Theatre and Media Arts

by James V. D'Arc Part of “Remembering World War II: Pearl Harbor & Beyond” exhibit The 1944 film “Since You Went Away” will be shown at Brigham Young University in conjunction with the L. Tom Perry Special Collections exhibit, “Remembering World War II: Pearl Harbor & Beyond.” The showing will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7, and will take place in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium. Admission is free. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and seating is limited. No food or drink is permitted in the auditorium. Children ages 8 and older are welcome “Gone with the Wind” producer David O. Selznick also produced this movie, the fruits of his desire to do something unique for the World War II effort, said BYU film archivist James D’Arc. The film is based on the story of Margaret Buell Wilder, a woman who wrote a book titled “Since You Went Away – Letters to a Soldier From His Wife.” Selznick asked Wilder to adapt her book for the screen, at which point Selznick himself wrote the final screenplay. “It made me cry like a fool,” wrote reviewer Ben Hecht. “The USA has made its debut on the screen. The film rings out like a song of America. It’s a panorama with a heartbreak that will reach the theaters.” The cast includes 16-year-old Shirley Temple, Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Monty Woolley and Salt Lake City native Robert Walker. The movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. It won for Best Score, marking the third Oscar for veteran Hollywood composer Max Steiner. A full film archives season schedule is available online at sc.lib.byu.edu. Source: BYU News

by James V. D'Arc The eighth year of the Motion Picture Archive Film Series at Brigham Young University will open with “The Maltese Falcon” on Friday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium. The films are drawn from the Motion Picture Archive in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections at the Harold B. Lee Library. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Children ages 8 and over are welcome. No food or drink is permitted in the auditorium. A lecture by James D’Arc, curator of the BYU Motion Picture Archive, will precede the showing. This movie adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s novel featuring hard-boiled detective Sam Spade propelled a Warner Bros. contract player named Humphrey Bogart to stardom. The first-time direction and script by John Huston made “The Maltese Falcon” a surprise hit and one of the first films that French film critics would later classify as “film noir.” The next film in the series is “Johnny Belinda”, to be shown Friday, Feb. 23. The film series is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Harold B. Lee Library and Dennis & Linda Gibson. A full season schedule is available online at sc.lib.byu.edu. Source: BYU News

by Brooke Eddington Audiences will revisit turn-of-the-century Oklahoma Territory during Brigham Young University's production of 'Oklahoma!,' which will be performed Wednesday, Jan. 24, through Saturday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall in the Harris Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $20 for general admission, or $14 for weeknights and $15 for weekend shows with a BYU or student ID. Dress rehearsals, which will be Jan. 24-25, as well as the Feb. 3 matinee at 2 p.m. are $10. Tickets may be purchased at the Fine Arts Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center, at (801) 422-7664 or online at artstix.byu.edu. Rodgers and Hammerstein's enduring musical is based on the play 'How Green Grow the Lilacs,' written in 1931 by Lynn Riggs. The BYU production will feature Andrea Williams as Laurey and Kevin Goertzen as Curly McLain, the young cowboy who courts Laurey even when the menacing farmhand Jud Fry, who will be played by Oren Mauldin, seems to get in the way. Audiences will also drift away during Laurey's dream ballet, see Ado Annie (Brittany Williams) mourn over how she 'cain't say no,' consider whether the farmers and cowboys should actually be friends and watch Aunt Eller (Emily Summerhays) shake her head over it all as she takes care of Laurey. The musical is directed by Tim Threlfall. Russell D. Richins and Tracey Woolley are the production manager and coordinator, respectively, and music direction will be by Gayle Lockwood. Lisa Stoddard is the choreographer. Scenic designer Jennifer Mortensen is assisted by faculty advisor Rory Scanlon, and costume designer Priscilla Hao is assisted by faculty consultant Janet Swenson. Becca Bailey and Chelsea Toler are makeup and hair co-designers, while Michael Handley and Troy Streeter are designing the lighting and sound, respectively. For more information, contact Tim Threlfall, (801) 422-8133, or visit cfac.byu.edu. Source: BYU News

by James V. D'Arc 'Sunrise,' named by Life magazine as “the most important picture in the history of the movies,” will be shown at Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. The doors will open at 6:30. Admission is free, but early arrival is encouraged for a guaranteed seat. Children 8 and over are welcome. No food or drink is permitted in the auditorium. Theater organist Blaine Gale will provide live organ accompaniment. “'Sunrise' was one of the last silent films,” said James D'Arc, curator Special Collections Motion Picture Archives. “It is proof of why so many filmmakers lamented the coming of sound. It is a lovely and very powerful motion picture of love and the power of fidelity in marriage.” The plot deals with the contrast between a man’s marriage to a sweet country girl and his infatuation with a woman from the city. It stars George O’Brien and Janet Gaynor, who won a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of O’Brien’s wife. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Sherwood wrote in Life magazine that 'Sunrise' is “the most important picture in the history of the movies.” Celebrated German director F.W. Murnau was brought to the Untied States by William Fox and given an unlimited budget and total creative freedom. The result was a powerful film of drama and beauty that, in the first year of the Academy Awards, won in a special category for being a “unique and artistic picture.” Cinematographer Karl Struss also won an Oscar for his moody, expressionistic photography. This showing of 'Sunrise' is part of the ongoing L. Tom Perry Special Collections Motion Picture Archive Film Series, drawing on its permanent collection of rare prints of classic motion pictures. It is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Harold B. Lee Library and Dennis and Linda Gibson. A complete series schedule is available online at sc.lib.byu.edu. Source: BYU News

by Angela Fischer Brigham Young University’s Young Ambassadors will perform a variety of Broadway songs in “Circle of Life” Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 16-18, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. A matinee performance will take place Saturday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $8 for students and faculty. To purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 422-4322 or visit performances.byu.edu. “Circle of Life” is a musical review celebrating selections from musical theatre of the 20th and 21st centuries. Show numbers include favorites such as “Lida Rose” from “The Music Man” and “All I Ask of You” from “Phantom of the Opera.” The show will also feature a medley from “Fiddler on the Roof” and numbers from “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Mary Poppins” and “Mamma Mia.” “With complex choreography representing a wide variety of dance styles and charismatic rhythms, our program has kept people in the audience tapping their shoes for generations,” said director Randy Boothe. “The Broadway tunes selected also celebrate friends, family, love and laughter amid the challenges of today’s world.” “Circle of Life” involves a four-member band and a cast of 30 singers and dancers. The group is also supported by 10 student technicians who provide backstage support and control lighting and sound. The Young Ambassadors will perform “Circle of Life” on tour in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois this summer. Last year, they performed and toured in China and South Korea. For more information, contact Randy Boothe at (801) 422-2564. Source: BYU News

by Brian Rust The Special Collections Motion Picture Archive Film Series at Brigham Young University will screen the romantic drama “Only Angels Have Wings” Friday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium on the first floor. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Children age eight and over are welcome. No food or drink is permitted in the auditorium. “Only Angels Have Wings” stars Cary Grant and Jean Arthur in their only film pairing. The movie centers on a group of American aviators headed by Grant who operate a freight airline in South America. Matters are complicated by the simultaneous and unexpected arrivals of show girl Arthur and Grant's old flame, played by a very young Rita Hayworth in her first important film. Directed and produced in the late 1930s by Howard Hawks, creator of some of the greatest movies of the decade, “Angels” demonstrates the central themes of professionalism, personal redemption and the relationship between men, women and work. An aviator himself, Hawks claimed the incidents and personalities he portrayed in the film came from people he knew personally. In an interview with writer Joseph McBride, Hawks said, “There wasn't one single scene in the whole picture that wasn't real.' For more information, contact James D’Arc at (801) 422-6371 or visit sc.lib.byu.edu for a complete season schedule. Source: BYU News

by Brian Rust The Special Collections Motion Picture Archive Film Series at Brigham Young University will open its seventh year by screening “Casablanca,” the classic movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, on Friday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium on the first level. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Children eight years and older are welcome. No food or drink is permitted in the auditorium. A film that produced many memorable lines of dialogue, “Casablanca” attained fame when the Allied troops landed in the Moroccan city, making its name legendary. Casablanca also served as the site of war conferences involving Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin. The wartime romantic drama follows Rick Blaine, an expatriate American saloon owner, and Ilsa, the woman who ran out on him but comes back into his life with her husband to obtain valuable exit visas to freedom that only Rick can get. A top-ten pick of almost every list of all-time movie favorites, “Casablanca” received eight Academy Award nominations and won three for best picture, screenplay and director. 'This is a very rare opportunity to see this famous movie the way it was meant to be seen, on film and on the big screen,' says James D'Arc, series director and curator of the BYU film archive. For more information, contact James D’Arc at (801) 422-6371 or visit sc.lib.byu.edu for a complete season schedule. Source: BYU News

Lope de Vega's 'Fuente Ovejuna'

Brigham Young University’s Department of Theatre and Media Arts has announced its 2005-2006 theatre series in the Pardoe and Margetts Theatres. Full of comedy, drama and beautiful music, the 2005-2006 theatre season will offer productions for the entire family. “The theatre season is designed to reach out to the audience and engage them in the experience,” said Rodger D. Sorensen, Theatre and Media Arts Department chair. “We want them to be enlightened and entertained.” “As an academic institution, ours is the responsibility to provide students with growth experiences,” Sorensen added. “We want to help the students become better. Theatre productions are like lab experiments where we test and ask questions.” The Pardoe Theatre Series will begin with Lope de Vega’s Spanish Golden Age classic “Fuente Ovejuna” directed by Nestor Bravo Goldsmith. The production runs Sept. 21 through Oct. 8. Sparks will fly when two childhood friends fall in love with the same woman in Shakespeare’s comedy “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” directed by Alexandra Mackenzie. The production runs Nov. 9 through Dec. 3. There will be performances Nov. 20-29 because of Thanksgiving break. The series will continue with Elton John and Tim Rice’s “Aida,” a story of enslaved Nubian princess who falls in love with the Egyptian guard holding her captive. Directed by Tim Threlfall, the production runs Jan. 25 through Feb. 11. Theatre faculty members Barta Heiner and Janet Swenson will delight audiences as they portray the Brewster sisters in Joseph Kesselring’s “Arsenic and Old Lace,” a comedy full of murderous criminals, romantic strife and insane in-laws. Directed by Laurie Harrop-Purser, the production runs March 29 through April 15. Completing the season will be a Theatre for Young Audiences production of Patricia MacLachlan’s popular book-turned-play, “Sarah, Plain and Tall.” Directed by Amy Petersen Jensen, the play focuses on a 19th-century Midwest widower with two children who advertises for a new wife. The production runs May 31 through June 17. The Margetts Theatre Series will begin with “Getting Married,” a comedy by George Bernard Shaw and directed by Barta Heiner. With confusion igniting on a young couple’s wedding day, the clergy, a lovesick fool and the coal-maker’s wife all ask whether or not marriage is a worthy ideal. The production runs Oct.26 through Nov. 12. The exciting adventures of four orphans will be presented in the Theatre for Young Audiences production of “The Boxcar Children” based on the books by Gertrude Chandler Warner and adapted for stage by Barbara Field. Directed by George D. Nelson, performances run Feb. 8-18 in the Nelke Theatre. Finishing the Margetts Series will be the world premiere of “Angels Unaware: A Story of Joan of Arc” written by Melissa Leilani Larson. Directed by David Morgan, the production follows a young girl named Joan who accepts the call to arms from her Lord and Savior when France loses hope of gaining back its faith and patriotism. Performances run March 8-25. There will be no performances in either theatre Sundays or Mondays. Reduced-price dress rehearsals and matinee performances will be available for each performance. For more information, contact the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 422-4377, or at performances.byu.edu. Source: BYU News

Senior students in the Music Dance Theater and Bachelor of Fine Arts acting programs at Brigham Young University will join together for the BFA Senior Showcase Thursday and Friday, March 31-April 1, at 7 and 9 p.m. in the Nelke Theatre. Tickets are $5 in advanced and $6 at the door. For tickets, call the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 378-4322 or visit http://performances.byu.edu. All proceeds will benefit students traveling to New York City April 24 through May 1 to present their program to agents. Nearly 500 agents and industry professionals have been invited to attend the two showcase performances. 'The emphasis is 100 percent on the performer's work--no sets, no costumes, no lighting, no sound reinforcement--just the acting, singing and dancing. The object is to expose as many agents and casting directors as possible to new talent entering the market from a particular university or training program,' said Tim Threlfall, showcase director. The nationally recognized MDT program and BFA acting program are interdisciplinary, limited-enrollment, professional training programs designed to prepare young performers for careers in musical theatre and acting. The programs seek to foster musical theatre artists and actors of the highest caliber. Many graduates from the program have successfully performed in many productions on Broadway including 'Les Miserables,' 'Phantom of the Opera,' 'Thoroughly Modern Millie,' 'Mamma Mia' and 'Cats.' Other graduates have participated in Broadway productions on tour including 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Hairspray,' 'The King and I' and 'The Music Man.' Graduates of the MDT program are currently performing in Broadway the production of 'Good Vibrations,' Las Vegas productions 'We Will Rock You' and 'Mamma Mia' and touring with musicals '42nd Street' and 'Hairspray.' Source: BYU News

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Fine Arts and Entertainment Calendar January 2004 All month: 'On the Road with C.C.A. Christensen: The Moving Panorama' at the BYU Museum of Art. Carl Christian Anton (C.C.A.) Christensen, a Danish immigrant who worked and lived in Utah, was one of several Utah artists to use this popular art form. Christensen produced four panoramas, two of which are being exhibited in the Museum of Art. The exhibition presents two large moving panoramas. Accompanying the exhibition is a re-enactment of the 19th-century performance given by Christensen when he traveled his panorama to localities throughout Utah and Idaho. The 40-minute panorama performance will be presented every Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. and every Thursday evening at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the gallery. The exhibit is free and the public is welcome to attend. '150 Years of American Painting' at the BYU Museum of Art is a permanent installation of paintings by renowned artists such as Frederic Edwin Church, Maynard Dixon, John Singer Sargent, and many local Utah favorites such as Mahonri Young. Admission is free. 'Outside Inside: Fragments of Place' continues on display at the BYU Museum of Art. This ambiguous exhibition title refers to a project in which seven Australian artists were commissioned to examine the extended community that has gathered along the Wasatch Front. These artists were selected for their ability to sensitively analyze cultures, social behaviors, geographic spaces and historical foundations, and manifest their research in thought-provoking ways. 'Outside Inside' is on display through April 27, 2004. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend. 'Contemporary Spaces, Underlying Culture' remains on display at the BYU Museum of Art. The exhibition brings together five artists who use photography as a means of exploring ideas related to a sense of place, cultural identity, human interaction and the nature of artistic expression in contemporary life. 'Contemporary Spaces' is on display through Saturday, Feb. 21, 2004. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend. Thursday, Jan. 8 The Utah Symphony Orchestra will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. The performance will feature Britten's 'Sinfonia a Requiem,' Vaughn Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; and Dvorak's Concerto for orchestra and cello in B Minor, op. 104. The concert will be conducted by Keith Lockhart and will feature Shauna Rolston, cello. Tickets at $20 and $4 off with BYU or student ID are available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 378-4322 or at www.byu.edu/hafc. Wednesday, Jan. 14 through Friday, Jan. 16 BYU's Living Legends, a celebration of Native American, Polynesian and Latin American music and dance will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets at $10 and $2 off with BYU or student ID are available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 378-4322 or at www.byu.edu/hafc. Saturday, Jan. 17 The Intercollegiate Band, the finest musicians from Utah's colleges and universities, will perform under the direction of guest conductor Jerry Junkin from the University of Texas at Austin beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. The performance is free and the public is welcome to attend. Saturday, Jan. 17 The Amadeus Trio, one of the most dynamic chamber music groups performing today, including Timothy Baker, violin, Jeffrey Solow, cello, and Marian Hahn, piano, will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. A free master class will be offered Saturday, Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. Tickets for the concert at $9 with $3 off with BYU or student ID are available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 378-4322 or at www.byu.edu/hafc. To learn more about the Amadeus Trio visit www.amadeustrio.com. Tuesday, Jan. 20 Dallas Brass, directed by Michael Levine, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a performance tour that includes BYU. Dallas Brass is recognized as one of America's foremost musical ensembles. A unique blend of traditional brass instruments with a full complement of drums and percussion creates a performing entity of extraordinary range and musical challenges that the entire family will enjoy. Featuring Jason Ayoub, horn; Brian Neal, trumpet; Jose Sibaja, trumpet; Michael Levine, trombone; Deanna Swoboda, tuba; and Daniel Hostetler, percussion. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m., in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets at $9 and $3 off with BYU or student ID are available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 378-4322 or at www.byu.edu/hafc. To learn more about the Dallas Brass visit www.dallasbrass.com. Wednesday, Jan. 21 through Saturday, Feb. 7 Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller, directed and choreographed by Pat Debenham, with music direction by Randy Boothe will be presented at the Pardoe Theatre. You'll have reason to celebrate the heyday of rock 'n' roll when you are at Smokey Joe's Café, where the American pop that defined an era is transposed into exciting musical theatre. When you hear 40 favorites like 'Hound Dog,' 'Love Potion No. 9,' 'Jailhouse Rock,' 'Stand by Me' and 'Yakety Yak.' You won't just be strollin' down memory lane, you'll be dancin' in the aisles. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Previews are Wednesday, Jan. 21, and Thursday, Jan. 22. A matinee performance will be given Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. There will be no performances Sundays or Mondays. Tickets are $14 and $4 off with BYU or student ID. Tickets for previews and matinee performances are $5. Tickets are available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 378-4322 or at www.byu.edu/hafc. Wednesday, Jan. 28 The Q'd Up Faculty Jazz Quintet, features Ray Smith, reeds; Ron Brough, percussion; Steve Lindeman, keyboards; Jay Lawrence, vibes; and Matt Larson, bass. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The performance is free and the public is welcome to attend. Thursday, Jan. 29 through Saturday, Jan. 31 The Dancer's Company will appear in concert, with artistic direction by Rebecca Wright Phillips. 'Song of Deliverance,' dedicated to LDS pioneer heritage, is a tribute to the past, along with a beautiful piece by Bill Evans, 'For Betty,' to music by Antonio Vivaldi. 'April,' choreographed by guest artist Nana Shineflug of the Chicago Moving Company, is structurally based on the bell curve. 'Wheelenese Waltz,' a Viennese waltz like you've never seen before, is sure to bring a laugh, and the dancers' own choreographic premiere will bring us up to date as dancers use stunt stilts to leap, jump, and flip into the 21st century. Performances are in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee performance Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. All tickets at $5 are available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 378-4322 or at www.byu.edu/hfac. Thursday, Jan. 29 The Special Collections Motion Picture Archives Film Series presents 'Angels with Dirty Faces' at 7 p.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium. The mannerisms that made James Cagney famous (and earned him an Academy Award nomination) were established in this exciting crime drama that features the Dead End Kids, later known as the Bowery Boys. The final scene is a movie milestone. Directed by Michael Curtiz with movement and flair, it co-stars Pat O'Brian, Humphrey Bogart and Ann Sheridan. Admission is free. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Early arrival is recommended as seating is limited. Children ages 8 and over are welcome. Saturday, Jan. 31 The American Piano Duo featuring Jeffrey Shumway and Del Parkinson will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The performance is free and the public is welcome to attend. Source: BYU News

The Special Collections Motion Picture Archives Film Series at Brigham Young University is sponsoring a showing of 'The Bishop's Wife' Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium.

Charlie Chaplin's first full-length movie, 'The Kid,' will be shown as part of the Brigham Young University School of Music's Silent Film Night Friday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.

Brigham Young University

The Special Collections Motion Picture Archives Film Series at Brigham Young University will show two motion pictures from its collection in November and December.

Brigham Young University's Special Collections Motion Picture Archives Film Series presents 'The Thing from another World' Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium.

Brigham Young University

This musical homage to Julia Child promises a showcase of vocal and culinary talent The BYU School of Music has a delicious surprise in store for audiences this June: the performance of operas “A Dinner Engagement,” a lighthearted romantic comedy about two strangers who bond over their love of food, and “Bon Appétit,” a piece based on a real episode of Julia Child’s cooking show.