VOL. 15,#, NNOO.. #,4, ADPRILATE Y2003EAR MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN In This Issue... Every April, the pace of the academic year seems to quicken. Students work to complete their courses and final projects. We celebrate student achievement at • here Greeting is where weGreenberg. put bulleted blurbs The of top the CAS Student Research Conference and honor faculty with college Haroldstories and and pg #sSylvia where Greenberg story is nominations and university awards. We look forward to Commencement. This Theatre opens with great fanfare. See year we have an exciting new element to add to the mix…one that is far from stories, photos, and student and “wrapping up,” but, instead, more of an “unwrapping.” faculty reflections beginning on pages 2-3. Through the generosity of Harold and Sylvia Greenberg, long-time supporters of the university, we are opening a new theatre facility at 4200 Wisconsin Ave., • For the Birds. Biology Professor Chris Tudge leads AU’s first Great a few blocks from the main campus. Our Department of Performing Arts, all Backyard Bird Count through the of our students, and the community at large will benefit from their gift for years President’s Weekend snow. Page 9. to come. Opening events include three evening performances by DPA students, faculty, and alumni on March 27, 28, and 29; and a university orchestra and • History Teaching Comes Alive chorus performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and a composition through a grant from the US created especially for the occasion by faculty member Haig Mardirosian during Department of Education. See it in the second weekend in April. action on page 9. • CAS Faculty Honored by AU. continued on page 2 Four CAS professors have been named University Award recipients, including Caleen Sinnette Jennings as Benefactors Harold and Sylvia Scholar-Teacher of the Year. See Greenberg are honored page 2 for a complete list. for their phenomenal efforts in making a dream reality through the opening of the Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Plus,Sections: Connections’ Theatre on March 27-29. Regular Features... As a tribute, students presented 1 Dean’s Message offerings from each of the 1-22 Student Dean’s Spotlight Message Department of Performing 3,83 Featured This Issue Arts’ disciplines: music, theatre, 4-74 Department Department News News music theatre, dance, and arts 9# What’s What’s New inNew CAS in CAS photo by Jeff Watts management. Shown here 1011 Events Alumni/Career Listing Corner presenting the honor is alumni 10-12 Events Listing Generous Greenbergs emcee Lynn Filusch ’92. Dean’s Message, Continued from cover CAS Connections Accordingly, we devote a good portion of this issue to the celebration of this is published twice a semester momentous event and what it means to our CAS family. I will leave the details to during the fall and spring terms. those who can communicate them best: our faculty and students. As you read through this issue, you will encounter photos of the Greenberg Gala student opening, quotes CAS Dean Kay Mussell from students, and a reflection written by Department of Performing Arts Chair Gail Humphries Mardirosian. It is particularly appropriate that the Greenberg Theatre th Writer/Editor/Manager opening falls on the 25 anniversary of that department, which has provided excep- Alison M. Torrillo tional instruction in the areas of dance, music, music theatre, theatre, and arts management, as well as a creative outlet for all members of our community for a Guidelines for Submission quarter of a century. Submissions to CAS Connections are encouraged I hope you will enjoy experiencing this wonderful occasion with us, by both reading and should be submitted via e-mail to <[email protected]> prior to the stated the pieces in this newsletter and coming out to experience the magic for yourself this deadline. Faculty accomplishments and events season and in the years to come. posted into the CAS Master Database will also be automatically considered for publication (unless Best wishes for a safe and fulfilling summer. expressly requested otherwise). Please be sure to include a contact name, phone number, and e- mail address. We also welcome the electronic Kay Mussell submission of photographs. Photos should CAS Dean preferably be scanned at no less than 260 dpi and saved in .TIF format. Deadlines Glimpses from Greenberg For Fall issue no. 1 (October) - September 10 For Fall issue no. 2 (December) - November 1 Dario Moore, second year MA in dance student, performs his For Spring issue no. 1 (February) - January 15 piece,“Embracing Complementary Extremes,” For Spring issue no. 2 (April) - March 15 at the Greenberg Theatre Gala, “Curtain Up!” Please direct any questions to Alison Torrillo in A second dance piece, “A Naive Moment,” choreographed by the CAS Dean’s Office, 161 Battelle-Tompkins, AU guest artist Peter diMuro, was also performed during the gala showcase, as were the varied offerings of “Try to 202-885-1781. Remember...A Musical Montage,” which celebrated 25 years of musicals at AU; Professor Haig Mardirosian’s “Celebration!” Deadline for the October issue is overture; two theatrical works by Caleen Jennings; a musical salute to “Our Time”; and a selection by the AU Jazz Band. September 10, 2003 CAS Faculty Honorees On March 19, American University Provost Cornelius M. Kerwin announced this year’s University Award recipients, which are given annually to faculty members who exemplify the tradition of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service at AU. This year, CAS professors were honored with four, including Scholar-Teacher of the Year. Also recognized are faculty who have provided 25 years of service and those who are retiring at the end of this academic year. Scholar-Teacher of the Year 25 Years of Service Caleen Jennings (Performing Arts) Robert Jernigan (Mathematics and Statistics) Outstanding Teaching in General Education Retiring Faculty Ira N. Klein (History) Austin M. Barron (Mathematics and Statistics) Frank W. Connolly (Computer Science) Innovative Use of Technology in Teaching David S. Crosby (Mathematics and Statistics) Bryan D. Fantie (Psychology) Mary D. Garrard (Art) C. Stanley Lewis (Art) Outstanding Contributions to Academic Development Alan R. Mandel (Performing Arts) Lynn Fox (Education) Naima Prevots (Performing Arts) Henry S. Taylor (Literature) April ‘03 - CAS Connections - 2 FEATURED THIS ISSUE: A GALA GREETING FOR GREENBERG The CAS - and entire American University - community has been abuzz with excitement for months. Indeed, this very publication has provided numerous teasers and updates leading up to this momentous event. And now, finally, the time is here to welcome the Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre to campus. Spring 2003 marks a new era for the extraordinary leadership and performing arts at AU, as a brand commitment to the university and the new facility comes to life with the community at large. voices and talents of hundreds of students, as well as faculty, staff, and The new 300-seat state-of-the-art alumni, eagerly ushering in this theatre will make American University’s occasion through two celebrations: excellent performing arts endeavors Curtain Up! and Lights Up! available to even more members of the community, bringing a new dimension With over 200 performers, Curtain to the arts in the Washington, D.C., Up! marked the grand opening of area. the theatre March 27-29, and featured a montage of 25 years of Ed Note: Information in the preceding article was taken in musicals at American University photo by Jeff Watts part from news releases provided by AU’s Media Relations Office and the Department of Performing Arts. and the premiere of Celebration!, an L to R: Junior Kelly Williams, Sophomore Tiffany Jarman, Junior Rachael original composition by professor Barainca, Senior Janet Patton, Junior Erin Kaufman, Senior Jennifer Lutz, Sophomore Caroline Angell, and Sophomore Michael Sazonov (front) welcome Haig Mardirosian. The program guests to their new home at the Greenberg Theatre. included an original scene by professor Caleen Sinnette Jennings and choreography by guest artist Peter DiMuro. As part of its Reflections from the Chair... 25th anniversary celebration, the Department of Performing Arts Thanks to the generosity of Harold and Sylvia also inaugurated the Alumni Hall of Fame, featuring Greenberg, the students, staff and faculty at accomplished arts professionals who were AU students. American University now have the perfor- mance and production facilities merited by Lights Up! (April 11-13) showcases musical tradition with Ludwig their hard work and talent. The new theatre van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (including the Ode to Joy) and heralds a wonderful new day for the performing arts at American. innovation with Haig Mardirosian’s Celebration! The AU Chorus For years, the Department of Performing Arts has presented and AU Symphony Orchestra, conducted by professor Daniel theatre, music theatre, dance, and music productions in spaces that Abraham and conductor-in-residence Shizuo Kuwahara, features have been at best, inadequate. 150 performers drawn from AU’s students, faculty, staff, and community members. Let me share a few behind-the-scenes items that you may not have ever known, even if you regularly attended productions in the The benefactors making this all possible, Harold and Sylvia Experimental Theatre. Did you know that our dressing rooms Greenberg, are no strangers to the joys of philanthrophy. Sylvia’s were really just old, converted broom closets? Did you know that father, Abraham Kay, was the naming donor for the Kay Spiritual our costume shop was in the middle of campus, in an old Life Center. Ten years ago, they started the Sylvia and Harold greenhouse, and that we had to transport costumes before and Greenberg Endowed Scholarship fund, which supports several after each performance via the designer’s station wagon, in order students in the Department of Performing Arts each year.