This January BYU will provide audiences with three unconventional theatre productions as part of the new OFF THE MAP international theatre festival. Jeff Martin, arts manager for the College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC), devised the new festival when he realized that BYU students were presented mostly traditional theatrical productions. “Through OFF THE MAP we want to expose our students to the new trends and new ways of looking at and experiencing theatre that are happening everywhere in the world,” Martin said. “The training that our students get is remarkable, but it’s important to have them be familiar with other practices in the industry.” The three OFF THE MAP shows will be in town for one week in January 2014, performing over multiple days, giving students and the community several opportunities to see all of the productions. “All three of these shows are very different from each other but also very different from what we typically do here at BYU,” Martin explained. Despite the unusual aspects of the productions, Martin believes they will be well received by BYU audiences. “They’re interdisciplinary and international, which fits in with the mission of BYU,” he said. Audiences will be entertained by “The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer,” a unique, one-man show created by Australian actor Tim Watts. In this play, earth is no longer livable, and one man has the opportunity to save it. “It’s a multi-disciplinary performance involving singing and live animation projected on stage,” Martin explained. In connection with the CFAC’s increased emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, the show “will be helpful for our students to see different arts working in collaborative ways.” The Leev Theater Group from Iran will entertain audiences as it performs “Hamlet: Prince of Grief,” a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. One actor will do the performance and speak entirely in Farsi, with English supertitles projected on stage. “There’s a strong interest in this kind of work,” Martin said, speaking of intercultural exchanges. “At BYU we are curious about other cultures,” he noted. “Translunar Paradise” is the third show in the OFF THE MAP festival and will be performed by Theatre Ad Infinitum, a company based in London. The show has no dialogue, all actors wear masks, and the story progresses through miming and physical movement. Bringing these unique and interdisciplinary performances to BYU has come due to the efforts of CFAC faculty and other employees. For example, Martin has travelled across the globe to attend festivals and network with agents, and he is excited for how these productions will enrich BYU’s theatrical offerings. “The faculty members know that the CFAC will benefit from OFF THE MAP, but we also feel that all other BYU students and the local community will appreciate these unique and unconventional productions,” Martin said. Tickets for the OFF THE MAP festival are available Dec. 9 at arts.byu.edu.

Long-time adjunct dance instructor Delynne Peay passed away on Monday, January 13, 2014 at 10:05 p.m. due to complications with the flu. Peay has been on the Department of Dance faculty since 1974, and was the longest standing faculty member. She was heavily involved with the World of Dance and danced with the founder of BYU Folk Dance, Mary Bee Jensen. “Delynne was a woman of great energy and life,” said department chair, Marilyn Berrett. “She gave so much to the world of dance and will be dearly missed. She has certainly left a large set of shoes to fill.” Peay was beloved by many in the Department of Dance. One of her students, Katilyn T. Gourley, has set up a donation site: http://www.gofundme.com/61wafw to assist with the medical bills. All donations are welcome. A celebration of Delynne's life will be held Monday, January 20, 2014, 11:00 a.m. at the Edgemont Stake Center (381 West 3700 North, Provo, Utah 84604). Family and friends will be received from 9:30 am to 10:30am that morning. A viewing will also be held the night prior, Sunday, January 19 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Stake Center. See Deseret News obituary.

Steve Lindeman, professor of theory, jazz and piano in the BYU School of Music, was listed among the top artists of the year in Arnaldo DeSouteiro's 35th Annual Jazz Station Poll for Lindeman's CD The Day After Yesterday with BYU Synthesis. DeSouteiro is is a Los Angeles-based jazz historian, educator and record producer. Results of the poll were selected based on outstanding works from the international jazz scene released in 2013. The Day After Yesterday was listed among the Best Jazz Instrumental CDs, while Steve Lindeman topped the lists for Best Composer and Best Arranger. Other CD contributors were also honored, with BYU Synthesis placing 2nd in the Big Band/Jazz Orchestra category, and Michael Chadbourne placing 3rd for Best Engineer. To view a complete list of the results, see the Jazz Station blog.

Guest artist Dmitry Rachmanov will perform a free piano recital at Brigham Young University Friday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Madsen Recital Hall.

The immense success of the new exhibition “Sacred Gifts: The Religious Art of Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hofmann, and Frans Schwartz” at Brigham Young University’s Museum of Art has prompted museum directors to extend museum hours and provide a free “Sacred Gifts” iPad app download highlighting the exhibit. Starting Jan. 1, the Museum of Art now serves the public from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday to accommodate high demand on evenings and weekends. Despite the extension, museum director encourage patrons to reserve their free ticket required for admittance as soon as possible. Free downloads of the Museum’s interactive audiovisual iPad app designed exclusively for “Sacred Gifts” are now available at the iTunes Store, thanks to generous funding from donors William H. and Patricia W. Child. The app features uplifting educational resources including expert interviews, historical context, music, personal anecdotes and spiritual insights. Funding for the app’s development was also provided by the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation, the Allen Foundation and the BYU Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration in the Arts. Previously, the app had only been available for patrons on rental devices within the Museum for a $3 fee. For more information contact Hilarie Ashton at (801) 422-2569 or hilarie_ashton@byu.edu. Source: BYU News

Randy Boothe, singer, pianist music maker and director of the BYU Young Ambassadors, was featured in January’s issue of Utah Valley Magazine.

Vai Sikahema, a graduate of the broadcast program in BYU’s College of Fine Arts and Communications was honored with an induction into the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.

James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich star in the hit Western “Destry Rides Again” in a one-time screening at Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library auditorium on Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m.

The Brigham Young University Jazz Legacy Band will present a concert of Dixieland and Swinging Jazz with special guests Lemoyne Taylor and the Mississippi Mood Orchestra Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.

Performance at 7:30 p.m. has sold out

Tickets for all events are available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 422-2981, byuarts.com/tickets. 9 — The Utah Symphony returns to BYU with a program of classical masterworks featuring guest conductor Matthias Pintscher and pianist Inon Barnatan at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. The symphony will play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8, and Matthias Pintscher’s “Towards Osiris.” 11 — The annual Utah Crosstalk contemporary music concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. Admission is free and is open to the public. 16 — The Mexico City Woodwind Quintet will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. Admission is free and is open to the public. 18 — Vocal Point, BYU’s premier nine-man a cappella ensemble, will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. 21-25 — The Young Artists of Voice competition, featuring top student talent from BYU’s School of Music, will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. Admission is free and is open to the public. Visit byuarts.com for information on individual evening programs. 23 — “Timothy O’Sullivan: The King Survey Photographs” will run through May 26 at the Museum of Art. Although details of his life are scarce, the photographic legacy of Timothy H. O’Sullivan is far-reaching, and his images are regarded as some of the most compelling photographs taken in the 19th century. This exhibition showcases images captured by O’Sullivan for the King Survey, a government-sponsored expedition to gather practical and scientific information from the vast territory between the Missouri River and the Pacific Ocean. His images of mining operations, barren landscapes, unusual geological formations and meditations on his own presence in the West represent a powerful, raw vision of this little-known territory. Visit moa.byu.edu for details and exhibit hours. 23-25 — Iran’s Leev Theater Group will present “Hamlet, Prince of Grief” at 9 p.m. in the Margetts Theatre. There will also be a Saturday matinee at 4 p.m. Household objects and children’s toys are used to play out a domestic and political history of betrayal and death as Shakespeare’s tragic hero comes to terms with his violent fate through an obsessive retelling of the moments preceding the tragedy. “Hamlet, Prince of Grief” was first presented in Iran by Leev Theater Group, featuring acclaimed Iranian actor Afshin Hashemi. It was chosen as Iran’s Best Theater Group by the Critics and Writers Association of Iran’s Theater House and was named Tehran’s Best Theater Group by the Dramatic Arts Center. 23-25 — The Theatre Ad Infinitum will perform “Translunar Paradise” at 7:20 p.m. in the Pardoe Theatre. There will also be a Saturday matinee at 1 p.m. “Translunar Paradise” takes audiences on a journey of life, death and enduring love. After his wife, Rose, passes away, William escapes to a paradise of fantasy and memories, a place far from the reality of his grief. Returning from beyond the grave, Rose revisits her widowed companion to perform one last act of love: helps him let go. With live accordion accompaniment, this exquisite piece of mask and movement theatre was a multi-award winning, critically acclaimed sellout at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011. Theatre Ad Infinitum is an award-winning international ensemble based in London, developing new and original theatre for a multi-cultural audience. 23-25 — Australia’s Perth Theatre Company will present “Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer” at 6 p.m. in the Nelke Theatre. There will also be a Saturday matinee at 2:40 p.m. This multi-award-winning one-man micro-epic puppet show melds technology and multimedia into a touching story of enduring love and the end of the world. Creator and performer, Tim Watts employs a unique blend of mime, puppetry, live and recorded music, and live animation to present an exploration of the oldest and next frontier: the deep blue sea. The seas have risen, billions of people have died and those who are left live on farms on mountaintop skyscrapers. The scientists have tried everything. Floating islands sank, space probes found nothing, and the giant sponges, visible from the moon, are now rotting icons of failure. Now science and humanity are turning to the oceans. A last ditch effort to save the human race requires journeying down through the mysterious depths of the deep blue sea to find a new place to live. These are the dire circumstances that surround the tale’s central hero, Alvin Sputnik. Having just lost his wife, Alvin accepts this perilous mission to follow her soul down to the underworld to be with her once more. 29 — The Q'd Up Jazz Quintet will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. Admission is free and is open to the public. 30-Feb. 1 — The BYU Theatre Ballet will present “Swan Lake” during 'Ballet in Concert' at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. There will also be a matinee performance Saturday at 2 p.m. 31-Feb. 8 — William Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline” will be on stage at the Margetts Theatre. Lightheartedly adapted (twice) and directed by Teresa Dayley Love, Shakespeare’s adventurous romance gets the double treatment – and a happy ending – in two special adaptations: as a fairy tale suited for youngsters and as a noir mystery perfect for the young at heart. Exploring the Bard’s common themes of mistaken identity, innocence wronged and jealousy, “Cymbeline” tells the story of a princess in a pickle, her banished husband, a villainous queen and “a whole lotta mayhem” in Britain. Caution: audience participation ahead! All month at the Museum of Art: “Sacred Gifts: The Religious Art of Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hofmann and Frans Schwartz.” through May 10, 2014. “Simpler, Brighter, Stronger: Southwestern Art and Early Modernism, 1910-1960.” through July 26, 2014. “e.g. Monika Bravo: Landscape of Belief.” through March 15, 2014. “Shaping America: Selected Works from the Permanent Collection of American Art.” through March 2018. Admission to all exhibits is free. Hours are Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Sunday. For more information, visit moa.byu.edu . Source: BYU News

Brigham Young University’s Department of Theatre and Media Arts in conjunction with the Laycock Center for Creativity and Collaboration will present its debut season of the OFF THE MAP art festival, a collection of three non-traditional theatre performances, Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 23-25, in the Harris Fine Arts Center.