Author: Liam Otten

Judy Pfaff, *Neither Here Nor There,* 2003.Judy Pfaff is one of the most celebrated artists of her generation, known for crafting large-scale installations that combine local materials with elements of painting, sculpture and architecture. In October Pfaff — a 1971 graduate of Washington University — will return to St. Louis to discuss her work for the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts’ fall Visiting Artist Lecture Series.

Judy Pfaff, *Neither Here Nor There,* 2003.Judy Pfaff is one of the most celebrated artists of her generation, known for crafting large-scale installations that combine local materials with elements of painting, sculpture and architecture. In October Pfaff — a 1971 graduate of Washington University — will return to St. Louis to discuss her work for the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts’ fall Visiting Artist Lecture Series.

Courtesy Image”Summer House at Hellersyya” (1965) by the Norwegian architect Wenche Selmer (1920-98). An exhibition of her work is currently on view in Givens Hall.

Leonard SlatkinAcclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin — music director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and conductor laureate of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra — will return to St. Louis as guest conductor for Washington University’s “Piano Extravaganza” Oct. 28. Presented by the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, “Piano Extravaganza” will mark the formal opening of the university’s newly renovated 560 Music Center, located at 560 Trinity Ave. in University City. The concert will feature performances by more than a dozen student, faculty and alumni pianists, including Seth Carlin, professor of music, and Hugh Macdonald, Ph.D., the Avis H. Blewett Professor of Music.

WUSTL Photo ServicesAlberto del SazAcclaimed dancer Alberto del Saz, artistic director of the Murray Louis and Nikolais Dance Company as well as co-director of The Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance, will teach an open master class in modern dance technique at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, in the Annelise Mertz Dance Studio. Del Saz will spend a week on campus to set choreography for “Tensile Involvement,” a signature work by the innovative multimedia choreographer Alwin Nikolais (1910-1993).

Live from the fabulous Hotel Astor in New York City, it’s “The 1940s Radio Hour”! In October, the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences will present Walton Jones’ nostalgic ode to the glory days of big band music, swing dancing and backstage antics as its fall Mainstage production.

The Reduced Shakespeare CompanyThey’ve shortened Shakespeare, abbreviated the Bible and compacted Western civilization. Now the Reduced Shakespeare Company, those world-renowned “bad boys of abridgement,” return to St. Louis with Completely Hollywood (abridged), an epic edit of movie masterpieces. Written by RSC stalwarts Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, the show follows a trio of egotistical Tinseltown —the pompous Writer, the pandering Director and the narcissistic Actor — as they squabble their way to cinematic greatness.

David Kilper/WUSTL Photo ServicesKaylin Boosalis as Ginger BrooksLive from the fabulous Hotel Astor in New York City, it’s The 1940s Radio Hour! Set against the backdrop of World War II, Walton Jones’ nostalgic ode to the glory days of big band music follows a group of broadcast has-beens and wannabes as they attempt to make it big on the “Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade.” Mimicing an actual radio broadcast, the show features nearly two dozen classic songs, including “Blue Moon,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Old Black Magic,” as well as comedy segments, radio plays and period commercials.

Photo by Whitney CurtisStudents from Umrath House gathered around Vito Acconci’s “Face of the Earth” (1988) at Laumeier Sculpture Park last Saturday afternoon. The 96-acre outdoor museum in Sunset Hills, Mo., contains more than 80 monumental works by internationally known contemporary artists.

Joe Angeles/WUSTL Photo ServicesNoga Landau and Sathya SridharanThree aspiring playwrights will present staged readings of their works Sept. 25 and 26 as part of 2007 A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival, sponsored by the Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences. Named in honor of alumnus A.E. Hotchner (AB and JD ’40), the festival consists of an intensive two-week workshop that culminates in the staged readings. Each of the participating plays — which are selected by jury — will also be eligible for a full production as part of the PAD’s 2008-09 season.