Campus News: November 13th, 2008

From Connie Lester, Redfern: Keene State College students from the Theatre and Dance Department will present The Matchmaker, by Thornton Wilder. Directed by PeggyRae Johnson, the play will be staged Wednesday through Saturday, November 19–22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern Arts Center.

Best known for his play Our Town, Wilder turns to Moliere for inspiration for this fast-paced farce. Set in 1880 during stressful economic times, the storyline is a constant banter between the materialistic versus humanistic views of successful Yonkers merchant Horace Vandergelder and the meddlesome matchmaker Dolly Levi upon Mr. Vandergelder’s decision to take a wife. The plot gets wildly complicated when Vandergelder’s clerks, Cornelius and Barnaby, and two young women in a hat shop inadvertently involve themselves in this rollicking quest for adventure.

In addition to the fourteen KSC students in the cast, Liz Panneton ‘09, is lighting designer, and Gillian Clarke-Moon ‘09 is stage manager. Several Theatre and Dance Department faculty members are involved in the production: Craig Lindsay is technical director, Mary Robarge is costume designer, and Jenny Fulton is set designer. Daniel Patterson, chair of the Theatre and Dance Department, is production manager and is making a cameo appearance as Joe, the Barber. Tickets are available through the box office at 8-2168 or online at http://www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy photo: Cast members of The Matchmaker — (from left) Jaime Pearsons as Mrs. Molloy, Kade Hill as Cornelius Hackl, Allison Relihan as Minnie Fay, and Ethan Selby as Barnaby Tucker (under the table) — perform Wednesday through Saturday, November 19–22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern Arts Center

Filed under: Arts, Redfern | No Comments »

From Jim Draper, Purchasing: New KSC Assistant Professor of Art Paul McMullan spent the summer sorting out 36 years of ceramic supplies. Last Saturday, his efforts were rewarded when he combined with the KSC Surplus Property Program and sold $3,600 worth of old equipment and supplies.

“What an introduction to Keene State,” McMullan said. “It took a bunch of people to pull this thing together. Environmental Health and Safety Officer Sylvie Rice helped me identify and organize things over the summer. This past week, work-study students Mike Kumpulanian, Brendan Walsh, and Daren Morris provided more help, and on Saturday, KSC Physical Plant workers Nate Demond and Robert MacKenzie provided much of the heavy lifting. We cleaned out years of stuff, and local potters got some real bargains. Now I have room to upgrade and build the program at KSC. Thanks to everyone for their hard work.”

Filed under: Arts | No Comments »

From Jim Draper, Purchasing: We are cleaning out one of our ceramic studios, and on Saturday, November 1, from 8 a.m. to noon, we will sell the following items:
• Pottery Wheels
• All types of clays
• Assorted finished pottery
• Free used hard kiln bricks
• New G-23 insulating soft bricks
• Ceramic kiln bricks
• Mixing buckets
• Mixers

The sale is on campus at the end of Wyman Way, next to Whitcomb Garage. All is first come, first served, and all sales are cash and carry. Bring a friend, bring a truck, and walk away with a bargain!

Filed under: Arts, Purchasing | No Comments »

From Bill Menezes, Redfern: Rubberbandance Group, one of Canada’s foremost modern dance companies, will premiere their latest creation, “Punto Ciego” (“Blind Spot”), on Thursday, October 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern Arts Center.

The company unites world-class dancers from contemporary, classical, ballet, hip-hop, and break-dance backgrounds to investigate human relationships using film, video, and pulsing scores to create evenings of subtle story telling.

The full evening’s work is described as a tragic comedy that explores the relationships among six different people. At times the characters see their relationships only through a lens of virtual reality. During the course of the performance, they will defend their perceptions as well as question them. In the end, they accept their varying perspectives on the reality of these relationships.

Tickets are available through the Redfern box office (8-2168) or online at www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy Photo: Rubberdance Group

Filed under: Arts, Redfern | No Comments »

From Connie Lester, Redfern: Four KSC students from the Department of Theatre and Dance will share the stage in Nicky Silver’s unimaginably dark and humorous production, Fat Men in Skirts, directed by KSC assistant professor Ron Spangler.

The play will be staged Tuesday through Saturday, October 14 – 18, at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday, at the Redfern Arts Center.

Fat Men in Skirts exposes the lives and loves of a dysfunctional family through a macabre storyline that begins with a plane crash. Silver uses extreme emotional situations as the backdrop for this story of savage human behavior, yet at its roots the play is a love story. Due to mature topics and language, this production is not recommended for anyone under 16 years of age. Tickets are available through the box office at 8-2168 or online at http://www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy Photo:
Cast members of Fat Men in Skirts: (from left) Chris Kelly, Hayley Luoma, Greg Parker, and Liz Panneton

Filed under: Arts, Redfern | No Comments »

From Connie Lester, Redfern: On Monday, October 13, the Music Department will welcome guest soprano Patricia Caicedo, who joins KSC faculty, José Lezcano (guitar), and George Loring (piano) in a recital at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall.

The “Musical Journey Through Latin America” program will feature works by composers from Argentina, Spain, Cuba, Brazil, Columbia, and Venezuela, to include De Falla, Ovalle, Villa-Lobos, Dominguez, Carlos Guastavino, Braga, Lezcano, and more. For tickets, call the box office at 8-2168.

Filed under: Arts, Faculty Events, Redfern | No Comments »

From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: Artists living within 30 miles of Keene and Friends of the Thorne members are invited to enter the 2009 Biennial Regional Jurors’ Choice Competition at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery.

The exhibition, open to artists working in all media, will be displayed Saturday, January 24, to Thursday, February 26. The jurors will be announced on the Thorne’s website. In addition to selecting works to be shown in the Regional Jurors’ Choice Exhibition, the jurors will select artists for various awards, honors, and cash prizes. Gallery visitors will select a People’s Choice Commendation.

Artists may submit one or two works in any medium completed within the past two years. Works done under the supervision of an instructor are not eligible. Entries for the competition must be hand-delivered to the gallery between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday or Saturday, December 12 and 13. For more information about the Regional Jurors’ Choice Competition and to download a Call for Entries form, visit the Thorne website at or call 8-2720.

Filed under: Arts, Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery | No Comments »

From Connie Lester, Redfern: On Wednesday, October 15, the Keene State Department of Music will present KSC faculty member Scott Mullett and his jazz quartet, and Vermont’s leading Carribbean- and Latin-inspired jazz band, Zabap, led by Julian Gerstin, for a recital, at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Recital.

Mullett has played and toured with some of the best big bands in the world, including those of Woody Herman and Artie Shaw, is founder and director of the Keene Jazz Orchestra, and currently teaches students from around the tri-state area.

Zabap incorporates melodies and grooves from Africa and the Antilles, and is lead by Julian Gerstin. He has performed with the Windham Orchestra, Brattleboro Community Chorus, Brattleboro Women’s Chorus, jazz vocalist Samirah Evans, and the Cajun band Lil’ Orphans, and teaches ethnomusicology at Keene State. For tickets, call the box office at 8-2168.

Filed under: Arts, Musical Performances, Redfern | No Comments »

From Bill Menezes, Redfern: Shakespeare & Company will make its New Hampshire debut at Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond with Shakespeare’s Hamlet on Tuesday, October 7. The company will perform for area schools at 9:30 a.m. and again for general audiences at 7 p.m. The production is co-presented with the Colonial Theatre of Keene.

This pared-down, revved-up version of Shakespeare’s uncontested masterpiece will be an evening of stunning theater for audiences across the country. The company’s portrayal of the human struggle between two opposing forces — moral integrity and vengeance — was hailed as “galvanizing and bold” by Variety.

For tickets contact the Redfern box office 8-2168 or online at www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy photo
Shakespeare & Company

Filed under: Arts, Redfern | No Comments »

Craig Sylvern attended the 2008 Cardinal Saxophone Workshop at the University of Louisville this past July. The workshop attracts professional and student musicians from across the country and includes performances by individuals, chamber groups, and a large ensemble made up of all the participants. This year’s large ensemble included saxophones from the tiny sopranino to the monstrous contrabasso. Craig participated in several performances, one of which included the world premiere of Dance for Two Tenor Saxophones and Piano, a piece written for him by Walter S. Hartley.

Filed under: Arts, Faculty Events | No Comments »

From Bill Menezes, Redfern: The Georgia Guitar Quartet (GGQ) will open the 2008–09 season at Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond on Saturday, October 4, at 7:30 p.m. The Redfern is dedicating this season of music, theatre, and dance to Keene State’s year-long centennial celebration. The Quartet will also conduct a free and public lecture demonstration at noon that Saturday.

GGQ’s Redfern performance will feature classical works by Michael Praetorius, Domenico Scarlatti, Frédéric Chopin, Edvard Grieg, and Federico Moreno Torroba, among others. In a more contemporary vein, GGQ will play compositions by Kyle Dawkins, Vince Guaraldi, and Nikita Koshkin. Audio clips of GGQ performance excerpts are available at their website. For tickets call 8-2168 or visit www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy photo: Georgia Guitar Quartet

Filed under: Arts, Redfern | No Comments »

Aroha Dahm (below), New Zealand artist and Fulbright scholar, will discuss New Zealand culture and the art exhibit “Earth and Spirit: Contemporary Indigenous Art from New Zealand and Australia” at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 25, at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery. New Zealand’s Honorary Consul to New England, Simon C. Leeming, will join the discussion.

After the discussion, the KSC Film Society will screen two New Zealand films at the Putnam Arts Lecture Hall: Alex, which follows a New Zealand swimmer training for the 1960 Rome Olympics, starts at 7 p.m., and Old Scores, about two old men recreating the controversial 1966 All Blacks/Wales rugby match in New Zealand, shows at 9 p.m. Admission is free to films, the discussion, and the exhibit. For further information, call 8-2720 or visit http://www.keene.edu/tsag/.

Courtesy photo

Filed under: Arts, Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery | No Comments »

From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: On Wednesday, September 17, at 7 p.m.
, the Friends of the Thorne continues its Meet the Monadnock Artists Series with photographer Jeffrey Newcomer from Spofford, N.H.

Newcomer will show his photos and explain the process of using the viewfinder of a camera to create art. For more information call the gallery at 
8 -2720, or visit http://www.keene.edu/tsag.

Filed under: Arts, Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery | No Comments »

From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: Australian and New Zealand artists show contemporary artwork that’s rooted in their indigenous past in an exhibit that opens Monday, September 8, and continues through Sunday, October 19, at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery.

“Earth and Spirit: Contemporary Indigenous Art from New Zealand and Australia” features indigenous art in a variety of media, including paintings and traditional forms such as weaving and carving in wood and jade, and includes carved masks, fiber art, weaponry, and musical instruments.

A reception on Thursday, September 25, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. will include a discussion on New Zealand art and culture and screening of two New Zealand films.

Maori artist and Fulbright scholar Aroha Dahm and New Zealand Honorary Consul to New England Simon C. Leeming will lead the discussion and answer questions at 6 p.m. at the gallery. After the discussion, the KSC Film Society will show Alex, a story that follows a New Zealand swimmer training for the 1960 Rome Olympics, at 7 p.m., and Old Scores, a film about two old men re-creating the controversial 1966 All Blacks/Wales rugby match in New Zealand, at 9 p.m. in the Putnam Arts Lecture Hall. Admission to the films, reception, and exhibit is free. For information, call 603-358-2720 or visit http://www.keene.edu/tsag.

Courtesy Photo
Emu’s Nest, an acrylic painting by James P. Simon, an Australian Aboriginal, is among the 60 artworks exhibited in “Earth and Spirit: Contemporary Indigenous Art from New Zealand and Australia”

Filed under: Arts, Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery | No Comments »

From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: Faith Ringgold, an award-winning author and artist, exhibits a variety of artwork spanning 44 years at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery from Monday, September 8, through Sunday, November 23.

“African/American Influences: The Art of Faith Ringgold” showcases this African American artist’s story quilts, oil paintings from the 1960s, works on paper, and soft sculpture such as masks and dolls. The exhibit includes the original layouts for Tar Beach, Ringgold’s first children’s book, which won more than 20 awards, including the prestigious Caldecott Honor Book of 1992. For information, call 603-358-2720 or visit http://www.keene.edu/tsag.

Courtesy Photo
Groovin’ High, a silkscreen by artist and author Faith Ringgold

Filed under: Arts, Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery | No Comments »

The Georgia Guitar Quintet will open Redfern’s 2008-09 Presenting Series on October 4.

From Bill Menezes, Redfern: For 100 years, the arts have played an important role in the life of Keene State College, and Redfern’s 2008-09 Presenting Series will honor that tradition with a season that builds on the past, looks to the future, and celebrates KSC’s Centennial. The 2008-09 season will open on Saturday, October 4, with the dynamic Georgia Guitar Quartet.

This year, three visiting artists return to perform at the Redfern. In keeping with the theme of building on the past to celebrate the future, they will bring their latest creations: In March, the chamber theatre group Core Ensemble will perform Ain’t I a Woman, celebrating the life and times of four remarkable African-American women.

Also in March, one of New York’s hottest dance companies, Keigwin + Company, will perform Elements, an evening-length work that premiered this summer at the Bates Dance Festival. In April, I Musici de Montréal, on its 25th anniversary tour, will perform Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition with large-screen projections of paintings inspired by the original paintings that in turn inspired Moussorgsky’s timeless music.

Tickets for these and other performances may be ordered by calling 8-2168 or visiting http://www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy photo

Filed under: Arts, Redfern | No Comments »