Operatic ‘Tartuffe’ presented in modern setting
The Washington University Opera will present Kirke Mechem’s highly acclaimed 1980 adaptation of Molière’s comedy “Tartuffe” at 8 p.m. March 23-24 at Edison Theatre.
Blues legend Big George Brock to perform for Jazz at Holmes series March 29
Joseph A. RosenBig George BrockLegendary blues vocalist and harmonica player Big George Brock will perform at Washington University March 29. Raised on a plantation outside Clarksdale, Mississippi, Brock has shared the stage with figures such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Howlin’ Wolf and operated a series of popular St. Louis blues clubs, including the 1,000-seat Club Caravan. In recent years he has released three critically acclaimed albums: Front Door Man, Club Caravan and Round Two.
Washington University students to present “365 Plays/365 Days” by Suzan-Lori Parks
Chris HartmanMaryse PearceIn 2002, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks began writing one play each day for an entire year. The resulting cycle, called “365 Plays/365 Days,” is now receiving its premiere as part of a yearlong grassroots festival that has enlisted more than 600 theater companies, arts organizations and universities from across the nation. In St. Louis, 15 students from Washington University’s Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences will present a week’s worth of the cycle April 2 to 8.
Renaissance students
<img src="/news/PublishingImages/5531_t.gif" alt="Renaissance students This spring, 37 art and architecture students from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts are soaking in history by living and working in Florence and pursuing a curriculum that includes studios, art history seminars and Italian language classes.” height=”255″ width=”175″ />Courtesy Photo/Sketch by Alla AgafonovRenaissance students This spring, 37 art and architecture students from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts are soaking in history by living and working in Florence and pursuing a curriculum that includes studios, art history seminars and Italian language classes.
Performing Arts Department to debut Highness by Carolyn Kras March 29 to April 1
Eric Woolsey*Highness* by Carolyn KrasEngland’s Queen Elizabeth I is among the most mythologized figures in history. But who was Elizabeth before she rose to power? What transformed this precocious yet lonely girl into a leader of steel? Find out in Carolyn Kras’ historical drama Highness, winner of the 2006 A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Competition, which receives its world premiere this month.
Poet David Baker to read for The Writing Program Reading Series March 22
Poet David Baker, the visiting Fannie Hurst Professor of Creative Literature in Washington University’s Writing Program in Arts & Sciences, will read from his work at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 22, for The Writing Program Reading Series. Baker is the author of eight books of poetry, most recently Midwest Eclogue (2005), as well as poetry editor for The Kenyon Review.
Uta Grosenick to lecture for Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum March 22
Courtesy photoUta GrosenickUta Grosenick, managing editor for DuMont publishers in Cologne, Germany, will speak on the development of commercial art galleries worldwide since 1945 for Washington University’s Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University Opera to present modern setting of Molière’s Tartuffe March 23 and 24
David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Services*Tartuffe*The Washington University Opera, led by director Jolly Stewart, will present Kirke Mechem’s highly acclaimed setting of Molière’s comedy Tartuffe. The story, first written in 1665, explores the impact of a corrupt and hypocritical “holy man” on a wealthy Parisian family. Mechem’s adaptation, which premiered in 1980, has since become one of the most popular works of contemporary American opera.
Future of African-American theater topic of upcoming discussion series
Stewart GoldsteinRon Himes in *King Hedley II* (2006)Can African-American theater survive? In recent years, several leading African-American companies have been forced to cut staff, cancel seasons or close their doors entirely. “We’ve lost a half-dozen of the larger companies,” says Ron Himes, founder and producing director of The St. Louis Black Repertory Company and the Henry E. Hampton Jr. Artist-in-Residence in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. “Nobody seems to quite understand why.” More…
Edison Theatre to host tribute to Spalding Gray March 30 and 31
Spalding GraySpalding Gray was one of the most influential solo performers of his generation and his suicide, in January 2004, shocked the theater world. In March, Edison Theatre will present Stories Left to Tell, a tribute to Gray created by his widow, Kathleen Russo, and the director Lucy Sexton. The evening combines excerpts from his famous solo shows with a range of previously unreleased material. Performers include Rockwell Gray, Spalding’s brother, as well as three contemporary monologists — Jonathan Ames, Reno and Carmelita Tropicana — and the musician Calvin Johnson.
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