Big Weekend at the CFA (Nov. 18-19)
Nov. 17, 2011 by ptatge
Eugene O'Neill, Cape Cod, 1922
I was one of the lucky people to have a ticket for The Great God Brown last night, the Theater Department’s production directed by Associate Professor Yuriy Kordonskiy. I can tell you it’s a massive undertaking in which an extraordinary ensemble of our top student actors explore the duality of personalities: our struggles between indulgence and restraint; who people expect us to be and who we truly are; our rational and irrational selves. All played out on an inventive, flexible set that is dramatically lit to move the action forward. As of this writing, there are still tickets for the Saturday matinee.
The Great God Brown
By Eugene O’Neill
Directed by Yuriy Kordonskiy
Designed by Jack Carr, Marcela Oteiza, and Leslie Weinberg
Wednesday, November 16 through Friday, November 18, 2011 at 8pm
Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 2pm & 8pm
CFA Theater
$8 general public; $5 senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff, non-Wesleyan students; $4 Wesleyan students
Bebe Miller Company: "History"
The Dance Department and Center for the Arts welcome Bebe Miller Company to the Patricelli ’92 Theater this weekend for three performances. Bebe is a master contemporary dance choreographer who has influenced the work of numerous dance makers who have worked with her over the years. In her newest work, History, she asks the question: how are dances made and how can we give our audiences a window into our creative process? Audiences coming to the ’92 will be invited into an installation and then engage in a performance by veteran company members Angie Hauser and Darrell Jones. In Bebe’s words: “Dance works are made of a complex mix of ideas, physical practice, forgetting, remembering, minor epiphanies and daily discoveries, joined together piece-by-piece in the evolving circumstance of creative research over time. [History is] an archeological dig into our continuously evolving manner of asking questions about people, relationships, and the culture in which we live.” She’s collaborated with long-time dramaturg, Talvin Wilks, and video artist (and Wes alum!) Lily Skove, in the making of the work. Wesleyan audiences will be invited to give Bebe feedback about the work in a Q&A session following each performance.
Bebe Miller Company: “History”
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 8pm
Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 2pm & 8pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater
Pre-performance talk with dance scholar Debra Cash on Friday at 7:15pm, Memorial Chapel
$23 general public; $19 senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff, non-Wesleyan students; $6 Wesleyan students
Joshua Roman. Photo by Jeremy Sawatzky.
Finally, tomorrow night, you’ll have the opportunity to see cello virtuoso, Joshua Roman, at Crowell Concert Hall. Because of his charismatic presence, at age 27 he’s already been dubbed a “classical rock star” by the press. He was the principal cellist for the Seattle Symphony at the young age of 22 and since then has earned a national reputation for performing a wide range of repertoire with an absolute commitment to communicating the essence of the music at its most organic level. This year he was named a 2011 TED Fellow, joining a select group of Next Generation innovators of unusual accomplishments with the potential to positively affect the world. You really have to hear this young man live to understand his power…and you can see what Yo-Yo Ma had to say about him here.
Joshua Roman
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 8pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Pre-performance talk at 7:15pm by Julie Ribchinsky, Wesleyan Private Lessons Teacher
$22 general public; $18 senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff, non-Wesleyan students; $6 Wesleyan students
Hope to see you this weekend.
Pamela Tatge
Director, Center for the Arts
It is a great weekend. Went to the Joshua Roman concert last night and thinking about squeezing in a 2pm play and 8pm dance performance. Just have to get my chores done! Thanks, CFA!
Joshua Roman was wonderful!
The Bebe Miller production was a mixed experience. It was wonderful to have the lady herself present, and her dancers were magnificent. I did not appreciate so much improv, however.
The evening got off to a bad start with the downright dangerous entrance – up stairs and through the dark over cables then downstairs again. I was with a person who has difficulty walking on lighted level ground so we tried to skip the dark climb, but the young lady at the door showed no compassion and blocked our way to go directly to the seats. Perhaps she thought the preview experience would justify the risk, but I definitely did not. The beginning put a damper on the whole experience for me.
Joshua Roman AND his pianist were fabulous, one of the best concerts of my life time. It was an unexpected joy. I say “unexpected” because they are not so famous (yet) – but they should be!