On Stage…
Must-see April Events
Henry VI, The
Contention + The Ascension
My Name is
Anton Chekhov
Fresh Scenes
Lady in the Dark
plus
Students in the Spotlight
Leila Awadallah's Almost But Not Yellow to perform at Kennedy CenterCole Remmen, writer/performer of Go Boldly launches at CalTech
 |
| Maddy Fox, MN Daily |
Stoll Thrust Stage March 30 - April 4
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. Shakespeare raises
timely questions as we enter an election year: what makes an effective leader?
How much must a leader sacrifice for the “greater good”? Henry VI presented in two parts: The Contention +The Ascension, opened March 30, is performed
entirely by students in the BFA 2018 class of the University of Minnesota
/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program.
“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 program. “We have
taken Shakespeare’s three play saga, and shaped it into two parts— a
mini-series, if you will,” explained Mr. Cardamone.
Tickets: theatre umn.edu or call 612 624-2345
My Name is Anton Chekhov, a creative collaboration by BA Performance students guided by affiliate faculty member Shirley Venard begins April with a showing you’ll not want to miss. After investigating two of Chekov’s short stories and researching his life, these creative collaborators have devised a performance at the intersection of the author/playwright’s life and his work through the lens of love. March 31 and April 1 staged in the Nolte Xperimental Theatre, limited seating reserve your free tickets at z.umn.edu/umtad
Tickets: theatre umn.edu or call 612 624-2345
 |
| Earthquakes in London graphic by Francesca Pancorbo |
"An epic, expansive play about climate change, corporate corruption, fathers and children"--- The Guardian
"The theatrical equivalent of a thrilling roller coaster ride", delivering "a rush of invention, humour and raw emotion"- Daily Telegraph
“Questions fizz and soar like fireworks….not to be missed!"- Time Out
“Earthquakes in London…scores highly on the Richter scale”—British Theatre Guide
An
all-pervasive fear of the future and a guilty pleasure in the excesses of the
present drive Mike Bartlett's 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." writes Methuen Publications.
Staged at the Guthrie’s
Dowling Studio, playing April 13-24, Earthquakes in London is
under the direction of Bruce Roach and performed by the University of Minnesota
/ Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training class of 2016. Playing in repertory with this production will be Snapshots a
presentation by the BFA class performing a series of scenes from the dramatic
cannon, directed by Marcela Lorca and Michelle O'Neill.
Tickets guthrietheater.org or by calling 612-377-2224.
Premiered at London’s
National Theatre in 2010, followed by a tour of the UK , Bartlett’s sweeping Earthquakes follows
three sisters caught in shifting relationships– with family, lovers,
professional lives, and the planet’s future. A film version of the play is now in development, according to the
playwright’s publicist. The Olivier Award winning writer is also author of Broadway's newest smash hit King
Charles III likely to be up for a slew Tony Award nominations in May.
Fresh Scenes presents the University of Minnesota / Guthrie Theatre BFA Freshman Company in performance April 28-30 on the Liu Stage , Kilburn Theatre. Tickets are free, but reservations required at z.umn.edu/umtad
Lady in the Dark, April 14-17 concludes the Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht Festival, a collaboration of the School of Music and Theatre Arts & Dance, in Ted Mann Concert Hall. The fully staged musical play, directed by David Walsh, Director of Opera Theatre and conducted by Chad Hutchinsonm is presented by
University Opera Theatre. “Moss Hart’s wry, playful, intelligent book, Ira
Gershwin’s wittily sophisticated lyrics and Kurt Weill’s hauntingly gossamer
melodies [of this]... innovative 1941 Broadway hit is a multi-faceted gem” hails theSan Francisco Chronicle.
This U of M School of Music production marks the premiere of Lady in the Dark’s
critical edition, thoroughly researched and authorized by the Kurt Weill
Foundation for Music.
SPECIAL
NOTE: Mark your calendar for April 14 and 15 when Lady in the Dark scholar/ award-winning author Dr. bruce mcclung
and David Walsh, the production’s director, share the podium for a free "Preview for Patrons" 45 minutes before curtain in the
first tier lobby of the Ted Mann Concert Hall.
Students in the Spotlight
Leila Awadallah photo: Brandon Stengel
Leila Awadallah and her Cast of Five
to Play DC's Kennedy Center
BFA Dance major Leila Awadallah’s choreographic work has been selected for the American College Dance
Association’s (ACDA) National Festival to be presented at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts, June 8-11. Awadallah’s work was one of three pieces selected for their outstanding artistic merit to represent the North Central region. Artist
adjudicators described the work as “a sophisticated , richly–layered work that
invites you to discover it. Almost But Not Yellow is full of
enigmatic imagery that enhances its choreographic body.” Leila’s cast of five,
Jessika Akpaka, Abby Johnson, Laura Osterhaus, Tabitha Stegar and Nicole Stumpf,
were praised for "their strong performances in this work" at the regional
conference and gala performance.
The National College Dance Festival highlights the outstanding
quality of choreography and performance created on college and university campuses
throughout the nation. The U of M is one of 31 participating schools to have
been selected “by nationally recognized adjudicators at each of the 12 ACDA
regional conferences".
Additionally,
Awadallah’s self-choreographed solo was selected for the regional Gala
Performance presented on Wednesday March 23. UMTAD’S dance program is proud of
all the Dance Majors conference participants including Ayana DuBose who
presented her own choreographic work at an informal concert, the fourteen
students who performed at the conference, and the four students who presented undergraduate
research, Leila Awadallah, Ali Higginbotham, Margaret Ogas and Abby Taylor. Congratulations
to Leila and cast.
Go Boldly launches Cole Remmen at CalTech
The
Starfleet crew aboard the Starship Enterprise as they sing the title song
“Boldly Go.” Courtesy of Theatre Art California Institute of Technology (TACIT)
UMTAD senior, honors BA Theatre Arts student Cole Remmen
wrote the wildly successful musical parody Boldly
Go!, a musical parody of Star Trek. The show, which he co-wrote with his
brother and Caltech theoretical physics PhD
student Grant Remmen, premiered at Caltech on February 26, 2016 to rave
reviews. Cole explains, “all
of the shows sold out; we estimate that over 2,200 people saw it! We've been
told it was the most popular show in the history of CalTech Theater.”
“A musical of both substance and comedy, Boldly
Go! follows the
intrepid crew of the Starship Enterprise, along with some new characters, on an
exciting and hilarious adventure. And it’s all set to a side-splitting tour de
force of musical mayhem! At its core, Boldly
Go! is a story about
being true to oneself and one’s convictions, about friendship and love, about
discovery and wonder, about the triumph of the individual over adversity, and
about the joy of sharing with each other this vast and mysterious Universe.”
– Theater Arts at CalTech
We sat down with Cole, who
also co-directed and starred in Boldly
Go! as Spock, to talk about the show:
Could you talk about how you got the
idea for Boldly Go! and the steps
that took you to CalTech?
My older
brother/co-author Grant and I had always discussed the possibility of writing a
musical together. The idea for Boldly
Go! came to us after we saw Star
Trek: Into Darkness in 2013 and
continued to watch some of the classic movies and TV episodes that summer. We
went through approximately six drafts, rewriting and editing the script and
music, storyboarding the plot, orchestrating the accompaniment, etc. In
addition to being a parody of Star
Trek, Boldly Go! is also a satire of musical theatre
itself, with which my brother and I are very familiar. I then brought the show
to the University of Minnesota for an auditioned workshop and public reading,
which proved to be very popular. A few months later, in May 2015, I assisted
with a public reading at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech),
where my brother is a graduate student. The reading at Caltech received an
overwhelming reception. While Boldly
Go! was not written for Caltech,
we thought that it was a perfect place at which to premiere the show, given the
history of the campus culture and its connections to Star Trek, dating back to the
1960s, as well as a director interested in producing new works. We were very
fortunate to receive a lot of positive press, including mentions in The New York Times and LA
Weekly as well an article in The Los Angeles Daily News, to
name a few. We had an excellent cast of about 24 people and a fantastic band
and crew, with around 60 people total involved in the production, including
undergrads, graduate students, Caltech staff/faculty, scientists and engineers
from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, alumni, and even a Disney Animation
technical director. Robert Picardo (movie/TV actor including Star Trek: Voyager) was
able to join the cast for a couple performances in a guest cameo role.
Actor Robert Picardo (left) plays a guest role as Admiral
Barnett. Courtesy of TACIT.
What’s been most helpful experience
you’ve gained in your undergrad classes when it came to writing, producing, and
performing in your show Boldly Go!?
Was there a class, a professor's comment or guidance, or an
experience at the U that has proved over time to be inspiring you?
In my time
at the U of M, I've been lucky to have had great mentors and support from the
faculty. In particular, Luverne Seifert has been a wonderful mentor for my
independent projects, including the UROP grant that supported the U of M
workshop of Boldly Go!, as
well as the independent research credits that I am currently undertaking, which
allowed me to spend time at CalTech earlier this semester for the production.
Additionally, my previous directing experience, including directing and
performing in a production of Copenhagen (also
mentored by Luverne Seifert) as well as Lisa Channer's intermediate and
advanced directing courses, gave me great experience with the directorial
skills I was able to use assistant directing the CalTech production of Boldly Go!
Do you have any advice for current
college theater students looking to produce their own work?
My advice
for other students looking to see their work produced is, firstly, to really
love whatever concept they are working on. If you want to see a project all the
way through to production, it will take a lot of commitment and hard work,
which means that you will be living in and exploring the world you're creating
for a long time. Seek out opinions of others, including family, friends,
professors, and other students. Workshopping is also an excellent way to get
feedback from both actors and audience, if you have a public reading. I would
strongly suggest applying for a UROP or contacting Open Stage, which can help
fund your project. Get involved in other student productions and get to know
your peers so you have a community of support.
How are you feeling after the
closing of "Boldy Go!"? Have you already decided on the next place to
produce the show?
My
co-author and I are very excited at the success of the show and have been
contacted by a few professional theatre companies in California and out East
who are interested in possibly mounting their own productions of Boldly Go!. Of course, we would
love to bring the show to Minneapolis if there is a theatre company interested
here [hint hint]!
Check out the cast and
crew’s vlogs from the experience here: https://tacit.caltech.edu/shows/1516boldlygo/videos
Faculty Center Stage
Penelope Freeh, dance faulty member and collaborator Donna Schoenherr’s new dance theater work, Helioscope opens April 1 playing through April 3 as part of 2016 The Right Here Showcase at The Illusion Theater in the Cowles Center, 8th floor. Heliocsope, inspired by the innovative photographic studies of motion and methods of Eadweard Muybridge, will be performed by choreographers Freeh and Schoenherr, singer David Kozisek and Theater Arts & Dance students from our dance program: Kelly Folwick, Adrianna Lonick, Sara Mortenson, Tabitha Steger, Nicloe Stumpf, Kristina Van Deusen , Abigail Whitmore, and Natalie Wollman. Helioscope also features the music of Joe Strachan and two other living composers, as well as images by video artist Kevin Osatz. For 2016 Right Here Showcase tickets visit Evenbirtie.com For more information righthereshowcase.weebly.com The Star Tribune writes “The Right Here Showcase” offers a welcome venue for Twin Cities artists who deserve to be seen.”
 |
| A orginal photographic study of motion by Eadweard Muybridge |
Luverne
Seifert along with Dario
Tangelson travel to California in April to lead a residency for SLAM, Science
Leaders and Management at UC Berkeley. Earlier the duo lead a series of four communication
workshops for students of the University of Minnesota Chemistry Department to
help them develop skills to be better communicators.
Carl Flink will choreograph the History Theater’s premiere of Alan Berks’s Complicated Fun: The Minneapolis Music Scene, which will be directed by Dominic Taylor (formerly TAD) This rockin’ production opens April 30, and plays through May 29, 2016.
###
