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TAD eUpdate April 21, 2009

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Theatre and Dance in Action
In This Issue
Art in Motion
Important Dates
UTD Updates
Directing II One-Acts
Robert Wechsler Workshops
Performing on Camera Workshop
2009 Modern Mystery Plays
ISP Cast
New York Showcase
Dance Day
Jeffrey Nicholson
TADbits
TAD Ticket Giveaway: Jesus Christ Superstar
TAD Ticket Giveaway: Dinner With Friends
Upcoming Events
Calendar

UTD Shoestring: Beirut
April 16-17, 7:30 PM
Carrington Auditorium

Camera Workshop
April 22, 11:00 AM
Balcony Theatre

Human Knot One-Acts
April 23-25, 7:30 PM
April 25, 2:30 PM
Balcony Theatre
 
For a complete list of Upcoming Events, click here.
Quick Links

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Upcoming BFA in Acting Dates

Tent Theatre

UTD

Upcoming Conferences, Workshops, & Auditions

Missouri State University

Springfield News-Leader Blog for T&D

Missouri State University
Art in Motion: Spring Dance Concert
TADBanner08 Tickets for Art in Motion, the 2009 Spring Dance Concert, are on sale now!

The concert will be held in Coger Theatre, from April 30-May 2, 2009, at 7:30 PM & May 3, 2009, at 2:30 PM.

Tickets: $8 (MSU advance purchase), $12, $14

Enjoy the tradition and the beauty that has come to Missouri State University every year through the art of dance. Developed, directed, and preformed by the university's very own students, this series always makes the mind leap and the eyes sing. Be apart of groundbreaking performances as music, fashion, and spirit meet art through the drama of dance. Be apart of the raw, human emotion that movements can bring over people. Unloosen the hinges of everyday life and prepare for a sweeping ride you won't soon forget.

For tickets, call 836-7678, toll-free 888-476-7849, or visit MissouriStateTix.com.

This year's Spring Dance Concert is a part of Arts in Action: The 10 Weeks Festival, an effort from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to help raise money for arts in education and basic needs for students in Springfield Public Schools.

Important Dates from the Acting Faculty
Attention T&D Students:

The Acting Faculty wanted to remind you of some important upcoming dates:

Thursday April 30th- BFA Acting Self Evaluation documents due. The BFA Acting/MT Assessment Checklist and Sign-Up is on the T&D Call Board now! Here are the instructions:
 
1. Complete BFA Self-Assessment Form. Form can be found on the TD website under the document library section (under "Resources") as "Self Evaluation for Annual BFA Assessment".
2. Make four Copies of completed Self-Assessment Form.
3. For those above sophomore rank, make four copies of your resume to accompany the self-assessment forms.
4. For those above sophomore rank, include one current headshot, to be turned in with self assessments and resume's.
5. Turn all required materials noted above into your area coordinator by Thursday April 30th at 12.00pm.
6. Sign-Up below for one 15 minute assessment time with area faculty.
7. Show up.

Monday May 4th- Thursday May 7th- Student Evaluations with Acting Faculty. Sign up will be on the call board. All PERFORMANCE THEATRE classes will be canceled this week in order to accommodate student evaluations and to give you additional time for Audition/Final prep. All BFA Actors must sign up for an assessment/evaluation time. (Graduating seniors will have an assessment time scheduled after their showcase)

Monday May 4th- Wednesday May 6th- Fall 2009 MSU Theatre Season General Auditions: Miss Julie, I Love You Because, & Macbeth.  ALL BFA Acting & MT are required to audition. Sign-up and audition information ARE NOW ON THE CALLBOARD!
 
UTD Updates
TADBanner08 It's a busy time in the world of UTD!...

-We are beginning to put together the Vickies ballot. For anyone interested in helping or who has input to make, contact Addie Barnhart at Barnhart421@MissouriState.edu.

-The Penny Wars to determine the hosts of the 2009 Vickie Awards will be happening soon. If you wish to be considered to host, please contact Addie Barnhart at Barnhart421@MissouriState.edu AND Jessica Morgan at Jessica14@MissouriState.edu.


Directing II One-Acts
TADBanner08
Human Knot Productions presents the Spring 2009 Directing II One Acts! The dates and shows are as follows:

Set A: Thurs., April 23 and Sat., April 25 at 7:30 pm
Bar and Ger directed by Bruce Hartley
A Wedding Story directed by Corey Dunne
The Siren Song of Stephen Jay Gould directed by Adman Gilgour
Funeral Parlor directed by Andy Willadsen
 
Set B: Fri., April 24 at 7:30 pm and Sat., April 25 at 2:30 pm
The Chocolate Affair directed by Carol Auterson
'Tis Pity He's a Whore directed by Timothy Hart
The Roads That Lead Here directed by Felicia Hall
Now We're Really Getting Somewhere directed by Stephanie Curry
Here We Are directed by Rachel Masters
 
This event is FREE and open to the public... but space is limited, so get there early!

Any questions, please contact Andy Willadsen at Willadsen13@MissouriState.edu
Robert Wechsler Workshops
Places available for Open Workshops with Robert Wechsler:
THIS Tuesday (4/21), Wednesday and Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, and Saturday from 12:00 to 2:00 - Art Annex, room 4 A (wear sneakers and comfortable clothing). Come participate in and/or observe one or all Open Workshops.

Workshops will focus on Interaction. While always an integral part of theater, music and dance, digital technologies have given the notion of interaction new meaning. Wechsler uses sensors and computer systems to add spontaneity and expressive power to live performances. Work generated from the workshops will be performed in Coger Theater, on the MSU Department of Theatre and Dance's Spring Dance Concert. You do NOT have to dance to participate - but do bring your curiosity!

Contact Ruth Barnes for more information.


American choreographer Robert Wechsler, Artistic Director of German-based Palindrome Inter.media Performance Group, will be in residence at Missouri State University, April 21st to May 2nd. Wechsler will conduct workshops and lecture/demonstrations in Motion Capture (movement tracking) technology, focusing on applications to stage performance work, as well as Master Classes in modern dance technique. Workshops will focus on Interaction. While always an integral part of theater, music and dance, digital technologies have given the notion of interaction new meaning. Wechsler uses sensors and computer systems to add spontaneity and expressive power to live performances.  Work generated from the workshops will be performed in Coger Theater, on the MSU Department of Theatre and Dance's Spring Dance Concert, Thursday, April 30th to Saturday, May 2nd at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, May 3rd at 2:30 pm. 
 
Robert Wechsler is a choreographer, dancer and developer of interactive methods of performing with technology. He holds a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase, and an MFA in Choreography from New York University. From 1979 to 1988, he studied with Merce Cunningham. His interest in sensors and electronic devices dates back to the 1970's, when he used body-worn electronic devices to generate sounds through movements on stage. Wechsler has been honored with a Fulbright Fellowship, grants from the Marshall Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts. He founded Palindrome in 1982, together with like-minded artists and scientists. 

Wechsler also teaches and writes about dance and technology. From 2004 to 2006 he was head of England's first Masters program in Digital Performance, at Doncaster College, Hull University. He has published articles in Leonardo Magazine, IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, Ballet International, Dance Magazine, Dance Research Journal, Nouvelles de Danse, Der Tanz der Dinge and others, and a book, Motion Tracking: a practical guide for performing artists. 
 
Financial support for Robert Wechsler's MSU residency comes from the Departments of Art & Design, Music and Theatre & Dance. 

Contact:
For workshops and classes, Ruth Barnes: ruthbarnes@missouristate.edu or 836-5201
For more information about Spring Dance Concert, visit the Department of Theatre and Dance website: http://theatreanddance.missouristate.edu/productions.asp
 
"Performing on Camera" Workshop
TADBanner08 FREE WORKSHOP FOR ALL THEATRE & DANCE STUDENTS!
 
Feature and Documentary Filmmakers Glen Pitre & Michelle Benoit will be visiting MSU as part of the Public Affairs Conference. They will also be offering the following workshop and screening:
 
Performing on Camera  
Wednesday April 22nd, 11am-1pm, Craig Hall Balcony Theatre
This session will provide students the opportunity to engage in a mock audition with feature and documentary filmmakers Glen Pitre and Michelle Benoit, and to gain important insights about the logistics of film performance and the "on camera" industry. Substantial time will be provided for inquiries and discussion. Audition participants will be pre-selected. All university students are invited to view auditions and participate in discussion. *
 
Screening and Discussion: American Creole: A New Orleans Reunion
Wednesday April 22nd, 3:00-5:00pm, Plaster Student Union Theatre
American Creole "follows musician Don Vappie after Katrina and asks if culture emerges from landscape, what happens when the landscape is forever changed." Screening will be followed by a question/answer session. This Session is open to all university students.*
 
*These events are made possible through collaboration from COAL, Theatre & Dance, Media Journalism & Film, and through support from the futures grant Green Theatre: Vanishing Wetlands, Vanishing Cultures.
 
Artist Biographies:
Husband and wife filmmaking team Glen Pitre and Michelle Benoit have garnered recognition worldwide for their features and documentaries. Whether in film or video, their production company, Côte Blanche, specializes in bringing the stories and history of southern Louisiana to audiences.  Pitre and Benoit have created award winning films featuring the talents of Robert Duvall, Armand Assante, Tim Curry, George Kennedy, Billy Zane, Julian Sands, Lacey Chabert, and Tatum O'Neal, among others.

Their most recent feature collaborations include The Man Who Came Back, about the first labor strike post Civil War, and The Scoundrel's Wife (released as The Home Front), a feature about WWII on the bayou home front.

They recently completed the fourth in a series of documentaries about coastal wetlands loss for the National Estuary Program. Called Harvest to Restore America's Coastal Heartland, it details the impact of this natural and man-made disaster on the U.S. and what can be done to reverse it. American Creole: New Orleans Reunion, a documentary about post-Katrina New Orleans aired on PBS in 2006. In 2003, Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert acclaimed Pitre "a legendary American regional director."

Benoit most recently served as Artist-in-Residence at the University of New Orleans.
2009 Modern Mystery Plays
TADBanner08 MSU Theatre & Dance and the United Ministries in Higher Education invites you to the 2009 Modern Mystery Plays!

The Mystery Plays will be presented on April 26, 2009, 6:30 PM, at Covenant Presbyterian (2441 South Lone Pine, Springfield, Missouri). This event is free and open to the public.

This year's productions include:
 Israel, Inc.- the story of Deborah by Serena Bannasch
You Wouldn't Want to Live There- the story of Delilah by Jessica Teliczan Moving- the story of Ruth and Naomi by Sheristen James
 
After the performances there will be a reception to meet the playwrights and actors.

ISP Cast
Congratulations to the 2009-2010 cast of In School Players!


Harrison Fanter
Levi Hobson
Candice Hudson
Sam Long
Jennifer Mohr
Shirley Norris
Melanie Rogers
Nick Stephens
Jimmy Wilson

Thanks to all who auditioned! I saw a great array of talent, making the decision particularly difficult this year. If you didn't make the cast this year, please audition next year!
Sincerely,
Michael Frizell
 
New York Showcase
TADBanner08 The Musical Theatre Senior Showcase will take place in New York on Tuesday, April 21st, at 3:30pm & 5:30pm in the New World Stages (340 W50th St.)

The seniors who will be performing this year include Addie Barnhart, Samantha Barboza, Stephanie Elzea, Emily Bolt, Kelly Hogan, Bryan Benware, Stephanie Brown, Beca Rasch, Jackson McKeehan, and Doran Schmidt.

Break a leg to all who are performing!

For more information, visit the Missouri State Talent Connect Website!
 
Dance Day
TADBanner08 On Saturday, May 2nd, the Theatre & Dance Department will be sponsoring "Dance Day" at Missouri State University, for students between the ages of 12 and 18!
 
Students will be able to take dance classes, meet the dance faculty, and attend the Spring Dance Concert.


The "Dance Day" Itinerary includes:

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM: Dance Class
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM: Lunch in the PSU
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM: Modern Class
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM: Jazz Class
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM: Workshop and Discussion with Teachers
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM: Art In Motion Spring Dance Concert in Coger Theatre

All classes and workshops will be in McDonald 203.

To register call the Theatre and Dance Department Office at (417) 836-4400 or e-mail Sara Brummel at SaraBrummel@MissouriState.edu.
 
Cost - $8.00 per student.
 
Photographer Jeffrey Nicholson
TADBanner08 On May 6thth and 7th headshot photographer Jeffrey Nicholson will be coming to Missouri State University from Los Angeles and offering students (and faculty) professional headshots at a discounted rate:

1 Look - $200
1 Look Split Session - $175  (You may split a 2 look session when you book a 2 look shoot with another person)
2 Looks - $325
3 Looks - $375

(A look is a wardrobe change.  Nicholson will shoot in several environments, both for commercial and theatrical with a variety of expressions and a minimum of 75 images per look.)

Book quickly as his time slots will fill up fast at this rate. To reserve a slot you can contact him at:
E-Mail: shotphotography@aol.com
Phone: 323.850.SHOT
Text at 323.578.9732

 For more information, please visit Jeff's website at TheShotPhotography.com
TADbits
Introducing TAD Tidbits- aka TADbits. These are just small random bits of news!


-If you are a BFA Musical Theatre senior with an upcoming Senior Recital, please e-mail Matt Tassell at Tassell65456@MissouriState.edu to advertise your recital in future TAD eUpdates.

-Congrats to Professor Telory Davies, who recently published her first book, "Performing Disability: Staging the Actual." Click Here for more information.

-The "Arts in Action" 10 Week Festival is going strong! Click Here to read the Springfield News-Leader article on the events, which includes a mention of the MSU Spring Dance Concert!

-Broadway star Diedre Goodwin is currently featured in the MSU Alumni Spotlight.


-The First Annual BFA Acting Showcase will be held Saturday May 9th at 7:30 in Coger Theatre on the MSU campus. Admission is Free. More information to be announced in future TAD eUpdates.

TAD Giveaway: Jesus Christ Superstar
TADBanner08 This week, you can win two tickets to the opening night performance of Jesus Christ Superstar on Friday, April 24th, at 8:00 PM at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts.

If you wish to be entered in this giveaway, please respond to this e-mail with "Jesus Christ Superstar" in the Subject Field by THURSDAY, APRIL 23RD AT 11:30 AM!

The first masterpiece from the legendary writing team of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber changed the world of musical theatre forever. With a score of amazing songs - "I Don't Know How to Love Him", "Everything's Alright", "What's the Buzz" and "Superstar" - this groundbreaking production, starring Ted Neeley in the title role, is as relevant and timeless as ever.

www.troika.com

Also note- Student Rush tickets are $18 for the evening performances (Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm) and $15 for the Saturday and Sunday 2pm matinees.
 
TAD Giveaway: Dinner With Friends
TADBanner08 This week, you can win two tickets to see Dinner With Friends by Donald Margulies for it's opening weekend, April 24-26, at 7:30 PM, at the Vandivort Center Theatre.

If you wish to be entered in this giveaway, please respond to this e-mail with "Dinner With Friends" in the Subject Field by THURSDAY, APRIL 23rd AT 11:30 AM! You MUST include the date(s) which you are available to see the performance (We will be giving away THREE pairs of tickets- one for each night).

Directed by Robert Bradley
Featuring *Mark Irish, Holly Muns, *David Schmittou, Bethany Ziskind
*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Special Appearance Contract.

Four friends, two marriages, one divorce.
A play for anyone who's ever been married. A play for anyone who's had a close friend.
Four friends, two marriages, one divorce. A play about the fundamental notions that lie at the center of a friendship or a marriage.

It has been hailed as "brilliant" by the New York Daily News and "splendid" in The New York Times. Winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Also note-
We are having a special night performance of DINNER WITH FRIENDS on Sunday 26 April at 7:30 PM. We hope to catch students and other theatre folks who may not have a chance to get to the theatre at the traditional Thurs-Sat eve times. We will have a "conversation" with the actors and director and a lobby reception, following the performance. A good night to meet the cast. Please send this info out to all of your friends in the theatre community. Tickets are only $12 ($10 student rush) for this performance.

The TAD eUpdate is released every Tuesday at 5:00 PM. Should you have any new or updated information, perhaps something you want to share, please contact Matt Tassell (Tassell65456@MissouriState.edu).
 
The TAD eUpdate does not replace the department's callboards. Continue to check the callboards every day for more information.
 
This is an official publication of the Missouri State University Department of Theatre and Dance.
Please send corrections or comments to Matt Tassell (Tassell65456@MissouriState.edu).

Want to Share? 

If you would like to include an item for the TAD eUpdate, you must contact Matt Tassell (Tassell65456@MissouriState.edu) no later than 5:00 PM the Monday prior to the TAD eUpdate's publishing for inclusion.
 

Department of Theatre and Dance | Missouri State University | 901 South National | Springfield | MO | 65897

 

ID 194 • 4/23/2009



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