March 2016 APPLAUSE

On Stage…

Must-See March Events

Spring Dance Concert

Threepenny Opera

Brecht & Weill Smorgasbord

Henry VI : The Contention+ The Ascension

Spring Dance Concert shimmers with fresh talent March 4-5 at 6:00pm and 8:30pm in the Barker’s intimate Studio 100. Directed by Joanie Smith, co-founder of Shapiro & Smith Dance, this program offers choreography by students Leila Awadallah, Ayana DuBose, Luke Olson –Elm as well as two dance works created by faculty members Erin Thompson and Joanie Smith.  Tickets are available by calling 612 -624-2345

See related story in Faculty section on Joanie Smith's upcoming  Shapiro & Smith Dance Concert, April 2-4 . 

Threepenny Opera, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s classic is as current as today’s headlines in the riveting production now  on Rarig’s Stoll Thrust. Pulsing with contemporary politics and protest, the 32 member cast sings and dances this chilling critique of a society. “Here everything is a transition-so that nothing has value unless it can be sold to the highest bidder.” says director Kym Longhi, “Love is for sale. Justice is for sale. Pity is for sale.” Threepenny plays through March 6. 

Part of the Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht: 21^st Century Celebration with the support of the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music.

 


 Brecht & Weill Smorgasbord, presented at the Southern Theater on March 21 at 7:30pm, offers an extraordinary opportunity to sample “tastings” of little-known works by the celebrated artists playwright Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill. Works sampled include Joe Fleischaker in Chicago, Fatzer, Man is Man, and several musical selections by Kurt Weill. The evening of excerpts will be performed by four Twin Cities theatre companies; Skylark Opera, Theatre Novi Most, Four Humors Theatre and Live Action Set.  Here’s a unique opportunity for Brecht/Weill fans to experience rarely performed works, some of which have been translated into English only recently.
                                                                                                               

Matthias Rothe of the University's German, Scandinavian, & Dutch Department is the dramaturge. Lisa Channer, head of the TAD’s Bachelor of Arts performance program, and David Walsh, University Opera Theatre direct the proceedings. The audience is invited to greet the performers at an informal reception and enjoy a smorgasbord of light refreshments in the lobby following the show.  For Brecht & Weill Smorgasbord  tickets contact Southern Theater, 612-326-1811. Learn more>.  
Part of “Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht Festival – A 21^st Century Celebration,” supported by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music.

Henry VI: The Contention + The Ascension
Shakespeare raises timely questions as we enter into an election year: what makes an effective leader? How much must a leader sacrifice for the “greater good”? Henry VI will be played in two parts: The Contention and The Ascension, March 20 – April 4 on the Stoll Trust Stage. The University of Minnesota /Guthrie Theater BFA class of 2018 will perform all roles. 

“We’ve staged these works with an emphasis on clarity of text, with simple production elements.This is a rare opportunity to see this work staged,” said guest director Doug Scholz-Carlson, artistic director Great River Shakespeare Festival, who is joining in on the epic project with director Steve Cardamone, TAD member in the University of Minnesota / Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training program. “We have taken Shakespeare’s three play saga, and shaped it into two parts— a mini-series, if you will,” explained Mr. Cardamone "You can experience Shakespeare's own 'Game of Thrones' over the five days, or immerse yourself in this violent history in a double feature on April 3.”  

The futility of war is ferociously conceived in this lean adaptation of Henry VI  saga featuring Joan of Arc, the well-intentioned but weak-willed King Henry, his fierce Queen Margaret, and a raft of opportunistic hypocrites longing for prestige and power. Allegiances change with each wind that blows. In the thrilling final chapter, emerging from the smoke of battle is soon-to-be-crowned Richard III, one of the most infamous villains of the stage.

Looking Ahead to April...

Mike Bartlett’s Earthquakes in London is driven by “an all-pervasive fear of the future and a guilty pleasure in the excesses of the present …in an epic roller-coaster of a play from 1968 to 2525 and back again. Earthquakes in London  includes burlesque strip shows, bad dreams, social breakdown, population explosion, and worldwide paranoia. It is a fast and furious metropolitan crash of people, scenes and decades, as three sisters attempt to navigate their dislocated lives and loves, while their dysfunctional father, a brilliant scientist, predicts global catastrophe. “-- Methuen Publications.  When it opened at London's National Theatre, Earthquakes  was hailed for the "sheer energy and ambition of the piece...irresistible."  Directed by Bruce Roach, Earthquakes in London will be presented in the Guthrie’s Dowling Studio April 14-23 and performed by the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program senior class of 2016. Learn More >Ticket information  

The Class of 2016 will also perform Snapshots, a series of scenes from the dramatic canon: Sunday, April 17 at 1 pm Tuesday;  April 19 at 7:30 p.m,; Wednesday, April 20 at 1  p.m; Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m.  

Student Spotlight  

THREE WOMEN debut in TWO GENTS

Taylor Harvey and Am’ber Montgomery, both currently seniors in the U of M /Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program along with Andrea San Miguel, a recent graduate of the program, are thrilled to be making their Jungle Theatre debuts in the all-female cast of Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen from Verona.  New artistic director Sarah Rasmussen staged this lively production which has received strong press reviews. 

A group protesting Rahsaan Mahadeo and David Melendez student conduct hearing outside Morril Hall last semester. 

 What is Diverse Knowledge? The Academic Stakes of Whose Diversity

On March 4, 2:00 pm, faculty panelists Zenzele Isoke (GWSS), Rose Brewer (American Studies), Diyah Larasati(Theatre Arts & Dance), Edén Torres (GWSS/Chicano & Latino Studies) will launch the discussion, which will be moderated by Rahsaan Mahadeo (Sociology), David Melendez (Theatre Arts & Dance) in the Kilburn Theatre, Rarig Center.
The student movement Whose Diversity? holds us to the mission of the University of Minnesota, a land grant institution founded to “promote access to higher education and collaborating to advance knowledge benefiting communities, the state, and world.” It calls for the university to work for substantive diversity, serving and supporting marginalized Minnesota communities through actions, not just words. In conversation with moderators Mahadeo and Melendez, faculty panelists will speak about their work in centering diverse experiences, epistemologies, and intellectual productions within the academy.

FEBRUARY SHOWINGS 

Associate Chair Sonja Kuftinec observes that February’s student course work included “The BFA Junior class performing in a physically innovative and highly committed Hippolytos backed by a live soundtrack created by the performers and under Dario Tangelson’s imaginative direction. First year students in the BA theatre program shared their adventurous work with Four Humors Theatre (alumni of the department) adapting Don Quixote. The showing featured several witty scenes with horses and a special guest appearance by the author, Minguel de Cervantes.”

SUMMER Courses 

Two new classes are offered this summer. All TAD students are encouraged to consider:

TH 5179W: Text and Performance  which includes Writing Enriched and Dramatic Literature credits will be offered July 5-29 M/W/F 10:00am - 2:00pm

TH 4380: Edinburgh Fringe Festival/Alternative Theatre in Scotland will run August 8 - 24.  Link to this study abroad course is here .

To apply financial aid to this summer session, students need to be enrolled in 6 or more credits. Taking both of these (or one of these plus any other course) fulfills  this  minimum. Questions?  Contact Lisa Channer chann006@umn.edu

Alumni in Action

                                                                                                  photo: Penumbra Theatre

Nate Barlow (BFA) performs in Amiri Baraka’s The Dutchman playing March 1 -27  at the Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul.  Lou Bellamy Faculty Emeritus directs. 
  

Samantha Johns and Shelby Richardson both TAD alumnae transformed the film 

Basic Instinct into a contemporary performance piece in the Minneapolis White Gallery. “Our piece is an exact rendering of the movie with all the male parts removed. Think: Chunks of melting ice. Microphones. Nudity. Fab Clothes. Gallery blocks,”said Ms. Johns.  “We set out to copy the film 1:1 as best we could without the men. Our aim is exact gesture and language of the movie, with none of the material spectacle or men in an attempt to highlight gender, race, sex, time, space, history, theater and the like,” the artist explained.

Faye M. Price (MFA) directs Nina Simone: Four Women and Rob Jensen (MFA, Design /Tech) serves as technical director for this play with music at Park Square Theatre, March 8-26.  Ms. Price is the co-artistic director of Minneapolis’ Pillsbury House Theatre . Lance Brockman Faculty Emeritus has designed the show’s set.

Q&A with Diane Divita

 Professional Production Stage Manager

U of M Alumna also teaches stage management at Yale School of Drama,
 and Columbia University.  

       photo:Yale School of Drama

You stage manage on Broadway, Off Broadway, and regional theatres across the nation.  Have you a project you are most proud of and why?

I am so proud of many projects, ranging from my time at the Guthrie Theater, with Liviu Ciulei’s The Tempest, Garland Wright’s Richard III, Emily Mann’s The Glass Menagerie, to Tom Stoppard’s Coast of Utopia at Lincoln Center (which reminded me of my Guthrie days), Elephant Man with Bradley Cooper on Broadway, Hamlet with Jude Law on Broadway and Eclipsed with Lupita Nyong’o, and Dogfight, a new musical I did Off-Broadway. These projects grabbed my heart and soul and changed me in some significant way and are my benchmark of what is so wonderful about the theater.  

You mentioned once that you were drawn to directing, but changed to stage management. Why? What was the appeal?

Well, quite honestly, I walked into Rarig Center and thought, "How could I meet as many people as possible, and let them know, 'I am here to make my mark.''? I thought, “well, stage managers get to know everyone,” (without giving up my directorial urge and not really having stage managed before), so I was guided to Jean Montgomery’s office and she was in the midst of signing up stage managers. Jean was the teacher to be around. She had the pulse on the department and she was just so cool. She paired me up with Jann Iaco (another MFA candidate in Directing) and the rest is history. Not only did I begin my SM career at Rarig, but also I found my best friend in the world, Jann who, by the way, is still my very best friend!

After graduation, how did you find your path into the professional world of theatre?

After I graduated with my MFA in Directing, I knew that I still wanted to direct. A summer theater program in Brainerd Community College was headed by Robert Dryden who was looking for young directors, designers, and choreographers… This would then segue into teaching during the Fall/Spring semesters in the college. I was hired to direct Kiss Me Kate (a nominal success) and I taught an 'Intro to Theatre History' class as well. As I taught, I felt as though I was regurgitating facts… Continuing my theater trips to the city included seeing shows at the Guthrie Theater. Every time I felt the huge pull to work professionally and I knew I had to get into that theater… So Bob Dryden and I had a long talk about my aspirations to work professionally… He helped me fill out the Guthrie Theater intern application, read and vetted my answers. He was instrumental in giving me the confidence to do what I really wanted to do. By that spring, I was a stage management intern, doing The Pretenders at the Guthrie Theater, I then continued working throughout the country at regional theaters from Boston to San Diego to Seattle, with a stint as a production manager at Taper Too, part of the Mark Taper Forum. 

What training at the U of M Theatre Department was most useful in getting launched? Who guided you?

So many aspects of my graduate schooling still help me to this day. I was one of many Arthur Ballet teaching assistants, which allowed me to see theater all over the city. I was also a vocal production-teaching assistant for Elizabeth Nash. I took every Bob Moulton class available to use as directing students, and I as an assistant stage manager for his production of The Streets of New York, on the Showboat. I relished Charles Nolte’s theater history classes and I got to stage manage his Little Foxes. Wesley Balk and Lee Adey, two very different directors who taught directing, gave me the practical applications as well as the ability to think our side the box as a director. Jean Montgomery gave me the opportunity to learn the craft of stage managing through trial and error, success and failure. I credit my classmates, Jann Iaco, Susan Schwaidelson, Jack Guzman, Tim Cope and Kathy Ellison for raising the bar to strive to be the best. We learned about the passion of theater, the art form, the highs and the lows. No one was spared. We were pushed to be the best we could be and as grad school should, helped define who we were in the world of theater and what we still needed to learn in the real world. 

Reflecting on your experience, what might you consider the most powerful lessons or practices that have proved essential in your profession?  

Life balance. This is so important. Someone once said, “The theatre is like a jealous lover.”  Dramatic right? This is all the more reason to develop a life outside of this business, to gain a perspective, to live a life that makes one better at doing their chosen profession. I always need to continue to look at the big picture and to realize this is the theater. As real as it is for so many of us, I am always trying to put all the trials and tribulations of this business into perspective. I always have to remind myself that this is a business. As a leader, I try and lead from behind. I try not to be the biggest personality in the room. I try and really listen. I continually make sure that I have a lot of patience, And I try to laugh… the takeaway is laughter!

Why or why not should undergrads consider going to grad school, and if so, when?

I used to think that kids out of undergrad going right to grad school was a mistake, but now I have come to believe that it is a case-by-case basis. I am privileged to teach both at Yale School of Drama (with my mentor and dearest friend from the Guthrie Theater, Mary Hunter who is the head of the MFA Stage Management program), and Columbia University in the MFA Stage Management programs. Grad school is about the formulation of ideas and communication of those thoughts; being able to read, research, think and write, to explore, to fail and to succeed. Within my classes, I have experienced all sorts of age ranges. Sometimes the youngest in the class is the oldest soul or an international student whose second language is English is more astute about our culture and our theatre practices, than someone from the United States. School is not for everyone.

The students that go into these program have either hit a glass ceiling in terms of skills, and want to further hone those skills, or they are in these programs to network because of the professional connections within a grad school program. There are those kids who bypass grad school and either intern or become production assistants and those kids want to have that practical and “hands on” experience. I think today’s students are smarter. They know how to balance their personal and potentially professional lives, or at least they are very good at pretending!

Thank you, Diane. Is there any thing you’d like to add?

I am a survivor in the business of show. We, as stage managers, need to have long arms to pat ourselves on the back. You have to love what you do and do what you love. If not, get out, the job is too hard otherwise. I am loyal and ethical, or at least I strive for this in a cutthroat business. Teaching makes me walk the walk and talk the talk, and keeps me honest. I love paying it forward. It makes me better at my day job! I recently saw a quote from the late Alan Rickman: “The theater is a calling and a privilege.” So true.  

Faculty Callboard   

Joanie Smith co- founder  and artistic director of  Shapiro & Smith Dance premiere's her new work HANDS,stages BOLERO with all male cast " a thrill ride of dance..." [Star Tribune] and WEE VIOLENCE with guest artist Sally Rousse in Shapiro & Smith Dance Concert at the Cowles Center, March 25-26. Learn more >  
TPT2 's "MN Original" recently featured Joanie Smith exploring a work in progress and relating how Shaprio & Smith Dance developed.
    

Marcus Dilliard, Department Chair, assisted by Megan Winters, MFA graduate student, has created the lighting design forThe Duthchman  and The Owl Answers now playing at the Penumbra Theatre. 

Torry Bend, TAD Resident Scenic Designer, who joined the department last year, created and directed If My Feet Have Lost the Ground  at Open Eye Figure Theater in February. “I’ve been working on the show for the last three years and it is thrilling to see it premier in Minneapolis,” says Ms. Bend.  The show explores the experiences of Grace, a woman who spends too much of her life suspended in flight.  She finds a letter containing a living, beating heart in the airplane pocket in front of her. All she has to go on is a return address and a desire to keep this fragile thing alive.”  

Tessie Bundick, professional make-up artist and faculty member, recently did make-up for  A Prairie Home Companion guest Paul Simon.  “He was so lovely and gracious,” said Bundick “ and  he sings as beautifully as ever– at 73” Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson!

                                     Backstage at A Prairie Home 

Lisa Channer, Theatre Novi Most co-founder, and faculty member is producing The Seagull by Anton Chekhov opening March 5 playing through March 28 at the Southern Theater. Channer, heads the TAD‘s BA Performance Creation Program.  The iconic Russian classic about love, art and the power of symbols, is directed by Vladimir Rovinsky in a staging promises to “disengage the play from the clichés of samovars and corsets to directly address our contemporary world of disconnections.” The cast includes Barbra Berlovitz, TAD faculty member and acclaimed performer.

 Learn more >

Carl Flink, dance faculty member, is working this month as choreographer/ director teaming  up with  VocalEssence to stage Four Saints in Three Acts, an opera by Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein slated for performances  March 19 & 20, 2016 at the Cowles Center for Dance.  Last fall, as Movement Director Flink worked with Theatre Latte Da on the acclaimed presentation of Sweeney Todd, which was recently named by City Pages  #1 on their list of Finest Theater Productions  of  2015.  Earlier the Minnesota Orchestra, commissioned  him  as choreographer  for its Young People’s Concert  Series, conducted by Roderick Cox at the Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall in September 2015, as well as January and February of this year.

Sonja Kuftinec participates in symposium on community-based theater March 8 at Northwestern University and she is an invited panelist in a Gender and Violence symposium  April 1-3 at Princeton University.

Jason Allyn-Schwerin who recently came joined TAD as Technical Director and Shop Supervisor  has been one busy man. In addition to overseeing the Threepenny Opera responsibilities in the TAD scene shop, he is also Penumbra’s 2015 / 16 season Technical Director for The Dutchman and The Owl.  In December, he served as Technical Director for Ordway’s Sound of Music.