A final project of Sarah Hill, a student in the Department of Visual Arts, is on display in the Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) through June 27. Her photographs depict the commitment, love and difficulties of mothers in Africa.

Tickets on sale now for performances from May 30 to June 14 Oscar Wilde’s children’s story The Selfish Giant, a play about friendship, faith and the power of transformation, comes to life on the BYU stage later this month. Through the use of puppets and live actors, BYU Theatre presents a unique look at this universal and timeless allegory of Jesus’ love for all of us. The play focuses on a self-centered giant who is at first unwilling to share his beautiful garden with the children who long to play in it but then finds happiness when he at last welcomes the youngsters onto his patch of lovely earth. The Selfish Giant Story by Oscar Wilde Adapted for the Stage by Teresa Dayley Love Directed by Jennifer and Nat Reed Performance Schedule May 30-31, June 5-7, 11-13, 7 pm May 31, June 5, 7, 13, 14, 2 pm ASL interpreted performance: June 5, at 7 pm Post-show discussion with the cast following the evening performances on June 5 and 12 Playing With Performance Workshops Playing with Performance workshops will be held prior to matinees on June 5, 7, 13 and 14 Tickets: http://arts.byu.edu Tickets are available online $12 ($4 off weeknights/$3 off weekends with BYU or student ID, $2 off for senior citizens or BYU alumni) $6 matinees Age 2+: free, with paid admission Source: BYU News

The Young Ambassadors started their week off in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This is the first time the Young Ambassadors have ever visited this beautiful country. One of the first things the group was able to do was tour parts of Angkor Wat. Translated, Angkor Wat means 'City of Temples' and is considered to be the largest religious monument in the world. That same night, the group met with 400 LDS church members for a devotional. The capital city of Phnom Penh was next. The group had the humbling experience of visiting the Killing Fields Memorial at Cheoung Ek and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Tears were shed as the group toured these locations where many people were tortured and killed during the reign of Khmer Rouge.

Animation is often used to create worlds, people, creatures and places that only exist in an artist’s mind. Animators have also been known to use their vision and technical skills to recreate individuals and places that actually exist. But one recent animation graduate’s senior project took on both roles while restoring a medieval cathedral to its original look. Dennis West, who received his BFA in animation in April 2014, restored the Amiens Cathedral to its former beauty for his senior project. The final product is a video that takes viewers on a tour of the 13th century place of worship. Amiens Cathedral: City of God from Dennis West on Vimeo. West’s education has taken a route that many would consider to be unconventional. Several years ago, he received an associate’s degree in graphic design and worked in that field for years until he was unexpectedly laid off in 2008. After freelancing for a while, he decided to come back to school and get his bachelor’s degree even though he was already more than 40 years old. West says his time spent at BYU the past 3 1/2 years has helped him learn plenty about himself and his capabilities. “If I have enough interest in something, and I learn the technology and skills necessary to do it, I can create whatever I want,” West said. West chose to animate the cathedral even though he wouldn’t be able to visit it in person. The cathedral is well documented and recorded with photos, which allowed him to be accurate in his animation. “It’s the most complete cathedral I could find, and it’s the tallest one still standing that is still in operation,” West said. “But not everything in it is the way it was in the 1300s, so I wanted to create an animated version that made it look like it once did.” Seth Holladay, a BYU professor whose credits include Pixar’s Ratatouille and Up, served as West’s faculty mentor on the project. “Once you get into the industry, it’s more than just being able to do the individual pieces. It’s about how all the different elements work with each other, what order to do them all in, how certain problems are solved and so forth,” Holladay said. “And Dennis’ project helped him to learn a lot of those things.” Holladay noted that West possesses important attributes that will make him successful in his career. “He definitely has a passion for doing 3D animation, and he has a bit of a fascination for historical things,” Holladay said. “I’m glad he was able to bring it to completion. That’s a hard thing to do.” West is grateful for Holladay’s mentoring as well as the resources provided by the CFAC. “A couple of times I hit road blocks,” West said. “But Seth was good at pushing me and steering me in the right direction.”

LDS missionaries at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah have recently had an experience unlike any other group during their stay. For weeks missionaries sit in desks eight to ten hours each day to study scriptures and language, and to learn teaching and interpersonal skills. Other than going to the Student Health Center when ill or visiting the Provo Temple each week, missionaries don’t leave the MTC campus. But an opportunity was important enough that the president of the MTC allowed hundreds of missionaries to leave the campus for an hour to go and experience it.

BYU’s School of Music will host a free concert this Saturday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m. The concert, in the HFAC Madsen Recital Hall, features Norman Krieger, one of the world’s most acclaimed pianists who will play selections from Mozart, Beethoven, Lazarof and Chopin.

Instrumental in the creation of the BYU Museum of Art, James A. Mason passed away on May 15, 2014.

Graduates Rebecca Sorge and Miranda Meeks, and former BYU student Kari Christensen had fantasy work accepted into the Spectrum 21 Annual Juried Fantasy Art Competition.

Frank Wildhorn, a famous American composer known for both his musicals and popular songs, visited BYU in October 2013. Wildhorn taught a master class to MDT students where they rehearsed some of his critically acclaimed Broadway songs and received his in-the-moment coaching.

Seven BYU playwrights worked tirelessly for weeks to create a performance that included seven, 7 minute plays in what came to be known as the Microburst Theatre Festival. Under the direction of George Nelson, an associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts (TMA), the group acquired five actors to play all the roles. The show went on to receive three prestigious awards at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). Student playwriting achievements have been celebrated at KCACTF throughout the nation for over 40 years. These BYU playwrights put in weeks of work, and the stories they told have been received with near universal acclaim. According to Nelson, these playwrights all have one thing in common. “This is the writing of my very beginning playwriting students,” Nelson said in regard to the KCACTF awards. “I’m really kind of flabbergasted.” The plays, written by Taryn Politis, Amy McGreeby, Katie Jarvis, Amberly Lourde, Amanda Welch, Chelsea Hickman and Chauntel Lopez, tackle the topic of love in comical and touching ways, exploring its unpredictable and sometimes awkward development. Students won the Distinguished Production of New Work Award and a Performance Award for Distinguished Achievement. Nelson was recognized at KTCACTF as well, receiving the Distinguished Direction of a New Work Award. Wade Hollingshaus, a fellow TMA faculty member, received the Excellence in Theatre Education Award at the festival as well. Hollingshaus mentioned that his coworkers help make these recognitions possible. “I love working in TMA. The TMA faculty–we have great relationships, we have great respect for each other,” Hollinghaus said. “I want to continue to work in this environment, and to make sure to do my part so the environment stays the way that it is.” Nelson said that playwriting is most rewarding when writers get an opportunity to see their work performed, receive feedback on it and rewrite the script. This pattern has proven to be successful with BYU’s popular sketch comedy group, Divine Comedy, which Nelson advises. He decided to try this rigorous system with these new playwrights. “This was our first attempt to do that, and to get this kind of a reaction–it’s remarkable,” Nelson said happily. “If BYU is to distinguish itself from other universities that exist in the world, the greatest opportunity we have to do that is in writing. If we get good at it, then we can change the landscape of the theatrical world.” Nelson noted that while modern views of love take on a variety of perspectives, the Microburst Theatre Festival attempts to show the truth about love without being crude or vulgar. “We don’t have to reflect the voice of the world,” he said.

'The Count of Monte Cristo,' 'Our Town,' 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' on scheduleIn celebration of the 50th anniversary theatre season in the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center, the Brigham Young University Department of Theatre and Media Arts presents a variety of drama, comedy and musical theatre favorites and premieres.

Eleven BYU voice students competed in the Cal-Western Region of National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and came home with several 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards.