Applause05.06 10/31/05 4:42 PM Page 1
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Applause05.06 10/31/05 4:42 PM Page 1 FROM THE CHAIR 75:20 FEATURE The Future is Here Celebrating 75:20 A Message from the Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance Reflecting on 75 years of University Theatre & 20 years of University Dance Theatre by Professor Michal Kobialka, chair, Department of Theatre Arts & Dance by David Bernstein As some of you may know, I was on sabbatical during the 2004-05 year. I The academic year 2005-06 marks the 75th anniver- have returned with new energy and fresh insight to focus on two signature sary of University Theatre, and the 20th anniversary of strengths that I think make us special among university performing arts pro- theatre and dance joined in a single department. Seventy- grams: our emphasis on collaborating across boundaries and disciplines, and five years is not much time in the span of human history, our integration of the creation and practice of theatre and dance with the criti- perhaps, but a ripe old age for a theatre. After all, the cal study of performance. My priority during my first 3-year term as chair was to Guthrie, at 42, is only middle-aged. Penumbra, founded preserve and build on these strengths, and I wish to thank Professor Lance by faculty member Lou Bellamy in 1976, is half our age – Brockman for providing the leadership to move the department forward on though it is one of a very few surviving theatres of the both fronts while I was away. Black Arts and Theater Movements of the early 1970s. The The big news is that 2005-06 marks the 75th anniversary of University oldest professional theatre in the area—the Old Log Theatre and the 20th anniversary of dance and theatre becoming one depart- Theatre near Lake Minnetonka—is currently celebrating ment. In commemorating our history at the University, we recognize as well our its 65th birthday. nus Raye Birk. Next up is Shakespeare’s A Midsummer close ties to the community—to the history and practice, and to the artists and In 1931, when “A. Dale Riley took over theatre activi- Night’s Dream, directed by emeritus faculty member and patrons, of theatre and dance in the Twin Cities and beyond. Our anniversary ties at the University … [he] introduced the name alumnus Stephen Kanee, followed by the annual celebration is a springboard for re-imagining ourselves as part of the multidisci- University Theatre, and with it came a feeling of experi- University Dance Theatre (UDT) concert, “Dance plinary world of the West Bank Arts Quarter, whose growing reputation for mentation” (Heroes and Clowns—A History of University Revolutions,” which will feature selections from the best innovative arts education and integrative artistic practice has secured our posi- Theatre, 1973). So from its birth, University Theatre has of the past 20 years of work by UM faculty members and tion as a vital center for education, scholarship, and creative work in the arts. been a site for both innovation and in-depth explo- Cowles Guest Artists. In the Spring Semester, alumna Throughout the year and into the future, we will continue to define where we ration—a site we are continuing to expand and develop Tisch Jones will direct Las Meninas by Lynn Nottage, and are now by exploring new ways to integrate our increasingly diverse perform- by participating in the collaborative, boundary-crossing we will cap off the season with the musical Cabaret, ance and design/tech programs with our academic curriculum in theatre and ideas, plans and projects of the West Bank Arts Quarter. directed by alumna (and Jeune Lune artistic director) Applause dance history and theory as well as with other disciplines. University Theatre has not always done experimen- Barbra Berlovitz. THE ANNUAL OF THE As is customary with pivotal occasions such as anniversaries, we celebrate tal work, of course. But it began with, and continues to The major 75:20 celebratory events will be geared DEPARTMENT OF where we have been in part to better understand where we are going. And have, an adventuresome bent. Even our more traditional toward welcoming returning alums, who we hope will THEATRE ARTS & DANCE where we are going hinges on the work and creativity of our faculty and our work often has an added wrinkle—as on the Minnesota share their experiences with each other and with current 2005-06 students, as well as on our continuing relationships with alumni and donors, Centennial Showboat, where, since 1958, we have been students and faculty to create a sense of our common his- supporters and community partners. Our students, of course, are our future. doing very traditional period theatre and crowd-pleasing tory as current or former members of the Department of Editorial Team They will be leading the industry in the coming decades. They will be perform- olios in a most unusual venue: an intimate Victorian Theatre Arts and Dance. The celebration will take place on DEPARTMENT CHAIR ing and creating in the vanguard of theatre and dance, on stage and behind the “jewel-box” floating theatre aboard a recreation of a 19th- April 28-30, 2006, the closing weekend of Cabaret, so, if you Michal Kobialka scenes, in performance venues and in the academy, at the intersections of theory Century showboat. are an alum of this department, please set aside these [email protected] and practice in communities worldwide. They will be shaping and redefining On the more experimental side, we have in our histo- dates now, as you are hereby cordially invited to join us in disciplines as they explore new forms of creative expression at the edges of ry produced August Strindberg’s A Dream Play three celebrating 75 years of University Theatre and 20 years of EDITING those disciplines. times—in 1948, in 1973, and a multi-media version in 2001 being the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. David Bernstein And that’s where our relationships with you comes in. The support of our —each time employing the most cutting-edge technolo- While we haven’t finalized the April 28-30 schedule, [email protected] alumni and friends in the community helps sustain our momentum and keep gies of the time to create the dream world Strindberg we have a pretty good idea of what we want the weekend our students’ creative and scholarly furnaces fueled. Your gifts allow us to com- intended to explore when he wrote the play in 1901. In DESIGN to look like. Here is an overview of what’s being planned: pete for the talented students and faculty whose creative and intellectual gifts the 1960s, faculty member Arthur Ballet’s Office of Justin Christy • Tours of Rarig Center for those of you who haven’t ensure the continuing vitality of our programs. Your gifts for scholarships and Advanced Drama Research produced and published—in [email protected] been here for awhile—particularly those who haven’t fellowships open doorways to students’ dreams and aspirations, both on stage the multi-volume Playwrights for Tomorrow series— some been here since the Scott Hall era. and off. of America’s most adventuresome new plays: works by Photography This will be an event-filled year, with two momentous premiers. On such then-emerging playwrights as Maria Irene Fornes, • A Saturday afternoon reception for alums on the new Justin Christy, Keri Pickett October 14, we opened our Mainstage Season with a production of Jean Terrence McNally and Megan Terry. Minnesota Centennial Showboat—with Professor Rik Sferra, V. Paul Virtucio Giroudoux’s The Madwoman of Chaillot, directed by alumnus Raye Birk. On the All of which brings us to the current Diamond emeritus Charles Nolte reading from his memoirs— This publication is available in alternative formats upon same day—in true West Bank Arts Quarter interdisciplinary fashion—an exhi- Anniversary celebration, which we have named “75:20” to followed by a formal dinner at the Campus Club. request. Please contact Disability Services, McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak Street SE, Suite 180, Minneapolis, bition of drawings by choreographer Merce Cunningham opened at the Nash emphasize both University Theatre’s long and colorful These will give participating alums a chance to recon- MN 55455, or call 612/624.4037 (V⁄TTY). Gallery, accompanied by our dance students performing Cunningham’s “Inlets history as a producing theatre, and the shorter but very nect and reminisce. 3 “Applause” is a publication of The Department of Theatre 2” at the Barker. fruitful period during which dance and theatre have been • Attending a performance of Cabaret—the Saturday, Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota. On the curricular side, we will strengthen our unique marriage of creative housed in the same department. To begin with, every April 29 performance if possible—and/or other stu- work with academics. The U of M/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, show on the Mainstage Season will be directed by either dent performances scheduled for that weekend. an alum of the department or a current faculty member. ›› We opened on October 14 with the BFA production of Jean From the Chair continued on page 22 75:20 continued on page 22 Giraudoux’s The Madwoman of Chaillot directed by alum- Applause05.06 10/31/05 4:42 PM Page 3 PROGRAMS HIGHLIGHTS 2004:05 Undergrad Theatre Programs Highlights The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance is that cross program boundaries so that an equal focus organized into five programs, according to the area of on theory and practice is maintained. While this means expertise of the faculty and the type of degree that what we teach and produce often has to satisfy offered.