Lawrence University News

APPLETON, WIS. -- Kathy Privatt, associate professor of theatre arts at Lawrence University, has been named the college's James G. and Ethel M. Barber Professor of Theatre and Drama. Appointments to endowed professorships recognize academic distinction through teaching excellence and/or scholarly achievement.

Privatt

A member of the Lawrence theatre department since 1999, Privatt has directed nine main stage productions, including 2005's "Language of Angels," which was chosen as a "showcase production" for the regional competition of the American College Theater Festival in Normal, Ill. Sixteen student actors under Privatt's direction have qualified for the ACTF's Irene Ryan Irene Acting Scholarship Competition.

She has served as a guest director for Appleton's Attic Theatre and worked with the Memorial Presbyterian Church on a series of "reader's theatre" productions. Privatt also has been involved as an actor for several years with a state-wide crisis intervention training program for law enforcement officers. The program is a joint venture of the Appleton Police Department and the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

In announcing the appointment, Lawrence President Jill Beck commented on Privatt's great devotion to the performing arts and her success in using theatre to help students develop the qualities of liberally educated persons.

"Professor Privatt's passion for theatre has energized a similar passion in her students," said Beck. "She stands as an inspirational model for all who know her."

Privatt's scholarship includes the art theatre movement and corporate funding on Broadway. Her essay "'Modern Medicis:' Disney On Broadway" was included in the 2007 book "Angels in the American Theatre."

Her current research focuses on the Alexander Technique, an educational model designed to improve everyday use of the body in movement. Privatt is pursuing teacher certification in the technique with plans to develop courses in it for Lawrence actors, musicians, athletes, and others interested in physical dysfunction.

She earned her bachelor's degree magna cum laude in theatre and speech at Central Missouri State University and her Ph.D. in theatre from the University of Nebraska.

The Barber Professorship was established in 1985 by Ethel Barber, a 1934 graduate of Milwaukee-Downer College, and recognizes her lifelong interest in and support of the performing arts and higher education.

She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in the department of interpretation from Northwestern University's School of Speech and enjoyed a successful career as a director of radio and theatre productions and as a lecturer.

Barber served as a member of the Lawrence University Board of Trustees from 1968 to 1988 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Lawrence in 1985.

APPLETON, WIS. -- Lawrence University will celebrate a musical milestone in the coming year -- the 100th anniversary of its Artists Series concert program.

First staged in 1908, the Artist Series has brought a litany of luminaries to the stage of the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, including violinist Isaac Stern, pianist Vladimir Horowitz and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The 2008-09 line-up promises to kick-off the series' second century in similar style.

The Guarneri String Quartet opens the season Friday, Oct. 24 in one of its final performances. Founded in 1964, the acclaimed quartet is retiring at the end of the upcoming season. One of the world's most revered string ensembles, the Guarneri Quartet is noted for its interpretations of 18th- and 19th-century standards and award-winning recordings of Beethoven's middle-period quartets.

Grammy Award-winning baritone Dale Duesing performs Saturday, Feb. 7. A 1967 Lawrence graduate, Duesing's international career spans five decades of performances with the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, among others. Opernwelt magazine named Duesing its "Singer of the Year" in 1994 and Le Monde de la Musique magazine called him "a singer who changed opera in the 20th century."

The Percussion Group Cincinnati showcases its talents Friday, March 6. Formed in 1979, the trio of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music professors has attracted new works from composers worldwide and is best known for its expertise in the music of John Cage. Recent performances include a world premiere with the Singapore Chinese Instrument Orchestra and a tour of Japan,

Edgar Meyer, described by one music critic as "quite simply, the best bassist alive," closes the series Friday, April 17. Meyer's unique blend of classical and folk music have earned him a loyal following and three Grammy awards, including two in 2002 as producer and performer for "Perpetual Motion," which was named best classical crossover album. His collaborations range from violinist Joshua Bell to the bluegrass and folk groups Bela Fleck and Nickel Creek.

Innovators Ingrid Jensen and Brad Mehldau headline the younger Jazz Series side of Lawrence's performing arts program.

The Grammy award-winning vocal quartet New York Voices flash Brazilian, R & B, classical and pop influences in their jazz-rooted vocals Friday, Nov. 7 in the first of two Jazz Celebration Weekend concerts.

Jensen melds her fiery trumpet with the Lawrence Faculty Jazz Trio and the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble Saturday, Nov. 8 in the second half of Jazz Celebration Weekend. Jensen received the "Best Newcomer Award" at the 1995 Cork Jazz Festival in Ireland and won the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Solo Trumpet competition that same year.

Jazz-pop crossover singer Jackie Allen and her quintet perform "A Starry Night" with the Lawrence University Chamber Orchestra Saturday, Feb. 21. Allen's versatility, range and infectious enthusiasm have made her a fan favorite around the world. Recent appearances include the Beijing International Music Festival, where she was the only jazz headliner.

The Brad Mehldau Trio brings its adventurous, expressive style to the Lawrence Chapel in a series-ending concert Saturday, May 2. A pianist and composer, Mehldau has released more than a dozen recordings and has collaborated with such jazz greats as Joshua Redman, Michael Brecker and Pat Metheny. In 2006, he was named the 13th recipient of the prestigious Miles Davis Award, which recognizes artists whose body of work has contributed significantly to the renewal of the genre.

Season subscriptions to either the artist, jazz or a "favorite 4" series that allows subscribers to select any combination of four concerts from either series, are available through August 25, with discounts available to senior citizens and students. Contact the Lawrence Box Office at 920-832-6749. Single-concert tickets go on sale Sept. 29.

Additional information, including ticket prices, seating charts and ways to order is available at www.lawrence.edu/news/performingartsseries/.

APPLETON, WIS. -- Accessible professors, an outstanding theatre program and great classroom experiences helped earn Lawrence University inclusion in the 2009 edition of The Princeton Review's annual book on undergraduate education, "The Best 368 Colleges."

The just-released book includes only about 15 percent of America's 2,500 four-year colleges, plus two Canadian colleges, and features two-page profiles of the schools along with student survey-based ranking lists of top 20 colleges in more than 60 categories.

"We chose schools for this book primarily for their outstanding academics," says Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's vice president of publishing. "We evaluated them based on institutional data we collect about the schools, feedback from students attending them and our visits to schools over the years. We also consider the opinions of independent college counselors, students and parents we hear from year-long."

Lawrence was cited among the top 20 institutions nationally in three of the book's student-survey categories: fourth in most accessible professors, 12th in best college theatre program, up from 17th in the same category last year and 13th in best classroom experience. Lawrence wasn't ranked in either the accessible professors or classroom experience category in 2008.

The ranking lists in "The Best 368 Colleges" are based on The Princeton Review's survey of 120,000 students -- about 325 per campus -- attending the 368 colleges profiled in the book. A college's appearance on any of the book's 60 lists is a result of a high consensus among the surveyed students on that subject. The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges in the book 1 to 368 in any single category.

"It's always nice to see the things that you believe to be true about your institution verified, as it were, by a third party," said Ken Anselment, director of admissions. "We know that we are rare among American colleges with our focus on individualized learning. The Princeton Review's rankings on our accessible faculty and great classroom experiences seem to support that. With a highly-ranked theatre program on top of all of it, we are delighted."

On a scale of 60-99 -- with 99 being the highest -- the book gave Lawrence a rating of 92 in its quality of life category, which measures students' satisfaction with their lives outside the classroom. Among some of the factors considered were the beauty, safety, and location of the campus; the comfort of dorms; the quality of food; the ease of getting around campus; the friendliness of fellow students; and the quality of the school's relationship with the local community.

In its profile of the college, The Princeton Review defined the Lawrence experience as "intense academics, extreme involvement in extracurricular activities and a near-obsession with music." The profile also quotes extensively from students surveyed for the book, who describe Lawrence as "an intellectual place, as any good college should be. People are all brilliant in their own ways here and it's fantastic to find out how." Others cited the student body as friendly and cooperative, resulting in "an intellectually stimulating -- not academically cutthroat -- environment that fosters both academic and personal growth."

The book's entire ranking lists can be found at www.PrincetonReview.com.