2-3 Page review, narration of live world cultural event.
Live World Literary Culture Review 5%
Once during the semester, students
will attend a function that has been designated a world cultural event. This
may be a dance event, a festival, a dramatic performance, a musical performance,
and more. The events will be listed in an online forum—if you wish to
include another event, apply through Doherty. Events that you attended last
week or last year or 3 years ago when you were in Australia, or Japan, or Michigan, are
not eligible.
The review should give a spirited description
of the event with some evaluation of its effectiveness in transmitting what
you feel it is attempting to transmit. It may be, for some, that some research
is necessary to write coherently on the event—if the event you attend
has a rather obscure genre of dance or music at its core, you should know
prior to going why people follow this genre. There should be some idea from
the review of the student’s experience of the event—not a merely
objective review, but one that gives the evaluation from your point of view.
Some films will be eligible, especially when there is a director's
talk involved with the film. Some films that seem to function as literary texts and are from world cinema, and are playing in a public room, may be eligible. Lectures are not eligible. The main components
are--(a) cultural performance; (b) done in front of a live audience. It might
be a play, a dance, a festival, a religious ceremony to mark a special occasion,
a musical concert, etc.
Deadlines: your review must be in by the first
lecture section after your attendance at the event. The last essays to be
accepted will be on Wednesday, November 28.
The Importnce of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde that is being performed by the University Theater Guild. October 26-28. Not sure about time and place.
I'm usually not so keen on this kind of musical theater for our cultural event, but I respect the novel this comes from and also Terrence McNally, who has adapted it for stage. A bit pricey, but probably a very enjoyable glam night out.
Ragtime
There are some things that ZACH can do that few, maybe no, other companies in this town can do and do to perfection. Blowing the roof off the previous level of music-fueled spectacle is, especially with this show and in the new Topfer theatre, one of them. Dave Steakley directs an amazing cast bringing the days of a young and contentious America to life, with the award-winning Terrence McNally adaptation of E. L. Doctorow's novel galvanizing the boards of this impressive stage. With musical direction by Allen Robertson, with Jamie Goodwin and Jill Blackwood in the lead roles, Ragtime will put a lively dose of syncopation into the soundtrack of your life. Recommended. Oct. 17-Nov. 18. Wed.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2:30pm. $25-70.
ZACH'S TOPFER THEATRE, 202 S. Lamar
Grotesque & Arabesque: Poe Retold
Just in time for your All Hallows titillation, Weird City Theatre resurrects five tales of the macabre by the master of American suspense, Edgar Allan Poe. Each adaptation (from writers Terri Lynne Hudson, Seth McGrath, Robert L. Berry, and Patti Neff-Tiven) breathes new life into the classics of eldritch literature known as "The Tell-Tale Heart," "Masque of the Red Death," "A Cask of Amontillado," "Hop Frog," and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." Thu.-Sat., Oct. 18-Nov. 3, 8pm. $15-20 ($12, students, seniors; pay what you wish, Thursdays).
BLUE THEATRE, 916 Springdale, 512/927-1118
www.weirdcitytheatre.com
Fest Africais this Friday, beginning at 7, on campus. http://www.utexas.edu/universityunions/node/993
This Thursday, October 11, at 8 o'clock. (I'll bet they'll have some inexpensive student tickets available somewhere.).
The Theater of Needless Talents, an evening-long work choreographed by Donald Byrd, pays homage to the Jewish artists who, though imprisoned in Nazi death camps, managed to create, perform, and bring hope to themselves and fellow inmates. The work is a series of powerful and eloquent sequences comprised of modern dance, theatrical vignettes, cabaret, and commentary drawn from the words of artists and others of the time. These searing and evocative segments resonate with the horror and the absurdity of the situation in which these artists found themselves. The dance is set to the music of composer and death camp victim Erwin Schulhoff. The score will be performed live by students from the Butler School of Music.
Spectrum Dance Theater’s The Theater of Needless Talents strives to make connections between the Holocaust and the present day sufferings brought on by prejudice, oppression, and persecution.
“Viewers might fear the demands of a work on the subject of the Holocaust, given the temptation to overwrought emotions or sentimentality. Yet Byrd, a dance maker of operatic proportions, has created a nuanced and measured work that reveals another facet of his considerable choreographic skills. It is an inspiring dance, reminding us of the power of art not to change events, for that can be beyond its domain, but to reflect upon them.” – JEWISH THEATRE NEWS
Freedom Fighter
Austin playwright Philip Kreyche directs his original production of the true story of David Fagen, a young African-American soldier who found himself fighting on the wrong side of a war for independence in 19th-century Philippines. Thu.-Sat., Aug. 23-Sept. 8, 8pm. $15 ($10, students).
DOUGHERTY ARTS CENTER, 1110 Barton Springs Rd., 422-5705
www.freedomfighterplay.wordpress.com, pkreyche@gmail.com
Of interest to those who study history and the ethics and morality of war. Nationalism. Race and ethnicity.
The Merchant of Venice. Performed by five actors from the troupe Actors from the London Stage. Goes well with those who think "well really, after all, I mean, it's Shakespeare." Performances W, Th, F in Austin and S in Winedale (If you are from Houston or points west, invite your parents to invite you to the Winedale performance and treat them to some culcha).
The Cataract--New American theater on campus.
Written by Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Lisa D'Amour and directed by Will Davis.
Performance Dates:
Oct. 19, 24, 25, 26, 27 at 8pm The Oscar G Brockett Theater.
Oct. 21, 27, 28 at 2pm
Of interest to people who like stories, interestingly told.