Theatre Arts & Dance in partnership with The Moving Company present LITTLE DICKENS, Dec. 13-16 at Open EyeTheatre

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 The goal was to illuminate the "outdated" notions of Want, Ignorance and the Common Good.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.

Dance Revolutions opens Dec.6 features works by Byrd, Jones, Shapiro & Smith, and Zane

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.

"The Rover" directed by Joel Sass & performed by the senior class of University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater's BFA Actor Training Program, opens this week!

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

Dance Faculty and Alumni Receive a Bouquet of 2012 Sage Awards

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!

Nationally known playwright Lee Blessing workshops new play "Courting Harry" in first public reading with U of M Students

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.

Carl Flink & Black Label Movement on TPT's MN Original, Sunday, Sept.30

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.

The Ivey Awards honor "Spring Awakening" for Artistic Excellence

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.

U of M's Dance Director Ananya Chatterjea honored: MPR's first Arts Hero

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.

Emmy Nomination for Mn Orignal featuring Carl Flink's "Duet for a Wreck"

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.' "

Alum Nick Harazin named a HOT new face in Chicago Theatre

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.

BA Actor Training Program's Luverne Seifert takes Cherry Orchard Project across Minnesota

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:

Department of Theatre Arts & Dance Announces 2012-13 Season

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.

THE VAMPIRE! aboard Centennial Showboat Wows 'em

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.

Ananya Chatterjea & Carl Flink named 2012 McKnight Fellows

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

"Choreography is a Key in Spring Awakening" raves StarTribune

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.

Frankenstein seeks Warm Bodies (30-40 per show)

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"

"See Spring Awakening while you can" TC Critics Rave

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

Spring Awakening Previews April 12 Opens April 14

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

U of M Dance earns Kudos at regional American Dance Festival; Invited to Kennedy Center

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!"

John Cowles, Jr. 1930-2012

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."

UMTAD well represented as ACF grant recipients

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.

Professor Lisa Channer's Theatre Novi Most does "Picnic on the Battlefield"

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.

Meet the Artist: Sugith Varughese, UMTAD Alum and Award-Winning Screenwriter/Director/Actor

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.

TDF to Honor Mathew LeFebvre, Professor and Designer

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!

Mathew J. LeFebvre, costume/set designer featured on KTCA's "MN Original"

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.

Carl Flink, Dept. Chair, Creates Awe-Inspiring Dance Program at Cowles

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.

Sommers' "Sorcerer's Apprentice" makes magic says Star Tribune

""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.

Michael Sommer's Casts a Spell with Open Eye Theatre's "Sorcerer's Apprentice"

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.

Feb 10-12, Carl Flink & Black Label Movement unveil new work at Cowles Center

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.

Arthur Ballet 1924-2012

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.

Black Arts Movement Series Launches with Lou Bellamy Jan.26

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.

NBC features Penumbra Theatre Founder, Lou Bellamy, Theatre Art's Professor Emeritus

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.