Hi!! Get some sugar in your system cuz you're gonna want to be WIDE AWAKE for this last edition of notes. Not to mention you're probably already caffeinated from studying your brains out for finals,but that's besides the point. There's still a few more things going on KCSA-wise, so take a break from the insanity and head over to Krannert!
1. holiday party!
2. ushering notes
3. tech notes
4. Krannert Bowl
5. HTL photos!
.........
1. when i think of Christmas, i think of two things, specifically: home alone and cookies. no joke. so in order to celebrate the season, celebrate the awesome work you all have done this semester, and celebrate a break from studying, we're having a holiday party THIS TUESDAY December 4, from 5-7 pm in the studio theatre. we'll be watching home alone 2 (since we watched the original LAST year...) and decorating cookies! come the whole time, come for just a snack, we'd love to see you!
.........
2. here's another way to procrastinate: usher! the following shows are still open:
SA Dec 1 Jazz CPH 6:30
SU Dec 2 Latin Jazz CPH 6:30
TU Dec 4 Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band I FGH 6:30
WE Dec 5 Concert Band FGH 6:30
WE Dec 5 Jazz Combos CPH 6:30
TH Dec 6 Concert Jazz CPH 6:30
FR Dec 7 UI Symphony FGH 6:30
SA Dec 8 Nutcracker TFT 1:00
SA Dec 8 Nutcracker TFT 6:30
Supervisors! We need your help with the following shows:
SA Dec 1 Nutcracker TFT 1:00
SU Dec 2 Nutcracker TFT 1:00
WE Dec 5 Jazz Combos CPH 6:30
WE Dec 5 Concert Band FGH 6:30
SA Dec 8 Nutcracker TFT 6:30
e-mail kcsa-ushering@kcpa.uiuc.edu if you're interested.
ALSO:
Important Ushering News:
There will be manual sign ups at the holiday party for shows from Jan. 16 to Feb. 17 excluding those held in the Studio. If you cannot make it to the meeting or would like to usher a show held in the Studio, please email KCSA Ushering starting Dec. 5. to sign up for shows. It will be first come, first serve. We will accept show requests throughout winter break. We will send you an email confirming that we have added you into the show as soon as we can. Please remember that if you email the ushering department with show requests, you are making a commitment to usher. We understand that you might not know your schedules yet but it is your responsibility to find a substitute. This is only for shows from 1/16 -2/17.
Supervisors, you can email us with show requests starting Dec. 5 for the shows from 1/16 to 2/10. Again, it will be first come, first serve.
If you have any questions, please email the Ushering Dept (kcsa-ushering@kcpa.uiuc.edu).
Thanks for ushering, and good luck with finals!
.........
3. Missed your chance to get involved with Murder Mystery Dinner? Come work on Tech's spring production, On the Rocks: A Series of One-Act Plays! We are currently taking script submissions. If you or anyone you know is interested in writing a 10-15 minute play, let us know! Your play could be selected for OTR, the only show performed in Krannert's amphitheater. More information about other aspects of OTR to come in the future, but if you are interested in being involved and/or writing scripts, please email the Tech Department at kcsa-tech@kcpa.uiuc.edu.
.........
4. attached to this e-mail is an announcement about another Krannert holiday party...this time with the added bonus of sports fanaticism. could be fun.
.........
5. if anyone attended this past weekend's holiday tree lighting and took pictures, callboard wants 'em! e-mail kcsa-callboard@kcpa.uiuc.edu if you can contribute.
.........
ok ok that's it. i'm FINALLY done for the semester. hope to see you on tuesday or ushering a show. hope you survive finals; i don't even think i need to say good luck since at this point (for me at least) i've left things in the hands of the higher being. godspeed.
~your ever-faithful megan
.........
Megan McMillen
mmcmill2@uiuc.edu
megmcm@gmail.com
University of Illinois 2008
KCSA Secretary
.........
Monday, December 3, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Japanese Fashion Show!
J-net is an organization called Japan Intercultural Network and every December the organize has a fashion show... Kimonos and yukatas will be borrowed from the Japan house and there are martial arts demos by other organizations. It's a pretty interesting show and you will enjoy it!
If you need tickets, stop by the quad to get tickets. Invite friends, family, roommates, etc...it should be a lot of fun!
WHAT!? The Fashion Show is J-net's biggest Fall semester event, showcasing traditional and modern Japanese clothing, as well as martial arts demos, dancing, and music!
WHEN? Dec 1, this Saturday at 7pm
WHERE? The Union, Illini Rooms B & C
HOW MUCH? $5 presale, $7 at the door; Tickets will be sold on the Quad all this week from 11am-2pm, so stop by and get your tickets earlier and cheaper!
If you need tickets, stop by the quad to get tickets. Invite friends, family, roommates, etc...it should be a lot of fun!
WHAT!? The Fashion Show is J-net's biggest Fall semester event, showcasing traditional and modern Japanese clothing, as well as martial arts demos, dancing, and music!
WHEN? Dec 1, this Saturday at 7pm
WHERE? The Union, Illini Rooms B & C
HOW MUCH? $5 presale, $7 at the door; Tickets will be sold on the Quad all this week from 11am-2pm, so stop by and get your tickets earlier and cheaper!
"Arcadia" playing this weekend
The New Revels Players will be performing Arcadia at the McKinley Foundation on Fifth and John. The performances will take place this weekend on November 30th and December 1st (Friday and Saturday). Take a break from studying and lose yourself in the theater!
Here's a synopsis of the play from Wikipeida.com:
"Arcadia is set in Sidley Park, an English country house in the years 1809 to 1812, and the year 1989, juxtaposing the activities of two modern scholars and the house's current residents with the lives of those who lived there 180 years earlier.
In 1809, Thomasina Coverly, the daughter of the house, is a precocious teenager with ideas about mathematics well ahead of her time. She studies with her tutor, Septimus Hodge, a friend of Lord Byron, who is an unseen guest in the house. In 1989, a writer and an academic converge on the house: Hannah Jarvis, the writer, is investigating a hermit who once lived on the grounds; Bernard Nightingale, a professor of literature, is investigating a mysterious chapter in the life of Byron. As their investigations unfold, helped by Valentine Coverly, a post-graduate student in mathematical biology, the truth about what happened in 1809 is gradually revealed."
Lauren Mietelski
Callboard Director
Senior in English, Sec Education
Here's a synopsis of the play from Wikipeida.com:
"Arcadia is set in Sidley Park, an English country house in the years 1809 to 1812, and the year 1989, juxtaposing the activities of two modern scholars and the house's current residents with the lives of those who lived there 180 years earlier.
In 1809, Thomasina Coverly, the daughter of the house, is a precocious teenager with ideas about mathematics well ahead of her time. She studies with her tutor, Septimus Hodge, a friend of Lord Byron, who is an unseen guest in the house. In 1989, a writer and an academic converge on the house: Hannah Jarvis, the writer, is investigating a hermit who once lived on the grounds; Bernard Nightingale, a professor of literature, is investigating a mysterious chapter in the life of Byron. As their investigations unfold, helped by Valentine Coverly, a post-graduate student in mathematical biology, the truth about what happened in 1809 is gradually revealed."
Lauren Mietelski
Callboard Director
Senior in English, Sec Education
Monday, November 26, 2007
The Angel - Hans Christian Andersen
Hi everyone, hope you all had a wonderful fall break. I myself had the amazing opportunity to experience an authentic Thanksgiving dinner at an American friend's parent's place. It was truly a heart-warming and enlightening experience for me, since this is my first ever Thanksgiving. In view of the warm fuzzy holiday spirit that has been floating around, I thought it might be good to share one of my favorite stories from one of my all-time favorite storytellers. This is an old children's tale by Han's Christian Andersen, one that has meanings that go beyond the limits of age, just like all of his other stories.
The Angel
by Han's Christian Andersen
Every time a good child dies, an angel of God comes down to earth. He takes the child in his arms, spreads out his great white wings, and flies with it all over the places the child loved on earth. The angel plucks a large handful of flowers, and they carry it with them up to God, where the flowers bloom more brightly than they ever did on earth. And God presses all the flowers to His bosom, but the flower that He loves the best of all He kisses. And then that flower receives a voice, and can join in the glorious everlasting hymn of praise.
You see, all this one of God's angels said as he was carrying a dead child to Heaven, and the child heard it as if in a dream. As they passed over the places where the child used to play, they came through gardens with lovely flowers. "Which flowers shall we take with us to plant in Heaven?" asked the angel.
And there stood a slender beautiful rosebush. A wicked hand had broken the stem, and the branches with their large, half-opened blossoms hung down withering.
"That poor bush!" cried the child. "Let's take it so that it may bloom again up there in God's garden."
So the angel plucked it, then kissed the child for its tender thought, and the little child half opened his eyes. They took others of the rich flowers, and even some of the despised marigolds and wild pansies.
"Now we have enough flowers," said the child, and the angel nodded. But they did not yet fly upward to God.
It was night, and it was very quiet. They remained in the great city and hovered over one of the narrowest streets, which was cluttered with straw, ashes, and refuse of all kinds. It was just after moving day, and broken plates, rags, old hats, and bits of plaster, all things that didn't look so well, lay scattered in the street.
In the rubbish the angel pointed to the pieces of a broken flowerpot and to a lump of earth which had fallen out of it. It was held together by the roots of a large withered field flower. No one could have had any more use for it, hence it had been thrown out in the street.
"We shall take that with us," said the angel. "As we fly onward, I will tell you about it." And as they flew the angel told the story.
"Down in that narrow alley, in a dark cellar, there once lived a poor sick boy who had been bedridden since childhood. The most he could ever do, when he was feeling his best, was hobble once or twice across the little room on crutches. For only a few days in midsummer the sunbeams could steal into his cellar for about half an hour or so. Then the little boy could warm himself and see the red blood in his thin, almost transparent fingers as he held them before his face. Then people would say, the boy has been out in the sunshine today.
"All he knew of the forests in the fresh breath of spring was when the neighbor's son would bring him home the first beech branch. He would hold this up over his head, and pretend he was sitting in the beech woods where the sun was shining and the birds were singing.
"One spring day the neighbor's boy brought him also some field flowers, and by chance one of them had a root to it! So it was planted in a flowerpot and placed in the window beside the little boy's bed. And tended by a loving hand, it grew, put out new shoots, and bore lovely flowers each year. It was a beautiful garden to the little sick boy-his one treasure on earth. He watered it and tended it and saw that it received every sunbeam, down to the very last that managed to struggle through the dingy cellar window.
"The flower wove itself into his dreams; for him it flowered; it spread its fragrance, and cheered his eyes, and toward it he turned his face for a last look when his Heavenly Father called him.
"He has been with God now for a year, and for a year the flower stood withered and forgotten in the window until on moving day it was thrown out on the rubbish heap in the street. That is the flower-the poor withered flower-we have added to our bouquet, for it has given more happiness than the richest flower in the Queen's garden."
The child looked up at the angel who was carrying him. "But how do you know all this?" he asked.
"I know it," said the angel, "because I myself was the sick little boy who hobbled on crutches. I know my own flower very well."
Then the child opened his eyes wide and looked up into the angel's beautiful happy face, and at that moment they found themselves in God's Heaven where there was everlasting joy and happiness. And God pressed the child to His bosom, and he received glorious white wings like the angel's, so they flew together, hand in hand. Then God pressed all the flowers to His heart, but the poor withered field flower He kissed, and it received a voice and joined the choir of the angels who floated about God's throne. Some were near, some farther out in great circles that swept to infinity, but all were supremely happy. And they all sang, the great and the small, the good blessed child and the withered field flower that had lain so long in the rubbish heap in the dark narrow alley.
The Angel
by Han's Christian Andersen
Every time a good child dies, an angel of God comes down to earth. He takes the child in his arms, spreads out his great white wings, and flies with it all over the places the child loved on earth. The angel plucks a large handful of flowers, and they carry it with them up to God, where the flowers bloom more brightly than they ever did on earth. And God presses all the flowers to His bosom, but the flower that He loves the best of all He kisses. And then that flower receives a voice, and can join in the glorious everlasting hymn of praise.
You see, all this one of God's angels said as he was carrying a dead child to Heaven, and the child heard it as if in a dream. As they passed over the places where the child used to play, they came through gardens with lovely flowers. "Which flowers shall we take with us to plant in Heaven?" asked the angel.
And there stood a slender beautiful rosebush. A wicked hand had broken the stem, and the branches with their large, half-opened blossoms hung down withering.
"That poor bush!" cried the child. "Let's take it so that it may bloom again up there in God's garden."
So the angel plucked it, then kissed the child for its tender thought, and the little child half opened his eyes. They took others of the rich flowers, and even some of the despised marigolds and wild pansies.
"Now we have enough flowers," said the child, and the angel nodded. But they did not yet fly upward to God.
It was night, and it was very quiet. They remained in the great city and hovered over one of the narrowest streets, which was cluttered with straw, ashes, and refuse of all kinds. It was just after moving day, and broken plates, rags, old hats, and bits of plaster, all things that didn't look so well, lay scattered in the street.
In the rubbish the angel pointed to the pieces of a broken flowerpot and to a lump of earth which had fallen out of it. It was held together by the roots of a large withered field flower. No one could have had any more use for it, hence it had been thrown out in the street.
"We shall take that with us," said the angel. "As we fly onward, I will tell you about it." And as they flew the angel told the story.
"Down in that narrow alley, in a dark cellar, there once lived a poor sick boy who had been bedridden since childhood. The most he could ever do, when he was feeling his best, was hobble once or twice across the little room on crutches. For only a few days in midsummer the sunbeams could steal into his cellar for about half an hour or so. Then the little boy could warm himself and see the red blood in his thin, almost transparent fingers as he held them before his face. Then people would say, the boy has been out in the sunshine today.
"All he knew of the forests in the fresh breath of spring was when the neighbor's son would bring him home the first beech branch. He would hold this up over his head, and pretend he was sitting in the beech woods where the sun was shining and the birds were singing.
"One spring day the neighbor's boy brought him also some field flowers, and by chance one of them had a root to it! So it was planted in a flowerpot and placed in the window beside the little boy's bed. And tended by a loving hand, it grew, put out new shoots, and bore lovely flowers each year. It was a beautiful garden to the little sick boy-his one treasure on earth. He watered it and tended it and saw that it received every sunbeam, down to the very last that managed to struggle through the dingy cellar window.
"The flower wove itself into his dreams; for him it flowered; it spread its fragrance, and cheered his eyes, and toward it he turned his face for a last look when his Heavenly Father called him.
"He has been with God now for a year, and for a year the flower stood withered and forgotten in the window until on moving day it was thrown out on the rubbish heap in the street. That is the flower-the poor withered flower-we have added to our bouquet, for it has given more happiness than the richest flower in the Queen's garden."
The child looked up at the angel who was carrying him. "But how do you know all this?" he asked.
"I know it," said the angel, "because I myself was the sick little boy who hobbled on crutches. I know my own flower very well."
Then the child opened his eyes wide and looked up into the angel's beautiful happy face, and at that moment they found themselves in God's Heaven where there was everlasting joy and happiness. And God pressed the child to His bosom, and he received glorious white wings like the angel's, so they flew together, hand in hand. Then God pressed all the flowers to His heart, but the poor withered field flower He kissed, and it received a voice and joined the choir of the angels who floated about God's throne. Some were near, some farther out in great circles that swept to infinity, but all were supremely happy. And they all sang, the great and the small, the good blessed child and the withered field flower that had lain so long in the rubbish heap in the dark narrow alley.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Tickets for MMD Extended!
This comes from the President of KCSA:
Ticket sales for the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater have been held over, you may now purchase them on line over the weekend as well. Hop to it!
Don't forget the specifics of the Murder Mystery Dinner:
Special Student Night***
Wednesday, November 28th at 6:30
Pizza, pop, and desert
$10 Students/ $15 General
Friday & Saturday, November 30th and December 1st at 6:30
A fully-catered meal from the Krannert catering
$28 General/ $22 Senior Citizens & Youth / $20 Students
It's like dinner and movie at a great price, but it's interactive and no one yells at you when you talk during the show.
Ticket sales for the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater have been held over, you may now purchase them on line over the weekend as well. Hop to it!
Don't forget the specifics of the Murder Mystery Dinner:
Special Student Night***
Wednesday, November 28th at 6:30
Pizza, pop, and desert
$10 Students/ $15 General
Friday & Saturday, November 30th and December 1st at 6:30
A fully-catered meal from the Krannert catering
$28 General/ $22 Senior Citizens & Youth / $20 Students
It's like dinner and movie at a great price, but it's interactive and no one yells at you when you talk during the show.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Students and UI faculty invited to PBS documentary pre-premier screening
UI faculty and students are welcome to come watch a pre-premier screening of Walt Harrington's new PBS documentary,"The Everlasting Stream," based on his book by the same title. The screening is Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 6-7:30 p.m., 160 English Building.
The details what Harrington learned from years of rabbit hunting with his father-in-law and friends in the Kentucky countryside. This is Harrington's first film. He won a regional Emmy Award for his script.
The documentary will last an hour and Harrington will be present to answer questions about his book, film, and translating text to the television screen.
Picture courtesy of http://www.pbs.org/previews/everlastingstream/.
Lauren Mietelski
English, Secondary Education
Callboard Director
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
PROGRAMS HIGHLIGHTING AFRICAN ART!
Film Screening: Salata Baladi
Date 11/06/2007
Time 7:00 pm
Location 223 Gregory Hall
Register Registration
Sponsor Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Cost: Free
Salata Baladi is a multilingual and multiethnic documentary by Egyptian director Nadia Kamel. The film presents a compelling reflection on identity, religion, and nationalism in contemporary Egypt.
_______________________________
African Popular Cinema, Pentecostalism, and the "Powers of Darkness": Contested Discourses on "Tradition" in Ghana
Date 11/08/2007
Time 7:30 pm
Location Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 S Gregory St, Urbana
Speaker Birgit Meyer, VU University, Amsterdam
Sponsor Center for African Studies
Cost Cost: Free
Popular movie-videos emerged in Ghana and Nigeria in the late 1980s as a result of media deregulation and commercialization of the film industry. These popular videos spread quickly throughout Africa. Their themes address a war between Christian God and the "powers of darkness," embodied by indigenious priests, magic, and witchcraft. Whereas "tradition" and "cultural heritage" are honored in the African films marketed to many European and American audiences, these filmmakers seriously challenge those discourses.
______________________________
African Film Conference
Date 11/09/2007 AND 11/10/07
Time 9:00 am
Location 210 Illini Union
Phone 217-333-6335
Sponsor Center for African Studies
Cost Cost: Free
Please visit www.afrst.uiuc.edu for conference registration and full conference program.
_____________________________
West African Drum Classes
Date 11/11/2007
Time 4:30 pm - 5:45 pm
Location Channing-Murray Foundation,1209 W. Oregon, Urbana
Contact Gordon Kay
Email gordonkay@care2.com
Phone 217-344-5296
Sponsor MARA-GIRI: Drum & Dance Project
Cost Cost: $8/class
West African Drum Classes for beginners and intermediate drummers.
Beginning on August 26--Gordon Kay will be teaching African drum lessons on the djembe and dun-duns every Sunday! These will also be at the Channing-Murray from 4:30 - 5:45 PM for only $8 a session (or sliding scale $5-$10). You don't need to bring a drum to learn.
_____________________________
West African Dance Classes with Djibril Camara
Date 11/11/2007
Time 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Location Channing-Murray Foundation, 1209 West Oregon St, Urbana.
Contact Steve Disanto
Email maragiriproject@gmail.com
Phone 355-3367
Sponsor MARA-GIRI: Drum & Dance Project
Cost Cost: $12/non-students, $10/students
Djibril Camara: is of the Baga people from the village of Boke in Guinea West Africa, and has spent 17 years as the principal choreographer and dancer with the Ballet du Afrique Noir, touring throughout Africa, Europe and the U.S. He has spent his last five years sharing traditional African dance with US spectators and students.
Classes: Ongoing classes for all levels (from Beginner to Advanced) will be held each Sunday beginning August 19th at the Channing-Murray Foundation and will be accompanied by LIVE African drumming performed by Champaign/Urbana's Mara-Giri Drum Project.
__________________________
Thanksgiving Benefit Dinner
Date 11/11/07
Time 6:00PM
Location Cosmopolitan Club House at 307 E John St. in Champaign
Link to the event is http://www.mojadunia.org. This benefit dinner is for orphans in Africa and there is a suggested donation of $6. If you would like to get more involved in this event and donate food, email Andrea at cosmoclub@prairienet.org.
__________________________
*These programs were highlighted in the UIUC Center for African Studies Newsletter.
**IF you have any information about additional events, please email kcsa-callboard@kcpa.uiuc.edu.
Date 11/06/2007
Time 7:00 pm
Location 223 Gregory Hall
Register Registration
Sponsor Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Cost: Free
Salata Baladi is a multilingual and multiethnic documentary by Egyptian director Nadia Kamel. The film presents a compelling reflection on identity, religion, and nationalism in contemporary Egypt.
_______________________________
African Popular Cinema, Pentecostalism, and the "Powers of Darkness": Contested Discourses on "Tradition" in Ghana
Date 11/08/2007
Time 7:30 pm
Location Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 S Gregory St, Urbana
Speaker Birgit Meyer, VU University, Amsterdam
Sponsor Center for African Studies
Cost Cost: Free
Popular movie-videos emerged in Ghana and Nigeria in the late 1980s as a result of media deregulation and commercialization of the film industry. These popular videos spread quickly throughout Africa. Their themes address a war between Christian God and the "powers of darkness," embodied by indigenious priests, magic, and witchcraft. Whereas "tradition" and "cultural heritage" are honored in the African films marketed to many European and American audiences, these filmmakers seriously challenge those discourses.
______________________________
African Film Conference
Date 11/09/2007 AND 11/10/07
Time 9:00 am
Location 210 Illini Union
Phone 217-333-6335
Sponsor Center for African Studies
Cost Cost: Free
Please visit www.afrst.uiuc.edu for conference registration and full conference program.
_____________________________
West African Drum Classes
Date 11/11/2007
Time 4:30 pm - 5:45 pm
Location Channing-Murray Foundation,1209 W. Oregon, Urbana
Contact Gordon Kay
Email gordonkay@care2.com
Phone 217-344-5296
Sponsor MARA-GIRI: Drum & Dance Project
Cost Cost: $8/class
West African Drum Classes for beginners and intermediate drummers.
Beginning on August 26--Gordon Kay will be teaching African drum lessons on the djembe and dun-duns every Sunday! These will also be at the Channing-Murray from 4:30 - 5:45 PM for only $8 a session (or sliding scale $5-$10). You don't need to bring a drum to learn.
_____________________________
West African Dance Classes with Djibril Camara
Date 11/11/2007
Time 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Location Channing-Murray Foundation, 1209 West Oregon St, Urbana.
Contact Steve Disanto
Email maragiriproject@gmail.com
Phone 355-3367
Sponsor MARA-GIRI: Drum & Dance Project
Cost Cost: $12/non-students, $10/students
Djibril Camara: is of the Baga people from the village of Boke in Guinea West Africa, and has spent 17 years as the principal choreographer and dancer with the Ballet du Afrique Noir, touring throughout Africa, Europe and the U.S. He has spent his last five years sharing traditional African dance with US spectators and students.
Classes: Ongoing classes for all levels (from Beginner to Advanced) will be held each Sunday beginning August 19th at the Channing-Murray Foundation and will be accompanied by LIVE African drumming performed by Champaign/Urbana's Mara-Giri Drum Project.
__________________________
Thanksgiving Benefit Dinner
Date 11/11/07
Time 6:00PM
Location Cosmopolitan Club House at 307 E John St. in Champaign
Link to the event is http://www.mojadunia.org. This benefit dinner is for orphans in Africa and there is a suggested donation of $6. If you would like to get more involved in this event and donate food, email Andrea at cosmoclub@prairienet.org.
__________________________
*These programs were highlighted in the UIUC Center for African Studies Newsletter.
**IF you have any information about additional events, please email kcsa-callboard@kcpa.uiuc.edu.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Taste of the Arts - The Setup
Here we go then, these are some photos taken the night before the big day (that would be the 2nd of November, at 11pm... ). As you can probably tell, the guys are all busy getting the Krannert Lobby prim and proper for TOTA, while this here camera-man annoys them by taking photos (hey, it's for a good cause... CALLBOARD)... anyway, enough prattling...sorry about the poor picture quality, lighting was poor and my phone does not have a flash...
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Ancient myths ring true for modern audiences
Poetry in motion, the performance of Metamorphoses on Friday, October 26, 2007, in the Colwell Playhouse at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts was a captivating performance that engaged and delighted a rather meager audience. The play was staged by the University of Illinois’ Department of Theatre and directed by Rene Moreno. The actors were heart-breaking and hilarious, the set design was an intriguing juxtaposition of ancient and contemporary motifs, and the overall performance reached out to the modern audience, pulling them into the ancient Greek myths with themes that are still applicable to our daily lives.
Playwright Mary Zimmerman transformed Ovid’s 1st-century epic poem Metamorphoses, which describes the transformations of gods and mortals from Greek and Roman mythology, into an hour and a half play consisting of nine episodes that combine both comedy and tragedy, reflecting the natural variation of life. Her adaptation of the poem captures the essence of the ancient myths through a modern, minimalist style. Zimmerman’s compilation evokes the “celebration of love and life, creation, and spiritual transformation” and concentrates on “transformation in relation to the power of love,” according to the play bill. These transformations reflect the characters’ internal and external metamorphoses in times of tribulation and when seeking to fulfill their desires. The theme uniting the nine episodes is the “preciousness of life,” which hits home in the last scene when all the characters come together on stage to celebrate the restoration of Midas and his daughter. Overall, the play successfully reaches across time and connects these ancient myths to our contemporary lives.
The performance of the University of Illinois’ Department of Theatre was versatile and moving. Anthony Bianco in particular charmed the audience with his interpretation of King Midas as a greedy businessman who doesn’t appreciate the preciousness of his daughter, who symbolizes family and life, until it is too late. After receiving his “gift” from Baucus, the ability to turn what ever he touches to gold, he accidentally transforms his daughter into cold metal as she leaps into his arms. The actress playing his daughter, a seemingly simple and almost silent role, turns her bit part into a shockingly memorable role. Flying into her father’s arms, she immediately freezes in a longing embrace and appears chillingly solid and immovable.
Next, the set was unique and intriguing, and the actors utilized there surroundings effectively to move the story and create the mood of each scene. The focal point of the set design was the square pool in the center of the stage, where most of the action takes place. For example, one character was drowned at sea and fought other actors in the water to convey his battle with the waves. In a more comedic scene, Philemon retells his experience of reuniting with his father, the sun god Apollo, while floating on a hot-green floatation device, evoking his youth and playfulness while also evoking the contemporary audience’s picture of innocent yet petulant youth.
The set and costumes also juxtaposed the ancient and contemporary to bridge the gap of time. The ancient designs of the costumes coincide with the video screen backdrop, which added modern media to the ancient world. This juxtaposition allowed the audience to get a feel for life and religious beliefs in ancient times while also connecting it to the modern world.
Overall, the performance was intriguing and showed a modern audience that they have connections with these ancient characters and stories that span time. A warning to parents: There is male nudity and other adult content that may not be appropriate for young children. However, Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses is definitely a must-see for mythology-buffs and those who seek connection to the timeless themes that unite and bind humanity.
Lauren Mietelski
English, Secondary Education
Callboard Director
Picture courtesy of www.images.google.com
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