UNews - Jonathan Franzen

Spring Awakening shocks, resonates

trevor.kenney — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:08:38 +0000

By AMANDA BERG

A revelation of teenage truths, sexual stirrings and adolescent angst experienced throughout history to present day, Frank Wedekind's wonderfully twisted tale, Spring Awakening, has it all.

Set in Victorian era Germany, this so-called "children's tragedy" follows the escapades of Melchior, Moritz, Wendla and their young friends. The group is experiencing their sexual awakening and becoming curious about their bodies, masturbation and each other. Their teachers and parents, respectable adults all, fight to keep these young people on the straight and narrow, with often hilarious and disastrous results. While the characters struggle toward an uncertain future, several wither and fail to survive the awakening of spring.

Students prepare the backdrop for the twisted tale, Spring Awakening.

"At the time Spring Awakening was written, in 1891, it was so outside the norm in both content and form that Wedekind faced heavy scrutiny," says director Jay Whitehead. "With its candid inclusion of sex, masturbation, suicide, homosexuality and even sado-masochism, the play was considered far too shocking for any government to allow it to be performed. Even 15 years later, when it was finally staged, it was never done so uncensored. However, our production has censored none of Wedekind's original vision."

Whitehead adds that the shock value of the play does not hinder its message.

"The play is poignantly relevant to our time," he says. "When sexual confusion and misguided notions of morality are leading youth to put a gun in their mouth or jump off the George Washington Bridge, this play is as important as it ever was. I chose the translation by award winning author, Jonathan Franzen, because of his approach to the original text. Certainly this is a play with a strong social conscience and the message resonated all the more packaged in the extremely dark comic sensibility of Franzen's translation. "

With sets and costumes designed by MFA drama student, David Barrus, Spring Awakening promises to be a mesmerizing night of theatre.

"The set is unlike anything I've seen or worked with before, and the costumes, featuring a chorus of grotesquely masked adult characters, fits beautifully with the weirdness of the overall production," says Whitehead.

Dark yet funny, stunning yet inspirational, Spring Awakening is an absorbing and memorable play. It shows at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre stage, Nov. 23-27 at 8 p.m. nightly.

For tickets, visit the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Box Office, Monday through Friday, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., or call 403-329-2616. Tickets are priced at $15 regular admission, $10 student/senior.

Performing Arts events

trevor.kenney — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:30:19 +0000

THEATRE & MUSIC

November 22
Ode to Joy
(Beethoven's Symphony #9)
8 p.m., Southminster United Church
Lethbridge Symphony and Vox Musica with soloists Janet Youngdahl, soprano; Sandra Stringer, mezzo-soprano; Blaine Hendsbee, tenor; and George Evelyn, bass-baritone. Tickets: 403-329-7328.

November 23-27
Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind (English Translation by Jonathan Franzen)
8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre
Written in 1891 and not performed uncensored for decades, this "children's tragedy" is as much a statement about sexual morality and bourgeois hypocrisy today as it was a century ago. A group of teens experience a sexual awakening, becoming curious about their bodies, each other, masturbation and more. Teachers and parents fight to protect them, with both hilarious and disastrous results. Mature content.

November 26
U of L Wind Orchestra Concert
8 p.m., Southminster United Church

November 30
Magnum Mysterium (Great Mystery)
8 p.m., Southminster United Church | Vox Musica and the U of L Women's Chorus.

December 1
Birth of the Cool
8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre | The U of L Jazz Ensemble performs music from the famous album Birth of the Cool and other well-known Miles Davis songs, including All Blue and So What.

December 3
Classical Percussion Concert
8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre | The
U of L Percussion Ensemble performs compelling modern and classical repertoire with a touch of Christmas.

December 4 & 5
Magnificat & Messiah
8 p.m., Dec. 4 | 3 p.m., Dec. 5, Southminster United Church | The LSO with the U of L Singers perform Bach's Magnificat and the Christmas part of Handel's Messiah. Tickets: 403-329-7328. LSO Master Series

January 22
Big Band Cabaret
8 p.m., U of L Ballrooms (Students' Union Building) | Enjoy a silent auction, door prizes, and dancing to the music of the Lethbridge Big Band.

January 20-22
TheatreXtra
8 p.m., David Spinks Theatre; Matinee: 2 p.m., Jan. 22

January 22
Classical Winds
8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall
Features Thomas Staples, horn; Margaret Mezei, clarinet; and Deanna Oye, piano; with friends. Faculty Artists & Friends Series

January 23
Classical Winds
2 p.m., Medicine Hat Esplanade Studio Theatre | The concert is followed by a
U of L alumni reception. Faculty Artists & Friends Series

January 27
Schubertiade
7:30 p.m., Lethbridge Public Library Theatre | A celebration of Franz Schubert's music presented by music faculty and students. Free admission.

January 28
Original Brass
8 p.m., Southminster United Church
U of L Faculty Brass Quintet: Trudi Mason, trumpet; Keith Griffioen, trumpet; Thomas Staples, horn; Gerald Rogers, trombone; Nick Sullivan, bass trombone. Tickets:
403-329-7328. LSO Chamber Series

January 29
Abbondànza
6 p.m., CoCo Pazzo Italian Café
The 10th annual memorable evening of gourmet food, fine art and fun, to raise funds for Fine Arts student scholarships. Tickets limited, book early: 403-329-2227.

February 7
Happy 50th Birthday LSO!
8 p.m., Southminster United Church
The Lethbridge Symphony, with the Musaeus String Quartet, performs works by Leonard Bernstein, Tchaikovsky and
U of L Professor Emeritus John-Paul Christopher Jackson. | Tickets: 403-329-7328. LSO Master Series

February 11 & 12
An Evening of Chamber Opera
8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall
Giancarlo Menotti's comic radio opera The Old Maid and the Thief headlines this Opera Workshop performance, which also includes Samuel Barber's A Hand of Bridge and the delightful 18th century comedy La Cantarina by Franz Joseph Haydn.

February 15-19
The Seagull by Anton Chekhov
8 p.m., David Spinks Theatre
Konstantin loves his mother but is jealous of her fame and depressed about his lack of success as a playwright. He despises the celebrated young writer who lives with her and seems to have captured the attention of the girl he adores. Passions abound and idealism is challenged by triviality in this absorbing drama from the master of comic realism.

ART

November 20
Button Making with Trap/door
What's the most creative thing you can fit onto a 1" round button? Here's a great way to test your eye for things on a smaller scale. Buttons are $1 each, or 5 for $3. All the proceeds go to Trap/door Artist Run Centre.

January 15
Prairie Ink Drawings
In celebration of A Little History on the Prairies, you can make your own prairie ink – just like they did waaaaaay back when. Use your ink to draw a prairie landscape that may or may not contain a little house!

February 5
Printmaking
An annual favourite, all materials are provided and it's easy to do, not to mention lots of fun.

EXHIBITIONS

U of L Main Gallery

November 5 to January 7
Promising Objects

January 14 to February 25
A Little History on the Prairies

HELEN CHRISTOU GALLERY

October 29 to January 14
Lethbridge National Park
(art + people = x series)

January 21 to April 8
Projects by Museum Studies Interns

For more information about any of these events, visit:
www.ulethbridge.ca/finearts/events

For a look at the full issue of SAM in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Theatre season packs punch

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:26:09 +0000

Challenging, engrossing and engaging describe the 2010/2011 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Fine Arts theatre season.

From classical to controversial, the plays strike a balance between academic challenges and audience appeal.

The first show of the season, Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein, is directed by Dr. Shelley Scott and appears in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre Oct. 19 to 23. Set in 1978, five women reunite in a restaurant to evaluate where their lives have led them. The action flashes back six years to when they met as students at a prestigious, all-female college, formed friendships and made the choices that shaped their destinies.

Director Jay Whitehead then tackles the fascinating and emotionally challenging play, Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind (translated by Jonathan Franzen), which runs Nov. 24 to 28. Teenagers Melchior, Moritz, Wendla and their young friends are experiencing sexual awakenings and are increasingly curious about their bodies, each other, masturbation and more. Their teachers and parents, respectable adults, fight to keep these young people on the straight and narrow, often with hilarious and sometimes disastrous results.

The Seagull by Anton Chekhov is directed by Richard Epp, and appears in the David Spinks Theatre from Feb. 15 to 19. Konstantin loves his mother, but he's jealous of her fame as an actress and depressed about his lack of success as a playwright. He also despises the celebrated young writer who is living with his mother and seems to have captured the attention of the girl he adores. On a Russian country estate, passions abound and idealism is challenged by triviality in this absorbing play from the master of comic realism.

The season ends with William Shakespeare's Richard III. Widely regarded as Shakespeare's most important play, this eternal classic is directed by Doug MacArthur and appears on stage Mar. 22 to 26. On a road paved with blood, treachery and seduction, Richard's tumultuous attempt to claim the throne of England for his own is fraught with lies, deception and murder.

To experience each of these unforgettable productions, season ticket purchases include all four productions for the price of three. Individual tickets are priced at $15 for regular admission and $10 for seniors/students. Season Tickets are $45 regular and $30 for seniors/students.

All tickets are available at the U of L Box office or by calling 403-329-2616. Closed for the summer, the U of L Box Office reopens on Sept. 13. Season tickets are on sale until opening night of the first production.

Theatre season packs punch

trevor.kenney — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:56:49 +0000

Challenging, engrossing and engaging describe the 2010/2011 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Fine Arts theatre season.

From classical to controversial, the plays strike a balance between academic challenges and audience appeal.

UNews - Jonathan Franzen

Spring Awakening shocks, resonates

Related Topics

Performing Arts events

Related Topics

Theatre season packs punch

Related Topics

Theatre season packs punch

Related Topics