BabsonARTS Announces Spring Programming

BabsonARTS announces its roster of programming for the winter and spring of 2017, including a world premiere play, a number of esteemed guest artists, and a range of visual and performing arts events. All events take place on the campus of Babson College, 231 Forest Street in Wellesley, MA, and are open to the public.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Babson's professional theater-in-residence, presents the world premiere of the play Our American Hamlet by Jake Broder, directed by CSC Artistic Director Steven Maler and featuring theater and TV actor Jacob Fishel. CSC is also presenting "Beckett in Brief," an evening of short plays by Samuel Beckett directed by James Seymour and starring Will Lyman; Shakespeare & Leadership, featuring a staged reading of Richard II and a panel discussion by local business leaders; and Julius Caesar performed by CSC's troupe of early-career actors.

In early March, Babson, Wellesley, and Olin Colleges are collaborating to bring acclaimed composer and conductor Maria Schneider to campus for a week-long residency. The residency includes an informal talk with Ms. Schneider and a concert featuring the Maria Schneider Orchestra, both open to the public.

Fanshen Cox-DiGiovanni brings her one-woman show "One Drop of Love" to campus. The show features a mix of filmed images, photographs, animation, and live performance to tell the story of how the notion of race came to be in the United States and how it affects our most intimate relationships.

Among the speakers who will be coming to the campus throughout the winter and spring are visual artists Pat Falco and Sachiko Akiyama; their work is featured in exhibitions at the college, and both artists will participate in opening-night artist talks and receptions. Other featured speakers include writer Thomas Chatterton Williams, poet Brian Turner, and curator Nicholas Baume.

A complete listing of events follows:

Cast: New Work by Pat Falco

Artist Talk and Reception: Thursday, February 2, 5:00 P.M.

Exhibit on View: February 2-March 30

Hollister Gallery

FREE

A keen observer of the world around him, Pat Falco uses a street art graphic drawing style and hand-printed text to reflect with honesty and wit on both social and personal issues.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Day: Thomas Chatterton Williams

Wednesday, February 15, 5:00 P.M.

Reception to follow at 6:30 P.M.

Sorenson Center for the Arts

FREE

Thomas Chatterton Williams is the author of the memoir Losing My Cool: Love, Literature, and a Black Man's Escape from the Crowd (2010). Most recently, his work has been featured in Best American Travel Writing 2016 and The Best American Essays 2016.

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One Drop of Love

Featuring Fanshen Cox-DiGiovanni

Wednesday, March 1, 7:00 P.M.

Sorenson Center for the Arts

FREE

This extraordinary one-woman show, written and performed by Fanshen Cox-DiGiovanni, incorporates filmed images, photographs, and animation to tell the story of how the notion of race came to be in the United States and how it affects our most intimate relationships.

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Maria Schneider in Residence

Arts & Business Conversation

Friday, March 10, 12:30 P.M.

Sorenson Center for the Arts, Black Box

FREE

Maria Schneider Orchestra in Concert

Friday, March 10, 7:30 P.M.

Sorenson Center for the Arts

Tickets $20 general admission/free for students

Maria Schneider's music blurs the lines between genres, giving her a long and diverse list of commissioners, stretching from Jazz at Lincoln Center to The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra to David Bowie. She is among the very few musicians to have received Grammy Awards in multiple genres.

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Our American Hamlet

A World Premiere by Jake Broder

Directed by Steven Maler

Featuring Jacob Fishel

March 23-26 and March 29-April 2

Wednesday-Saturday evenings at 7:30 P.M.

Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00 P.M.

Sorenson Center for the Arts

Tickets $25-$60 reserved seating/$5 for students

The year was 1866, less than a year after President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. His brother Edwin Booth, one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the nineteenth century, decided to perform Hamlet on Broadway. A huge crowd turned up - but it wasn't clear whether they were there to see the actor perform, or to exact their revenge. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company

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Mustang

Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven, 2015

Tuesday, March 28, 7:00 p.m.

Sorenson Center for the Arts

FREE

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Mustang takes place in a village in northern Turkey where the innocent flirtations of five young sisters set off a series of dire consequences.

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Brian Turner: Poetry Reading

Tuesday, April 4, 7:00 P.M.

Sorenson Center for the Arts

FREE

Brian Turner is a poet and memoirist who served seven years in the US Army. He is the author of two poetry collections, Phantom Noise and Here, Bullet, which won the 2005 Beatrice Hawley Award, the New York Times "Editor's Choice" selection, the 2006 PEN Center USA "Best in the West" award, and the 2007 Poets Prize.

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Shakespeare and Leadership: Richard II

Wednesday, April 5, 7:00 P.M.

Sorenson Center for the Arts

FREE

When an inept ruler - indecisive, frivolous and vain - angered the established nobility, one man interceded in the transition of power and sparked a civil war that would last 86 years. Shakespeare & Leadership features a staged reading of excerpts from Shakespeare's Richard II, performed by leaders from the business community alongside professional actors, followed by a panel discussion in which the participants address themes raised in the text. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company

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From Root to Sky: Sachiko Akiyama

Artist Talk and Reception: Wednesday, April 5, 5:00 P.M.

Exhibit on View: April 5-May 19

Hollister Gallery

FREE

Sachiko Akiyama's work brings together artistic influences of Brancusi, Egyptian funerary sculptures, medieval Christian woodcarvings, and contemporary sculptors with the artist's personal experiences and Japanese heritage, notably Japanese fairy tales.

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Nicholas Baume: Arts & Business Conversation

Friday, April 14, 12:30 P.M.

Sorenson Center for the Arts Upper Lobby

FREE

Nicholas Baume is the Director and Chief Curator of the Public Art Fund, which mounts free exhibitions of contemporary art in New York and other cities. Previously he was the Chief Curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, where he directed the museum's transition into its award-winning new building and founding of its Permanent Collection.

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Beckett in Brief

Three short plays by Samuel Beckett

Directed by James Seymour

Featuring Will Lyman

April 27-30 and May 3-7

Wednesday-Saturday evenings at 7:30 P.M.

Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00 P.M.

Sorenson Center for the Arts, Black Box

Tickets $40 general admission/$5 for students

Among Beckett's most autobiographical works, Rough for Radio II, The Old Tune, and Krapp's Last Tape are traditionally viewed as individual statements, but the three together give us a better understanding of the legendary playwright's intellect, passion, and temperament. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company

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Julius Caesar

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Adam Sanders

Saturday, May 13, 7:00 P.M.

Sorenson Center for the Arts

Tickets $20 general admission/$10 for students and seniors

Rome's most powerful citizens plot the assassination of Julius Caesar, to save the republic and prevent the establishment of a monarchy. In the wake of their bloody deed, though, the city must confront the consequences of their political idealism. This production is part of CSC's Stage 2 series for young audiences, and features the CSC2 roster of early-career actors. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company

(Photo: BabsonARTS Facebook)