Monthly Archives: April 2012

Dr. Jeffrey Murer and Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of St. Andrews

By Lee Smithey

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland at the invitation of a former and dear Peace and Conflict Studies faculty member at Swarthmore, Dr. Jeffrey Murer. Jeffrey sends his greetings to everyone at Swarthmore, and I made sure to let him know that we miss his contributions to our program. However, we are, of course, pleased to have him as a professional colleague at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of St. Andrews.

When he left Swarthmore, Jeffrey joined the School of International Relations at the Univeristy of St. Andrews where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate students and advises Ph.D. students. He has also been conducting extensive research on radical youth in Central and Nordic Europe. See The European Study of Youth Mobilisation. (Also see the full pdf report)

School of International Relations

As part of my visit, I had the opportunity to participate in a master class with Jeffrey’s students on research methodology in conflict and post-conflict situations.  I felt right at home. Given what I knew about Jeffrey’s reputation for teaching at Swarthmore, I was not surprised to find that his students are smart, engaged, and very thoughtful.  We had a difficult time ending our two-hour class because the conversation was so good! I learned a lot.

Many thanks to Jeffrey Murer and all of the faculty and students in the School of International Relations.

Join us for Jessica Cannizzaro’s Honors Thesis in Dramaturgy (May 1st and 2nd at 7PM)!

The Department of Theater at Swarthmore College presents Jessica Cannizzaro’s Honors Dramaturgy Thesis, Fireside Tales: Legends and Lore from the Forgotten Wilderness on May 1 and May 2 at 7pm, in the Frear Ensemble Theater. Fireside Tales is compiled and written by Jessica Cannizzaro, based on and using America’s local legends, beloved folk songs, and best kept secrets.

The play takes place in the main room of the Evanston Public Library in Illinois, just before the library is torn down by the city. A motley group of citizens has gathered to see the library and its many stories, the staples of their community, one more time before they are gone forever. The play is an exploration of storytelling, and the many ways our stories change across state, across time, and across culture. In every instance, storytelling becomes not just about the words being shared. It is the way we link a smell of turkey cooking in the oven to the story of a family dinner in 1997. It is the feeling of cold feet under warm quilts as you await a new bedtime story.

Direction and vocal coaching is provided by Guest Artist Adrienne Mackey ’04. Adrienne Mackey is a director who creates original and compelling theater using the power of the human voice and the forms of the human body. In 2009 Adrienne founded Swim Pony Performing Arts – a company devoted to exploring the possibilities of live performance. Adrienne has been awarded the Independence Foundation Fellowship and the CEC New Edge Residency, and is a five-time recipient of the Garrigues voice scholarship.

Faculty Advisors are James Magruder and Allen Kuharksi.

The event is free and open to the public without advance reservations.  For further information, contact Tara Webb at twebb1@swarthmore.edu or call 610-328-8260.

The Spring 2012 Dance Concert is here!

The Swarthmore College Dance Program presents the 2012 Spring Student Dance Concert on Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th at 8PM in the Lang Performing Arts Center’s Pearson-Hall Theatre.  African, Ballet, Flamenco, Modern, Swing and Tap perspectives will all be included this year.  There will be several pieces featuring live music.  Come celebrate our graduating seniors and the hard work and creativity of all our dance students and faculty.  The concert, which is appropriate for all ages, is free and open to the public.

The Spring 2012 Dance Concert is here!

The Swarthmore College Dance Program presents the 2012 Spring Student Dance Concert on Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th at 8PM in the Lang Performing Arts Center’s Pearson-Hall Theatre.  African, Ballet, Flamenco, Modern, Swing and Tap perspectives will all be included this year.  There will be several pieces featuring live music.  Come celebrate our graduating seniors and the hard work and creativity of all our dance students and faculty.  The concert, which is appropriate for all ages, is free and open to the public.

WILDE/CINDERELLA in the Frear!

The Department of Theater presents

 

WILDE/CINDERELLA: Two Projects From the Advanced Directing Workshop (THEA 055)

 

 

The Importance of Being Earnest (excerpt), by Oscar Wilde

Directed by Regina Noto ‘12

 

 

Cinderella Project(ion)

A new performance piece directed by Meryl Sands ‘13

 

 

Saturday & Sunday, April 28 & 29, 2012 at 8PM

Frear Ensemble Theater (Room 1 LPAC)

Free and open to the public without advance reservation

 

New offerings in Theater for Fall 2012!

Acting I with Richard Hamburger.  (THEA 02A, M 4:15-6:15pM and 7:15-9:15PM, Kohlberg 115) Open to all students without audition or prerequisite. Six hours per week. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. 1 Credit.

This course is designed as a practical introduction to some of the principles, techniques, and tools of acting. This class is a prerequisite for auditioning for Production Ensemble (THEA 022) in Spring 2013.  Production Ensemble is the Department of Theater’s annual faculty-staff show on the LPAC Main Stage, and will be directed by Richard Hamburger next year.  Production Ensemble also fulfills a general requirement for all Theater majors and minors, and may be repeated for credit.

Richard Hamburger was the Artistic Director of the Dallas Theater Center from 1992-2007, where he also directed dozens of productions of every sort, including Shakespeare, modern classics, and a wide of American plays, including the world premieres of several new plays.  He has directed extensively at theaters around the country, including Portland Stage Company, Great Lakes Theater Festival (Cleveland), the Wilma Theatre (Philadelphia), the Pasadena Playhouse, Center Stage (Baltimore), the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, the California Shakespeare Festival, and the Williamstown Festival.  In New York City, he has directed at American Place Theatre, South Street Theater, and The Acting Company.  He has also served as a resident director at the Juilliard Theater Center in New York City, among other work in major drama schools around the country.  He also has extensive experience as a professional actor in New York and in regional theaters.

Acting II with Elizabeth Webster Duke ’96. (THEA 012, W 1-4P and 4:15-6:15PM, SciLab26) Prerequisite: Acting I (THEA 002A) or consent of instructor.  1 credit.

In this course students will explore and develop the skills necessary to perform Shakespeare with specificity and confidence. In addition to vocal and physical exercises intended to strengthen and free the actor’s body and voice, students will delve into Shakespearean scene study.  The course provides a strong foundation in basic acting technique that can be applied to multiple dramatic genres.  In addition students will explore Shakespearean scenes using rigorous textual analysis, learning to use the clues in Shakespeare’s text to make smart, useful acting choices.  While working on scenes from Shakespeare’s plays, students will learn how to rehearse, how to develop a character and how to increase their vocal, physical and emotional flexibility. 5 hours per week.

Elizabeth Webster Duke ‘96 is a member of the resident acting company at The Peoples Light and Theatre Company where she has performed in over forty productions. In the Philadelphia area she has also performed with The Wilma Theatre, The Walnut Street Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, The Eureka Theatre, Play Penn’s New Play Festival and The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival.  In Washington DC, she has performed with Ford’s Theatre, The Bay Theatre, Taffety Punk Theatre Company in their critically acclaimed all-female production of Romeo and Juliet, and The Kennedy Center.   She is a finalist for the F. Otto Haas Emerging Theatre Artist Award, and holds an MFA in Classical Acting from the Academy for Classical Acting at The Shakespeare Theatre.  In addition to leading Shakespearean Text workshops at The George Washington University and in schools throughout The Washington DC area, she has also partnered with The National Opera and The Philadelphia Museum of Art in their professional development initiatives towards arts integration in the classroom.  She has taught at Temple University, The George Washington University, and Swarthmore College.   She graduated from Swarthmore with distinction in Theater and English Literature.

 

New classes for Fall 2012 in Dance!

Sign up now for new offerings for the Fall 2012!

CREATIVITY AND PERFORMANCE with visiting Cornell Professor, Kumudini Lakhia. (DANC 007, 1 credit, MW 1:15PM – 2:30PM, Papazian 324) Eligible for Asian Studies credit.

This course taught by visiting Cornell Professor Kumudini Lakhia from India will explore the relationship between creativity, performance, and improvisation.  Padmashri Kumudini Lakhia is one of the foremost Gurus and Kathak Choreographers in India. Credited with many innovations in Kathak, she is the Founder & Director of Kadamb, a renowned Kathak institution in Ahmedabad, India. Her teaching and choreography is admired not only in India but the world over. Based on pedagogical and choreographic experiences with the classical Indian Kathak dance for six decades, the course will engage how traditional knowledge can be the spring board for innovation in thought and action.  The course will situate performance at the intersection of interdisciplinary studies on religion, Asian studies, dance, theater, and music.

DANCING DESIRE IN BOLLYWOOD FILMS with Pallabi Chakravorty. (Dance 016, 1 Credit, Lang Music 204, TTH 11:20AM-12:35PM) This course may be counted toward a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies & Asian Studies

Bombay films have played an important role in fashioning the narrative of Indian women as symbols of tradition and spirituality in the public imagination. They represent the convergence of art, entertainment, female sexuality, nation building, and commodity production. However, recent shifts in the depiction of the “erotic” in Bollywood dances are transforming the past representations of women. This course will explore the shifts in sexuality and gender constructions of Indian women from national to transnational symbols through the songs and dances in Bollywood.  We will examine the place of erotic/desire in reconstructing gender and sexuality from past notions of romantic love to desires for commodity. The course will   analyze the aesthetic shifts from traditional/classical song and dance repertoire to contemporary MTV inspired moves by focusing on Bombay films and related fields such as television dance reality shows. The primary focus will be centered on cross-cultural approaches to the body, desire, subjectivity, and affect drawing on anthropology, performance, film, media, and gender studies. In addition to the readings, students will be asked to view a list of Hindi films and television dance reality shows.

DANCE LAB I: MAKING DANCE with Jumatatu Poe.  (Dance 011, 1 Credit, TTH – 2:40PM to 4:00PM, LPAC 2) Prerequisite: Any dance course or permission of the instructor.  A  course in dance technique must be taken concurrently.

A study of the basic principles of dance composition through exploration of the elements of time, space, and energy, movement invention, and movement themes to understand various choreographic structures. Principles explored are applicable to dance making in a wide variety of styles and students are encouraged to create in their range of vocabularies. Reading, video and live concert viewing, movement studies, journals, exposure to a graphic animation tool for dance, and a final piece for public performance in the Troy dance lab are required.

REPERTORY BALLET with Jennifer Chipman-Bloom. (Dance 049.5, 049.5P, 0.5 Credit or PE Credit, LPAC 3, Monday 1:15PM – 4:00PM) Open to advanced ballet students. Auditions will be held during the first class.

This class will offer students experience with learning and performing classical ballet, while also being a part of the creative process of new choreography.  Choreography will be performed in December.

DANCE AND DIASPORA with Pallabi Chakravorty.  (Dance 025A (cross listed with SOAN 020J), 1 Credit, TTH 1:15PM – 2:30PM, Lang Music Bldg. 204) This is a reading and writing intensive course. Open to all students without prerequisite.

Dance is an unconventional but powerful device for studying migration and social mobility. This course will explore the interrelated themes of performance, gender, personhood, and migration in the context of diasporic experiences. By focusing on specific dance forms from Asia, Africa and Latin America, we will examine the competing claims of place-ness, globalization, and hybridization on cultural identity and difference. Students will engage with theories on nationalism, transnationalism, and globalization, as well as embodiment and experience. Broadly, the course will investigate the interlocking structures of aesthetics and politics, economics and culture, and history and power, all of which inform and continue to reshape these cultures and their dance forms.