Billy Mullaney, Vladimir Rovinsky, Vanessa Voskuil and Jeanne Willcoxon. "I've been working on this project for six years now with the goal to make a high powered performance that tells the ancient tale of Gilgamesh while also speaking to our contemporary moment," said director Lisa Channer. "Audiences who see The Oldest Story in the World will be treated to an evening of physical theater full of adventure, live music, lots of heart and a really great story. And in case you need more we also offer monsters, floods, sexy gods and goddesses, stolen antiquities, magic potions, falling sand, time travel and giant scorpions." Artistic credits: Created and developed by Lisa Channer with Adrian Jones, Kira Obolensky, Vincent Olivieri and the company Directed by Lisa Channer Text by Kira Obolensky Scenic design by Adrian Jones Sound design by Vincent Olivieri Multimedia design by Daniel Vatsky Costume design by Annie Katsura-Rollins Light design by Robert Perry Theatre Novi Most artistic directors: Lisa Channer and Vladimir Rovinsky Show times: September 24-27 & 30, October 1-3, 2010 Mon. at 7pm, Thu. at 7:30pm, Fri. & Sat. at 8pm Sun. (Sept. 26) at 7pm & Sun. (Oct. 3) at 2pm Tickets: $24, $20 Southern Theater box office: 612.340.1725 1420 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55454 www.southerntheater.org Check out Prof. Megan Lewis' video promo of this production -- http://theatrenovimost.org/ http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/09/tad_faculty_students_and_alumn.html 247231 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:47:52 +0000 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/09/oil_and_the_jungle_auditions_a.html 247153 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:54:28 +0000 Audition's for the Pulitzer Prize winning drama proof will take place the first week of school: September 8th and 9th (next Wednesday and Thursday) at 7:00pm in The Xperimental Theatre (lowest level of Rarig). There will be a sign up sheet on the call board as soon as possible for you to claim a time slot. Please prepare 2 contemporary monologues. They can be of either a comedic or a dramatic nature, so long as they are each about 2 minutes or less. Your audition should take no more than 4 minutes in total. Callbacks will be held on Friday September 10th at 7:00. A list of those who have been called back will be posted by 1:30 that day. You will receive sides at the callback. The cast list will be posted on Saturday September 11th and rehearsals will begin Monday September 13th. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/09/the_xs_first_audition_is_comin.html 247064 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:28:03 +0000 Following the stunning success of Ananya Dance Theatre's (ADT) trilogy on environmental justice, Director of Dance Ananya Chatterjea's company is launching a new four-year anti-violence project exploring the experiences of women of color across the globe. Launching the project is the world premiere of "Kshoy!/Decay!," which opens the Southern Theater's 2010/11 season, September 9-12, 2010. For more information about these performances visit the Southern Theater Website. Ananya Dance Theatre explores femininity, power and social-justice issues affecting women around the world through a kinetically dynamic blend of classical Odissi dance, breath-driven yoga movement and the marital-art Chhau, performed by a band of women of color committed to artistic excellence. Mnartists.org described the dancers as, "indeed beautiful in their statuesque poses, performed with flawless technique. Their unwavering certainty is inspiring." In "Kshoy!/Decay!" ("kshoy" is the Bengali word for "decay"), the company uses a potent metaphor--mud, as in dirt that sticks to skin--to explore the afterlives of African, Asian and other women of color forced to relocate or evacuate from their homelands. The piece investigates how women have worked through multiple and repeated histories of dislocation, relocation, evacuation and violence in the name of tradition. "Kshoy!/Decay!" doesn't "depict" or "speak for" these communities; rather, the work engages in collaborative research and community outreach to generate the singular choreographic experience that results in the commanding work for which ADT is known. "Kshoy!/Decay!" is the first work in a new four-part investigation into violence, trauma, resistance and empowerment experienced by communities of color, using the elements of mud, gold, oil and water as metaphor. Performed with ADT's trademark emotional intensity, physical prowess and resonate storytelling, "Kshoy!/Decay!" is co-directed by founding artistic director Ananya Chatterjea, lauded by Women's E News as one of "21 Leaders for the 21st Century," and OBIE Award-winning theater artist Laurie Carlos. Internationally and nationally acclaimed vocal artists, Pooja Goswami and Mankwe Ndosi, are composing the score for "Kshoy!/Decay!" Dr. Ananya Chatterjea serves as Director of Dance and Associate Professor of Dance in the Department of Theater Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Trained initially in Indian classical and folk dance traditions, she became well known at a young age as a practitioner of the Odissi style of classical dance under the tutelage of her internationally acclaimed guru, Sanjukta Panigrahi. She performed and toured widely, dancing with diverse community-based companies and government initiatives. In addition to numerous awards, her work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Asian Arts Initiative, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the McKnight, Jerome, and Bush foundations. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/09/director_of_dance_ananya_chatt_2.html 246812 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:29:43 +0000 AUDITIONS for minor roles in this fall's production of UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY by Arthur Schnitzler/Tom Stoppard will be held on Saturday, September 11th. This production is being directed by John Miller-Stephany (Associate Artistic Director of The Guthrie Theater). Rehearsals begin Monday, September 13th and the closing performance is Saturday, October 30th. If you would like to audition please sign up for a time slot on one of the sheets posted on the callboard in the basement of Rarig. Please note that all auditions are on Saturday, September 11th between noon and 5:00 p.m. in the THRUST theater in Rarig. If for some reason you are unable to come during this time but would like to audition please contact Laura Topham (topha002@umn.edu) or James Meyers (meye0975@umn.edu). Students wishing to audition should prepare a 2 minute monologue in the style of the play. There are reading copies of the script available for checkout through Christine Swartwout in 580A Rarig. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/08/auditions_for_undiscovered_cou.html 246373 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:09:22 +0000 Dance Professor Diyah Larasati talks about her research in a recent article in Bangalore's Deccan Herald: Dancing against war. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/08/assistant_professor_diyah_lara.html 245121 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:55:15 +0000 The University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts & Dance announces Thomas Proehl as the new Producing Director. He will be joining the department in August 2010, succeeding former Managing Director Sherry Wagner-Henry who left the department last November to become the Director of Graduate Programs in the U of M College of Continuing Education. A native of Moorhead, MN, Proehl returns to the state after having served as Director of Administration and Operations at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, CA. Prior to that position, he worked as the Minnesota State Arts Board Executive Director. During his tenure, the Arts Board received a 19% increase in funding supporting artists, arts organization and art educators. Proehl was also the Managing Director of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN. While at the Guthrie, he oversaw the construction of the new $125 million complex on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Proehl holds a BA from Minnesota State University Moorhead, and a MFA from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. He has served as a guest lecturer in the U of M/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, the Performing Arts Management Program at Brooklyn College, and the Arts and Cultural Management Program at Saint Mary's University in Minneapolis. He has served on National Endowment for the Arts review panels; as an executive committee member of the League of Resident Theatres, and as a consultant and/or board member for numerous arts organizations across the country. When asked about accepting this position, Proehl stated "I am honored to be joining my new colleagues in Theatre Arts and Dance at the U of M. I have always admired the U's commitment to research, education and community partnerships and have a great respect for the artists and arts groups that so selflessly contribute to the cultural community of the Twin Cities and the entire state of Minnesota. To say that I am excited to return to Minnesota is an understatement--it is a true privilege!" As Producing Director, Proehl will be overseeing the department's Re-imagining Community Arts Partnerships (RiCAP) initiative. RiCAP explores the relationships between the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance and the performing arts community in which it is embedded. It focuses on the importance of creation and production to the department's educational and research mission and training of theatre and dance students--the next generation of artists and arts leaders--and how strong community partnerships could transform that mission. According to Department Chair Carl Flink, "I think Tom is an incredible addition to our department. His experience throughout Minnesota and beyond will be invaluable to our efforts to place public engagement and partnerships at the center of our theater and dance production activities." http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/07/university_of_minnesota_depart.html 243510 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:03:44 +0000 Check out our very own Prof. Lisa Channer, as she works on her latest project, Oldest Story, about King Gilgamesh. The Art of the Research segment combines video and vocals to visualize calculations, thus creating unexpected discoveries. Driven to Discover: The Research Series Click the ART tab http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/06/associate_professor_lisa_chann_2.html 239017 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:29:51 +0000 TU Dance, a company founded by Dance Faculty member Toni Pierce-Sands and her husband Uri Sands, was recently featured on TPT's MN Original program. Check out the video at TU Dance | mn original http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/06/dance_faculty_member_toni_pier_2.html 237389 Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:41:48 +0000 The Playwrights' Center announced the 2010-11 McKnight Theater Artist Fellowships. These fellowships recognize outstanding work by professional theater artists other than playwrights whose primary residence is in Minnesota. A diverse panel of local and national theater artists select three recipients for grants of $25,000, plus $1,000 in artistic support, on the basis of professional achievement and sustained level of excellence. Bob Rosen, an affiliate faculty member for the Theatre BA program, was one of the three artists to receive these fellowships. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/06/affiliate_faculty_member_bob_r.html 237255 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:53:35 +0000 The University Imagine Fund Arts and Humanities Chair enables professors with a record of distinguished scholarship, teaching and service to conduct a research project that will further their own scholarship, generate curricular innovation, and forge intellectual communities in the university or wider community. Professor Kobialka's two-year project seeks to re-open a discussion on the Enlightenment in the twenty-first century when the basic driver of the academe is its political structure as well as the distribution of resources among the various political actors. This project is envisioned as multifaceted research project which will comprise the following: a book project, a graduate intensive seminar on the Enlightenment, and a conference, "Performing the Enlightenment in the Twenty-First Century." (The schedule will be announced when available.) http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/06/professor_michal_kobialka_has.html 236954 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:43:28 +0000 Santino Fontana, an alum from the U of M/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program, recently received a Drama Desk Award for his role in Brighton Beach Memoirs. For more information about the production: Neil Simon's Jermones, at Home at the Nederlander http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/05/bfa_actor_training_program_alu.html 236293 Fri, 28 May 2010 16:54:13 +0000 Lisa Channer's company Theatre Novi Most will be performing their latest work M2: Mayakovsky and Marinetti, at the Open Eye Figure Theatre May 14-23. Channer is an associate professor in the Theatre BA program. For more information about the upcoming production: A new bridge between two distinct cultures http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/05/associate_professor_lisa_chann_1.html 234757 Tue, 11 May 2010 20:24:46 +0000 Luverne Seifert appears as Alfred P. Doolittle in Ten Thousand Things' latest production of My Fair Lady. Ten Thousand Things targets its work at audiences who rarely see theater -- at prisons, chemical-dependency homes, shelters and other nontraditional locales. The company's stripped-down style has a distinct and lean simplicity that more often than not rediscovers the essence of drama. For more information: The 'Lady' stripped bare Ten Thousand Things strips down Eliza and Henry THEATER | Ten Thousand Things present a "My Fair Lady" with loverly acting, but plain singing http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/05/head_of_ba_performance_program.html 234723 Tue, 11 May 2010 17:06:49 +0000 Joanie Smith, associate professor in the Dance Program, received a 2010 NEA Access to Artistic Excellence Grant and a Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry and Scholarship Award. The Access to Artistic Excellence Grant will support the creation of a new multimedia, evening-length work choreographed by artistic director Joanie Smith, and performed by Shapiro & Smith Dance. Ophelia will include text by playwright David Greenspan, music by composer Scott Killian, and a cast of dancers including Smith. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/05/associate_professor_joanie_smi.html 234704 Tue, 11 May 2010 14:06:34 +0000 Information about the grant from the Theatre Communications Group: More than $37,000 was recently awarded to three individuals and four theatre companies to participate in the 2010 Summer/Fall round of the New Generations - Future Collaborations Travel Grant Program. Now in its tenth round, this program is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by Theatre Communications Group (TCG). The New Generations - Future Collaborations Travel Grant Program is designed to build bridges between U.S. theatre professionals and their counterparts abroad. US-based theatres and theatre professionals may request up to $6,000 to facilitate international collaboration by way of hosting or traveling abroad. "Since 1961, TCG has been the national service organization for the professional not-for-profit American theatre field," said Teresa Eyring, executive director, TCG. "Today, TCG fosters conditions for the emergence of a new level of international and intercultural awareness and cooperation through theatre. These grants have been an important part of our international exchange and growth." The New Generations - Future Collaborations Travel Grant Program has no geographic limitations and the program is open to all key leadership members of theatre organizations and individual theatre practitioners. At its core, the program encourages cultural exchange and artistic partnerships between theatre professionals in the United States and their counterparts abroad at all stages of their proposed collaborations. Among the recipients is Assistant Professor Michael Sommers who will travel to Indonesia to begin collaborations with director and shadow puppet master Koes Yulinadi, whose work pushes his country's tradition of puppetry, mask, music, movement and gesture to a contemporary voice and context. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/05/assistant_professor_michael_so.html 234254 Thu, 06 May 2010 19:51:49 +0000 David Ivers and Brian Vaughn have been named as joint artistic directors of the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespearean Festival. Ivers has worked at the Festival as an actor and director for 15 seasons. He has a bachelor of fine arts degree in theatre from Southern Oregon University, and a master of fine arts degree in acting from the University of Minnesota. Ivers has worked at the Oregon, Alabama, and Idaho Shakespeare festivals, as well as the Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, Tacoma Actors Guild, Portland Repertory Theatre, and Seattle Repertory Theatre. For more information: BREAKING NEWS: Utah Shakespearean Festival announces new artistic directors Utah Shakespearean Festival http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/05/mfa_acting_alum_david_ivers_na.html 233954 Thu, 06 May 2010 15:40:34 +0000 M.F.A. Design/Tech student Annie Katsura Rollins received a Fulbright Award for an extensive period in China. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/05/mfa_designtech_student_annie_k.html 233946 Thu, 06 May 2010 15:12:46 +0000 TU Dance, led by Dance faculty member Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands, will present an evening-length version of their work Sense(ability) at the Southern Theater May 6-16. This piece explores the delicate yet dynamic relationship between the elements and the sensual experiences they invoke. For more information: Dance spotlight: TU Dance TU Dance to present Uri Sands' first evening-length work Southern Theater TU Dance http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/05/dance_faculty_member_toni_pier_1.html 233878 Wed, 05 May 2010 21:10:33 +0000 Santino Fontana, an alum of the U of M/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program, was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for 'Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play.' For more information about the award, visit 55th ANNUAL DRAMA DESK AWARDS NOMINATIONS. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/05/theatre_bfa_alum_santino_fonta.html 233874 Wed, 05 May 2010 20:54:02 +0000 Associate Professor Margaret Werry received a Council of Graduate Students' Outstanding Faculty Award. This award, organized by graduate students, recognizes faculty members for their exceptional contributions to graduate education. For more information about the award visit http://www.cogs.umn.edu/. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/05/associate_professor_margaret_w_1.html 233644 Tue, 04 May 2010 19:42:17 +0000 The American Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Outstanding Book Award Committee has selected Professor Michal Kobialka's study, Further On, Nothing: Tadeusz Kantor's Theatre, to receive an Honorable Mention. The review committee, which included Stacy Wolf, Jim Peck, and Jonathan Chambers, found his nuanced consideration of Kantor's theatre thoughtful and moving. They were duly impressed with the ways in which Professor Kobialka study gets right at the heart of what theatre is and how it means. In the end, the committee is certain that his study will find a wide and welcoming audience. Additionally, the committee reviewed well over forty titles this year. Also, Professor Kobialka's This is My Body: Representational Practices in the Early Middle Ages, was a recipient of 2000 ATHE Outstanding Book Award. For more information: The American Theatre in Higher Education Website: http://www.athe.org University of Minnesota Press listing for Further On, Nothing: Tadeusz Kantor's Theatre: http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/K/kobialka_further.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/05/athe_award_honorable_mention_f.html 233564 Tue, 04 May 2010 13:57:14 +0000 Twin Cities Public Television has recently released minnesota original, a new weekly series celebrating the Twin Cities creative community. According to their website, this new series will take viewers behind the scenes to meet the elders and the emerging talents in all of the arts disciplines - musicians, visual artists, poets, writers, dancers, filmmakers, architects and designers - all of whom make up the vast array of creative talent living and working in Minnesota. Director of Dance Ananya Chatterjea is featured in a recent episode. Check it out at: mnoriginal.org. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/04/director_of_dance_ananya_chatt_1.html 233119 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 21:11:46 +0000 The University of Minnesota Council of Academic Professionals and Administrators (CAPA) has announced the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance as the winner of the 2010 CAPA Outstanding Unit Award. This award honors the extraordinary work and service our Academic Professionals and Administrators (including all affiliate faculty) provide to this department. Furthermore, it recognizes their essential role to the department. For more information: CAPA Awards http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/04/tad_receives_2010_council_of_a.html 232532 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:50:01 +0000 Assistant Professor Diyah Larasati will be performing in Terbangan at the MacPhail Center for Music on May 1 and will be participating in a discussion entitled Contemporary Islam Indonesia: Cultural Reconfiguration in Performing Arts at the Influx Room in the Regis Center for Art on May 3. Both events are part of Reconfiguring Contemporary Islam in Southeast Asia being presented by the University of Minnesota's Consortium for the Study of the Asias. For more information: Consortium for the Study of the Asias RecapturingContemIslam_final3.pdf http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/04/see_assistant_professor_diyah.html 232529 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:53:30 +0000 Long-time dance program instructional staff member Barbara Nordstrom-Loeb received a Fulbright award to teach Dance/Movement Therapy at the University of Tallinn in Estonia for a semester. For more information about the Fulbright program: Institute of International Education http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/04/affiliate_faculty_member_barba.html 232088 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:18:25 +0000 University of Minnesota -Twin Cities Department of Theatre and Dance invite you to attend an MFA design showcase featuring current graduate student costume, set, and lighting designers/technicians. Work will be on display at the UofM campus Rarig Center (330 21st Ave. in the Whiting Proscenium) Sunday, May 9th 2pm-6pm and Monday, May 10th 2pm-7pm with reception and talkback with designers beginning at 4pm Monday. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/04/mfa_designer_showcase_announce.html 232079 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:16:47 +0000 The panel segment from the "Heart of the Matter" episode about stem cell research has been posted online. The video is available at http://www.oit.umn.edu/research-series/. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/04/driven_to_discover_research_se.html 231269 Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:10:00 +0000 Professors Ananya Chatterjea, Lisa Channer, Carl Flink, and Diyah Larasati received Institute for Advanced Studies Creative Collaborative research funding for the 2010-11 academic year. For more information about the Creative Collaborative: Institute for Advanced Study. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/04/numerous_faculty_members_award.html 229622 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:25:19 +0000 Dance program affiliate faculty member Morgan Thorson was recently awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. For more information about the award: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/04/affiliate_faculty_member_morga.html 229620 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:15:02 +0000 Theatre Arts & Dance Professor Cindy Garcia was recently awarded a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. For more information: Ford Foundation. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/04/professor_garcia_awarded_a_pre.html 229618 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:00:09 +0000 Associate Professor Joanie Smith's company, Shapiro & Smith Dance, performs at The Southern Theater April 1-4, 2010. Besides Smith's choreography, the concert will feature Department Chair Carl Flink and Dance Program Director Ananya Chatterjea. For more information: Spotlight: Shapiro & Smith Dance Shapiro & Smith Dance at the Southern this week Shapiro & Smith Dance The Southern Theater http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/03/shapiro_smith_dances_recent_pe.html 226319 Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:12:39 +0000 AUDITIONS! A Winter's Tale Directed by Lisa Channer Production Information: Rehearsals begin October 25th, 2010 (tentative) Rehearsals will be held M-F 6:30pm-10:30pm & Sat. 12:00pm-5:00pm Rehearsals will not be held during winter break, but will continue beginning the first week of Spring Semester 2011. Performances February 11-13 & 17-20 (tentative) All dates are subject to change. For this production, the director is looking for actors and singers as well as acrobats, jugglers, and circus artists for non-speaking roles. Audition Information: Students should prepare either a Monologue from any Shakespeare play OR A prepared scene with a partner from any Shakespeare play Monologues should be under 2 minutes in length, and prepared scenes should be under 3 minutes in length. Actors who ALSO have circus skills should be prepared to show a monologue and demonstration of circus skills. If you are a SINGER, be prepared to sing 20 seconds of material a Capella If you are an acrobat, juggler, and/or circus artist please be prepared to demonstrate your acrobatic, juggling and/or circus skills. If you are auditioning for a non-speaking circus role, you do not need to prepare a monologue or scene. Please be aware that if you have multiple components to your audition, they must all fit within the 5 minute time frame of your audition slot. Please make sure to CIRCLE all components of your audition underneath your name! **CALLBACKS will be held on Thursday, April 1st, 2010 From 6:30pm-10:30pm Performers will be called back for specific roles and sides will be available the morning after auditions. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/03/auditions_for_a_winters_tale_a.html 225247 Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:08:13 +0000 T.Mychael Rambo received a Sally Ordway Irvine Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Preservation and Furthering of Arts and Arts programs. He was awarded in the field of education. This award is usually only given to arts organizations, but he received it for his individual achievements--one of only four individuals to have ever done so. He was also the first African-American to ever receive the award. For more information: Sally Award winners announced SALLY ORDWAY IRVINE AWARDS http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/03/affiliate_faculty_member_t_myc.html 225166 Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:27:03 +0000 U of M Theatre Alum Peter Graves passed away in his California home at the age of 83. Graves grew up in Minnesota, and by age 16 he was a radio announcer at WMIN in Minneapolis. After two years in the U.S. Air Force, he studied drama at the University of Minnesota and then headed to Hollywood, where he first appeared on television and later made his film debut in Rogue River (1951). Numerous film appearances followed, especially in Westerns. Graves is primarily recognized for his television work, however, particularly as Jim Phelps in Mission: Impossible (1966). For more information: Mission: Impossible and Airplane! actor Peter Graves dies at 83 An appreciation: How Peter Graves made his mission possible Peter Graves dead at 83 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/03/alum_peter_graves_passed_away.html 224567 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:09:18 +0000 Theatre Arts BA and Department Peer Allison Witham has received a 2010 University of Minnesota President's Student Leadership and Service Award. The qualities of leadership used to determine recipients of this wonderful honor are 1. independence and interdependence, 2. goal orientation, 3. self awareness, 4. resilience, 5. appreciation of differences and 6, tolerence of ambiguity. A nominee need only excel in up to three of the five qualities, but those who know Allison know that she excels in all five. For more information about the award: 2010 President's Student Leadership And Service Awards http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/03/theatre_arts_ba_allison_witham.html 223251 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:00:22 +0000 Professor Michal Kobialka's book Further On, Nothing, which offers a new perspective on the work of avant-garde theatre artist Tadeusz Kantor, was reviewed in the February 19, 2010 issue of The Times Literary Supplement. For more information about the book: University of Minnesota Press Google Books http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/03/professor_michal_kobialkas_boo.html 222338 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:26:36 +0000 The University of Minnesota is producing a television series called Driven to Discover: The Research Series, which will feature research at the U. In one of the episodes entitled "Lines of Reason," Regent Patricia Simmons will moderate a panel discussion on the topic of stem cell research between Associate Professor Margaret Werry and professor Kirk Allison. For more information: TV series to focus on U research Driven To Discover: University of Minnesota Research Series http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/03/associate_professor_margaret_w.html 222320 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:39:29 +0000 Barbara Field, playwright and co-founder of the Playwrights' Center (and U of M alum), has dedicated her reading in the Playwrights' Center public series on March 1st to Charles Nolte. He was the inspiration for her and a handful of other University of Minnesota students who were in his class to start the Center in 1971; she wanted to take this opportunity to honor him and the impact he had on the birth of the Center. It will be a simple event - Playwrights' Center Co-founder John Olive and longtime friend of Nolte, David Goldstein, will be saying a few words before the reading. Further info about the event is on the Playwrights' Center's Website. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/02/u_of_m_alum_and_co-founder_of.html 221068 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:05:27 +0000 TU Dance, a dance company founded by dance faculty member Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands, will be performing at the Ritz Theatre. For more information: TU Dance - by Linda Shapiro Lustrous TU Dance to perform 'Reflections on Central Park' at the Ritz - By Camille LeFevre TU Dance Website Ritz Theatre Website Review: TU Dance captures 'bustle and jar of the streets' - by Linda Shapiro A romp in the park - by Caroline Palmer http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/02/dance_faculty_member_toni_pier.html 220929 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:54:11 +0000 Penumbra Theatre's current production, Black Pearl Sings!, is directed by Associate Professor Lou Bellamy and features the design talents of Professor Lance Brockman (sets), Assistant Professor Marcus Dilliard (lights), Associate Professor Martin Gwinup (sound), and MFA alum Kalere Payton (costumes). For more information about the production: Review: A duet in black and white - by Rohan Preston Black Pearl Sings at Penumbra Theatre on 2/21/10 - by John Olive Penumbra Theatre Company http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/02/u_of_m_design_talents_highligh.html 220927 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:39:48 +0000 "Dancing the Violent Body of Sound" by Diyah Larasati and Dag Yngvesson from Dance Film Project 2009 on Vimeo. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/02/cool_video_featuring_assistant.html 220210 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:02:50 +0000 Morgan Thorson, an affiliate faculty member in the U of M Dance Program, is featured in the March 2010 Minnesota Monthly Magazine in preparation for the presentation of her full length piece, Heaven, that will be staged at the Walker Art Center. The full article: Dancing in the Dark Heaven will be presented March 4 to 6 at the Walker Art Center for more information, visit walkerart.org http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/02/affiliate_dance_faculty_member_1.html 220209 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:45:39 +0000 La bohème by Giacomo Puccini, the Minnesota Opera's upcoming production, will feature set and lighting design by Assistant Professor Marcus Dilliard. For more information visit mnopera.org. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/02/assistant_professor_marcus_dil.html 218756 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:39:12 +0000 The Charles Nolte Memorial Celebration will take place on April 26, 2010. It will be held at 6 PM (followed by a reception) in: Rarig Center/Proscenium Theatre University of Minnesota 330 South 21st Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55455 We hope that many of you will be able to attend the event to celebrate Charles's life and his immense contribution to the artistic as well as intellectual fabric of so many diverse communities. Further details will be announced at the beginning of March. We have received many inquiries about making donations to honor Charles's contribution to the artistry and the intellectual life of the Department. There are two ways to make gifts in Charles's name, both of which will provide a unique opportunity to celebrate Charles's legacy: Charles Nolte Graduate Fellowship, celebrating the fact that Charles was instrumental in sustaining the MA/PhD Program both as an inspiring teacher, whose students are now successful actors, directors, theatre educators all over the country, as well as a generous sponsor of our academic lecture series; and Tretter Collection housing Charles's personal papers, including his journals, sections of which many of us heard him read over the years. Below is the information about the two funds. Charles Nolte Graduate Fellowship: Charles Nolte Graduate Fellowship Fund #7505 Checks should be sent to: Rochelle Emmel Department of Theatre Arts & Dance Rarig 580 University of Minnesota 330 South 21st Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55455 Tretter Collection: Donations online can be made at: http://www.giving.umn.edu/index.html In the category "I Would Like to Support..." the Libraries, University option should be selected with the following information included in the "Special Instructions" section: "Tretter Collection #6653, In Honor of Charles Nolte" Checks can be sent by mail to Katherine McGill, Director of Library Development 499 Wilson Library 309 19th Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 Checks should have "Tretter Collection #6653, In Honor of Charles Nolte" written on it. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/02/charles_nolte_memorial_celebra.html 215969 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:00:33 +0000 AUDITIONS for "LIVE THE REVOLUTION" " I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality." -Martin Luther King "The spirit of Revolution should always permeate the soul of humanity...Old order should change, always and ever, yielding place to new, so that one "good" order may not corrupt the world. It is in this sense that we raise the shout, LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!" -Bhagat Singh THE PLAY Colliding together the words of Martin Luther King, Che Guevara, Rigoberta Menchu, Bhagat Singh, Subcomandante Marcos, Emma Goldman, Malcolm X, and other important revolutionaries- Live the Revolution is a multi-disciplinary, collaborative piece out to explore the need for revolution and change within our own society. All of these revolutionary figures went on journeys were they had to inspire, fight, and provoke while constantly revolutionizing their beliefs. The collaboration of Live the Revolution is a creative journey that hopes to not only challenge and stretch notions of theatrical performance, but to engage the theatre and University community in a dialogue about how to revolutionize our own society and world. In this piece collaborators will be asked- what in world motivates you into action, and what saddens you into silence? What experiences have left you feeling empowered, unstoppable? What happens when someone fights or challenges your beliefs? How do you fight back? How do you resist? Revolt? WHO is needed for the revolution? YOU! Actresses and actors of ALL shapes, sizes, backgrounds, experience PLEASE audition!! This process will be focused on enlivening text with body, voice, and image through a variety of physically vigorous techniques. Be ready to create, experiment, collaborate, explore and ReVoLt. As well, anyone who has any background in puppetry, musical instruments, vocal performance, SPOKEN WORD POETRY, dance, or other performing/fine arts PLEASE come AUDITION!!! WHAT to bring to the audition? Prepare either one of the two sides provided, or a poem or monologue- you can bring present work that you have written yourself. Come prepared to move. As well, please bring an idea of 3 things that you would like to change about the world. Feel prepared to speak about these 3 things openly. The ROLES The Peacemaker The Radical (2 people will be cast in this role, one M one F) The Performer The Poet The Warrior The Icon The Enigma The Forgotten (2 people will be cast in this role, one M one F) + 2-3 ensemble members Auditions are THIS WEEK, Wednesday and Thursday, January 27-28. Callbacks are Friday, January 29. If you can't make the times listed, PLEASE email Katrina Dikkers or Rachel Pollack. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/01/live_the_revolution_auditions.html 215115 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:13:43 +0000 There's a tribute to Charles Nolte on KFAI radio's Fresh Fruit program this Thursday, Jan 21 at 7:30pm: http://www.kfai.org/node/25498 If you miss it, the archived recording should be available here a little later in the evening: http://www.kfai.org/freshfruit http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/01/kfai_radio_to_air_a_tribute_to.html 214148 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:58:26 +0000 The tpt Programming department has made changes in the broadcast schedule such that the Charles Nolte Portrait interview from 1993 will be broadcast on Saturday, Jan. 23rd, 2010 and repeated on Sunday, Jan. 24th, 2010. It will air on the tpt MN channel (this service is fed statewide) at 5:30-6 pm on Saturday, Jan. 23rd, 2010. The program will be repeated on tpt Life channel at 6:30-7 pm on Sunday, Jan. 24th, 2010. The published tpt programming schedule is being updated on short notice, but due to the shortness of time, may not reflect these changes in all areas before the broadcasts. You can find tpt's digital TV Channels on the tpt.org website. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/01/tpt_to_air_the_charles_nolte_p.html 213907 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:43:58 +0000 The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance will be holding a second round of auditions for Execution of Justice for those who were unable to audition last semester. Auditions will be held on Wednesday, January 20th, from 7-11pm in room 10 in Rarig. You may sign up for an audition slot on the call board. For auditions please prepare two contrasting monologues, one dramatic and one comedic, preferably contemporary. Your audition must not exceed more than five minutes. Callbacks will be posted the following morning and held that evening, January 21st, from 7-11pm in room 10 as well. Please contact Assistant Stage Manager Rachel Piersdorf with questions. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/01/execution_of_justice_-_2nd_rou.html 213623 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:27:11 +0000 Beloved U of M Professor, actor, and playwright Charles Nolte passed away in the evening on Thursday, January 14 in Minneapolis. Although he will truly be missed, his presence at the U will live on through the Charles Nolte Xperimental Theatre and his donation of volumes of films and diaries to the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies at the University of Minnesota Libraries. Memorial services are currently pending. For more information about his life and passing, read Rohan Preston's blog post, Theater, film and opera worlds lose a light and his article, Actor, director, mentor Charles Nolte dies. Also, Graydon Royce's post, Charles Nolte remembered. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/01/professor_emeritus_charles_nol.html 213450 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:12:45 +0000 Elizabeth Stahlmann, Will Sturdivant, Hugh Kennedy, and Christine Weber are among the U of M/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program grads cast in Romeo and Juliet, a co-production of the Guthrie and New York's Acting Company. Professor Mathew LeFebvre, Head of Design/Technology, designed the costumes, and BFA Theatre Faculty Member Marcela Lorca was the choreographer. For more information about the production and BFA program, check out Graydon Royce's recent article, OnStage: The young and the passionate. Graydon Royce's review of the production: A staging that befits the young and the restless For more information about the production and to order tickets, check out guthrietheater.org. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/01/recent_u_of_mguthrie_theater_b.html 212344 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:07:34 +0000 Reporter Quinton Skinner named the performances of two U of M Theatre faculty member's work in his top 10 list of The Best Theatre of 2009. Luverne Seifert's performance of Philip K. Dick in the Workhaus Collective's production of 800 Words: The Transmigration of Philip K. Dick was his #4 pick and Bob Rosen's performance of an engineer losing his mind to Alzheimer in My Father's Bookshelf produced by Live Action Set was #10. For the full article: The Best Theatre of 2009. For more information about the Workhaus Collective: workhauscollective.org. For more information about Live Action Set: liveactionset.org. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2010/01/ba_theatre_performance_program.html 212013 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:20:54 +0000 In his recent MinnPost article, writer Ed Huyck named the Ten Thousand Things Theater's production of Othello his favorite show of 2009. Luverne Seifert, BA Theatre Performance Program Head, played Iago. For more information, check out the full article at MinnPost.com. For more information about the Ten Thousand Things Theater Company. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/12/ten_thousand_things_theaters_p.html 211563 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:57:56 +0000 Ruben Rosario's article T. Mychael Rambo knows life is but an unfinished symphony, features the journey of Affiliate Faculty Member T. Mychael Rambo, one of the best-known actors and performers in the Twin Cities theater circuit. Check out the full article: http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_14030518. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/12/affiliate_theatre_faculty_memb.html 211039 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:15:37 +0000 The Ordway's production of Beauty and the Beast features choreography by Affiliate Faculty Member Linda Talcott Lee. For more information, check out Rohan Preston's article, The 'Beauty' part. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/12/affiliate_dance_faculty_member.html 211037 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:05:43 +0000 In Lavender Magazine's Year in Review, Department Chair Carl Flink was named Best Choreographer for his work in The Jungle Theater's production of Mary's Wedding. Associate Professor Lou Bellamy was named Best Director for his productions of A Raisin in the Sun, The Whipping Man, and Radio Golf at Penumbra Theatre. Bellamy was also named one of the Theater Artists of the Decade. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/12/department_chair_carl_flink_an.html 211036 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:49:15 +0000 The Guthrie Theater's annual production of A Christmas Carol features numerous U of M faculty and alumni. Included in the Artistic Staff are Assistant Professor Marcus Dilliard and Voice and Speech Coaches Elisa Carlson and Lucinda Holshue. The cast includes alumni Peter Michael Goetz as Ebenezer Scrooge, Laura Esping as Mrs. Cratchit, and John Skelley as Young Scrooge, Mr. Grub, Topper. It also features current U of M/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program students Elizabeth Pryce Davies as Marigold Fezziwig, Sophia and Prentiss Standridge as Belle. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/12/guthrie_theaters_a_christmas_c.html 211034 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:30:31 +0000 Associate Professor Lisa Channer will be giving a lecture/demonstration on Meyerhold and Biomechanics on Friday, December 11 at 3:30pm at the Institute for Advanced Study in Nolte Center. It is part of her research collaborative on Embodying Gilgamesh: Staging Ancientness, and will include a demonstration of Biomechanics by members of Theatre Novi Most (including several University faculty and associates) Please see flier for more information: 12-1.11.09-Biomechanics.pdf http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/12/associate_professor_lisa_chann.html 209647 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:40:27 +0000 Scripted by Associate Professor Lou Bellamy and Affiliate Acting Faculty T. Mychael Rambo, directed by Associate Professor Dominic Taylor, sound and video design by Associate Professor Martin Gwinup, and featuring Affiliate Dance Faculty Marciano Silva Dos Santos, Penumbra's annual holiday production, Black Nativity, features numerous U of M Theatre Arts and Dance faculty members. Alumni have also played a role in the production's creation. MFA alum Kalere Payton is the Assistant Costume Designer and BA alum Steve Horstmann is the production's Properties Master. For more information about the production: 'Black Nativity' jazzed up but stays true - Rohan Preston, Star Tribune 'Black Nativity': familiar and fine - Dominic Papatola, Pioneer Press Finding Minnesota: Penumbra's 'Black Nativity' - Angela Davis Penumbra's Black Nativity uplifts and perseveres - Quinton Skinner Penumbra Theatre Website http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/12/penumbras_annual_production_hi.html 209368 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:51:46 +0000 Open Eye Figure Theatre presents its annual Holiday Pageant Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - Wednesday, December 23, 2009. According to Jay Gabler, the pageant began 24 years ago just a few blocks from Open Eye's storefront theater, in the living room of company founders U of M Theatre Arts and Dance Assistant Professor Michael Sommers and Susan Haas. In recent years, the show has happened only once annually, at the Pantages Theatre. However, this year, Open Eye is staging a three-week run in its own space. For more information about the production check out the rest of Gabler's article, Open Eye Figure Theatre's Holiday Pageant gets cozier, darker in the Twin Cities Daily Planet, Dominic Papatola's article, Whimsical 'Holiday Pageant' gives you a cookie, too, or visit the Open Eye Figure Theatre website. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/12/open_eye_figure_theatres_annua.html 209086 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:29:14 +0000 Congratulations to Assistant Professor Diyah Larasati for having received a very prestigious International Collaborative Work Grant: Asia Award sponsored by the Asian Scholarship Foundation. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/12/professor_larasati_receives_pr.html 207968 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:31:20 +0000 It's time for the... WICKEDLY WILD AND WAY OUT WORKSHOP WEEK #5: JANUARY 11-15, 2010 WHAT IS IT?? This is a week of free workshops given by artists who have never taught at the University or have not taught a class in a particular area. WHO LEADS THE WORKSHOPS?? You may have met them, you may have not. They may teach improv or monologues or dialects. We can't give away our hand just yet. However, to whet the appetite, Peter Van Heerden, a South African Performance Artist, will be doing an intensive--one workshop everyday that week! WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THESE WORKSHOPS?? If you are a student in BA or BFA Theatre/Dance you may sign-up for the workshops. However, if you sign-up for the workshop, it is essential that you attend. Please don't take a space and then not show up. It is very unfair to students who can't attend because the workshop has been filled. And some may remember from last year...THE IRON 10 This is a group of 10 students who would like to take all of the workshops (a total of 15, 3-hour workshops in a week) who would sign-up to do so and would have priority in all of the sections. However, you choose to be one of these students, you MUST show up for all of the workshops! If you're ready, if you've steeled yourself for this commitment...the Iron 10 Sign Up will be on the Callboard. KEEP YOUR EYES TO THE CALLBOARD FOR UPCOMING COURSE DESCRIPTIONS AND SIGN-UP SHEETS! DON'T MISS THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY! http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/11/sign_up_for_the_wickedly_wild.html 207488 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:26:22 +0000 MINNESOTA CENTENNIAL SHOWBOAT AUDITIONS 2010 Triumph of Love by Pierre Marivaux Directed by Peter Rothstein Auditions for the Minnesota Centennial Showboat will be held Monday, December 7, 2009 (7p-11p) and Tuesday, December 8, 2009 (7p-11p) with callbacks Sunday, January 17, 2010 (6p-10p). Specific information and sign-up sheets for audition times will be posted on the Rarig Production Notices Bulletin boards (lower level of Rarig Center by tunnel entrance). Auditions and callbacks for the Showboat Company will be held in Studio A, (506 Rarig) Triumph of Love is being directed by Peter Rothstein, Musical Direction by Denise Prosek. Peter Rothstein is the Founding Artistic Director of Theater Latté Da and was named one of the Star Tribune's Minnesota Artists of the Year. Other directing credits include the Guthrie Theater, the Children's Theatre Company, the Playwrights' Center, the Illusion Theater, Ten Thousand Things and the Minnesota Opera. He has been awarded grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Theater Communications Group, the McKnight Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board. www.Peter-Rothstein.com Denise Prosek, Resident Music Director of Theater Latté Da, has music directed over fifty main stage productions and numerous private cabarets throughout the Twin Cities theater community. An accomplished pianist as well, Denise has performed at the Guthrie, Ordway, Children's Theatre Company, Chanhassen, Mixed Blood, and Theater Mu. She most recently served as Music Director for the IVEY Awards and for Hennepin Theatre Trust's Spotlight Awards. Denise was honored as Outstanding Musical Director by the Star Tribune in 2006 for Gypsy and in 2008 for Parade. For auditions you should prepare two short pieces, one classical and one comedic. At least one piece should deal with heightened text (Wilde, Moliere, Coward, Pinero, Shaw, Shakespeare, etc.). Although two prepared pieces are requested you may only be asked to perform one of them; that is not a reflection of your audition, it is a matter of time. In addition, you should prepare to sing a song accompanied by piano. You will be asked to sing 32 bars, but be prepared to sing the song in its entirety if the whole song is requested. Please bring sheet music with you for the accompanist. Tape accompaniment or singing a cappella is not acceptable. THE ENTIRE AUDITION MAY NOT EXCEED 4 MINUTES. Rehearsals are slated to begin Monday April 26th. Rehearsals will employ standard U Theatre rehearsal times until Finals Week is over, when they will shift to a 40-hour rehearsal week. Rehearsals will continue into techs, dress rehearsals and preview performances, with the Showboat season opening on Friday, June 18 and performing Tuesday-Saturday until August 28, 2010. NOTE: Because these are paid positions, there are further eligibility requirements that must be met in order to be cast in the Showboat Company. These are posted here and will also be available at auditions. For questions, please contact Christine Swartwout, Production Stage Manager at swart073@umn.edu or Jennie Germain, Communications Coordinator at germa052@umn.edu http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/11/2010_showboat_auditions.html 206455 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:09:26 +0000 Its that time of year again, time to prepare for 24 Hour Theatre! Some of you may ask, well...what is 24 Hour Theatre? If so, we shall tell you: 24 Hour Theatre is a unique theatrical experience in which writers, directors, actors, and designers conceive and perform a piece in a full 24 hours. At 8pm on Friday January 22nd writers arrive. The write all through the night to prepare a 20 minute script. At 8am on Saturday January 23rd, directors arrive, are assigned a show, and meet with the writers about the concept. At 9am on January 23rd actors arrive. They are cast in the shows, and then rehearse all day, memorizing lines, gathering costumes, blocking, etc. Until finally at 8pm (a full 24 hours from the beginning) the shows are performed. WRITERS AND DIRECTORS: If you wish to apply to be a writer or director, applications are now available on the Xperimental Theatre call board in the basement of Rarig. These applications are due in the X Box outside of the X office by noon on Friday December 4th. ACTORS: If you wish to act, there is a sign up sheet on the call board as well. VOLUNTEERS: If none of these things interest you, and you wish to be involved in some other aspect (props, costumes, etc) please email thex@umn.edu to volunteer. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/11/xperimental_theatres_24_hour_t.html 206438 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:35:32 +0000 Auditions Execution of Justice by Emily Mann Directed by Dominic Taylor *Wednesday, December 9, 2009 (7p-11p)* *Thursday, December 10, 2009 (7p-11p)* The auditions will be held in Studio A (506 Rarig) Anyone auditioning should prepare two Contemporary Monologues, (one serious, one comedic). Each monologue should be no longer than two minutes. Sign-up sheets are located on the Callboard in the lounge (across from the tunnel entrance) Below are the rehearsal dates and performance: Rehearsals are February 22-April 15, 2010 Mon.-Fri. 6:30-10:30p Saturday 12:00-5:00p No rehearsals during Spring Break (March 14-21, 2010) · Wednesday, April 7th Crew Watch (6:30-10:30p) · Thursday, April 8th Tech rehearsal (6:30-10:30p) · Friday, April 9th Tech rehearsal (6:30-10:30p) · Saturday, April 10th Tech/Dress Rehearsal* *(10:00a-10:00p) · Sunday, April 11th Tech/Dress Rehearsal** **(10:00a-10:00p) · Monday, April 12th - NO REHEARSAL · Tuesday, April 13th Dress Rehearsal (6:00-11:00p) · Wednesday, April 14th Dress Rehearsal (6:00-11:00p) · Thursday, April 15th Preview*** (6:00-11:00p) ***Curtain at 7:30p Performance dates: Friday, April 16th 8:00p Opening Saturday, April 17th 8:00p performance Sunday, April 18th 2:00p Matinee/Photocall after performance Wednesday, April 21st 7:30p performance Thursday, April 22nd 7:30p performance Friday, April 23rd 10:00AM Student Matinee Friday, April 23rd 8:00p performance Saturday, April 24th 8:00p Closing performance If you have any questions, please contact Dominic Taylor at taylo803@umn.edu http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/11/auditions_for_execution_of_jus.html 206434 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:22:16 +0000 We just posted the "Thought Through Motion: Dance Revolutions 09-10 Video" on the department website: http://www.theatre.umn.edu/utheatredance/dancerevolutions.php. It is also available on our Facebook Fan Page and Youtube Channel. Enjoy! And don't forget to check out Dance Revolutions running December 11-13, 2009. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/11/dance_revolutions_video_now_on.html 205376 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:54:41 +0000 Backstage Pass, the weekly newsletter produced by the Peers, is now available online. It can be found on the Current Students Resource Page. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/10/new_backstage_pass_weekly_news.html 200777 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:36:55 +0000 After 15 years of dedicated service to the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, Sherry Wagner-Henry, Managing Director for University Theatre and Dance and the Minnesota Centennial Showboat, has announced that she will be moving in to a new position within the University as the new Director of Graduate Programs in the College of Continuing Education. A letter from Sherry: Dear Colleagues, Alumni and Friends: It has been my extreme pleasure and honor to have been a part of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at the University for almost 15 years now. I moved to Minneapolis straight out of graduate school in July of 1995 to take over the position of Managing Director for both U Theatre and Dance and the Showboat programs. And while serving as the Managing Director has been a true labor of love, my passion has always been in the educational development and training of the next generation of Arts leaders and managers. That's why I worked with so many of you on internship placements with local and regional companies, advised directed studies and Senior Seminar projects on arts management topics, and worked hard to keep Arts Management curriculum and work opportunities in the box office a part of the department. Because of my commitment to the further development of Arts leadership and management opportunities, I have accepted the position as the new Director of Graduate Programs in the College of Continuing Education at the University of Minnesota. The position will allow me to help steward the interdisciplinary, inquiry-based Master of Liberal Studies program (which features an arts management emphasis), as well as to help launch the new Arts and Cultural Leadership program, which I helped to develop over the course of the last four years. In addition, I will be working with other units, colleges and the community to not only buoy and grow these programs, but create and launch new collaborative graduate programs, some currently under development and others not even sparked yet. It is a truly challenging and innovative opportunity and I am thrilled to become a part of this forward thinking at the University. This transition is both exciting and emotional. Whenever you are part of something for this length of time, as I have been, it becomes more than just a job--it becomes an integral part of your life. I have made life-long friendships with faculty, staff and with alumni, whom I continue to remain in contact. I met and married my husband, the technical director in the department for almost 8 years, and we even held our wedding celebration on the Showboat! I have had the opportunity to work on and promote countless productions, projects, workshops, classes and students, many in collaboration with all of you! I owe an enormous debt to this University and this community for allowing me to serve in this capacity and for allowing me to learn so much while I was doing it. I have been truly blessed in this job, but realize that it is time to move on and take on the next big challenge that life has to offer: helping to educate and develop the next generation of Arts Leaders and Managers, who will lift up, steward, and celebrate the next generation of art-makers and producers. My last official day in the Dept. of Theatre Arts and Dance will be Friday, October 23 and I will start my new position officially on Monday, November 2 over on the St. Paul Campus, which is where the College of Continuing Education is housed. I will operate on a consulting contract with the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance through January 31, in order to execute a smooth transition with current projects, before my replacement is hired and comes on board. My email will remain the same, but I will forward address and phone number information once it becomes available. While this is certainly an amazing change for me, it is an exciting time for Theatre Arts and Dance as well, as this community contemplates its own set of new opportunities and directions. The Department is always changing, always growing, and being a part of that is something we all can have an impact upon. Take advantage of dept. meetings, town hall forums and volunteer opportunities--all of us are responsible for setting the course for the next 10 years of exciting developments within this department and at this University. Fifteen years ago, I set out to find an arts management job in MPLS/ST PAUL, because in my estimation, when it came to the arts and education, there was no finer place in the world--my university colleagues, my community partners and my students have all proved that assumption to be overwhelmingly true. I would rather not think of this transition as good-bye, but perhaps as a new conversation that will open doors to unchartered opportunities between my new department and your future endeavors. So here's to a future full of possibilities! Many kind regards, Sherry Wagner-Henry swh@umn.edu http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/10/managing_director_sherry_wagne.html 198013 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:24:43 +0000 On October 5th Maggie Moulton passed away. She was married to long-time, but now deceased Department of Theatre Arts Professor and iconic figure Robert Moulton. A quiet, but passionate supportor of our department, she established a generous scholarship fund in her husband's name shortly after his passing. She is also the mother of choreographer Charles Moulton who has been a Cowles Guest artist with the dance program in the past. She will be missed. A memorial service will be held at St Matthews Episcopal Church, 2136 Carter Ave, St Paul on Saturday Oct 17. Mrs. Moulton's Official Obituary http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/10/departmental_supporter_maggie.html 197323 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:19:08 +0000 Congratulations to Director of Dance Ananya Chatterjea for being named by the Women's Environmental Institute at Amador Hill as "Local Mother of Environmental Justice." The Institute's mission is: The Women's Environmental Institute at Amador Hill, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is an environmental research, renewal and retreat center designed to create and share knowledge about environmental issues and policies relevant to women, children and identified communities especially affected by environmental injustices; to promote agricultural justice, organic and sustainable agriculture and ecological awareness; and to support activism that influences public policy and promotes social change. For more information, check out the Women's Environmental Institute website. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/09/director_of_dance_ananya_chatt.html 194627 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:46:34 +0000 Luverne Seifert, Head of BA in Performance, won an Ivey for playing science-fiction author Philip K. Dick in "The Transmigration of Philip Dick" by Victoria Stewart and produced by Workhaus Theatre Collective. Affiliate faculty member, Sonja Parks, received an Ivey for her solo role as a high-school teacher in Nilaja Sun's "No Child," which was produced at Pillsbury House Theatre. For more information about the Iveys and the award winners, check out Graydon Royce's article in the Star Tribune. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/09/luverne_seifert_head_of_ba_in.html 192671 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:10:01 +0000 The Dance Program received a 2010 National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces: Dance Grant of $15,000 to reconstruct and restage sections of Jawolle Willa Jo Zollar's "Walking With Pearl . . . Southern Diaries." This reconstruction will take place during the 2010-2011 academic year. For more information, visit the National Endowment for the Arts website. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/09/dance_program_receives_an_nea.html 191788 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:21:41 +0000 Mary's Wedding, a dream play set in the World War I era, opens Friday, September 18 at the Jungle Theater. Directed by affiliate faculty member Joel Sass, choreography by Department Chair, Carl Flink, and BFA Acting alum Sam Bardwell, the production features a variety of artistic talent with ties to the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. The play runs from September 18-October 25. Visit the Jungle Theater's website for more information. Check out the great articles about the produciton: Quinton Skinner's article, The Law and the Jungle in City Pages. Dominic Papatola's piece, Theater: 'Mary's Wedding' unites director and choreographer in the Pioneer Press. The Star Tribune OnStage article, Conjure a horse, but don't use one by Graydon Royce. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/09/department_chair_bfa_alum_and.html 191784 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:59:31 +0000 ARTSMOSIS, a collaborative arts festival on the west bank of campus will be held on October 9! The event will feature animation, dance, performance art, painting, photography, music, drama, opera, and more... Volunteers are needed for: publicity, design, tech (audio/video/theatre), dance, music, costuming, lighting, and logistics. To sign up, email aqc@umn.edu. For more information, visit the Arts Quarter Collective website at www.tc.umn.edu/~aqc/~ http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/09/volunteer_for_artsmosis.html 191610 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:13:59 +0000 Professors Lisa Channer, Michael Sommers, and Marcus Dilliard, have made arrangements to improve our rehearsal/ studio spaces. During the spring, several students and these professors built flats and procured some lights to put into studio A and either room 10 or 20. These additions will make students in directing classes have the ability to utilize lighting and level choices, grant design students simple tools to create stage pictures, and performance students new tools to play with to compliment their physical work. We need a few volunteers- between 4 and 6- to come in on Friday, September 18 around 3 to help staple on the top covers of the flats and install them. Michael Sommers has even offered to buy pizza for those involved. If you would like to volunteer, e-mail Allison Witham at peers@umn.edu. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/09/helpers_needed_for_improving_s.html 191609 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:11:31 +0000 Professor Kobialka recently published a new book entitled, Further on, Nothing: Tadeusz Kantor's Theatre (University of Minnesota Press) . Below is a direct link to the Press's catalogue containing a more detailed information about the book-- http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/K/kobialka_further.html For additional information, the Editor Review from Amazon.com: Tadeusz Kantor (1915-1990) was one of the twentieth century's most innovative visual artists, stage directors, and theoreticians. His theatre productions and manifestos challenged the conventions of creating art in post-World War II culture and expanded the boundaries of Dada, surrealist, Constructivist, and happening theatre forms. Kantor's most widely known productions--The Dead Class (1975), Wielopole, Wielopole (1980), Let the Artists Die (1985), and Today Is My Birthday (1990)--have had a profound impact on playwrights and artists who continue today to engage with his radical theatre. In Further on, Nothing, Michal Kobialka explores Kantor's theatre practice from the critical perspective of current debates about representation, memory, and history. He pursues the intriguing proposition that Kantor gave material form to a theatre practice that defined the very mode of postmodern operation and that many of its theoretical notions are still in circulation. According to Kobialka, Kantor's theatre still offers an answer to reality rather than a portrayal of a utopian alternative. Further on, Nothing includes new translations of Kantor's work, presented in conversation with Kobialka's own theoretical analyses, to show us a Kantor who continues to offer--and deliver on--the promise of the avant-garde. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/09/professor_michal_kobialka_publ.html 189796 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:34:28 +0000 X Auditions For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf AND Ysengrimus Wednesday, September 16 6-9pm Thursday, September 17 6-9pm "For Colored Girls" will provide readings from the script for audition. "Ysengrimus" asks for 2 one-minute monologues, 1 comedic and 1 dramatic. In either classical or contemporary style. Sign up for auditions is located on the callboard in the basement of Rarig. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/09/xperimental_theatre_auditions.html 190733 Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:02:25 +0000 Director of Dance and Associate Professor Ananya Chatterjea's dance troupe Ananya Dance Theatre will be performing the premiere of their latest work, "Ashesh Barsha, Unending Monsoon" at the Southern Theater September 10-13, 2009. For more information check out Camille LeFevre's article, "Ananya Dance Theater completes trilogy", an article in the Minnesota Daily, and the Southern Theater's website. Also watch a video on the 3-Minute Egg website. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/09/ananya_dance_theater_to_perfor.html 190195 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:47:21 +0000 Associate Professor Kuftinec recently published a new book entitled Theatre, Facilitation and Nation Formation in the Balkans and Middle East. How might theatre intervene in violent inter-ethnic conflicts? When does participatory theatre mediate more just futures, and when might it preserve inequities? Theatre, Facilitation, and Nation Formation addresses these questions through detailed case studies of community-based projects in the Balkans and Middle East that the author has witnessed or helped to create. In Mostar, collaborative performance helps youth to re-member a divided city. In Berlin, participants from seven Balkan countries reorient understandings of citizenship through an interactive installation. In Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, image theatre animates the limits of reconciliation. These theatrical facilitations model ways that ethnic oppositions can move towards ethical relationships, while pointing out challenges in doing so. As a travelogue, this study weaves critical analysis with the voices of participants, directors, and workshop leaders, offering viewpoints and field notes on how theatrical facilitation can (and can't) effectively transform conflicts. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/09/associate_professor_sonja_arsh.html 189849 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:48:28 +0000 Check out our two new videos: 2009-10 Season of Love An Introduction to the BA Program http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/09/new_videos_now_online.html 189798 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:47:47 +0000 Time Track productions, led by dance faculty member Paula Mann, presents Mann's latest work I Love Tomorrow at the Dance Theater Workshop in Manhattan. More information about the event: Paula Mann Performs I LOVE TOMORROW 7/22 Thru 7/25 New York Times Dance Listings http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/07/dance_faculty_member_performs.html 186122 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:30:17 +0000 The Guthrie Theater's summer comedy, When We Are Married, features U of M Theatre Alumni: Linda Kelsey, Peter Michael Goetz and Sally Wingert. Read more about Kelsey in Kevin Winge's article, Linda Kelsey Returns to the Guthrie Stage. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/07/u_of_m_alumni_return_to_the_gu.html 185725 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:56:30 +0000 Michael Sommers, assistant professor in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, has been awarded a 2009 Enduring Vision Award from the Bush Foundation. The $100,000 prize is intended to propel the artistic investigations of mature artists. The Enduring Vision Award is the only award of this size and intent in the country. Up to three awards are given annually to artists in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota who have at least 25 years of experience as working artists. For the 2009 awards, nominations were received for artists working in the performing and literary arts. A regional panel of five performing and literary artists and arts professionals from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota reviewed and selected 10 finalists for this year's Enduring Vision Awards. A national panel (including one panelist from the regional panel) then selected the three recipients, considering the breadth and depth of the finalists' work, their promise of continued future artistic excellence, the importance of their influence on their communities, and their interest in pursuing deeper investigations and/or new explorations to inform and enrich their work. Professor Sommers has practiced the theater arts as a designer, director, composer, performer, playwright, and technician, both locally and nationally, for 30 years. In 2000 he and his partner Susan Haas co-founded Open Eye Figure Theatre, and in 2007 the company opened an intimate venue in South Minneapolis. Sommers's work has been seen in venues ranging from major cultural institutions to backyards and the street. Through these experiences, and drawing from traditional theatrical forms, classical text, populist entertainment, folk art and the comedy and "tragedy of our daily lives," Sommers says he "creates original work that speaks in a contemporary voice directly to the audience." His work has been presented at the Walker Art Center and in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Canada, and Mexico. Professor Sommers has also recently won a $25,000 McKnight Fellowship and a $50,000 United States Artists Grant. In an interview with the Star Tribune newspaper, Sommers said, "It's a crazy thing. This one feels different, quieter. I have a chance to shift gears, pause and think in a new way, not to sound too corny." http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/06/faculty_member_wins_prestigiou.html 183386 Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:13:36 +0000 Newsweek reporter Jeremy McCarter mentioned the University Theatre's production of Tony Kushner's A Bright Room Called Day and Kushner's talk with the cast in his article, "Tony Kushner's Day", which discussed Kushner's time in Minnesota. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/06/a_bright_room_called_day_menti.html 182288 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:39:22 +0000 Dr. Charles Nolte, distinguished and beloved teacher, actor, and author, has made a gift of his archives to the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies at the University of Minnesota Libraries. To celebrate Dr. Nolte’s gift, which will allow students and scholars to continue to benefit from his remarkable gifts, the University of Minnesota Libraries, the Tretter Collection, and the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance are celebrating the donation of the Dr. Charles M. Nolte Collections in Theatre and Cinematic Arts with a reception at the Elmer L. Andersen Library. Portions of the archives will be on display at the Elmer L. Andersen Library. Monday, May 18, 2009 4:30 to 6 pm Elmer L. Andersen Library 222 21st Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota Program Reception beginning at 4:30pm Welcome and Speakers at 5:00 pm Kris Kiesling, Director Archives & Special Collections Carl Flink, Chair of Theatre Arts and Dance C. Lance Brockman, Professor, Theatre Arts and Dance Dr. Charles M. Nolte Conclusion: Eric Colleary http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/05/professor_emeritus_dr_charles.html 180730 Mon, 18 May 2009 18:56:04 +0000 Director Lisa Channer has announced the cast for the October 2009 production of Big Love. Cast List for Big Love: Thyona: Sasha Gibbs Olympia: Jenna Frankenfield Lydia: Julianna Drajko Constantine: Nickolas Marcouiller Oed: Ian Knodel Nikos: Billy Mullaney Eleanor: Addy Salami Leo: Kalen Keir Bella: Allison Witham Guliano: Nathaniel Nesheim-Case Piero: Kevin O’Neil Additional Brides and Grooms will be announced later after discussions with the choreographer. A note from Lisa to all who auditioned: there were so many talented and prepared auditioners that this was a very difficult decision. Anyone who wants feedback on their audition, just email me and I'm happy to share what I can with you. A note from Lisa to those who are cast: I will be contacting you about prep work you can do over the summer. Please contact me also at some point to talk about the role and how you'd like to prepare for it. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/05/big_love_cast_announced.html 180054 4677 Tue, 12 May 2009 14:30:15 +0000 Join fellow University of Minnesota Alumni Association members for a special evening aboard the Minnesota Centennial Showboat on Friday, June 19, or Tuesday, July 21. The Friday, June 19 event offers a pre-show talk with director Kenneth Noel Mitchell, dinner on the upper deck of the Showboat, a ticket to Is There a Doctor in the House? and an invitation to the opening night reception following the show. On Tuesday, July 21, your Showboat experience will include a ticket to the performance and a member-exclusive, post-show dessert reception with actors of the Showboat Company. For event details, including pricing and times, visit www.alumni.umn.edu/University_Theatre. Tickets are available now by calling Padelford Riverboats, the exclusive ticketing agent for the Showboat, at 651-227-1100 or toll free at 1-800-543-3908. Please identify yourself immediately as a member of the Alumni Association and have your alumni member number available. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/04/exclusive_offer_for_u_of_m_alu.html 178412 4677 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:31:43 +0000 In the City Pages' Best of Minneapolis 2009, the University of Minnesota Dance Program students performing José Limón's 1958 classic Missa Brevis was named the Best Dance Performance of a Classic. Check out the full article at citypages.com. Affiliate Dance Faculty member, Marciano Silva Dos Santos, was named Best Dancer. Read the full article about his award also at citypages.com. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/04/_dance_program_produced_the_be.html 177502 4870|4677 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:24:00 +0000 AUDITIONS BIG LOVE Written by Charles Mee Directed by Lisa Channer Description of the play: Fifty brides flee their fifty grooms and seek refuge in a villa on the coast of Italy in this modern re-making of one of the western world's oldest plays, The Danaids by Aeschylus. And, in this villa on the Italian coast, the fifty grooms catch up with the brides, and mayhem ensues: the grooms arriving by helicopter in their flight suits, women throwing themselves over and over again to the ground, pop songs and romantic dances, and, finally, unable to escape their forced marriages, 49 of the brides murder 49 of the grooms-and one bride falls in love. About the same odds as today. The entire play is available to all at http://charlesmee.com/html/big_love.html It is suggested that you read it before auditioning so you understand the style in which it is written and the world it inhabits. Auditions are Monday May 4th from 6:30-11:00pm in Room 20 and callbacks are Tuesday May 5th from 7:00-9:30pm. An audition sign-up sheet is posted on the callboard across from the tunnel entrance in the Pit. For May 4th Auditions: Sign up for a slot and come with two things: A song excerpt that is no longer than one minute in length. A monologue excerpt that is no longer than two minutes in length. Note: Everyone must sing for the audition (even if it is Happy Birthday) although not every character sings in the show so you may be cast even if your singing is less than stellar :-) For May 5th Callbacks: You will be asked to prepare sides from the play and there will be a group dance/movement audition. Additional information about the callbacks will be given after the initial auditions. Questions? Chann006@umn.edu or 626.6617 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/04/big_love_auditions_announced.html 176649 4677 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:17:30 +0000 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/03/dance_program_featured_on_alis.html 171913 4870 Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:35:42 +0000 BA Program Head and Instructor, Luverne Seifert, was named one of the City Pages Artists of the Year for 2008. Check out the City Pages article for more detailed information. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/03/ba_theatre_program_head_named.html 171679 4677 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:28:02 +0000 Three Theatre Arts and Dance faculty members have been granted the highly competitive Institute for Advanced Study Collaborative Awards for next year. Director of Dance and Associate Professor Ananya Chatterjea received an award for her project Intersecting Performance and Social Justice. Lisa Channer, Associate Professor in Directing, received one for her project Embodying Gilgamesh: New Physical Language for Staging Epic Texts. Department Chair and Associate Professor Carl Flink will be working with Microbiology Professor David Odde on their project Choreography of the Moving Cell: Self-Organization and Catastrope. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/03/faculty_members_granted_instit.html 171670 4677 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:29:13 +0000 BFA Actor Training Program grads are getting rave reviews in the NYC-based Acting Company's production of Henry V, which tour started at the Guthrie Theater. It features Matt Amendt (BFA Class 2004) as the title character, with 11 other performers, including graduates Will Sturdivant (BFA Class of 2005) and Sam Taylor (BFA Class of 2006), playing more than 55 other roles. Below are the list of reviews for more detailed information: A Bang-Up Take on the Bard By Frank Scheck, New York Post Henry V By David Finkle, TheaterMania.com Henry V by Sam Thielman, Variety The King, All Grown Up and Ready to Wage Battle By Charles Isherwood, The New York Times http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/03/bfa_grads_finding_success_on_t.html 170325 4871 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:38:48 +0000 Congratulations to PhD student Rachel Chaves for winning the Norman Johnston DeWitt Fellowship. Rachel is the sole recipient of this University-wide fellowship for research in the Humanities. This is the first time a graduate student in Theatre Arts and Dance has won the fellowship. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/02/phd_student_rachel_chaves_awar.html 165709 4677 Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:17:28 +0000 The following is an e-mail from Theatre Arts & Dance Department Chair Carl Flink: Dear All: It is my pleasure to let you know that TAD's very own interim Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor Sonja Kuftinec was just named one of only two new Scholars of the College by the College of Liberal Arts! While this is no surprise to all of us who know Sonja, it is wonderful to see the College acknowledge her excellence at a time when I am certain competition for these awards was particularly high given our current economic climate. Congratulations, Professor Kuftinec! A truly well deserved honor. Sincerely, Carl http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2009/01/sonja_kuftinec_named_scholar_o.html 162709 4870|4677|4871 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:14:10 +0000 Emmy® Award Winner: Affliate Theatre Faculty member, T. Mychael Rambo, narrated a series of one minute video spots honoring Minnesotans who have worked to protect and restore our natural landscape called "Minnesota Minute". Produced by TPT/KTCA - Twin Cities Public Televison and the University of Minnesota Bell Museum, the thirteen PSAs received an Emmy® from the National Television Academy's Upper Midwest Chapter in the Community/Public Service Campaign category. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/11/faculty_member_wins_emmy.html 154427 4677 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:38:07 +0000 "Peace Crimes - The Minnesota 8," a program produced in partnership among Twin Cities Public Television, the U of M Department of Theatre Arts and Dance and The History Theatre of Saint Paul, has been nominated for a prestigious regional Emmy Award™. "It's a testimony to the talents of TPT staffers as producer, as well as to the quality of the story being told, and the importance of the contributions of all the partners involved," said Sherry Wagner-Henry, Managing Director of University Theatre. University Theatre is the production arm of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, and one of the collaborators on the "Peace Crimes" play and documentary project. Many folks may recall the co-production University Theatre hosted this spring on campus with the History Theatre of St. Paul on a "real story" play about the Minnesota 8, which centered around former U students who were sent to prison for their protest of the Vietnam War. Seven of the eight men were on hand for the construction of the play and documentary of the process of the play. The play titled "Peace Crimes--The Minnesota 8 vs. the War" premiered on Feb. 21, 2008 at the Rarig Center on the West Bank campus, and the documentary aired on TPT the following evening. A grant from the U of M McKnight Arts and Humanities Fund sponsored the documentary project. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/09/peace_crimes_documentary_nomin.html 144326 The Emmy Awards™ ceremony will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis where the final award winners will be announced October 25th. The program continues to be broadcast and is being aired statewide in September on the digital Minnesota Channel, over the air or on cable: Saturday, 9/27, 7pm Sunday, 9/28, 1am Sunday, 9/28, 7am Sunday, 9/28, 1pm 4677 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:53:47 +0000 AUDITIONS FOR THE UNIVERSITY THEATRE SUBSCRIBER SERIES FALL & SPRING SEMESTERS (sent out August 28, 2008 on TheatreList with updates September 4, 2008) Please read the following carefully: FALL SEMESTER PRODUCTIONS: WOYZECK PROJECT AUDITIONS WOYZECK will audition Wednesday and Thursday, September 3 and 4, from 7-10 in Norris Gym on the East Bank where the production will be performed. From 7:00-8:00 there will be group movement auditions with Carl Flink. At 8:00 there will be interview and exercises with Luverne Seifert and Michael Sommers. Sign-up sheets for each night are posted. Using Buchner's play WOYZECK as a springboard for themes, images, and gesture and per formative events, participants will propose, construct, and perform in a world in which the audience becomes the voyeurs. The forms of peep show, diorama, tableau vivant, The Fun House, installation, shadow, the museum and site-specific all become possibilities. The work will culminate in movement/dance created by the cast and Carl Flink. The participants will create their own event from the initial idea, the construction of all elements, space, object, scenography, sound and light, through the performance. These events may range from 30 seconds to three hours in duration. Rehearsals will be structured according to participation. Performance dates: October 10-18. 3100 credit is available. Rehearsals Monday-Thursday 7-10. TWO COWARDS IN REP: HAY FEVER AND PRESENT LAUGHTER AUDITIONS Although HAY FEVER and PRESENT LAUGHTER are designated as Senior BFA shows in rep, there are additional casting opportunities. All roles to be cast are speaking roles. All current students as welcome and encouraged to audition on Saturday afternoon, September 6 from noon to 3:00 p.m. in the Thrust. Sign-up sheets for these auditions will be posted on the Production Notices Bulletin Boards in the basement of Rarig. Performances: November 14-23. Students should prepare a short comic monologue with heightened language. Please bring a resume with you. The roles available in PRESENT LAUGHTER are Fred, Miss Erickson, and Lady Saltburn. The sides for these roles in will be posted near the signup sheet. You should pick the role for which you would like to read. HAY FEVER will have two female roles available to be determined during the Saturday audition process. You may be asked to read one of those sides at the audition. Please plan to stay after your audition. As a reminder, in professional auditions in the US it is advisable to use an RP or other basic British dialect when the script is in those dialects (Shaw, Coward, Wilde, A Christmas Carol, Pinter, etc.). XPERIMENTAL THEATRE SEASON AUDITIONS The Xperimental season will audition its fall productions Monday and Tuesday, September 8 and 9, with Callbacks Wednesday September 10 for fall productions only. DIVERSE VOICES will audition during these dates also. See separate postings. Two opportunities to participate in 4380 creative collaboration projects are available this semester. Section (1) will be production of BACCHAE working with Assistant Professor Dominic Taylor. Auditions will be held September 9 in Studio A. Section (2) will be a production of GILGAMESH working with Assistant Professor Lisa Channer. A group audition will be held Thursday, September 11. Further information on both these projects will be posted separately. SPRING SEMESTER PRODUCTIONS: The University Theatre will be auditioning both NIGHT TRAIN TO BOLINA and A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY on Wednesday through Friday evenings, November 5-7. Individual production callbacks for A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY will be held Saturday, November November 8; individual production callbacks for NIGHT TRAIN will be held Saturday, November November 15. Casting for both productions will be posted November 17. NIGHT TRAIN TO BOLINA by Nilo Cruz will be directed by Dominic Taylor, Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts and Dance, in the Arena. Rehearsals will start January 20 though there may be some read-through rehearsals in late fall semester. Performance dates are Feb 27-March 7. Clara and Mateo, young, poor and powerless in an adult world, confront life with intelligence, passion and eloquence in a lyrical portrayal by Nilo Cruz in Night Train to Bolina -- a haunting tale of the dispossessed of the earth in which two poor Latin American children's spirits soar like kites as they run away to an invented place called Bolina. Roles for 5 actors (typically 3 women and 2 men, which could change depending on talent pool). A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY by Tony Kushner will be directed by Lisa Channer, Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts and Dance, in the Thrust. Rehearsals will start February 23. Performance dates are April 17-25. Set in two opposing viewpoints of early 1930s Berlin and Long Island in the 1980s, Kushner relates the concerns of Agnes Eggling, a middle-aged actress in pre-Nazi Berlin, to those of Zillah, a young woman frustrated with the governing Republican Party led by Ronald Regan and determined to move to Berlin. Based on Bertolt Brecht's The Private Life of the Master Race, Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner examines the rise of two political parties to power in two different eras. A Bright Room Called Day is produced as a part of the 2009 Kushner Celebration presented by the Guthrie Theater. Roles for between 5 and 6 women and between 5 and 6 men. Sign-up sheets for the general auditions will be posted on the Production Notices Bulletin Boards in the basement of Rarig. For these auditions, please prepare two contrasting pieces: one dramatic and one comic, one of which should be non-realistic. Time limit of 3 minutes or less per audition will be strictly enforced. It is strongly suggested that you read the plays before auditioning. NOTE the following spring conflicts: - NIGHT Train conflicts with UDT, the X production of SHADOWS/WILL TALKING in spring semester and possibly THE ODYESSY. - BRIGHT ROOM conflicts with the X production of THE ODYESSY in spring, and possibly SHADOWS/WILL TALKING. - Neither production conflicts with the Minnesota Centennial Showboat. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/09/upcoming_season_auditions.html 140570 4677 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:36:00 +0000 The Department of Theatre Arts & Dance's own Rarig Center is one of the host venues for the 2008 Minnesota Fringe Festival. All four of its theatre spaces (thrust, proscenium, arena, black box) will be used to host events throughout the festival, which takes place July 31st – August 10th. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit www.fringefestival.org. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/07/u_of_ms_rarig_center_hosts_mn.html 137379 4677 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:37:05 +0000 The Minnesota Centennial Showboat began its summer-long run of "The Count of Monte Cristo" on Friday, June 13th. Please visit showboat.umn.edu to learn more about the 50th anniversary celebration of our favorite floating theatre. Please also view our "Finding Minnesota" segment produced by Jeanette Trompeter of WCCO-TV. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/06/the_count_of_monte_cristo_open.html 131523 4677 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:42:30 +0000 The 2008 edition of the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance's annual publication Applause is now online. Visit our alumni page at theatre.umn.edu/alumni to download it in PDF format. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/04/2008_issue_of_applause_posted.html 124234 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:57:39 +0000 University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program students and alumni are shining on the Guthrie's stages this spring. Through April 27th, see the current Senior Company of the program perform its annual New Plays Series. Well into June, get your tickets early to see several BFA Acting alumni in the popular A Midsummer Night's Dream. Take a look at guthrietheater.org for more information about both of these events, and to see interviews with Midsummer cast members. A preview story and wonderful video about Midsummer also appears at StarTribune.com For more information about the U of M/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, visit theatre.umn.edu. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/04/u_of_mguthrie_bfa_actors_shine.html 123637 4677 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:06:59 +0000 April is a big month for U of M Theatre events: University Theatre & Dance presents "The Wiz" April 11-19 at Rarig Center. Directed by Dominic Taylor, this new spin on a classic brings the Emerald City to the U of M campus, and Dorothy is a college student, who needs to find her way through the college experience. More on "The Wiz" at theatre.umn.edu/thewiz. Also, the Senior Company of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Traning Program opens its "New Plays" at the Guthrie Theater April 11-27. See three new, challenging works performed by the Twin Cities next wave of acting talent. For more information, visit www.guthrietheater.org. Plus, U of M theatre alumni Charles Nolte and Shirley Venard, along with Bill Semans, star in "Exit Strategies" at the Mixed Blood Theatre. With the slogan "You're never too old. NEVER." this show provides a unique perspective on aging. It runs now through May 4th. For more information, visit www.exitstrategytheplay.com . Be sure to check out all of the amazing events happening in the West Bank Arts Quarter, and sign up for email updates at www.artsquarter.umn.edu. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/04/u_of_m_and_related_theatre_ope.html 122484 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:28:27 +0000 The University Theatre has unveiled its new "rehearsal blog," which allows anyone to get a behind the scenes glimpse of the rehearsal process leading up to our April 11-19 subscriber series production of "The Wiz." Link to the blog and learn more about this musical production — where Oz is turned into a university campus — at www.theatre.umn.edu/thewiz http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/03/the_wiz_rehearsal_blog_is_unve_1.html 118617 4677 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:53:31 +0000 Please take some time to watch "Peace Crimes Backstage," a recent production by Twin Cities Public Television about the Minnesota Eight and how they influenced the world-premiere production of "Peace Crimes." "Peace Crimes" was presented February 22 - March 9 at Rarig Center by the History Theatre and the University of Minnesota Theatre. Media Mill Video http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/03/watch_the_peace_crimes_backsta.html 118172 4677 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:22:07 +0000 "Peace Crimes: The Minnesota Eight vs. The War," which previews Thursday and opens on Friday, Feb. 22nd is hot in the press. Read about this exciting collaboration between the University of Minnesota Theatre and History Theatre: MinnPost.com: http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2008/02/21/942/peace_crimes_tells_minnesota_8s_war_story Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/onstage/15842477.html Minnesota Monthly http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/February-2008/Patriot-Acts/ City Pages http://articles.citypages.com/2008-02-20/calendar/peace-crimes-the-minnesota-eight-vs-the-war/ Minnesota Daily http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2008/02/21/72165692 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/02/peace_crimes_press.html 112309 4677 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:37:30 +0000 Twin Cities Public Television has produced a half-hour backstage special that tells the story of the Minnesota 8, as seen through the eyes of the playwright, director and actors of “Peace Crimes,� as well as through interviews with some of the original participants. The program premieres on Saturday, February 23 at 8:00 pm on TPT Channel 17. Check tpt.org for additional broadcast times. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2008/02/peace_crimes_backstage_to_air.html 111924 4677 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:43:09 +0000 Michael Sommers, an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance and the new Interdisciplinary Program in Collaborative Arts (IPCA), was just named one of 50 fellows for 2007 by United States Artists. Sommers was named along with several notable artists such as Robert Woodruff, Bill T. Jones, and Ann Hamilton, as one of the recipients of a $50,000 unrestricted award. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2007/12/michael_sommers_wins_united_st.html 101900 4677 Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:48:41 +0000 Namir Smallwood, a 2006 graduate of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, and Vanessa Voskuil, a 2001 graduate of the BFA Dance Program, were recently named by the "Minneapolis Star Tribune" as two of eight "Young Artists on the Verge." http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2007/11/2006_bfa_program_grad_named_yo.html 97519 4677 Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:10:31 +0000 Lou Bellamy, Department of Theatre Arts and Dance faculty member and director of the Penumbra Theatre, won an Obie Award on May 21st for best direction for his staging of August Wilson's "Two Trains Running." http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2007/05/u_of_m_theatre_faculty_shine_a_1.html 80352 Matt LeFebvre, MFA Design & Technology Program director, was also mentioned for his work on the show. Bellamy's critically lauded production opened last December at New York's Signature Theatre, where it was twice extended. He won what is perhaps the most important off-Broadway accolade, the Village Voice-sponsored Obies, which have been given out for 52 years. 4677 Wed, 23 May 2007 13:48:25 +0000 U of M and area high school students are uniting to end LGBTQ discrimination with the Fringe Benefits theatre project. Learn more here. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2007/04/u_of_m_theatre_students_take_o.html 75015 Several high school and University of Minnesota students are collaborating to present their original play “the Punch … or how I became an ally� in area high schools throughout April in an effort to end discrimination toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. The collective of students has worked since January to develop the project, which began with a week-long, intensive workshop between members of the community including U of M students, faculty and staff; District 202 youth, counselors and staff; Shakopee High School students, a counselor and the principal; members of the community at large; several attorneys; and members of the Fringe Benefits Theatre Company. During the week, the group shared stories and personal experiences, and improvised scenes that related to LGBTQ discrimination they had faced in high school. The workshop concluded with writing and editing an original script. Since the workshop week, students have been volunteering their time, meeting nearly every weekend at Rarig Center to revise and rehearse the show, design and build the set, costumes and props, and coordinate a tour of high schools where the play will be presented. Participants have also developed a curriculum to support the production, including a study guide for students, an educators’ guide, resources for continued discussion of topics surrounding LGBTQ discrimination, and information about starting LGBTQ alliances in high schools. U of M student and project coordinator Xanthia Walker says “this is the first time the project has been done in Minnesota, and that the focus is to bring the it to suburban schools where LGBTQ alliances don’t often exist.� She says of her work, “it has been an amazing learning experience, being a community leader and facilitator. Though it has been challenging to get our program in schools because teachers and administrators are all so busy and this is a difficult project to introduce. We are still looking for more high schools to work with.� After months of hard work and lots of convincing, the Fringe Benefits project will take “the Punch� out on the road to local high schools including Roosevelt and Washburn schools in Minneapolis, Eden Prairie High School, Hastings Senior High School and Shakopee Senior High School. Performances are also scheduled for OutFront Minnesota’s justFair Lobby Day at the Minnesota Capitol on April 19th and at Rarig Center on a date yet to be determined. For more information about “the Punch� and its contributors, contact Justin Christy at 612.625.5380 or Justin@umn.edu. Project Coordinator Xanthia Walker and others involved in the project are available for interviews. The Fringe Benefits project was made possible through a grant from the Fringe Benefits Theatre Company in Los Angeles, founded and directed by Norma Bowles (http://cootieshots.org). Other supporters include the University of Minnesota Coca~Cola beverage partnership and Crisis Point Theatre Company. ##### The Fringe Benefits project is one of several outreach initiatives of the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance at the University of Minnesota, whose mission is to educate our students and our audiences about the performing arts, and about the social issues and human emotions the arts speak to so powerfully. 4677 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 19:00:18 +0000 Congratulations to the Dance Majors performing at ACDFA/Regional American College Dance Festival in Milwaukee. BOTH U of M student Emily King’s ‘Better to Have’ and Cowles Guest Artist Uri Sands’ ‘Happy’ were selected by national adjudicators for the final Gala performance. University of Minnesota Dance is proud to represent at the North Central regional conference with dynamic student and faculty/guest artist work. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2007/03/more_acdfa_success_for_u_of_m.html 72782 4677 Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:44:58 +0000 The University of Minnesota's Xperiemental Theatre Company has an exciting spring season of theatre entertainment ahead. View their spring season here. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2007/02/the_xperimental_theatres_sprin.html 66799 Fully planned, produced, and managed by students, the "X" is always ready to venture into a wide array of projects and upcoming events include an adaptation of the classic children's book "The Phantom Toll Booth," David Greig's "Outlying Islands," and a Senior Seminar showcase of work by graduating students in the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance. Click here for more information. 4677 Mon, 05 Feb 2007 16:33:39 +0000 Quinton Skinner of City Pages has named "The Master and Margarita" one of his top 10 theatre productions of 2006. http://citypages.com/databank/27/1360/article15011.asp http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2007/01/the_master_and_margarita_named.html 63815 Part of the 2006-07 University Theatre Mainstage Season, the production was the first mainstage production performed outdoors. Under the direction of University faculty members Michael Sommers and Luverne Seifert, "The Master and Margarita" was produced collaboratively by a team of 20+ students from the University's West Bank Arts Quarter. Read Skinner's full comments here 4677 Fri, 12 Jan 2007 19:40:23 +0000 Featuring choreography by Ananya Chatterjea, Pat Graney, Uri Sands and Anna Sokolow, the 2007 Dance Revolutions concert will delight you with its energy-filled examples of modern dance throughout time. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2007/01/dance_event_title.html 47332 For tickets buy online or call the University Arts Ticket Office at 612.624.2345. Performances are Friday, February 2 at 8pm; Saturday, February 3 at 8pm and Sunday, February 4 at 2pm. 4873 Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:14:08 +0000 Every year, more than 40,000 people are moved and challenged by the thoughtful work of Penumbra Theatre Company in St. Paul, Minnesota. The McKnight Foundation has named Lou Bellamy, Penumbra's artistic director and University of Minnesota theatre professor, as the 2006 McKnight Distinguished Artist, in recognition of artistic excellence spanning three decades as a producer and director at the nation's preeminent African American theater. The annual award includes a $40,000 cash prize, and recognizes individual Minnesota artists who have made significant contributions to the quality of the state's cultural life. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/utheatre/tadnews/2006/06/lou_bellamy_named_2006_mcknigh.html 48135 "Lou Bellamy embodies the spirit of the McKnight Distinguished Artist Award," said Erika L. Binger, board chair of The McKnight Foundation. "The excellence of his craft is evident in Penumbra's loyal following and critical acclaim. Lou's commitment to the community, however, is what truly distinguishes him among exceptional Minnesota artists." Among Bellamy's other numerous awards are The W. Harry Davis Foundation Award for Excellence in Afro-centric Education and The Minnesota Martin Luther King, Jr., Humanitarian Award. Bellamy graduated with a BA from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and received his MA from the University of Minnesota. He has been a member of the University of Minnesota's faculty for 29 years and currently serves as associate professor in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. His extensive directing credits include Zooman and the Sign, King Hedley II, and Two Trains Running; acting credits include lead roles in Fences, The Piano Lesson, and Talking Bones. In addition to his extensive work at Penumbra, Bellamy has directed for Kansas City Repertory, Arizona Theatre Company, the Guthrie Theater, and Trinity Repertory Company. He also serves as an executive board member of The African Grove Institute for the Arts. Bellamy's involvement in theater arose because, in his estimation, he's "always been a show off." At college in Mankato, his main extracurricular activity was running for the school's track team. In 1962, however, Professor Ted Paul sought out black actors for a staging of the racially charged Finian's Rainbow. Paul found Bellamy in an on campus dorm, and invited him to join the cast. With positive feedback from his performance, and because "there were more girls in theater then there were on the track team," Bellamy's lifelong theater career began in earnest. To this day, Paul attends theater productions with which Bellamy is involved. Looking back, Bellamy explains, "I was really impressed with people who were more concerned about your talent and so forth than they were about your color. And I began to notice the power of theater to make change in people and I've been at it ever since." A decade and a half later, in 1976, Bellamy created Penumbra Theatre Company. Bellamy founded Penumbra on the shoulders of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and '70s. A key tenet of the movement is that ethics and aesthetics share one moral code, and from this union is borne mission-driven art with the power to define and sustain communities. "We cannot be misled or seduced by efforts, noble as they may be, to impersonate, distill, or pacify this kind of work," says Bellamy. "It is only at a place like Penumbra, a theater housed within the African American community, that the work can be both critical and celebratory, marking milestones of our growth, our survival, and our history." One of few surviving theaters that emerged during the Black Arts Movement, Penumbra strives to present the African American experience as rich, dynamic, and essential to the history and breadth of American theater. Today, Penumbra is the nation's premier African American theater, and one of only a few that offer a full season of performances. It is recognized for development of educational and outreach programs, as well as contributions to the development of creative talent. Bellamy notes that, over the years, "Penumbra's raison d'etre—producing artistically excellent, thought-provoking, well-appointed productions that probe the human condition with stories told from an African American perspective—has been constantly refined and refocused." In a region rich with performing arts, Penumbra ranks as St. Paul's oldest professional theater company of any kind. Under Bellamy's leadership, Penumbra has produced 20 world premiers and presented more plays by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson than any other theater company in the world. The theater's national significance was recognized in New York City in January 2000, when Danny Glover presented it with the Jujamcyn Award for development of artistic talent, a distinction it shares with superb regional theaters like the Yale Repertory Theater and The Mark Taper Forum. In recent years, City Pages has named Penumbra the "Best Theater for Drama," and Stage Directions Magazine has named it "One of Ten Companies that Make a Difference." "Our work at Penumbra seeks to engage our audiences and our community in cross-cultural dialogue, in order to address and deal with specificity and difference," says Bellamy. "I believe that we—as people, as a society, as citizens of the world—need to learn to see difference not as a threat, but as the key to understanding humanity. Cross-cultural dialogue offers us the opportunity to recognize the power of difference." ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT DISTINGUISHED ARTIST AWARD The McKnight Distinguished Artist Award recognizes individuals who helped lay the foundation for Minnesota's rich cultural life. Despite opportunities to pursue their work elsewhere, they chose to stay—and by staying, they have made a difference. Previous recipients are composer Dominick Argento (1998), ceramic artist Warren MacKenzie (1999), writer Robert Bly (2000), choral conductor Dale Warland (2001), publisher Emilie Buchwald (2002), painter Mike Lynch (2003), orchestra conductor Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (2004), and sculptor Judy Onofrio (2005). 4871 Thu, 29 Jun 2006 19:49:01 +0000