Beowulf Alley Theatre's Old Time Radio Theatre Company announces their November
stories to be presented at the theatre, 11 South 6th Avenue (Downtown between Broadway and
Congress) on November 2 and 16, 2010. Performances are at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $8 for ages 13 to adult and $5 for the first two children ages 6-12, cash at the door, first come-first serve seating. The box office phone number is (520) 882-0555.
A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, presents Noel Coward's timeless comedic gem Blithe Spirit, directed by Damaso Rodriguez, which opens Saturday, October 9 and closes Friday, December 17, 2010 (previews begin Saturday, October 2).
In a guest house on the Gulf, a hundred miles from New Orleans, old friends gather in a summer home to rediscover connections, rekindle lost relationships, and find peace - only to find that they can't rewrite the stories of their past. The Antaeus Company, L.A.'s classical theater ensemble, presents The Autumn Garden by Lillian Hellman, directed by Larry Biederman. Four gala openings of the fully double-cast production, two with each cast, take place October 28-31, with performances continuing through December 19 at Antaeus' interim home, Deaf West Theatre in the NoHo Arts District. Low-priced previews begin October 22.
The Old Globe announces their schedule for July through October. It includes the conclusion of the 2010 Shakespeare Festival, the world premiere of ROBIN AND THE 7 HOODS, the west coast premiere of THE LAST ROMANCE and WELCOME TO ARROYO'S, and Neil Simon's plays, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and BROADWAY BOUND. There also will be several educational programs for children.
A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, presents Noel Coward's timeless comedic gem Blithe Spirit, directed by Damaso Rodriguez, which opens Saturday, October 9 and closes Friday, December 17, 2010 (previews begin Saturday, October 2).
Rundgren, IU's ninth Wells Professor, will teach the middle two weeks of a four-week, one-credit hour honors course designed for a maximum of 25 Wells Scholars and Hutton Honors Scholars. The class commences in late October and finishes in mid-November. Co-teaching the class will be IU Professor of Music Glenn Gass -- whose relationship with Rundgren helped make the professorship possible -- and IU Distinguished Professor of Sociology Bernice Pescosolido, who was instrumental in helping to plan the course.
Gass, a professor at IU's world-class Jacobs School of Music, said he sees Rundgren's engagement at IU as the start of a trend in which legendary rock stars share their knowledge with a new generation. Rundgren, who performs frequently, gave a concert at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University in Indianapolis on Sept. 11.
'Todd is a treasure trove of memories, knowledge, stories . . .,' Gass said. 'This class is a way for him to celebrate what he's done and allows him to share his experiences with students who really want to hear what he has to say.'
In addition to learning about the culture, politics and economics of the music business, from the 1970s through today, students will visit Professor of Anthropology Nicholas Toth at IU's Stone Age Institute to view some of the earliest tools used for making music.
'I think the students will love it. For us, the appeal of the class is really both Todd and Glenn,' said Professor of Physics Tim Londergan, director of the Wells Scholars Program. Londergan is a self-professed rock 'n' roll fan who has audited three of Gass' courses.
The Rundgren course is currently full with a waiting list, and course auditors/visitors, including IU students not registered for the class, cannot be accommodated.
During his stay in Bloomington, Rundgren will give a public lecture titled 'LONGHAIR: Todd Rundgren on the Beatles Effect' at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 in Ballantine Hall 013. He will also present a Halloween-night recital titled 'CLUSTER: The Birth of the T Chord' at 8 p.m. Oct. 31 in Auer Hall. Both are free and open to the public.
Gass said he asked Rundgren to talk about the Beatles both because of Rundgren's collaborations with various members of the band and because of the window it will provide into his own music. 'If it was going to be 'Todd talks about Todd,' he may have felt awkward,' Gass said. 'By asking him to talk about the Beatles, we can get more insight into his music, too.'
Rundgren's unique associations with the Beatles include a number of covers, participation in the Ringo All-Star Band and co-producing the power pop band Badfinger with George Harrison. When Harrison died, Rundgren did a highly acclaimed version of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' for a tribute album. In 1980, Rundgren and his then-band Utopia, did a loving sendup of the Beatles (Deface the Music) that Gass calls 'just genius.'
Rundgren is also a longtime Beatles fan who credits Harrison with inventing the 'lead guitar' player, Gass said. 'When Todd was in the band Nazz, he wasn't the lead singer -- he was the lead guitar player -- which in the 50s meant one of the backup musicians. Because of George, lead guitar now means you're one of the band's leaders.'
Glenn Gass
Print-Quality Photo
Gass initially met Rundgren in Hawaii, when Gass and his wife were on sabbatical for a year (and where they spent the past two summers). 'The kids start taking the bus together and the next thing you know, you're going to cookouts at Todd's,' Gass said. 'I quickly learned that everything they said about him was true. He's brilliant, articulate, really interesting -- and interested in things far beyond his own work and even his music. He's just a really engaged human being.'
Rundgren is also known for staying true to his artistic muse. 'He refused to take the easy way out,' Gass said. 'The easy way would have been to do five more songs like 'Hello, It's Me.' He paid a price for that, but in the long run, in 50 years, I think that's why he'll matter more than starts who may have had more hits.'
Rundgren was the highest paid producer of the 1970s, producing bands that ranged from the New York Dolls, The Band and Patti Smith to Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates and Cheap Trick. On Aug. 1, 1981 -- the evening MTV debuted with 'Video Kills the Radio Star' by the Buggles -- Rundgren was ready with his music video for 'Time Heals,' which premiered on MTV the same evening. Always a fan of technology, Rundgren made his music available through online downloads about 10 years before iTunes ('Everyone had dial-up connections then,' Gass commented. 'His fate is always to be just a few years ahead of his time.').
Gass said after the Beatles broke up, he was personally attracted to singer-songwriters like James Taylor, Neil Young, Carole King, Joni Mitchell -- and Todd Rundgren. 'Todd was always one of the best and most interesting performers. Even in those early albums, it was clear he wasn't just a singer-songwriter,' Gass said. At turns, Rundgren played with electric guitar or classical riffs, producing his own double album in 1972, on which he also played all of the instruments.
From the time he met Rundgren in Hawaii, Gass starting thinking of ways to bring the performer to IU. A confluence of events sparked by a Rundgren speaking engagement at DePauw University led to the IU professorship. DePauw's executive director of media relations, Ken Owen, is 'a huge Todd scholar -- Todd to him is like the Beatles to me,' Gass said.
'All of a sudden it went from being a day dream to being a real possibility, and now it's actually happening,' Gass said. 'He really can call himself Professor Rundgren. This is not a gimmick: He is the Wells Professor.'
About the Wells Professorships
The Wells professorships are made possible by gifts from the IU classes of 1941, 1942 and 1963. Previous Wells professors have included the Honorable Helen Suzman, a South African political leader (Class of 1941 Wells Professor in 1993), Sir Malcolm Bradbury, a novelist-screenwriter-critic (Class of 1942 Wells Professor in 1997), and Holocaust scholar Christopher Browning (Class of 1943 Wells Professor in 2003). The most recently appointed Wells Professors were Sir (now Lord) Timothy Garden (Class of 1941 Wells Professor) and artist Robert Colescott (Class of 1943 Wells Professor), both of whom taught at IU in 2004.
The Old Globe announces their schedule for July through October. It includes the conclusion of the 2010 Shakespeare Festival, the world premiere of ROBIN AND THE 7 HOODS, the west coast premiere of THE LAST ROMANCE and WELCOME TO ARROYO'S, and Neil Simon's plays, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and BROADWAY BOUND. There also will be several educational programs for children.
The Old Globe announces their schedule for July through October. It includes the conclusion of the 2010 Shakespeare Festival, the world premiere of ROBIN AND THE 7 HOODS, the west coast premiere of THE LAST ROMANCE and WELCOME TO ARROYO'S, and Neil Simon's plays, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and BROADWAY BOUND. There also will be several educational programs for children.
A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company led by Co-Founders/Co-Artistic Directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, announces its 2010-11 season featuring seven productions. Presented from September 2010 to June 2011 are the West Coast premiere of Neil Bartlett's new adaptation of Charles Dickens' GREAT EXPECTATIONS, a reprise of ANW's critically acclaimed and popular staging of Michael Frayn's NOISES OFF, Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE and THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, Noel Coward's BLITHE SPIRIT, Tennessee Williams' THE ECCENTRICITIES OF A NIGHTINGALE, and Eugene Ionesco's THE CHAIRS. The season, ANW's 19th and last in its current Glendale location before moving in Fall 2011 to a spectacular new Pasadena venue, concludes with three retrospective evenings of the company's many years in Glendale.
The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced the full slate of 27 musical productions, a developmental reading series and special events for their seventh annual festival. This year's Festival will begin September 27th and continue through October 17th. A full breakdown of this year's performances follows.
Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) in association with
David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and Cineworld has announced the full Broadway company for Kneehigh Theatre's production of Noël Coward's Brief Encounter, adapted and directed by Emma Rice.
The CAPA Summer Movie Series, the longest-running classic film series in America, celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2010 with an impressive assembly of classics, cult favorites, and much beloved films. The 2010 series, made possible through the generous support of PNC, will run June 4 - July 25 at the historic Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.).
The Old Globe announces their schedule for July through October. It includes the conclusion of the 2010 Shakespeare Festival, the world premiere of ROBIN AND THE 7 HOODS, the west coast premiere of THE LAST ROMANCE and WELCOME TO ARROYO'S, and Neil Simon's plays, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and BROADWAY BOUND. There also will be several educational programs for children.
Three Sisters After Chekhov opens July 9 @ The Lost Studio in Hollywood. Its director Gregg T. Daniel has a diversified and well-known career as director/actor of stage and television/film actor. His stage direction includes 2009's critically-acclaimed production of Tom Stoppard's Heroes at the Group rep and Sybyl Walker's Beneath Rippling Waters presented by the Company of Angels @ the Fremont Center in Pasadena in 2006. As actor, he currently has a recurring role as Reverend Daniels in HBO's True Blood.
The Old Globe announces their schedule for July through October. It includes the conclusion of the 2010 Shakespeare Festival, the world premiere of ROBIN AND THE 7 HOODS, the west coast premiere of THE LAST ROMANCE and WELCOME TO ARROYO'S, and Neil Simon's plays, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and BROADWAY BOUND. There also will be several educational programs for children.
The CAPA Summer Movie Series, the longest-running classic film series in America, celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2010 with an impressive assembly of classics, cult favorites, and much beloved films. The 2010 series, made possible through the generous support of PNC, will run June 4 - July 25 at the historic Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.).
Next Theatre Company and Artistic Director Jason Southerland are thrilled to announce the 30th anniversary season, a year dedicated to plays that explore the myths that men and women create about their lives. The season opens in the fall with a world premiere presented at the National New Play Network's annual showcase. It continues with the regional premiere of a play Southerland first read when he met with Israeli playwright Motti Lerner (Pangs of the Messiah) in Tel Aviv earlier this year. The season comes to its climactic end with a pair of plays by Phyllis Nagy (pronounced 'Naij') who has captured wide acclaim in the United Kingdom but has been rarely produced in the U.S.
The CAPA Summer Movie Series, the longest-running classic film series in America, celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2010 with an impressive assembly of classics, cult favorites, and much beloved films. The 2010 series, made possible through the generous support of PNC, will run June 4 - July 25 at the historic Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.).
The Old Globe Theatre has announced their August event schedule.
The Old Globe Theatre has announced their July event schedule.
Dallas Theater Center Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty announced today the company's 2010-11 season slated for the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center and the historic Kalita Humphreys Theater. DTC's 52nd season will include two classics never seen before at DTC, a wildly funny comedy, two musicals, a world premiere, and two grand dames of theater.
Some questions remain long after their owners have died. Lingering like ghosts. Looking for the answers they never found in life. (Margrethe Bohr, in Copenhagen)
Actress, singer, dancer Heather Lee has been nominated for an LADCC award for her outstanding performances as all the ladies in No Way to Treat a Lady at the Colony Theatre in 2009. She is currently preparing to play Ginger Rogers' mother in Backwards in High Heels at ICT in Long Beach.
Some questions remain long after their owners have died. Lingering like ghosts. Looking for the answers they never found in life. (Margrethe Bohr, in Copenhagen)
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