2011

Year: 2011

Machiavelli’s “The Mandrake” Gets Contemporary Adaptation in Theatre Arts Production

Nicolo Machiavelli’s 16th-century devious comedy “The Mandrake” gets a 20th-century adaptation in four performances of Lawrence University’s theatre production. The play will be staged March 3-5 at 8 p.m. with an additional 3 p.m. matinee on March 5 in Cloak Theatre of the Music-Drama Center.

Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

The adaptation, written by Timothy X. Troy, professor of theatre arts and J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama, sets the play in 1962 in Florence, Italy. The fast-paced conspiracy follows Callimaco, a young man smitten with the beautiful, virtuous and, unfortunately for him, already-married Lucrezia. Nicia, Lucrezia’s husband, is an educated, but-not-overly-bright tightwad who desperately wants children. Six years into his marriage, though, he has yet to produce any offspring. The story cleverly unfolds in a twisting and twisted pattern.

Among Troy’s tweaks to the original story is having Callimaco return to Italy from America, rather than Paris. The change provided director Kathy Privatt numerous possibilities for interesting music choices.

“We’ve compiled a playlist that includes American hits from the late 50’s-early 60’s and Italian pop songs from the same period, including some directly influenced by the U.S., and Elvis in particular,” said Privatt, associate professor of theatre arts and James G. and Ethel M. Barber Professor of Theatre and Drama.

An original story by Machiavelli, rather than an adaptation of a Greek or Roman source as was common at the time, Privatt says “The Mandrake” still has the ability to surprise us today.

“Choosing to direct this adaptation of Machiavelli’s work was easy,” said Privatt. “Tim’s adaptation stays true to the events in the original script, keeping the events in Florence but giving it a bit more contemporary time frame. That change gives us more ways to connect to the ideas in the play as well as reminding us that history does repeat itself.

“Best of all, with its fast-paced fun, this play requires our actors to be at the top of their game where the stakes are greatest and so are the rewards.”

Senior Nate Peterson portrays the love-struck Callimaco. Junior Aubrey Neuman plays the smart, young Lucrezia, while freshman Eric Smedsrud is cast as her homebody husband Nicia. Senior Kyle Brauer portrays Ligurio, the scheming mastermind behind the plan that drives the play.

Lawrence University Recognizes Russ Feingold with Honorary Degree at June Commencement

Lawrence University will recognize former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree Sunday, June 5 at the college’s 162nd commencement. Feingold also will serve as the principal commencement speaker.

Russ Feingold

The Doctor of Humane Letters degree is in recognition of Russ Feingold’s distinguished service to the state of Wisconsin and to the nation during his 28 years in public service to date. Feingold, 57, established himself as one of the U.S. Senate’s most independent voices during his 18-year career there. He was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001, opposed President Obama’s decision to expand the war in Afghanistan, was the first senator to propose a timetable to exit Iraq and fought against financial deregulation and trade agreements like NAFTA he considered unfair. He lost his 2010 election bid for a fourth term to Oshkosh businessman Ron Johnson.

“Senator Feingold exemplifies the ‘responsible and meaningful citizenship’ that Lawrence University values, that is central to our mission and that we would like our students to observe in action,” said Lawrence President Jill Beck. “As we celebrate the commencement of the Class of 2011, we are honored to be doing so with a thoughtful and humane leader who exemplifies integrity and independent thinking.”

Recognized as an effective legislator who worked across party lines on both domestic and foreign policy, Feingold is perhaps best known for his work on campaign finance reform. It resulted in the landmark Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, better known as the McCain-Feingold bill, which he co-authored with Republican John McCain. As a senator, he served on the Senate Budget, Judiciary, Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees.

Earlier this year, Feingold accepted a visiting professor appointment at Marquette University Law School to teach the course “Current Legal Issues: The U.S. Senate.” In February, Feingold announced the formation of Progressives United, a grassroots political action committee to counter corporate influence in politics. The organization will support candidates while serving as a media and political watchdog.

Feingold graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1975 and earned a law degree in 1977 from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He returned to the states and earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1979. Feingold practiced law in Madison from 1979-85.

A native of Janesville, Feingold first ran for public office in 1982, winning a seat in the Wisconsin State Senate. He was re-elected in 1986 and 1990 before successfully running for the U.S. Senate in 1992, defeating two-term incumbent Republican Robert Kasten.

As a U.S. Senator, Feingold made a point of visiting each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties annually to conduct “listening sessions” with voters. This approach was one example of Feingold’s honest desire to represent his state with respect for all of its citizens.

Composer Patty Darling Awarded Wisconsin Arts Board Fellowship

Patty Darling, director of the Lawrence University Jazz Band and lecturer in music, has been named one of nine recipients of an $8,000 fellowship through the Wisconsin Arts Board’s 2011 Individual Artists Program.

The fellowship recognizes Wisconsin artists for significant contributions to the fields of literary arts, music composition and dance choreography.

Patty Darling

Selected from among 141 applicants state-wide, Darling, a 1985 Lawrence graduate, was the only composer awarded a fellowship. She submitted original compositions scored for symphonic band, percussion ensemble and jazz ensemble with her application. She has been a member of the Lawrence Conservatory of Music faculty since 2007.

The fellowship is designed to support the creation of new work, complete work in progress and/or pursue activities that contribute to the recipient’s artistic growth. Darling will use her fellowship to prepare a dozen of her existing original works for publication, to compose four new educational compositions for middle school and high school jazz ensemble that will be performed in December by several local schools and develop a personal website to bring her compositions and recordings to a larger audience.

Awards were determined by three panels of arts professionals, based primarily on the artistic quality of the applicants’ work samples.

The Wisconsin Arts Board is a state agency that nurtures creativity, cultivates expression, promotes the arts, supports the arts in education, stimulates community and economic development and serves as a resource for people of every culture and heritage. Since 1973, the Arts Board has supported state artists and arts organizations with funds from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Jim Richardson ’72 Wins the “Where in the World is LU?” Photo Contest

Jim Richardson, a Lawrence University alumnus from the Class of 1972, is the winner of Lawrence’s first-ever Facebook photo contest titled “Where in the World is LU?”

The contest invited Lawrence students, faculty, alumni, staff and friends to send photos of themselves proudly showing their LU spirit wherever they were — at home, at work, or anywhere in the world.  A team of LU judges narrowed more than 150 entries to 10 finalists. The finalists were posted on a web page where Lawrence’s Facebook friends voted to select the winner.  Richardson’s photo shows him seated in front of his truck as if he were in a sun filled, outdoor living room complete with table, lamp (featuring a vintage Vikings football helmet), letter jacket and Wisconsin license plate that reads LU-4.  He sent the photo to Lawrence with the following caption:

What better caption than “Light More Light”? The photo was taken in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, in an area known as The Underdown. Some would say it’s close to the middle of nowhere, as evidenced by the road that abruptly ends a short distance behind the truck.

“We received photos from nearly every continent, many countries and, yes, even from the middle of nowhere,” said Sheree Rogers, director of communications. “All the photos are a wonderful display of LU spirit and are photographic evidence that Lawrence University is EVERYWHERE. Thanks to everyone who sent or posted a photo.”  In addition to their home on Facebook, the many of the photos will be published in the next issue of Lawrence Today.

Rogers said “Where in the World is LU?” is likely to be the first of many interactive campaigns on Facebook. In the meantime, she tells the Lawrence community to keep those photos coming. “We always want to share photos of proud Lawrentians showing their LU spirit. Please continue to send us pictures that help us tell Lawrence University’s magnificent story.”

Jazz Series Concert Features Saxophonist Donny McCaslin

Critically acclaimed saxophonist and composer Donny McCaslin showcases his “roof-raising” talents Friday, February 25 at 8 p.m. at the Lawrence Memorial Chapel as part of the 2010-11 Lawrence University Jazz Series. McCaslin will be joined by the Lawrence Brass.

Tickets, at $22-20 for adults, $19-17 for seniors, and $15-17 for students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office in the Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton or by calling 920-832-6749.

Donny McCaslin

“Donny McCaslin definitely belongs in any discussion of top jazz saxophonists like Chris Potter and others,” said tubist Marty Erickson, a member of the Lawrence Brass. “He is very comfortable playing hard funk and a kind of high-energy post-bebop, but he also can render a ballad with the best of them.”

One of the pieces The Lawrence Brass will perform with McCaslin will be from his 2009 CD “Declarations,” which was ranked 12th on a list of favorite jazz CDs of 2009 by the website The Jazz Spectrum.

Described by Jazz Times as a “versatile” musician who plays with a “fluidity and grace,” McCaslin first picked up the tenor saxophone at the age of 12 and
participated in the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival’s California All-Star band while still in high school. After attending the Berklee College of Music, McCaslin toured with The Gary Burton Quintet for four years.

Based in New York since 1991, McCaslin has turned heads with his solo work in ensembles such as the Maria Schneider Orchestra and the Ken Schaphorst Big Band. He earned a 2004 Grammy Award nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo for his work on the album “Concert in the Garden.”

McCaslin’s Feb. 25 concert will mark a return to Appleton. He previously performed as principal soloist on former Lawrence jazz studies director Ken Schaphorst’s composition “Uprising,” a big-band work that has its world premiere performed in the spring of 1996 by the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble. The piece was later released on Schaphorst’s CD “Purple,” with McCaslin’s work winning rave reviews from the jazz media.

His discography features eight recordings as a leader, including the horn-infused “Declarations,” as well as many important sideman credits with the likes of fellow saxophonist David Binney, drummers Johnathan Blake and Antonio Sanchez and bassist Scott Colley.

Classic Czech Opera “The Bartered Bride” Comes to Stansbury Theatre

Four performances of Czech composer Bedrich Smetana’s classic opera “The Bartered Bride” will be staged Feb. 17-20 at Lawrence University.   The comedic tale of match making and marriage will be performed Feb. 17-19 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center.

Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

Set in a 19th-century Bohemian village, the opera follows the relationship between Mařenka and Jenik. The two are in love, but Mařenka’s father owes a debt to Micha, a wealthy, older man. Micha wants Mařenka to marry his son, Vašek, and he’s coming to town to seal the deal.

“Smetana and librettist Karel Sabina teamed together to craft a romantic comedy filled with plot twists and sibling rivalry,” said Timothy X. Troy, professor of theatre arts and J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama, who is directing the production. “The story reveals that unflappable loyalty and cleverness can overcome even the most intractable adversity. Mařenka’s inner strength and patience prove the perfect complement to Jenik’s quiet but confident ability to trick his superiors into giving the young couple exactly what they want and deserve.”

The second opera written by Smetana, “The Bartered Bride” premiered in 1866. By the mid-1870s, it was arguably the most popular Czech opera of all time — and many would say it still is. Smetana’s operas established him as a founding father of Czech classical music and this brilliant comedy has become a standard in opera houses around the world.

Smetana’s music is rooted in the traditions of Czech folk music, though the appeal of his melodies is universal,” said Bonnie Koestner, associate professor of music and vocal coach for the production. “We will be performing ‘The Bartered Bride’ in an English translation, so that our audience can directly enjoy the wit and emotion of the opera.”

The production also features a lively dance section in each of its three acts.  The dances are choreographed by Monica Rodero, a member of the Milwaukee-based Wild Space Dance Company, which has an artist-in-residency agreement with Lawrence.

“Monica’s setting of the polka in the first act and a furiant in the second act makes a delight for the eye as well as the ear,” said Troy.

The production features a double cast of 50 performers.  Junior Julia Steiner (Thur./Sat.) and senior Cassie Glasser (Fri./Sun.) portray Mařenka while seniors Nik Ross (Thurs./Sat.) and Justin Berkowitz (Fri./Sun.) play Jeník.  Vašek is portrayed by seniors Pat MacDevitt (Thurs./Sun.) and Alex Gmeinder (Fri./Sun.).

Professor of Music David Becker conducts the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra for the performances.

Senior Rodrigo Ruiz Conducts Professional Orchestra in Mexico City

It’s perfectly understandable if Rodrigo Ruiz is just a tad nervous these days.  After all, it’s not every day someone makes their professional conducting debut while still a student.

The Lawrence University senior will lead the Mexican Orchestra of the Arts Sunday, Feb. 6 in an all-Beethoven symphonic concert in Mexico City’s most prestigious concert hall, the 2,300-seat Sala Nezahualcóyotl.

Rodrigo Ruiz '11

Ruiz, who grew up in Baja California and now makes his home in San Diego, will conduct the professional orchestra in performances of Beethoven’s Leonore III Overture, the Emperor Piano Concerto, with guest pianist Mauricio Náder, and the Fifth Symphony.

A piano performance major, Ruiz has taken conducting tutorials with David Becker, Lawrence director of orchestral studies, since his sophomore year. He spent the 2009-10 academic year as the student assistant conductor of the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra.

“There are many things I enjoy about conducting the LSO, but this is going to be very different,” said Ruiz, who is currently on leave, but plans to return to campus for commencement exercises in June. “This is an older, professional orchestra and the musicians all feel they know what they’re doing already. But if I can get them to open up and really work with me, then they will realize that even if I’m only 22, I still have something to say. If they’re receptive, we can do something great together.”

Ruiz was chosen for the guest conducting position through a cultural program run by the state of Baja California based in part on video footage he submitted. The program is designed to assist talented young artists with their career development and is modeled on Venezuela’s “El Sistema” program, which has produced such talents as Gustavo Dudamel, currently the principal conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Becker hailed Ruiz as “a most talented young conductor with great potential.”

“His musical  gifts and dedicated commitment combined with his sincere love of humanity and the music will properly  guide him through this outstanding professional conducting opportunity. I wish him only the best with his very bright future.”

Ruiz is approaching the concert with the goal of making a meaningful connection with his audience, which will include his parents.

“My job as a conductor is to present myself just as a metal would conduct electricity so that this beautiful music written by these great composers can flow through me and reach the essence of the audience,” said Ruiz, who began rehearsals with the orchestra on Tuesday in preparation for Sunday’s concert.

Mexico City's Sala Nezahualcóyotl concert hall features seating behind the orchestra as well as in front.

“It is a huge thrill to work with a orchestra like this, especially in the Sala Nezahualcóyotl, which is the most important hall in Mexico. Some people consider it the most important concert hall in all of Latin America. It’s a little shocking to think I will be standing in this magnificent hall making my professional conducting debut. It is a little bit daunting, but very exciting, too.”

Award-winning Soprano Measha Brueggergosman Brings “Voluptuous Voice” to Lawrence Memorial Chapel

Critically acclaimed Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman brings her innate musicianship, voluptuous voice and a sovereign stage presence far beyond her years to the Lawrence Memorial Chapel Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. as the second concert in the 2010-11 Lawrence University Artist Series.

Tickets, at $22-20 for adults, $19-17 for seniors and $15-17 for students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office in the Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton or by calling 920-832-6749.

Measha Brueggergosman

Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a singer of rare gifts and artistic intensity,” the 33-year-old native of New Brusnwick, Canada, has emerged as one of the most magnificent performers and vibrant personalities touring today. She burst onto the scene in 1998 at the age of 20, singing the lead role in the premiere of the opera “Beatrice Chancy” in Toronto.  Since then, she has drawn praise for performances throughout Canada, the United States and Europe.

Joanne Bozeman, who teaches in the voice department of the Lawrence Conservatory of Music, said Brueggergosman’s passionate approach to performing captivates her audiences.

“Measha is enjoying an active, world-class career and for good reason,” said Bozeman. “She not only has a fabulous, beautifully colorful lyric soprano voice, she performs convincingly in a broad range of genres, languages and venues. Her public image seems to be that of a young, free spirit, but it belies her intense musical sophistication and ability to elicit subtle tonal shading in her singing. She has strong and compelling ideas about the texts of what she sings – perfect for the intimate genre of art song.”

Brueggergosman, who has been known to sing in her bare feet, has performed at many of the world’s great concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall and Paris’ famed Theatre des Champs-Elysees. She has sung with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra and gave a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II.  She showcased her talents to a world-wide audience of more than three billion viewers when she sang the Olympic Hymn — in English and French — at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games last February.

She was awarded the Grand Prize at the 2002 Jeunesses Musicales Montreal International Competition and was a prizewinner at The Dutch International Vocal Competition’s-Hertogenbosch, the Queen Sonja International Music Competition in Oslo and the ARD Music Competition in Munich, among others.

Profiled in the CBC-broadcast documentary “Spirit in her Voice,” Brueggergosman also has served as host of the European television cultural variety show “Arte Lounge.”

Curator, Public Art Advocate Mary Jane Jacob Delivers Lawrence University Convocation

Curator, author and educator Mary Jane Jacob discusses the changing dynamics of public art Tuesday, Feb. 8 in an address at Lawrence University.

Jacob, an independent curator and executive director of exhibitions at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, presents “The Collective Creative Process” at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 510 E. College Ave., Appleton.  Jacob also will conduct a question-and-answer session at 2 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center cinema.

Both presentations, part of Lawrence’s 2010-2011 convocation series, are free and open to the public.

Mary Jane Jacob

A former chief curator at both the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and later with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Jacob has established herself as one of the country’s leaders in exploring art outside the museum context.

Starting with the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, S.C., Jacob has developed numerous experimental public art programs, including “Culture in Action,” a two-year project  (1991-93) during which artists worked in direct partnership with community members to explore the changing nature of public art, its relationship to social issues and an expanded role of audience from spectator to participant.  The project provided a new model for art in the urban context.

In 2000, Jacob co-organized a multi-year consortium effort — “Awake: Art, Buddhism and the Dimensions of Consciousness” — that engaged 50 museum and other arts professionals.  Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, “Awake” explored the relationships between Buddhist practices and the arts in America and the intersection of the mind in creativity, meditation and perception of art.  It led to numerous exhibitions, performances, and public programs across the U.S.

As executive director of exhibitions at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Jacob is currently involved in the program “Living Modern Chicago.” Highlighting the program is the exhibition “Learning Modern” that uses the city as a living laboratory.  It bridges the historic roots of American modernism in Chicago and its critical role in education in the mid-20th century while linking to the contemporary critical practices of artists, architects and designers.

Jacob earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Univer­sity of Florida and a master’s degree in history of art and museum studies from the University of Michigan.  She has been awarded fellowships by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation, among others.

50-Hour Salute to the Insignificant Takes Center Stage as Lawrence University Hosts 46th Annual Trivia Contest

If it weren’t for an extended bout of insomnia his freshman year, Derrell Acon might never have risen to the exulted status of Grand Master for the 2011 Lawrence University Great Midwest Trivia Contest.

“As a freshman, I was only sleeping about every other day as it was, so students in Plantz Hall recruited me for their team, thinking I would make an ideal candidate,” said Acon, a fifth-year, double-degree senior from St. Louis, Mo.  “There were times during that year’s contest I was the only person on the team who was awake.”

The following year, Acon helped Plantz Hall to a second-place finish among on-campus teams before crossing over from question answerer to question writer/asker in 2009.  After two years as a trivia master, Acon was promoted to the proverbial big chair for this year’s contest.

Acon said he was the logical choice to orchestrate this year’s quizzical craziness.

“I have the most experience.  I’m looking forward to the opportunity to handle it this year and make sure everything goes well.”

The 46th edition — yes, the contest predates the Super Bowl by a year — of the popular contest dedicated to the world’s most insignificant facts begins its 50-hour run Friday, Jan. 28 at its usual quirky time of 10:00:37 p.m. and continues through midnight Sunday, Jan. 30.

Lawrence President Jill Beck kicks off the insanity by asking the contest’s first question.

As the trivia contest’s first African-American grand master, Acon takes devilish delight in the fact the he might be the answer to one of the 350-questions typically asked in a future version of the same contest he is overseeing this year.

“It’s an honor.  I can relate to Barack Obama,” Acon said with a laugh.

First held in 1966 as an alternative for students who didn’t participate in a serious academic retreat with professors, the trivia contest was originally broadcast over Lawrence’s campus radio station, WLFM.  But since 2006, the contest has switched to an Internet-based format and will be webcast at www.lawrence.edu/sorg/trivia, allowing people from all corners of the world to participate.

Questions of varying point values range from mildly obscure to the ridiculously inconsequential. At various times, the contest will feature hour-long sessions of questions centered around such themes as death and destruction or all things cats.

While the contest’s unpredictably accounts for a good deal of its charm, there is one certainty heading into this year’s version:  for the first time in a decade a new off-campus champion will be crowned.  The Bank of Kaukauna, which has dominated the contest since the turn of the century, winning its 10th consecutive title in 2010 by a mere five points, is abandoning contest supremacy for sociability.

“We always played to win, but we wanted to try something a little different this year,” explained John Brogan, who has hosted the 40-some members of the Bank of Kaukauna team at his parent’s home for the past 12 years.  “The team came to a decision last year that we were possibly doing bad things for trivia. Teams were consolidating for the contest just to try to beat us. When you just have a few megateams, you undermine the inclusiveness of what trivia is all about.”

Brogan said many members of the defending champs are returning to the Fox Valley from around the country for this year’s contest, but will be more focused on embracing trivia’s credo:  have fun.

“We’ve never served alcohol during trivia, but this year we’re going to relax that rule a little bit,” said Brogan, who has been extended the honor of asking the contest’s first “garruda” question. “In the spirit of trivia, we want to just have fun, see people we only get to see once a year at trivia time and just enjoy the contest.”

As always, the contest begins Friday evening with the last question of the previous contest — the virtually unanswerable 100-point Super Garruda question.  While no one correctly answered it last year, most teams will be able to start this year’s contest with 100 points because they’ll now know who is listed as the 2002 recipient on the plaque for the “Walt Haag Memorial Broken Propeller Award.”  (Not me.)