WOUB - Music and Arts

OU-C Theater To Present Comedy Double-Header

Jack Jeffery — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:40:52 +0000

Chillicothe, Ohio

Jack Jeffery

Photo Credit:

Ohio University-Chillicothe

Ken Breidenbaugh with students

The Ohio University-Chillicothe theater program will present a doubleheader of comic entertainment with scenes from Hat Tricks and the one-act play Art at 8 p.m. on June 8 and June 9 in the Bennett Hall auditorium.

Hat Tricks, a play by Dori Appel, has been described as an exciting compilation of scenes and songs from the comedic to those that are more thoughtful and poignant. Appropriately, every scene and song includes the presence of a hat.

Art was originally a French language play written by Yasmina Reza. The comedy raises questions about art and friendships and involves three long-time friends who are split over their differing opinions on what defines "art."

"Art is a particularly big deal, and is an important, honest, funny and respected play," director Ken Breidenbaugh said of the Tony Award-winning play.

"The three-man onstage argument is fast and furious, and the cast is terrific. I am enjoying the script immensely. The ‘what is art anyway?’ question is always interesting, and is in fact how I begin all of my fine arts classes each academic term, whether freshman or senior level. Ceiling frescoes and cereal boxes do, when you get down to it, have a place in the same aesthetic conversation. And, yes, I will take the frescoes."

Tickets are available at the OU-C Box Office on the evenings of performances. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for senior citizens and free for OU-C students. Group rates of $8 per ticket are also available.

Books, Games On Tap For Athens Comic Book Convention

Taylor Evans — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:04:58 +0000

Athens, Ohio

Taylor Evans

Photo Credit:

Sandy Plunkett

Artist: Sandy Plunkett

Comic book fans, assemble!

This weekend, ARTS/West, in association with The Wizard’s Guild, the Athens Public Library and the Athens County Convention and Visitor's Bureau, will be holding the first Ratha Con, Athens’ very own comic book convention.

Confused by the name "Ratha Con?" This link should clear things up.

The convention starts at the library on Saturday, May 26, opening at 10 a.m. with a panel of local comic book artists, followed by an entire day of activities at the Athens Community Center.

The Community Center activities include an additional panel discussion centered on Allan Moore’s V for Vendetta, gaming, raffles and trivia, comic collections from around Athens and "Artists' Ally," where local artists will be able to sell their wares.

The day will close with a game of "Humans vs. Zombies" on the grounds of the Community Center.

Ratha Con organizer Kelly Lawrence said that ARTS/West has wanted to do a comic convention for a long time.

"We knew the Dairy Barn was doing a graphic novel show [which opens May 25th]," she said. "We thought this was a good way to bring people from out of the area who may be interested in this genre of art to Athens to enjoy more than one thing."

Ratha Con is a way to spread awareness in the community about comics and bring attention to the wide array of artists in Athens.

Lawrence hopes to see the convention grow throughout the years, as other comic conventions have done in communities across the country, and that Ratha Con will attract comic book fans and non-fans alike.

"People can not only see how beautiful comic art is, they can also see that if they like Star Wars or Star Trek that they have people there they can talk to," she said. “We’d like to see those people come to Ratha Con and pick up some comic they’ve thought about and say 'this is something I can get into.'"

Admission to Ratha Con is $6. Coupons for $1 off admission can be found at The Wizard’s Guild or bring a ticket stub from The Avengers to get $1 off.

For more information about Ratha Con, visit http://rathacon.blogspot.com.

princerichter.mp3

OU Lancaster Deaf Studies Students Interpret "The Mousetrap"

Cheri Russo — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:23:17 +0000

Lancaster, Ohio

Cheri Russo

Photo Credit:

Jennifer LaRue

Becky Brooks

One showing of the Ohio University Lancaster Theater’s The Mousetrap will be done in a different language--sign language.

For the first time, students in the deaf studies program will be interpreting the play using American Sign Language.

"I think it’s really exciting," said Becky Brooks, interim coordinator of the deaf studies program. "I think it’s a great experience for the students, who are participating in something that is giving back to the community. It’s a wonderful experience."

The students will interpret one showing of the Agatha Christie murder mystery on Saturday, May 26 at 2 p.m. The ASL-interpreted show was the brainchild of theater director, A. Victor Jones.

Jones did an internship where he worked with deaf performers and thought having the students interpret the play would make theater more accessible to the deaf community.

There is a lot of dialogue in the play and the interpreting students have to make sure they are conveying the message of each scene and character without trying to be an actor. Each student will be responsible for interpreting more than one character.

"We’re sitting in on the rehearsals for The Mousetrap, said Leigh-Ann Wheeler, a deaf studies and communications major. "Our job as interpreters is to match the characters, but not overshadow. We’re not performers."

"It is a talky, talky murder mystery," said Jones. "It’s going to be interesting to see them doing all of that."

"There is a thin line of balance," said Felicia Wagner, a deaf studies and communications major.

It’s not a challenge any of the interpreters plan to back away from. In fact, they are very excited to have the opportunity to interpret the show for a deaf audience and have put in many long hours of work.

"A play is very difficult," said Brooks. "They are not watching the play when interpreting. They really have to know their lines. They do a lot of preparation."

The Mousetrap runs from May 23 to May 26 at the Wagner Theater on the Ohio University Lancaster campus. The deaf studies students will interpret the play on May 26 at 2 p.m.

OU Postdoc Poet Receives National Acclaim

Jessica Salerno — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:33:18 +0000

Athens, Ohio

Jessica Salerno

Photo Credit:

www.jaswinderbolina.com

Jaswinder Bolina

In high school, Jaswinder Bolina was inspired by the verse he read by world-famous poets such as William Shakespeare and John Keats, but the idea of poetry as a career path didn’t set in until much later.

“It didn’t occur to me that there were people alive still writing it, because in high school you always read dead people,” he says. “And occasionally you would hear of much more famous poets who were out there publishing, but it all felt very far away.”

There’s no longer any distance between Bolina, a postdoctoral fellow in Ohio University’s Department of English, and the field of poetry. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals, as well as in The Best American Poetry 2011. His most recent manuscript, Phantom Camera, won the 2012 Green Rose Prize from New Issues Press. The prize offers a $2,000 award and publication of his work in spring 2013.

Bolina got serious about pursuing poetry as a profession after taking a poetry workshop with Dean Young at Loyola University in Chicago. Bolina majored in philosophy but was writing on the side.

“Dean’s a working writer, and he introduced me to the idea that the country is filled with people who are writing and publishing,” Bolina says.

After graduating from Loyola, Bolina earned an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Michigan, where he met Ohio University Distinguished Professor Mark Halliday at a reception.

“It seemed like his view of poetry and how poetry should be written was very different from the people I’d worked with previously,” Bolina recalls.

Bolina came to Ohio University in 2005 to pursue his Ph.D. in English. Halliday helped direct his dissertation, and the two met regularly to discuss Bolina’s approach to poetry. The student won the Colorado Prize for Poetry in 2006 for his manuscript Carrier Wave, but since then, Halliday says Bolina’s writing style has changed significantly.

“He wrote poems at University of Michigan that you could call experimental,” Halliday says. He described them as intelligent and complicated, but difficult to understand. Halliday pushed Bolina to try more voice-driven work.

In the majority of his new poems, Bolina explores his personal experiences through the mindset of a different character, from a U.S. senator to a married family man.

“I take things that have actually happened, real things, and I attach them to these kinds of invented speakers, so I can talk about real feelings but not necessarily true events,” he says. He describes Phantom Camera as similar to a collection of singles on an album.

It typically takes Bolina about two weeks to write a poem from start to finish, not including later editing and tweaking. But it can vary by poem, depending on the idea or inspiration. Usually he starts with a line or a phrase and lets his imagination guide him.

“As a writer you’re always noticing things, and you think somebody ought to write about this experience that you’ve just observed,” he says. “It turns out that somebody is you.”

As for the infamous writer’s block, he admits that it can be frustrating when his writing doesn’t meet his expectations. But producing great work more than makes up for it.

“There’s literally a high that comes off of it that is very difficult to replicate in any other place,” he says. “It’s when you know you’ve come up with something that you care about that’s good.”

Bolina is wrapping up his postdoctoral position in June. He’ll continue to teach writing and developing his craft in his new job as assistant professor of creative writing in the Humanities Department at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass.

Read more about Bolina, including samples of his work, at http://www.jaswinderbolina.com.

Article courtesy of the Ohio University Office of Research Communications

Juried Student Art Exhibition At OU Lancaster

Cheri Russo — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:06:32 +0000

Lancaster, Ohio

Cheri Russo

David Heck

A photograph of a baby with angel wings, a painting of the earth in outer space and a charcoal sketch of an ode to Charlie Chaplin will all be hanging on the walls of the Raymond S. Wilkes Gallery for the Visual Arts as part of a Juried Student Art Exhibition at Ohio University Lancaster.

The goal of the exhibition is to support and recognize the current works of art from students on the Ohio University Lancaster campus.

"My role as a mentor is to create professional opportunities out of the classroom and it is most satisfying personally when I am able to mentor a highly motivated group of art students like those of the newly formed club, the Fine Arts Collective at Ohio University Lancaster," said Rachel Clark, art professor.

"The F.A.C. has been a huge part of the success of the Juried Student Art Exhibition in that they have submitted work to be juried and installed the work in the exhibition," she said.

The show runs through August 24. Students were asked to submit art from any type of media and cash prizes will be awarded for First, Second and Third place.

"This is an excellent example of the collaborative and competitive activities that art students and an arts community need to be successful locally and beyond," said Clark.

An opening reception will be held Thursday, May 24 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the art gallery.

Poking Fun At Phobias: Athens Illustrator Confronts Fear Through Art

Taylor Evans — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:13:06 +0000

Athens, Ohio

Taylor Evans

Photo Credit:

Stephen Richter

People deal with their phobias in a variety of ways. Confronting them, ignoring them, denying their existence. Illustrator Steve Richter draws them.

On Monday, May 14, Richter will host the opening of Steveophobia, a show at the Union Arts Gallery and Performance Space.

The 25-plus drawings deal with themes such as fear and anxiety and range in style from sketchbook excerpts to samples from his books.

Richter grew up in a house he described as 'full of books' and counts Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, Charles Schulz and the Berenstain Bears among his influences.

"There were a lot of illustrated books that caught my attention," he said. "They sort of gave me fantastical ideas about what I could do."

Richter describes his work as playful, fun and very personal and enjoys drawing maps, caricatures and toads.

In addition to his work as a freelance illustrator, Richter has self-published several books, including Atomic Yardsale and Existential Fish, which are available at Athens bookstores.

"A lot of it is very autobiographical. A lot of it is making fun of myself," he said. "The whole subject of Steveophobia is making fun of my personal fears and anxieties."

Nevertheless, Richter hopes that the audience can identify with his drawings, "because everyone has their own fears and anxieties."

Steveophobia opens Monday, May 14 at Union Arts with a free reception from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The show will be open weekends through May.

Prints from the show will be on sale at the gallery. For more information, visit www.steverichterart.com.

Majestic Galleries To Host OU Students' Artwork, Opening Reception

WOUB — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:50:06 +0000

Nelsonville, Ohio

The Majestic Galleries, located on Nelsonville's Public Square, will feature the work of two Ohio University graduate students during an art opening and reception on Saturday, May 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Angela Christine Smith's work, Her, is an exhibition that examines identity through the physical structures of the body, displayed by photographic evidence.

Andrew McPherson's graduate thesis exhibition Monies No Object features haunting paintings in the vein of pop surrealism. According to McPherson, the works explore and politicize the overlap of quantum physics and fundamental monetary policy.

"This show inspects the fabric of the realities taken for granted," he said.

The graduate student shows at the Majestic Galleries are an excellent experience for the students, says gallery co-manager Jim Shirey.

"The students are able to plan the entire exhibition, make all decisions on placement and lighting, and work on promotion," he said. "In this gallery they can greet visitors in a venue focused on their work and see people beyond the familiar visitors of the Athens art scene."

The Majestic Galleries are open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the May 12 opening.

Smith's and McPherson's work will be shown through May 20. Admission is free of charge.

Poet/Professor Mark Halliday

WOUB — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:23:50 +0000

Athens, Ohio

Photo Credit:

Ohio University Alumni Association

On this edition of Conversations from Studio B, Kelee Riesbeck talks with poet, Ohio University professor and critic Mark Halliday.

Halliday, who has authored five collections of poetry, was recently awarded the rank of distinguished professor at Ohio University.

For more information about Mark Halliday, read this Poetry Foundation bio. Visit WOUB's Wired for Books page to listen to Halliday read from his works.

riesbeckhalliday.mp3

ABC Players Present "The Taming of the Shrew"

WOUB — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:22:28 +0000

Nelsonville, Ohio

Photo Credit:

Sydney Good

Ken Bowald and Joe Balding star in the ABC Players' production of "The Taming of the Shrew"

On this edition of Conversations from Studio B, Celeste Parsons talks with Carol Ault, James Euto and Arielle Rogers about the ABC Players' production of The Taming of the Shrew, to be performed May 10-13 at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, Ohio.

One of Shakespeare’s best-known comedies, The Taming of the Shrew is a story of courtship, quick wit and disguises.

Baptista (played by Ruth Borovicka and Carol Ault) has two daughters of marriageable age. While Bianca (Jessica Cadle) has many suitors, Baptista has decreed that she must wait to marry until her older sister, Katharina (Arielle Rogers), also finds a husband.

Since Katharina is well-known to be a strong-willed “shrew,” two of Bianca’s suitors, Hortensio (Ken Bowald) and Gremio (Joseph Balding), decide to work together to find her a husband, thereby making it possible for one of them to marry Bianca.

Petruchio (James Euto) is new in town, and sets out to win over and “tame” Katharina. As the story unfolds, a young student, Lucentio, (Bethany Francis) joins the competition for Bianca’s affections, and many of the suitors assume false identities in order to escape the watchful eye of Baptista.

The cast is rounded out by servants Grumio (Karen Chan), Tranio (David Potts), Curtis (Christine Brady), and Nathaniel (Terry Smith), Lucentio’s father Vincentio (Cecilia Rinaldi), a Pedant (Marlo Tinkham) and a Widow (Kaylla Steadman).

The Taming of the Shrew is directed by Celeste Parsons, who also designed the set. Costumes were designed and created by Marlo Tinkham. Suzanne Ragg serves as stage manager, with Ardelle Donohue as props manager.

The show features original music by Timothy S. Klugh, who has written music for many other community theater shows, including ABC Players’ Wyrd Sisters in 2009. This production is sponsored by Rocky Boots.

Visit www.stuartsoperahouse.org for show times and ticket information.

shrew.mp3

Spring Senior Dance Concert This Weekend

Taylor Evans — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:40:44 +0000

Athens, Ohio

Taylor Evans

Photo Credit:

Ohio University School of Dance

Six students’ artistic visions will come to life this Saturday when the Ohio University School of Dance holds its annual Spring Senior Dance Concert.

Each performance is in a different modern style, such as jazz and folk dance, developed by the students themselves.

The audience can expect a wide variety of choreography, ranging from dark and mysterious to light and whimsical.

"We bring a type of dancing to the stage that our generation doesn’t experience through the television screen," said Alexa Baxendell, choreographer of Wild Mouse. "So don’t expect a ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ episode. Be prepared to see a balanced marriage of art and entertainment in a new light."

In total, there will be six choreographed pieces by six different students. The dances feature a total of 20 performers and include three solo pieces performed by their choreographers.

The students are also getting a chance to take their work on the road. In addition to this weekend's performances, the show will be presented at Hathaway Brown School and Centerville High School.

"I am very excited for this concert," said Megan Preston, whose piece is titled Contact-Conversation. "I am very proud of my individual cast, as well as the efforts of the senior class as a whole. I think that this concert is a very strong example of our artistic signatures."

Mickie Geller, professor in the School of Dance, says that the show is different from Senior Concerts in the past.

"Our students are encouraged to cultivate their unique artistic voices," she said. "So the pieces they choreograph are unlike any others that previous seniors have made. Their ideas are fresh and a true evocation of their choreographic interests and individual aesthetic choices."

The Spring Senior Dance Concert will be held Saturday, May 12 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and Sunday, May 13 at 2 p.m. in Putnam Hall's Shirley Wimmer Dance Theater. General admission is $6 and Ohio University students will be admitted free.