The Green Room / May 2018

C o l o r a d o S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y / T H E U N I V E R S I T Y C E N T E R F O R T H E A R T S / V O LU M E 4 / I S S U E 2 7 / M AY 2 0 1 8

SENIOR DANCE MAJORS DANCE THEIR WAY TO GRADUATION WITH

WELCOME TO

THE GREEN ROOM

Dan Goble

Director of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance

Jennifer Clary Jacobs Marketing Director

Mike Solo

Creative Director

Brandon Adams

Publicity and Marketing Assistant

It is that time of year‌the end of the semester, and the end of the academic year. As I look around the UCA, I see so much energy, so much artistry, and tremendous commitment to our students and to each other. There is nothing that makes our students and faculty members feel supported than to see one another at their performances; and seeing them excel on stage makes us realize how much of a positive impact we collectively make on each other’s lives. There are still some amazing performances in store: Urinetown, The Musical, the University Symphony Orchestra, the Symphonic Band, the Senior Dance Capstone Concert, the M.F.A. Art Thesis Exhibition, Rock Band Project, and numerous student and faculty recitals. Thank you to all of our patrons, alumni, faculty, and staff for all that you do in support of our students!

Sincerely, Dan Goble Director, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance Colorado State University

TABLE OF TICKETS Online Sales: CSUArtsTickets.com Ticket Office: Griffin Lobby, University Center for the Arts (UCA) Ticket Office Hours: M–F, 3:30–5:30 p.m., and 60 minutes prior to performances Information: (970) 491-ARTS (2787) / Email: CSUArts@colostate.edu Group rate: 15% off on ten or more tickets, applied at the time of purchase Tickets may be purchased, both online and at the UCA Ticket Office until 30 minutes after curtain. Print-at-home tickets are available online. All tickets are subject to a $1 ticket fee for both online and at-the-door purchases. At-the-door and phone purchases will incur a $3 processing fee per order. Advance ticket purchase is highly recommended to avoid lines and the at-the-door fee.

Purchase Policy: All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. Seating after the start of any performance is at the discretion of the house manager.

Photography and recording of performances are strictly prohibited. Food and beverages prohibited in all theatres. Parents with disruptive children may be asked to excuse themselves if the performance is disturbed without refund.

CONTENTS Faculty Notes....................................................... 04 56th Annual NATS.............................................. 07 Studying Under the Stars.................................. 10 The Last Dance................................................... 16 Eventide................................................................ 19 Urinetown the Musical....................................... 29 Moving Through Parkinson's............................ 39 DIRT....................................................................... 45 Connection Through Improvisation................ 46

Classnotes............................................................ 57

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: JENNIFER CLARY JACOBS CREATIVE DIRECTOR: MIKE SOLO PUBLICITY AND MARKETING ASST. BRANDON ADAMS STAFF WRITERS:

SOCIAL MEDIA This is your UCA! Stay connected with the University Center for the Arts by connecting with us on social media.

Facebook: facebook.com/CSU.UCA Instagram: ColoradoStateUniversity_UCA Twitter: @CSUUCA Youtube: YouTube.com/ColoradoStateUniv Flickr: flickr.com/photos/csulibarts

BRANDON ADAMS JENNIFER CLARY JACOBS VIOLA CAI BRODY HORNADAY EMILY KAISER NICOLE TOWNE

FOR ADVERTISING PLEASE CONTACT: JENNIFER CLARY JACOBS, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING jennifer.clary@colostate.edu / 970.491.3603

I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8 / T H E GRE E N ROOM T HE UN IVERS IT Y C EN TE R FOR T HE A RTS

1STMIX.................................................................. 51

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FACULTY NOTES

T HE UN IVE RSI TY C ENT E R F OR T HE ARTS THE GRE E N R OOM / I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8

In Feb., Dance Professor Chung-Fu Chang was a guest artist in-residence at SUNY Geneseo, a liberal arts campus within the SUNY system in Geneseo, New York. The residency was sponsored by their Asian/Asian American Studies and Programming and the Department of Theatre, and Dance with Orchesis, a student dance organization, sponsoring the professor’s master class.

Photo by Keith Walters, SUNY Geneseo, '11

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Madeline Jazz Harvey, assistant professor of dance, sings the highest praises for CSU dance majors who attended the American College Dance Association Conference in Boulder at the end of March. “While enduring exhaustive 14-hour days of travel, classes, rehearsals, research pretentions, and performances, the students demonstrated the utmost kindness and professionalism, carrying themselves with sensitivity and graciousness both on and offstage,” Harvey said. “They were positive, open, and whole-heartedly invested in the work.”

During feedback sessions, adjudicators described CSU student dancers Avery Jones, Madison Martinek, Jenny Trenchard, Mohammed York, Elise Gusinde-Duffy, Hannah Finnegan, Cassie Eron, Samantha Lewis, Katelyn Doyle, Julianna Williams, Morgan Yokubison, Emily Kaiser, and Mia Wilborne as "technical…articulate…athletic… badass…" and commented on the sense of community CSU embodied, both on and offstage. Understudies Mary Bogus, Jasmine Burns, Shannon Gerney, and Taylor Woolums rooted for their peers and offered support in note taking, words of encouragement, costume fixes, and technical assistance. Theatre majors David Van Name and Lachlan Fordyce were responsible, proactive, organized, and remarkably efficient as they brought the performance pieces to life through exquisite lighting design.

Following adjudication, CSU’s Ubuntu was one of only eleven works, selected out of approximately forty pieces, featured on the conference’s Gala Concert. Harvey’s original work is about loss and hope and the ways we

(TOP) Chung-Fu Chang/ Photo by Keith Walters (BOTTOM)CSU Dance faculty and students at the American College Dance Association Conference

can support and help each other. “I observed artistry and collaboration in a way that renewed my faith in our world,” enthused Harvey. “Proud does not even begin to convey my current emotions.”

“We are in the presence of vibrant emerging artists at CSU, and I am honored to be a small part of their journey,” said Harvey. Please join us in congratulating CSU Dance!

The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance is proud to announce that Heather Bellotti, office manager for the School, won the 2017-2018 Outstanding Achievement Award, which recognizes meritorious and outstanding achievement in job skills and service to the University by State Classified employees.

In her nomination of Heather, Music Therapy Professor Blythe LaGasse correlated Heather’s highly efficient and productive history of making significant contributions to the accomplishments of the department, faculty, and students to the award’s criteria. “As the office manager for the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance since 2006, Heather has been instrumental in the success of the School, including the overall office, the staff under her supervision, and the faculty at large. She is most deserving of the Outstanding Achievement Award for CSU State Classified employees,” said LaGasse.

Dr. LaGasse’s Nomination (and story about a mouse) Everyone who has ever worked in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance (SMTD) has had the pleasure of interacting with Heather Bellotti. Heather has been employed at CSU for 17 years, starting her employment in the Liberal Arts Dean’s office.

As the office manager for SMTD since 2006, Heather has been instrumental in the success of the School, including the overall office, the staff under her supervision, and the faculty at large. She is most deserving of the Outstanding Achievement Award for CSU State Classified employees.

There are several aspects of Heather’s commitment to SMTD that are worthy of recognition. First, her institutional knowledge of the various programs makes her the ‘go to’ person for questions about

Heather Bellotti and Tony Frank

I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8 / T H E GRE E N ROO M T HE UN IVERS ITY C ENT ER F OR T HE ARTS

In congratulating Heather, Dan Goble, director of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance concurred. "Heather manages quite possibly the most complex office at CSU, providing exemplary support for more than 100 employees, 500 students, and the entire University Center for the Arts facility. She is a positive force for SMTD and the UCA…always smiling, no matter what the situation.

Heather is a genius when finding simple solutions to complex problems. This Outstanding Achievement Award has been given to one of the most deserving individuals I have ever worked with.”

Outstanding Achievement Award recipients receive a plaque, an award of $1000, and special recognition at the 2018 Celebrate!

CSU Awards Ceremony and Classified Personnel Council Recognition Luncheon, both held in April.

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FACULTY NOTES policy and procedures. She has been Office Manager during times of great transition, including changes in leadership and moving from the CSU Oval to the University Center for the Arts. Heather’s unique perspective and knowledge about the workings of our office and our faculty is unparalleled.

Simply put, she can answer just about any question and in the rare instance she doesn’t have an answer she is diligent in finding the information.

T HE UN IVE RSI TY C ENT E R F OR T HE ARTS THE GRE E N R OOM / I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8

With her in-depth knowledge of the programs in SMTD, Heather also knows the struggles that have been present over the years. With tight budgets and limits in staffing, Heather has worked to improve the efficiency of the office and the SMTD. Heather is the first person to take on any new task or job that arises. She figures out how to manage the task, makes sure we have procedures in place, and then works with the Director to delegate the task, as appropriate.

In this way, Heather is a master problem solver. These tasks are often in addition to her regular workload, yet she readily takes on the challenge.

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One example of her commitment to SMTD is her voluntary role as the building proctor for the University Center for the Arts. As building proctor, she is the liaison between the building occupants and facilities. Within this position, she has helped with various tasks, such as communicating outages, arranging for work requests, and an endless stream of faculty and student issues. She navigates bats in our performance halls, AC issues, and technology. She handles her responsibilities with grace and kindness.

As a faculty member of 10 years, I have had countless interactions with Heather in the office and in committee work. There are many I can recall where she went above and beyond to be helpful. For example, this past semester

I suspected I had a mouse in my office. I could hear scratching sounds in the corner but could not bring myself to investigate. I went to ask Heather about the timeline for facilities to respond to the pest control request. She saw my hesitance to return to my office and offered to come take a look. She found the mouse living in a flute case by my bookshelf. Heather gave the mouse a good scare, helped me to remove ‘homey’ items from my floor, and even removed the mouse’s makeshift house. This is truly above and beyond – not only was Heather helpful, she was happily helpful, even laughing and smiling after she found the mouse nest! The list of ways Heather helps goes on and on – from finding art for the walls in our new clinic to helping us navigate parking for adults receiving music therapy services.

Heather was there to help me figure out how to put my T&P binders together. She helped me through medical leave and family leave with care, compassion, and extreme amount of patience. I know there are many similar stories across the faculty and staff.

One testament to her leadership and her kind nature is the excellent retention of our office staff. The office staff are clearly a team. Heather is instrumental in setting the tone of the work environment, with a calm confidence no matter the task and challenges. She also has an energy that can rally others to meet a mutual goal. Heather clearly leads by example - she is a leader, a wonderful colleague, and a true asset to SMTD. Heather Bellotti is most deserving of the outstanding achievement award for CSU State Classified employees.

— Submitted by Blythe LaGasse Coordinator of Music Therapy, Associate Professor of Music Therapy

Associate Director of Bands, Richard Frey, adjudicated the Arizona State Concert Festival, hosted by the Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association. The event was held at the Chandler Center for the Arts at the end of April. “It’s been a wonderful week as an adjudicator at the festival,” said Frey. “There are some incredible student musicians and teachers there (and it was 98 degrees every day)!”

56TH ANNUAL

Colorado/Wyoming

National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) CSU students earn high honors at annual singing competition

BY JENNIFER CLARY JACOBS

Founded in 1944, NATS is the largest professional association of teachers of singing in the world with more than 7,000 members in the United States, Canada, and nearly 30 other countries. According to the organization’s website, NATS exists to “encourage the highest standards of the vocal art and of ethical principles in the teaching of singing; and to promote vocal education and research at all levels, both for the enrichment of the general public and for the professional advancement of the talented.”

Each year, students of NATS member teachers have a valuable opportunity to receive detailed performance feedback as they participate in an adjudicated competition at the state level, including Eric Paricio, a Boettcher

Foundation Scholarship recipient and CSU senior working on a B.A. with dual minors in math and physics. Paricio, who as a student of CSU vocal professor John Seesholtz, placed first in the men’s Second Year College Music Theatre category.

“The NATS competition is a unique opportunity to not only compete, but to measure your growth,” stated Paricio, who has competed since high school. “I have grown much through the CSU music department, and NATS is a wonderful chance to measure that. [Studying at] CSU has given me the tools to place so well in this regional competition.”

Alexandra Young, also a student of Dr. Seesholtz and winner of the women’s music theatre category, agrees.

“NATS is always a wonderful opportunity to perform and chart progress for myself and peers, said the junior music major who received previously received an honorable mention at NATS and placed fifth in CSU’s 2018 Singer of the Year competition. “It meant a lot for me to continue competing and receive positive recognition and feedback.”

I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8 / T H E GRE E N ROO M T HE UN IVERS ITY C ENT ER F OR T HE ARTS

In early April, Colorado State University vocal students participated in the 56th annual Colorado/ Wyoming National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition held at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, with twelve CSU students placing in in seven of the event’s college level categories.

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For Dr. Seesholtz, NATS showcased the proficiency and work ethic of CSU vocal students, many who were performing the same weekend in CSU’s production of W.A. Mozart’s The Magic Flute. “In the junior women's category, they swept the division,” he noted enthusiastically. “I am very proud of them for their dedication and professionalism.”

Dr. Seesholtz also thanked regional pianists Mallory Bernstein and Dyane Ragelstad for accompanying the students, as well as CSU Music-Theatre Instructor Patty Goble who helped coordinate the contingency throughout the day.

“No matter what happens, NATS is a great chance to network, have new people and mentors see and hear you sing, and get stage time and performance experience,” added Young. “This year was very fun and exciting as usual and I look forward to participating next year!”

T HE UN IVE RSI TY C ENT E R F OR T HE ARTS THE GRE E N R OOM / I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8

Please join us in congratulating the following CSU students and voice faculty on their numerous awards:

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7A: FIRST YEAR COLLEGE/INDEPENDENT STUDIO, WOMEN 3rd: Cameryn Daidone, student of John Seesholtz HM: Alyssa Baechle, student of John Seesholtz and Aimee Woods 5A: FIRST YEAR COLLEGE/INDEPENDENT STUDIO, MUSIC THEATER, WOMEN 3rd: Alyssa Baechle, student of John Seesholtz and Aimee Woods HM: Meghan Boe, student of John Seesholtz 7B: SECOND YEAR COLLEGE/INDEPENDENT STUDIO, WOMEN 1st: Catherine Runnels, student of John Seesholtz 5B: SECOND YEAR COLLEGE/INDEPENDENT STUDIO, MUSIC THEATER, WOMEN 1st: Alexandra Young, student of John Seesholtz 2nd: Anna Bonjour, student of John Seesholtz 3rd: Emily Gehman, student of John Seesholtz 11B: FOURTH/FIFTH YEAR COLLEGE/INDEPENDENT STUDIO WOMEN 1st: Anyaleen Bradley, student of John Seesholtz

(TOP) Alexandra Young, Anna Bonjour, and Emily Gehman (BOTTOM) Eric Paricio performing in 2017 with the La Musica Lirica opera program in Italy; the five-week program exposes students to the bel canto singing style and dives deep into the history of opera.

6B: SECOND YEAR COLLEGE/INDEPENDENT STUDIO, MUSIC THEATER, MEN 1st: Eric Paricio, student of John Seesholtz 12A/12B: THIRD/FOURTH/FIFTH YEAR COLLEGE/INDEPENDENT STUDIO, MEN 2nd: Luke Thatcher, student of John Seesholtz 3rd: Andrew Wallace, student of John Carlo Pierce

SPATIAL FLUX:

CONTEMPORARY DRAWINGS FROM THE JOANN GONZALEZ HICKEY COLLECTION

MAY 29 - SEPT 22, 2018

The Griffin Foundation Gallery and Works on Paper Gallery ARTIST TALK

Sept 20, 2018, 5 - 7 P.M. GREGORY ALLICAR MUSEUM OF ART

UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS 1400 Remington Street, Fort Collins, CO artmuseum.colostate.edu (970) 491-1989 TUES - SAT | 10 A.M.- 6 P.M. THURSDAY OPEN UNTIL 7:30 P.M. ALWAYS FREE

I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8 / T H E GRE E N ROO M T HE UN IVERS ITY C ENT ER F OR T HE ARTS

MAURO GIACONI

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STUDYING UNDER THE STARS:

Vocal professor Patty Goble draws on Broadway career during preparation for CSU’s upcoming production of ‘Urinetown’

By Claire Oliver, reprinted with permission by The Rocky Mountain Collegian

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Broadway star made her way down from the Great White Way to share her experience with Colorado State University students.

T HE U NIVE RSI TY C ENT E R F OR T HE ARTS THE GR E E N R OOM / I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8

Patty Goble experienced a very expansive theatrical career in Chicago, Toronto and, of course, New York City. After several years working with some of the top names in the business, Goble returned to her roots and has been teaching vocal performance at CSU for two years. Goble and her students are currently performing in “Urinetown: The Musical,” which opened April 27.

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“I was fortunate enough to have been in six original productions on Broadway,” Goble said. “…In total, I have done eight Broadway shows.”

Her Broadway credits include: “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “Ragtime,” “Curtains,” “The Woman in White,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “La Cage aux Folles,” “Kiss Me Kate” and “Phantom of the Opera.” She has also performed in the touring company of “Cats” and other shows in Denver. “…Hal Prince was there, and I didn’t know what I was doing,” Goble said. “I just showed up. It was 10 in the morning and they said, ‘How high can you sing?’ And I said, ‘How high to do you want?’ But I wasn’t really being cocky. I just have this really high voice, this high coloratura voice, and I have always had it. So I sang up to an E-flat, and then from there the rest is history.”

Goble went on to have an impressive Broadway career. Starring in shows alongside the likes of Audra McDonald, who has won eight Tony Awards in her career, Marin Mazzie, who has been nominated for three Tony Awards and Hal Prince, who has directed 83 productions and has won 13 Tony Awards.

After several years in the middle of the theatre performance world, Patty Goble and her husband are giving to back to students here at Colorado State.

“We are extremely passionate about giving back our experiences to young people who might have a similar experience that we did when we started out,” Goble said. “We both feel extremely fortunate to have had the careers that we have had, but we also feel that it is a responsibility and an accountability to give back what we know to an area where we started.”

To Patty Goble’s students, her experience and expertise have helped them become more confident on stage.

“To actually to be able to be taught by someone who has been to Broadway and been where to, theoretically, we all want to go or at least experience, is great,” Dan Isaacs, a CSU theatre student, said. “She’s been there, and she’s done it.”

After working with Goble last semester, Isaacs decided to audition for the CSU musical “Urinetown” and was given the role of Officer Lockstock.

“I remember reaching out to her when ‘Urinetown’ was announced that I wanted to be Office Lockstock,” Isaacs said. “…She actually helped me prepare for my audition for the show. She picked out the songs. She picked out the cuts. … She stayed with me after class.”

Isaacs said he came into CSU not having extensive singing experience, but other students have entered into Goble’s classes having sung for their entire lives.

Rocky Eisentraut, a junior theatre performance major, sang in a choir for several years before her college career. Because of her experience, Patty Goble allowed Eisentraut to skip the first Singing for Actors class and join the second class.

“Choir singing is a lot different from musical singing because you don’t have to really act it out; it’s better if you do, but I never really got acting notes,” Eisentraut said. “And Patty would say, ‘Put some emotion in there. You’re singing beautifully, but you need to put the emotion in your voice, and your face and your body, so we aren’t looking at a wall and stuff.’”

I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8 / T H E GRE E N ROO M T HE UN IVERS ITY C ENT ER F OR T HE ARTS

Patty Goble / Photo by Abby Flitton, Collegian

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T H E S C H O O L O F M U S I C , T H E A T R E , A N D D A N C E P R E S E N T S : INTEGRATING DANCE/MOVEMENT INTO THE K-12 CURRICULUM

JUNE 11-15, 2018 9 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. T HE UN IVE RSI TY C ENT E R F OR T HE ARTS THE GRE E N R OOM / I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8

Join leading Dance Movement Educators & Education Specialists from Colorado State University and the region to explore how we can bring more movement into our K–12 classrooms!

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Presented by the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance and the College of Liberal Arts at the University Center for the Arts, Fort Collins, Colorado Guest Presenter and Key Note Speaker, Mary Ann Lee is the director of the Tanner Dance Program and Children’s Dance Theatre in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Utah. She has unified educators and dance movement artists in many ways, including the Side-by-Side program, now in its 20th year, which pairs dance artists with K-12 teachers. Ms. Lee was a dance specialist for the National Endowment for the Arts’ and has been a guest teacher in China, Japan, The Netherlands, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, England, Finland, Canada and Brazil.

Additional presenters will include arts educators from CSU and across Colorado as well as education and integrated arts specialists focused on bringing movement in the classroom.

In addition to our CSU faculty, Dr. Patrick Fahey, Arts Education, Lisa Morgan, Judy Bejarano and Amber Mazurana with CSU Dance, we are excited to have returning guest presenters Fritz Anders, Dalcroze Eurythmics Specialist; Louis Baldwin, 4th grader teacher and movement integration specialist in Denver schools and Pamela Barker, Social and Emotional Learning specialist

SEMINAR TOPICS: • Let’s Move! Dance Skills, Concepts, and Comprehensive Learning • Social & Emotional Learning in the Classroom • Dance Collaboration Across K-12 Higher Education and the Broader Community • Integrated Arts Initiatives in Education • Dance Movement Science and the Human Brain • Colorado Dance Standards, Assessment, and Curriculum Planning

REGISTRATION INFORMATION Seminar enrollment is limited to 30 Colorado K–12 Educators. Cost for the seminar is $250.00.

Registration is now open – please go to the REGISTRATION link on our CSU Dance Page dance.colostate.edu/teachers-seminar TEACHERS MAY SIGN UP FOR CSU CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT (FEE REQUIRED) FOR TEACHER ENHANCEMENT PURPOSES.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT US: Lisa Morgan, Dance Faculty, CSU / Lisa.Morgan@colostate.edu

Eisentraut is also in “Urinetown” playing the role of Josephine ‘Ma’ Strong. Her time in Patty Goble’s class translated into the audition room. Eisentraut even decided to sing a song she hadn’t sung before and used the tips and tricks she learned in Patty Goble’s class.

“I really tried to just take her notes and put that in the audition room,” Eisentraut said. “And of course, I don’t remember what happened in the audition room because my mind went blank.”

Eisentraut said working with Patty Goble has been an incredible experience.

“She’s awesome,” Eisnetraut said. “She is so knowledgeable but also so sweet, which is hard to find. She is not a snob, which a lot of music teachers can be because they get annoyed that other people don’t know what they are talking about. But Patty’s like, ‘Oh, you don’t know that? I’m going to teach you.'”

“She definitely cares, and you can tell she really wants us to succeed,” Isaacs said. “She’s not just doing this to look good because she hardly talks about her Broadway stuff unless you make her talk about it.”

For Goble, it is rewarding to watch students find the confidence in their own musical performance.

“I love working with theatre students who find their voice, who find that confidence to sing and who are most likely never going to enter into the opera stage or take on an Aria, but that’s OK because I just feel like singing is singing, and if we are expressing ourselves using our voice then we are singers,” Patty Goble said.

As much as Goble loves working with vocal students, she said her true passion lies with musical theatre.

“I don’t pit one against the other as being any better or any less important, but I do love working with my theatre kids because I see the change in not only their voices but their confidence as people,” Patty Goble said. “…For a lot of people, that is something they never thought they would be able to do. I say, ‘Yes, yes you can.'”

Patty Goble said she aims to continue using experience in the professional world to push student performers to reach their fullest potential.

“That’s why we are here,” Patty Goble said. “So we can be a guide to young people and lead them on a journey that we took.”

Collegian reporter Claire Oliver can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @claire_oliver21.

OPERA FORT COLLINS presents Puccini’s

MADAMA BUTTERFLY May 31, 7:30 June 2, 2:00 CSU Griffin Hall www.csuartstickets.com

I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8 / T H E GR EE N ROO M T HE UN IVERS ITY C ENT E R F OR T HE ARTS

Isaacs said despite Patty Goble’s impressive career, she is far from arrogant.

Daniel Isaacs, a theatre performance major.

Part of the 2018 Fort Collins Opera Festival

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T HE UN IVE RSI TY C ENT E R F OR T HE ARTS THE GRE E N R OOM / I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8

Children’s Singing Camp

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A fun afternoon of singing games, choir, folk dancing, keyboard improvisation, and movement with sessions for 1st – 6th graders.

Students attending the camp will be provided with quality instruction from graduate-level musicians and teachers specializing in Elementary Music Education.

Activities

Singing games Choir Folk Dancing Keyboard/Improv Movement Registration deadline is May 15, 2018 Find out more and register at: music.colostate.edu/workshops-camps

Dates • • •

July 23: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., students entering K/1st/2nd grade July 24: 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., students entering 3rd/4th grade July 25: 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., students entering 5th/6th grade

Camp drop-off is 10 minutes before start in the lobby of the University Center for the Arts.

Cost

$30 for one day; $25 for sibling(s) Includes snack, craft, and T-shirt.

Location

University Center for the Arts (UCA) 1400 Remington St., Fort Collins

Contact

Katrina Hedrick Singing Camp Coordinator (970) 759-8957 cki.colostate@gmail.com

FEATURING

CSU FIBER, METALSMITING, POTTERY, & PRINTMAKING GUILDS

WED MAY 9, 10 A.M. - 6 P.M. THUR MAY 10, 10 A.M. - 7:30 P.M. CASH AND CREDIT CARD ACCEPTED

ROBERT W. HOFFERT LEARNING CENTER GREGORY ALLICAR MUSEUM OF ART University Center for the Arts 1400 Remington Street, Fort Collins, CO (970) 491-1989 | artmuseum.colostate.edu

Gregory Allicar Museum of Art is excited to help you find the perfect gift to help you express your love and gratitude on this Mother’s Day and to celebrate the end of the semester.

Discounted items up to 30% off include jewelry and artwork from our Graduate Students in the Master of Fine Arts and Post-Bac from the Department of Art and Art History at CSU, books, catalogues, Museum publications, postcards and museum notecards.

This is the place to find you special object for graduation, Mother’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, and ‘treat yourself’ opportunities. Come and find you perfect gift!

I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8 / T H E GRE E N ROO M T HE UN IVERS ITY C ENT ER F OR T HE ARTS

MOTHER’S DAY AND GRADUATION SALE

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he University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Wes Kenney, plays two dance-inspired works: Edvard Grieg’s Norwegian Dances and Igor Stravinsky’s iconic Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring). In between the two, CSU faculty artist Tiffany Blake performs the beautiful Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss to round out the program. The concert takes place at 7:30 pm on May 3 and 4 in Griffin Concert Hall at the UCA. Norwegian Dances by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg explores the rich heritage of his country’s folk music and is considered the pinnacle of his orchestral writing. “These four dance pieces create a good drama and people can easily recognize them,” states Professor Kenney about the work composed at the end of the 19th century. Written a year before his death, Strauss’ Four Last Songs are lushly romantic poems that highlight the soprano voice, and the performance features Dr. Blake.

T HE UN IVE RSI TY C ENT E R F OR T HE ARTS THE GRE E N R OOM / I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8

The program concludes with Stravinsky’s iconic work, The Rite of Spring, being performed at CSU for the first time. “In many ways, the program could be called beauty and the beast as you will be mesmerized by the lovely essence of the Strauss and blown away by the performance of The Rite,” explained the enthusiastic Kenney.

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Stravinsky’s ballet score is famous for the riot that ensued at the premiere. The work for a gigantic orchestra — nearly 100 students, including woodwinds in five, eight horns, and a huge battery of percussion — is as much fun to watch as it is to hear, and “might be one of the loudest concerts I have ever conducted at the UCA,” laughed Kenney.

“It is also an opportunity for young musicians to do something that they perhaps will not do again in their lives,” said the conductor about the activity that requires listening comprehension, thinking skills, concentration, coordination, and cooperation. “They have been improving their life skills through the practice and rehearsal process.”

The intensity of Stravinsky reinforces the vital musicality and centeredness required for performing the entire program. “Especially in this contemporary culture, it seems impossible to put phones and computers away for multiple hours, but our music students are special because of the amount of concentration that is mandatory for practicing,” said the proud maestro.

From the elegant Four Last Songs to the enigmatic The Rite of Spring the incredible cooperation of the large orchestra comes to fruition as “The Last Dance” takes patrons on a musically emotional journey.

Tickets available at csuartstickets.com.

CSU UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS

Conducted by Wes Kenney EDVARD GRIEG’S Symphonic

Dances

RICHARD STRAUSS’ Four STRAVINSKY’S Le

Last Songs

Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)

WITH GUEST

Tiffany Blake MAY 3 AND 4, 7:30 PM / GRIFFIN CONCERT HALL C S U A R T S T I C K E T S . C O M

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AND IGOR

CONDUCTED BY JEREMY CUEBAS

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CSU DANCE

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Hannah Finnegan

SENIOR DANCE MAJORS DANCE THEIR WAY TO GRADUATION WITH EVENTIDE

BY EMILY KAISER, PUBLICITY INTERN The Colorado State University Dance presents this semester’s Senior Dance Capstone Concert, Eventide. Senior dance majors Tiana Farnsworth, Hannah Finnegan, and Emily LaCourse prepare their final dance concert before walking across the graduation stage in May. The concert takes place in the University Dance Theater at the University Center for the Arts on Friday, May 4, and Saturday May 5.

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As expressed by the choreographers, Eventide is a representation of dark turning to light, like a sunrise. This metaphor explores the darker, heavier moments in life, as well as the lighter, happier parts. The title conceptualizes the contrast between the students’ group choreography themes involving monsters and shadows, as well as joy and positivity. The dancers describe each new day as being filled with challenges, victories, and opportunities that we as humans must experience to make sense of these contrasting moments and feelings.

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THE SENIOR CAPSTONE PROCESS

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Farnsworth, Finnegan, and LaCourse collaborated to produce a cohesive dance concert by individually choreographing a group and a solo piece, while simultaneously creating an overall concert theme and publicizing the performance. The five-minute long solos and 11-minute group pieces incorporate each senior’s choice of music, lighting, costumes, projections, and props. The choreographers were given creative freedom to produce the final product, while receiving mentorship and assistance from faculty members, the CSU Costume Shop, the theatre stage crew/stage manager, and the UCA marketing team to make their vision a reality. The incredibly large project has taken a lot of time, effort, dedication, collaboration, and support from one another.

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Throughout the semester, the seniors developed an in-depth dance portfolio including their professional dance photos and headshots, a descriptive process essay, programs from past performances/featured choreography, biography, resume, and Curriculum Vitae. Following the performance, each senior will meet with the dance faculty to present their final portfolios.

Under the direction of Professor Chung-Fu Chang, the seniors created these portfolios at a professional level to showcase their performance and choreographic work, as well as reflect on their progress throughout their time at CSU.

CREATING A VISION Finnegan describes her group piece, “Monsters of My Mind,” as the portrayal of negative thoughts and how they can affect a person’s life and personality. She pulled inspiration from a quote found on Pinterest: “It’s not easy to have become numb. It only shows you have felt everything a billion times over. And now your mind is so exhausted, it cannot even express itself anymore,” by an unknown author. Her piece features ten dancers who will be wearing black and white geometric morph suits. “I

chose these because I want them to represent negative thoughts/figures of imagination rather than humans.

This is why I chose to have their faces concealed,” Finnegan explained. Through this concept, she hopes the audience reflects on negative experiences they may have encountered in life.

Finnegan’s solo “Unattainable” is about the internal conflict of dancing for yourself, while also dancing for an audience and “the desire to reach perfection in your dancing,” she explained. As she expresses vulnerability through the solo, Finnegan wants the audience to “get a sense of who I am not only as a performer, but also as a person.”

Structured improve is one of Finnegan’s primary techniques for generating choreography. This is a technique where the dancers are given freedom to explore movement under specific instruction. For example, asking a dancer to improv with animalistic qualities, or with initiation from a specific body part is considered structured improv. She enjoys giving her dancers improvisational tasks as an inspirational tool for new choreography. Finnegan aims for unique movement and interesting, creative sequences for her pieces.

Similarly, LaCourse’s group piece “Dark Corners” envisions the shadows that hide in our lives. “These shadows creep and crawl out of the boxes that we try so hard to tuck away from the public eye. In this piece, my dancers will be the shadows that represent anxiety, depression, and mental, emotional, and physical abuse,” she explained. The ten dancers in her piece are wearing black leotards with mesh sleeves, black leggings, and black socks. “Since they are shadows, I wanted to black out their eyes with stage makeup that starts darker and blends into a smoky illusion. I feel this really adds to their character,” LaCourse elaborated. For this piece, she is using a large, black box where the dancers who are playing the role of shadow figures can “hide and creep.” The box is also used in her solo to connect the two pieces.

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Tiana Farnsworth

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Emily LaCourse

LaCourse’s solo, “The Things that Keep Me Up at Night” is her way of sharing with the audience the things that disturb her while sleeping. She describes the concept as waking up at night in complete panic over nothing and everything in the same moment. The message she wants to convey through both her group and solo is, “we as humans should not stuff the uncomfortable in a box never to be opened.”

LaCourse enjoys choreographing movement that feels natural to the body. “I take a phrase and set it on bodies.

I take note of how this phrase moves on my dancers and then manipulate the space, time, and energy of the movement. I like to see choreography as a puzzle that only [I] can solve,” she further explained.

Farnsworth’s solo, “All the Pieces” portrays a recurring thought or memory as a reminder of happiness in life. “It explores how life can distract us from what brings us joy and sometimes happiness is a choice and sometimes it weaves in and out of our lives,” Farnsworth elaborated.

Farnsworth’s choreographic process includes formulating her concept, finding music, then going into the studio where she explores movement in relation to

The creation of each choreographer’s unique group and solo is essential to the concert as a whole. However, the compilation of all the sections together allows for a cohesive and sentimental performance. Each dance provides the audience with a different story that portrays each choreographer’s individual style and vision. The choreographers look forward to sharing their finished work with friends and family next month.

JUST THE BEGINNING… Farnsworth, Finnegan, and LaCourse are prepared to immerse themselves into the professional dance world following graduation. Starting their unique journeys, the seniors have plans to explore more than one aspect of the dance industry, whether it be teaching, choreographing, performing, dance education, dance science, and dance administration.

Hannah Finnegan’s short-term dance goals to perform professionally within the concert or commercial realm, choreograph, and teach. “I am also considering going back to school to get my M.F.A. in dance so I can teach higher education. I believe dance can be so much more than just making shapes to [music]. Dance can express, empower, and ultimately make a difference. I would say my main goal is to make a difference and help others through dance,” she elaborated.

Tiana Farnsworth is excited to share her life with her husband as she pursues a career as a professional dance teacher, educator, and modern dance performer.

Tiana is currently working on becoming a personal trainer and group fitness instructor to help a variety of people be happy and healthy. Tiana sends a huge thank you to her husband, David, and all of her family and friends who have supported her throughout this journey.

Emily LaCourse is returning to Houston’s struggling

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In contrast to Finnegan and LaCourse’s pieces, Farnsworth’s group piece, “Small Things” exudes a much happier tone. It is about the small things in life that make a person happy, “It explores the everyday gestures, friendships, playfulness, and the spread of joy that can come from one person,” she explained. In this piece, Farnsworth expresses the color of life along with aspects of joy and happiness. Her group features seven dancers, wearing knee-length tank dresses in yellow, blue, and pink. “Their hair will be half-up/halfdown with basic makeup to give a lighter quality for the piece and allow for facial expressions to be seen,” she explained. Farnsworth is also using flowers as a prop.

“The flowers match the color of their dress to resemble how one individual’s happy moment can spread and affect other’s lives as well,” she elaborated.

the feeling of the music. “I repeat the movement I have found and watch it in the mirror or on my dancers to see if it works or not,” she explained.

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communities to teach public education. Her dream is to bring the values of a classical dance education to every child regardless of class, ethnicity, religion, or race.

LaCourse would like to thank her family and people who have become like family. She also thanks the educators who inspired her to touch other students’ lives. Most of all, she would like to thank her granny, Patty LaCourse, who gifted LaCourse with her first ballet lessons and never missed a show.

These seniors have spent countless hours of choreography and rehearsal time to display their artistry with the community for the show, Eventide, and are thrilled to present their creative vision with you. Tickets for the concert are available at csuartstickets.com.

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MEET THE CHOREOGRAPHERS

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Hannah Finnegan, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, began studying ballet, jazz, tap, musical theatre, contemporary, and hip-hop at the young age of three.

She regularly trained and performed with Krupinski Academy of Dance and American Dance Troupe through high school. With a primary focus was in concert dance, she did attended many national conventions such as NYCDA, JUMP, Velocity, DanceMakers, and Monsters.

At DanceMakers Nashville 2014, Kathryn McCorrmick from the popular show, So You Think You Can Dance, and the movie Step Up 3D, presented Finnegan with a scholarship to attend the DanceMakers national intensive. She also attended the Webster University Summer Intensive in 2013.

At CSU, she has performed in multiple dance concerts over the past three years and has been featured in choreography by students, faculty, and guest artists.

Her pieces “Weathering,” and “Eventuality,” were selected for the 2017 Spring and Fall Dance Concerts.

Finnegan currently, she teaches hip-hop at Immersion Dance Center. Her academic engagement includes

jumpstarting the Dance Undergraduate Student Handbook, as well as founding the CSU Dance Student Advisory Committee (DSAC) and serving as its president.

Tiana Farnsworth grew up in Colorado Springs and began her ballet training at Springs City Ballet at the age of seven, continuing her ballet training with Rachael Aragon at Rachael’s School of Dance. She has expanded her training with pointe, lyrical, and jazz techniques.

She has performed in many dance recitals, including annual performances in The Nutcracker, and performed the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in 2012. Farnsworth transferred to the Ballet Society of Colorado Springs in 2013 (renamed Colorado Ballet Society in 2017) where she studied under Patricia Hoffman and many others.

Farnsworth began her pre-professional dance education at Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC) in 2013 where she earned her Associates of Arts with an emphasis in dance. While at PPCC, she was also a member of the High-Altitude Dance Ensemble and performed in multiple dance concerts.

Farnsworth transferred to CSU in 2015, pursing a B.A. in dance, and a B.S. in health and exercise science with a concentration in health promotion. During her time at CSU, she has trained in ballet and modern techniques, pedagogy, and choreography and has performed in many of the dance concerts, including her performance in the “Pas De Trois Des Odalisque” as the first soloist in the Le Corsaire Suite adapted by professor Madeline Harvey for the Ballet Reparatory Ensemble.

Emily LaCourse is originally from Columbus, Texas and began her training at the age of three at Live Oak Dance Center. LaCourse also studied with Ballet Austin, Texas Ballet Theatre, and Houston Ballet where she performed in many classics including La Bayadere, La Fille Mal Gardee, and Coppelia.

LaCourse transferred to CSU in 2015.

During her time at CSU, she has studied ballet and modern techniques and performed in Professor Madeline Harvey’s restaging of Le Corsaire Suite, performing the female role in the pas de deux. LaCourse attended the National Dance Education Organization’s national conference in 2016 and 2017 where she explored her passion for dance education.

As a component of her pedagogical studies in classical ballet, she has instructed at Canyon Concert Ballet, and teaches classical ballet variations at Immersion Dance Center.

WHEN YOU CHAMPION A STUDENT IN THE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS, YOU CHAMPION THAT STUDENT’S DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONS OF A CAREER IN THE VAST AND GROWING FIELD KNOWN AS THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES. The Champion an Artist Scholarship program provides meaningful tuition support throughout a student's arts education. This powerful gift recruits the best and brightest talent to Colorado State University.

Your support allows gifted students to pursue artistic and academic excellence.

Champion an artist today by visiting smtd.colostate.edu/giving or call (970) 491-3558

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LaCourse attended Round Top Festival Institute finishing school in Round Top, Texas, where she hosted orchestras and musicians from around the world and traditions passed down from noble courts such as etiquette, language, and the arts. She attended Blinn Community College in Brenham, Texas as a liberal arts major, majoring in English and learning valuable skills in costuming, theatre. LaCourse began her teaching career at Live Oak Dance Center where she taught creative movement, pre-pointe, and multiple levels of classical ballet, also setting her first short ballet The Circus. She continued teaching at Saltare Studio and Fine Arts Center where she set the ballet, Alice in Wonderland. She also ran a musical theatre program for low income rural area students called Children Off Broadway.

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2018 Alliance Summer Institute

SOCIAL JUSTICE THRU THE ARTS JUNE 17-22

EXPLORE COLLEGE LIFE at COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY Join with your peers to dialogue, connect, and create a MURAL based on your story, your community, and your dreams for a socially just future.

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LIVE IN A RESIDENCE HALL ALONGSIDE PEERS AND COLLEGE STUDENT MENTORS

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WORKSHOPS ON COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID AND THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS NO COST FOR ALLIANCE STUDENTS

This summer institute will teach basic social justice concepts and advocacy through the arts. Participants will collaborate with renowned Washington D.C. based mural artist Rose Jaffe, CSU faculty and students and community educators through teambuilding, intercultural dialogue, nurturing individual and collective voice, and fostering communication across differences.

Students can expect to engage in hands-on learning in storytelling, movement and dance, image theatre, designing and painting, writing, and film/video. After showing on the CSU campus, the mural will be shared in different communities and various formats to foster dialogue about art and social justice.

WE WILL EXPLORE TOGETHER HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES ISSUES OF GENDER EQUITY, BELONGING, ACCESS, AND JUSTICE WHERE TO FIT IN ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS WHAT A CAREER IN THE ARTS LOOKS LIKE THAT FOCUSES ON SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY THROUGH A GENDER STUDIES LENS HOW THE CREATIVE PROCESS IS A PART OF YOUR STORY

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2018 Submit to Dr. Caridad Souza Director of Center for Women’s Studies & Gender Research COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY 1790 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523 | caridad.souza@colostate.edu

Learn more at 1stnationalbank.com/CSU

Member FDIC

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Stop by and see us in the Lory Student Center, next to the RamCard Office, to open a First National Free Checking Account and get your CSU Visa Debit Card on the spot.

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CSU THEATRE

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Urinetown publicity photo by Jennifer Clary Jacobs

BY BRODY HORNADAY, PUBLICITY INTERN, WITH JENNIFER CLARY JACOBS

During last week’s evening rehearsal, the stage of the University Theater was filled with students singing their hearts out in a musical about a pertinent political dystopia where citizens need to pay to use the toilet.

Urinetown: The Musical, Colorado State University Theatre’s new satirical musical packed with relevant themes, is not your typical show. Despite critics being unsure of how the production would fare when it first opened in 2001, the musical ended up with 965 performances on Broadway and won several Tony awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Musical Score. At CSU, the show runs April 27 – May 5.

Greg Kotis, the author of Urinetown, is a New York-based playwright specializing in dark, disturbing comedies that contain underlying socially relevant themes. Kotis’ mission was to be both funny and true to how he saw things through a show that tries to deal with anxiety and fear of what lies on the horizon.

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CSU Theatre’s Urinetown: The Musical uses satire to capture modern political discord

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Urinetown rehearsal photo by Brody Hornaday

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GUEST DIRECTOR RICHARD COWDEN A longtime pillar of the arts in the Denver area and friend of CSU Theatre Director Price Johnston, Richard Cowden returns to Colorado to guest direct the musical. When asked how the audience will be able to relate to such a script, he believes it will be surprisingly well-received.

“Despite its atypical title, Urinetown is a fairly traditionally structured American musical that happens to have a rather absurd premise,” Cowden said. “Along the way, the script and score both offer sharp parodies of classic American musicals — people will recognize elements of shows like Les Miserables, West Side Story, and a timely parable about corruption and human dignity. There’s a lot for everyone.”

Richard Cowden

quite simple and goofy, but the musical score contains deft melodic and harmonic structures, and the script requires the cast to walk a very fine and tricky line between campy humor, stinging satire, and honest, truthful acting,”

“On its face it seems quite simple and goofy, but the musical score contains deft melodic and harmonic structures, and the script requires the cast to walk a very fine and tricky line between campy humor, stinging satire, and honest, truthful acting,” Cowden said. “They’re smart, talented, and driven to make this production a very memorable one for the department, and I am blown away every night by what they’re bringing to the table.”

A PREPOSTEROUS PREMISE? Theatre student Sydney Fleishman plays Hope Cladwell, an optimistic, well-intentioned sort of airhead who is the love interest of the show’s protagonist, Bobby Strong, played by Jake Cuddemi. Aligned with her character’s intentions, Fleishman wants Urinetown to provide the audience with an entertaining break, but also wants their efforts to strike a chord with patrons about our current times.

“I hope audiences can better understand the world in which they live, a world that is filled with injustice and oppression,” said Fleishman. “I want them not only to understand that, but to feel compelled to make a difference or change their perspective on certain social issues.”

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“On its face it seems

In 2007, Cowden directed Urinetown while on faculty at Colorado Mesa University. Like any great piece of theatre, he says that as a director, the play presents multiple challenges but that it’s terrific to start with a new design team, a new cast, and a very different performance space. Working alongside David Horger and Patricia Goble, the musical directors, and choreographer Matthew Harvey, has provided him with confidence that they are creating the best production possible. In addition, Cowden says that he couldn’t be prouder of the cast.

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Photo by John Eisele, CSU Photographer

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Many people look at Urinetown with a similar impression: that it’s a preposterous musical comedy about inequality and oppression. However, Fleishman believes there is more that all audiences can understand and relate to, saying, “It’s also about justice and reclaiming those individual rights, while looking at the future with hope.”

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A PROTAGONIST AND AN ANTAGONIST WALK INTO A THEATRE...

While tackling a script that takes a lot of physical and emotional work, Fleishman is very grateful to be surrounded by such a motivated cast. “Some of the cast members are my best friends, so it’s great to come into rehearsal every night and work with them and share a lot of laughs,” she said. “We are more than just a team, we are a family.”

Bruce Gammonley, another theatre student at CSU, is playing the main antagonist in his first musical; his character, Mr. Cladwell, leads the corruption that runs the city and is Hope Cladwell’s father. Gammonley says that his character is a “quintessential evil capitalist,” which is interesting to keep in mind when comparing his interpretation of the script with Fleishman’s.

“The play is kind of a warning. The mismanagement of resources has led to a sort of post-apocalyptic dystopia,” explained Gammonley. “Without getting into spoilers, it’s also a warning that good intentions are not enough, and some facts are just unavoidable.”

While he views the script as a sort of warning, Gammonley still appreciates its unique style and the ridiculous world it portrays. “To them, it is literally life or death even though the premise of the show centers around a bathroom,” Gammonley chuckled. “The play stands entirely on its own even without any knowledge of its hidden references, so any audience will love it!”

Performing a musical is never a small task, but audiences can be assured that the director, production team, and cast are giving it their all.

“When musicals are well-produced, they lead us through a whole spectrum of our own emotions and allow us to experience stories that stay with us for a lifetime,” said Cowden. “And I guess that’s what I hope people will walk out with — oh, and a helluva lot of laughs. I mean it is a show about pee.”

URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL CONITUNES WITH PERFORMANCES MAY 3-5 AND A MATINEE ON MAY 6 AT 2 P.M. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT CSUARTSTICKETS.COM.

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Urinetown publicity photo by Jennifer Clary Jacobs, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Daniel Isaacs, Karlie Murray, and Jake Cuddemi

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Attention was Paid

RETIRING CSU THEATRE PROFESSOR RECEIVES THE KENNEDY CENTER GOLD MEDALLION

BY JENNIFER CLARY JACOBS When CSU Theatre Professor Laura Jones heard the 2018 Kennedy Center Gold Medallion recipient described as someone who “kept our department alive and well through a seemingly endless uphill battle for [our] beautiful building,” and whose mantra is “theatre is simply a good story well told,” she thought, “well…maybe…?”

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But when Nick Taylor, director of theatre at the Community College of Denver, said that the recipient’s husband was in attendance at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) to present the award, Dr. Jones counted herself out…until she saw George appear from behind a curtain, where he had been hiding, to present her with the national organization’s top award.

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“I’m so glad I was genuinely surprised because they all so wanted me to be surprised,” Jones exclaimed. “My husband cannot keep a secret, I swear, and he kept it from me for three weeks!”

IT’S A MAJOR AWARD Each year, individuals making extraordinary contributions in college theatre are honored by KCACTF. The organization highly regards the recipient’s dedication to educational theatre, as well as contributions of time, artistry, and enthusiasm to the development of the festival, its values, and its goals. The Gold Medallion is the organization’s most prestigious award and considered one of the great national honors in theatre education.

“I feel like I’m bringing home a gold medal from the Olympics after earning 10-point scores in both skill and endurance,” said the self-effacing professor, who is retiring this spring after 24 years of teaching, research and creative activity, outreach, and service at Colorado State University.

A CREATIVE ARTIST RESEARCH PRACTITIONER The focus of Jones’ responsibilities has shifted during her tenure at CSU, which began in 1993 when the small theatre faculty comprised of Morris Burns, Bob Braddy, and Porter Woods hired her primarily as a generalist. “I’m a Jill of all trades, yes, but I’ve developed specialties because you need to at the university level,” she explained. Through intellectual, academic rigor in creative

research, Jones earned her place among Samuel Beckett scholars and practitioners. “What is now accepted and respected in the performing arts is the role of a research practitioner where you meld research with creative artistry,” said Jones. “So, I don’t just write about Beckett’s work, I experiment with it extensively.”

Then, in May of 1984, Schneider, who was directing a new play in London, was posting a letter to Beckett himself when he glanced the wrong

Jones’ was particularly excited to continue her research on the Nobel-Prize winning author at CSU because Emerita English Professor Linda Ben Zvi, the first woman president of the International Beckett Society, was still teaching at CSU at the time. With the addition of Theatre Professor Eric Prince to the department, CSU’s Center for Studies in Beckett and Performance

was formed in 2002, promoting the creation and documentation of the practice and performance of the theatre of Samuel Beckett in a way that challenges the boundaries of contemporary theatre practice.

Jones’ lifetime of experimentation in the field of Beckett studies has included participation in the prestigious Happy-Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival in Ireland, partnering with Ben Zvi on a Beckett focus group during the centenary celebration of Beckett at Trinity College in Dublin, multiple presentations at International Federation of Theatre Research (IFTR) conferences, and numerous residencies and presentations around the world, as well as sabbatical work that resulted in 2008’s The Beckett Project, where Jones, with students from CSU and colleagues at Bas Bleu Theatre Company, conducted creative research trials on the emotive effect of the juxtaposition of light and dark onstage. In the early days of the Beckett Center, Beckett’s only authorized biographer, James Knowlson, gave a public lecture entitled “Beckett and the Old Masters.” Knowlson’s research on the holistic influence of the visual arts on Beckett, who especially loved the Italian masters, prompted Jones’ specific application of Michelangelo Caravaggio’s use of dramatic light to selected Beckett works. Both Knowlson and Ben Zvi returned to campus as The Beckett Project panelists.

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Jones’ foray into the world of the Beckett began in 1983 when she was asked to be Alan Schneider’s driver. Schneider, the famous New York director, was spending the summer directing Beckett one-acts for Juilliard’s touring company and teaching directing at the University of Denver, where Jones was a Ph.D. student. “After studying with Alan in July and then seeing three of his Beckett one-acts that played the Denver Center in August, I was able to recognize the man’s signature on his work,” remembers Jones of the director who premiered five of Beckett’s plays in the United States.

The conversations impacted Jones’ thesis decision, yet it took the young doctoral student six months to muster the courage to call Schneider and ask if she could write her dissertation on his directing of Beckett. Within weeks, at Schneider’s invitation, Jones saw six more of Schneider’s Beckett one-acts in New York City and was amazed to have become so well connected.

direction before crossing a street and was hit by a motorcycle. “He was at the peak of his career when he died, and I was so devastated that I didn’t want to do the thesis anymore. I didn’t want to be a grave picker,” said Jones, whose advisors encouraged her to continue, as no one else would ever have his blessing to do so. Accordingly, Jones interviewed many of those who had worked closest with Schneider, including playwright Edward Albee, critic John Lahr, and actors Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn.

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The collaborations and performance opportunities encouraged by the Center sustain the visibility of Beckett, both as significant art and as living contemporary performance.

When presenting her sabbatical work at the 2012 IFTR in Chile, Jones was satisfied that her research was not just speculation and hypothesizing about lighting, but that she had accomplished it in creative practice. “Don’t just talk the talk but walk the concept,” she said about her process.

collective work as a research practitioner, her time serving on both the building committee and as the director of Theatre, her input into the launch of the Kids Do It All musicaltheatre camp, as well as her thoughtful work on the theatre curriculum, as the scaffolding for the student experience. “Those things are the structure for making their experience as positive as possible. The people, space, time, and money are what I juggle, but those aren’t ultimately what is going to advance their time here, it’s the teaching,” confided Jones.

IF YOU BUILD IT

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BACK TO THE AWARD

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In addition to her contributions to the field of theater, Jones’ legacy at CSU certainly includes the University Center for the Arts itself.

In a definitive role as chair of the building user group, starting with the usage study of the historic structure and ending with the grand opening of the state-of-the-art complex in 2008, Jones poured 10 years of her life into the beloved center.

Jones proclaims that Dean Bob Hoffert kept the project alive, but describes her job as facilitating consensus among diverse needs and groups, and not just music, theatre, dance, and visual art, which have some common goals, but more so between the users and the administration, facilities, budget, architects, and contractors.

ALWAYS BE YOURSELF And though her experiences and her impact are varied, Jones’ true passion is teaching, and she’s taught every class in the theatre curriculum that didn’t involve a hammer, a brush, or a needle. “To hell with all of this other stuff! I would be perfectly happy spending all of my time in the classroom and the rehearsal hall,” she declared. Jones considers her

As fortune, or really good storytelling, would have it, Jones received her KCACTF award while doing what she loves best: working with students by directing the CSU Theatre production of Love and Information by Caryl Churchill.

According to Jones, the beauty of Churchill’s writing is the way in which her language challenges our artistic choices to be a genuine reflection of our values and beliefs. Churchill’s words immerse both performers and their audiences in an experiential examination of the multiple and often convoluted intersections of diverse points of view. In less than two hours, 16 actors portray 140 characters representing a full spectrum of society. “The play is a kaleidoscopic mashup of different persons expressing similar feelings, evoking epiphanies and ‘a-ha’ moments by revealing possibilities of understanding between ourselves and others.

It’s theatre at its very best,” said Jones about her last play at CSU. Thus, at the 50th annual celebration of the finest and most diverse work produced in university and college theatre programs,

“This very, very special award validates over four decades of working in theatre in higher education to improve the art form, wherever I happened to find myself. And that attention was paid to that lifelong effort was… amazing. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy” LAURA JONES

Laura Jones and the cast of Love and Information

The Gold Medallion and the other awards garnered at the 2018 regional conference are a boon for CSU Theatre. “It is such a good thing for them,” commented Jones. “To see that our program is the one to beat, that’s big. That’s really big, because we weren’t always, we came in as underdogs, and as I’ve watched our program grow here, with more and more challenging productions, I’ve watched our involvement and success at KCACTF evolve as well. It’s evidence!”

ATTENTION WAS PAID “This very, very special award validates over four decades of working in theatre in higher education to improve the art form, wherever I happened to find myself. And that attention was paid to that lifelong effort was…amazing. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy,” she laughed.

Jones is a firm believer that no one is irreplaceable, and although she’s always been driven to make a difference, she finally feels ready to retire, get out of the way, and let other people climb that mountain. “I’ve already done all the 14ers in my career, but this award definitely puts a button on it and I’m very grateful that I really don’t have any serious regrets.”

She repeats the line from Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman: “Attention must be paid.”

“I’m just so gratified that someone was paying attention, you know,” she said. “I just never sought any kind of major recognition. I’ve had my share of honors of different types over the years, and it was satisfying when it went well, but, you know, I was never doing it for myself…to me it was always all about the students.”

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Love and Information uniquely fulfilled the primary KCACTF goal of encouraging colleges and universities to give distinguished productions of new plays and experimental works. Only three universities are invited each year to present a production, with CSU receiving one of the coveted production slots.

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CSU Dance instructor Lisa Morgan working with Parkinsons participants

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Program gives Parkinson’s patients newfound life with movement, music

BY JEFF DODGE, CSU EXTERNAL RELATIONS During a recent Moving Through Parkinson’s session at the Colorado State University Health and Medical Center, after two music therapy students finished a rendition of Leslie Gore’s “It’s My Party” on guitar and bongos, instructor Lisa Morgan asked the older adults what the song reminded them of.

It’s Parkinson’s Awareness Month, and the group has gathered in the Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging to attend a class that combines movement, dance, live music, socializing — and even a bit of singing along to a favorite oldie. Selections have included Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me,” Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me,” and The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”

The collaborative program allows CSU faculty and students to provide multiple levels of physical and emotional stimulation for local residents living with Parkinson’s disease. The classes are supported in part by the Parkinson’s Support Group in Larimer County.

Parkinson’s is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement, so physical activity is the primary focus of the class.

“That’s the key to this disease, it’s movement,” says participant Cindy Elliott. “If you don’t move, you’ve lost. I think the movement and music work hand in hand — it’s a confidence-builder. Plus, it’s a way to interact with this great group.”

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One woman said high school. Then one of the men said, with a smile, “The back seat of my car.”

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Kimberly Woodman, graduate student Femke Verbeeck, senior with music therapy instructor Kyle Wilhelm

“It’s given me my life back, we inspire each other. you can stand alone in your room and dance to the Bee Gees, but it’s better with five or 10 people.”

— participant Billie Pawlikowski

THE MOVEMENTS Morgan, an adjunct dance instructor in CSU’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, leads the group in small motor tasks to more integrated, fullbody movements, including simple dance steps, all in time to the music.

The CSU students, with the guidance of their music therapy instructor Kyle Wilhelm, allow Morgan to set the tempo of their songs, but it’s obvious that the musicians and participants feed off each other.

“Live music provides flexibility that recordings don’t,” adds fellow music therapy student Kimberly Woodman, who’s getting real-life experience for her future career. “To me this is the meat and potatoes of the music therapy program. This is where you apply what you’ve learned in the classroom.”

In addition, Verbeeck and Woodman each follow one selected participant and track how music affects the participant’s movements. CSU students from other disciplines, including human

For some of the participants, the class represents a rebirth.

“It’s given me my life back,” says participant Billie Pawlikowski, who spent so much time sitting when she was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s that she couldn’t stand up without assistance — until she started taking the CSU class. “We inspire each other.

You can stand alone in your room and dance to the Bee Gees, but it’s better with five or 10 people.”

‘OILING THE JOINTS’ Morgan says many of the movements are designed to simulate everyday situations that the participants might encounter, like picking something up off the floor or preventing a fall. She aims to improve balance and coordination, combat rigidity, build strength and provide flexibility. Sometimes incorporating various props, Morgan also works on things like gait, hand-eye coordination and peripheral vision.

“It’s like oiling the joints,” says participant Susan Coulter. “For me, it’s the combination of socialization, movement and music. It’s synergistic help.”

“It’s all interconnected,” Wilhelm explains.

“Plus, when they start singing, it takes it to a whole other level,” Morgan adds. “Multitasking promotes neuroplasticity, or rerouting the information in the brain. Moving/dancing to live music, with the addition of singing along, is not only therapeutic and healing but fun and socially engaging.”

“And they’re doing it together,” Wilhelm replies. “They’re enjoying a better quality of life.”

Watch a video of the participants in motion by Ron Bend. Downloadable version on Vimeo CSU DANCE: Julianna Williams is a double major in dance and human development and family studies where she will receive a certificate in Pre-Health.

Julianna attended the classes to fulfill practicum hours for her HDSF classes and for her interest in dance/movement as therapy.

Shannon Gerney, senior dance major, also attended the classes because of her interest in physical therapy and the benefits of movement and dance for the aging population.

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“When we pick up on them having fun, it makes us feel good too,” says music therapy student Femke Verbeeck, who is performing for the class to fulfill her second required practicum in the program. “It validates why I’m getting my degree in music therapy. This is what I was meant to do.”

development and family studies as well as dance, are volunteering or getting practicum experience, seeing how movement and music can enrich lives.

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COMMUNITY PARTNERS: BAS BLEU

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CSU ALUM’S ENVIRONMENTAL FICTION UNEARTHED AT BAS BLEU

BY NICOLE TOWNE, PUBLICITY INTERN Twenty years from tomorrow, a young woman named Estella finds herself pregnant. She lives in an underground bunker with her love interest, Leopold. The current state of the earth above is deemed to be uninhabitable, and the two are surviving off a dwindling number of food pellets. This is where Laura Pritchett’s play Dirt, A Terra Nova Expedition begins.

Dirt, running from April 5 to May 6 at the Bas Bleu Theatre, explores what it means to truly love and honor the Earth. It is a story of love, birth, and resilience. The play combines science with imagination to create a production that allows the audience to be able to learn and feel.

The characters are slightly mysterious. Most of them the audience knows little about. Some of them come and go, and nearly the entire cast plays multiple roles. Each character comes across likeable and passionate.

Estella, played by Tabitha Tree, is a both a scientist and a dreamer. She spends afternoons researching in her lab and writing a play. Leopold, played by CSU junior theatre major Jake Richardson, is loving and yearning to leave the small capsule in the ground that he and Estella call home. He is growing ill and is determined to not let his life pass him by without experiencing the above ground world. Through Estella’s imagination, the audience meets her father, a warm and empathetic scientist who treats the soil as a gold and will go to extremes to protect it. He speaks to the audience as if he is their professor.

Dancers, including CSU sophomore theatre performance major Holly Wedgeworth, help bring the spirit of the mother earth to life and tell the story of creation from the perspectives of the Sumerian, Greek, Lakota, and Ainu people. Projections are used throughout the show and add an additional opportunity for visualization.

The show brings a unique energy to the Bas Bleu Theatre. It takes large issues such as climate change and fracking breaks it down it into comprehensible ideas. Both scientific and emotional, Dirt urges viewers to cultivate kindness towards the ground beneath their feet and the life that exists all around them.

Tickets for Bas Bleu performances are available at www.basbleu.org/tickets

Holly Wedgeworth / Photo courtesy of Bas Bleu

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Pritchett, a Colorado State University alumna (B.A. English, 1993; M.A. English 1995) and a Coloradan at heart, has written seven books and has received multiple awards for her work including the PEN USA Award and the Milkweed National Fiction Prize. In 2015, the essay collection “Dirt: A Love Story” was published and included Pritchett’s essay, “Hostile Takeovers: An Ode to Guts and Gardens.” The essay went on to be the foundation for Dirt.

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STUDENT VOICES

BY LARA MITOFSKY NEUSS

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This story is being presented as part of PechaKucha Vol. 4 at The Music District, May, 2018. Pecha Kuca nights are an informal gathering of creatives and opportunity to share ideas.

Improvisation was in existence even before the invention of musical notation. Not having been exposed to improvisation early on, I feel very inspired and lucky to have recently formed a strong connection with it, and I am excited to share with you my journey. I see improvisation as the opportunity to express my inner rhythmic and emotional experience as it is in the moment. When one improvises, sounds are created intuitively while being informed by the relationship of being one with their instrument. As I improvise, every teacher, mentor, and colleague who has supported me lends to the emotional expression of each note. Those who tirelessly coached me with their knowledge and patience are the foundation of every performance and piece that I share. The combination of their influence, my emotional bond to music, and my continual desire to connect with others, creates in me a weightless freedom to express what exists in my mind, spirit, and heart.

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y name is Lara Mitofsky Neuss and I am a clarinetist and teacher in Fort Collins, Colorado.

I am finishing my Master of Music this spring at Colorado State University where I am the graduate teaching assistant for the clarinet studio and new music ensemble. I am so thankful for my experience at CSU, where I’ve gained a broad range of teaching experience, while having artistic freedom to express myself in both traditional and non-traditional areas of music. Whether contemporary, chamber music, solo repertoire, orchestral and wind ensemble music, or even composition and improvisation, I have dived in to them all. Our new music ensemble at Colorado State is called “It Could Be Anything.” I’d like you to keep that in mind as I take you through my recent journey with improvisation.

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In Summer 2017, I participated in a program on Improvisation and new music held at Orford Musique in the province of Quebéc, Canada, and facilitated by Swedish percussionist Anders Ästrand. The twelve chosen participants with varying musical backgrounds arrived at Orford, eager to learn about Anders and his improvisational techniques. Anders began by having us close our eyes. I encourage you, if you are comfortable doing so, to take about fifteen seconds to close your eyes and become one with your environment. For us, a tap on the left shoulder meant to play our instrument, a tap on the right meant to stop. We stood with intense focus on our instruments, initially nervous to feel a tap yet gaining increasing confidence each time we were chosen to play.

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As the week continued, we were given opportunities to work together in groups, create our own compositions, improvise, lead, and follow. The natural beauty of Quebéc inspired our music as did the personal growth and experience that we shared. We moved from the insecurities of ‘What if my writing is bad? Am I being too repetitive with my improvisation?’ to becoming engrossed in the pure joy of freely connecting, expressing, and rejoicing musically with those around us. The fear of being judged by others and our tendency to self-critique were replaced by spontaneous rhythmic music making. None of this would have been possible were it not for the years of dedicated academic study, performance experience, and tireless practice. To find this freedom we had to have complete trust in our training and in our relationship with our instruments. As comfort crept in and personal judgement lifted, our natural rhythm, artistry, and emotional expression became spontaneous.

Following this extraordinary summer experience, I was fortunate to be one of four improvisors chosen for a tour in Sweden. Here I was no longer the beginner, but the educator, taking college students on the same journey that I had so recently had the opportunity to experience. I travelled with the three other musicians to Stockholm, Gothenburg, Arvika, Ljungskile,

"We moved from the insecurities of ‘What if my writing is bad? Am I being too repetitive with my improvisation?’ to becoming engrossed in the pure joy of freely connecting, expressing, and rejoicing musically with those around us."

and Orebro, teaching and performing with the students. The camaraderie of traveling and continuous performing with our students led to a unique environment of sharing, with our growth matching theirs. Myself and the other teachers grew increasingly closer, having already formed a strong bond from having performed together over the summer. Our shared journey had created in us a sense of becoming a single, united entity, and we plan to continue touring as a group. Our goal is to share our enthusiasm and knowledge of improvisation with others who like us, did not train in typical improvisational settings.

I have plans to channel my growth in the area of improvisation to schools around the world. Improvisation is an extraordinary way to connect with the artists around you. We are all artists and deserve the freedom to create our own voice. Improvisation is something that can be experienced in any field or genre. What you feel in one moment will be gone the next. With a new-found freedom and self-confidence, you can use your creativity to express your deepest emotions; a gift to yourself and to the many others who are influenced by you.

You might have been curious about the photos accompanying this story, wondering if they were taken by me during my various musical travels. The answer is that they were not but they represent an intimate piece of my growth as a musician and as an individual. My sister Ilysa Mitofsky took these photographs as she walked through her life in various cities and countries. She captured these moments as she felt emotionally connected with them as they passed by. This is her improvisation. It Could Be Anything.

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Photos by Ilysa Mitofsky

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UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS 1400 Remington St. Fort Collins, CO

REFRESHMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED RSVP at artmuseum.colostate.edu/mix

WITH THE SUPPORT OF:

1stMIX:

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF DIALOGUE

BY JENNIFER CLARY JACOBS “The moment you realize WHEN, WHERE, and WHY you have a certain privilege, you don't have only a privilege anymore. You start having a responsibility.”

The convergence of privilege and responsibility in society is hardly new as philosophers, authors, and pop culture have propagated the theory in various forms for centuries, but Colorado State University employee Kris Barz Mendonça is taking principled action as he pursues the creation of 1st MIX. In conjunction with CSU’s centers within Student Diversity Programs and Services (SDPS), the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art presents MIX: Multicultural, Intersectional, Inclusivity, Exchange on March 29, an opportunity to discuss representation and practical change related to social justice.

With the backdrop of the art museum’s temporary and permanent collections viewed through the lens of students’ own experiences and identities, students who may be questioning representation, accessibility, power, and visibility will have conversations with a diverse, five-member panel about feminism, sexual minorities rights, gender, racism, accessibility, xenophobia, and other issues.

A Critical Shift The idea for MIX came about in 2017 as Mendonça was assisting with the Pride Resource Center’s programs, as well as working in the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art as the visitor services manager. During his time in the Pride Resource Center, Mendonça became interested in the efforts of the six other diversity programs. “Each center fosters

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— Krisagon Barz Mendonça, Designer and Illustrator, CSU Creative Services

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“Essentialism creates [a] problem when we begin to say that someone’s identity is only ‘this,’ right? Intersectionality helps move us away from the problem of making that essentialist move and opens a path for looking at a lot of new, different ways, and lenses, and identity variables as we think about cultural identity.”

—ERIK AOKI

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and takes care of certain student minorities, but some students have intersectional identities too, so I wanted to create something that could increase the reach of the programming to some of those resource centers while focusing mainly on intersectionality of identities.”

“Being queer is different if you’re white, if you’re AfricanAmerican, if you’re Latino, Latina, if you’re a woman, if you’re a man, if you’re cisgender, transgender, gender fluid so the experience of being queer, for example, involves more than sexuality and gender, it involves race, culture, ethnicity, etc.,” said Mendonça. “The [MIX] event expanded after thinking about that.”

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MIX panelist Eric Aoki, professor of interpersonal, co-cultural, and intercultural communication in the Department of Communication Studies at CSU, describes the intersectionality of identities as a critical shift away from the practice of essentializing identities where notions of identity are assigned or packaged. “Essentialism creates [a] problem when we begin to say that someone’s identity is only ‘this,’ right? Intersectionality helps move us away from the problem of making that essentialist move and opens a path for looking at a lot of new, different ways, and lenses, and identity variables as we think about cultural identity.” Aoki said.

Although Aoki believes that studying a cultural or social issue through only one variable like race or gender can be a productive learning endeavor – especially when the variable presents a large supply of compelling evidence – expanding that learning by adding questions about age and generation, ethnicity, social class, and religious or nonreligious identities, for example, can elevate understanding to another level. Acknowledging many variables of identity, whether in research, programming, or conversation, substantiates the way that we live our lives.

An Intersectional Background With an intersectional background himself, the Brazilianborn Mendonça identifies as Latino, but also as mixed ethnicity. Mendonça’s mom is of German descent, and his dad is Native American, Spanish, and Nigerian, however, “Growing up I wasn’t encouraged to be aware of all of those identities and ethnicities in that mix, which represents Brazil really well,” he explained. “The way I was raised was, you know, you have white skin. You have to identify as a German, blondish kid.”

Later, Mendonça realized that his family had positioned him to select the race with more obvious privileges. Around the same time, he became in touch with social justice

Panelists Joe Tiner, Silvia Canetto, Eric Aoki, Rachael Johnson, and Octavius Jones answer questions from moderator Tom Dunn.

After its independent release in 2014, the comic strip quickly gained a following. “I think the project was good, but I also think that it really went viral because people felt that lack of representation,” said Mendonça. “I get a lot of messages from readers saying that through something so simple and small, how they felt represented, or how a certain comic strip initiated a conversation among their family and friends even.”

Because of the intersectionality represented by his characters, the comics often focus on sexism and racism as those issues are intertwined with LGBTQ issues.

“The actions and experiences that my characters go through empowers the reader helps them face adversity as LGBTQ people,” said Mendonça. The popular comic has been published as a book and translated into English. outandabout.com

The Role of Art in the Dialogue In his intercultural communication teaching and research, Aoki looks at how people traverse new cultural contexts, spaces, and places in relationship to who they are and what they bring about who they are into each specific environment.

“If you, me, other people, are bringing intersectional identities into the place, the space, how that text or that art hails us out can be very different in terms of how we interpret it and how we respond to it because it calls us out in different ways,” explains Aoki.

The panelists for MIX were selected based on recommendations Mendonça received from SDPS as well as selections of his own, and is comprised of CSU faculty and staff, many with impressive research credentials in diversity and social justice. According to Mendonça, the panelists’ strong positions and experiences are essential. “For a thousand people, there is one person like Psychology Professor Silvia Canetto who really pushes perspectives further,” says Mendonça with respect for her

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movements related to LGBTQ issues, and in his work as an artist, these topics are his focus. After being out as a gay person for several years, Mendonça started developing his comic strip “Out and About” because he didn’t see the same hues of diversity in movies, TV shows, and comics that he saw in his own community.

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Eric Aoki: Professor, Interpersonal, Co-Cultural, and Intercultural Communication, Department of Communication Studies; Artist

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work with minorities and representation. “It is important for them to be in this panel because they have so much to bring. It will be very rich.”

In addition to their professional positions, three of the panels are artists themselves. “As artists, we [incorporate] what we feel and think, but it’s also about how people perceive it. Art triggers thoughts as an observer and it fuels conversation,” Mendonça says.

Aoki believes the MIX panel will provide discussion around the importance and challenge of being soulfully and visually represented. “Everyone should have those moments of finding themselves in positive and rich representations, and if in the public sphere, if what we’re producing only does it for a certain facet of the demographic of the population, while that can be awesome for representation of some, it can also be very limiting for who feels included in public life, social life, and who feels included in the art world too.”

MIXing It Up As the new director of the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, Lynn Boland shared four feature areas of value, including a plan to build on the museum’s program of outreach and engagement.

For Boland, the plurality of meanings embedded within any work of art provides limitless opportunities to make connections with people across society. “This isn’t something anyone can do alone, so we’re inviting CSU’s Student Diversity Programs and Services to help us explore new perspectives,” he said.

The museum foresees MIX becoming a regular offering within its programming, yet museum patrons shouldn’t anticipate exhibitions curated specifically with future MIX dates in mind.

1st MIX has a bigger purpose. “We want to jump past the idea that we need a special occasion to do something special for a diverse community or for intersectionality,” conveyed Boland.

“MIX should expand the way we’re thinking about all of our programming going forward.”

Additionally, Boland expects MIX to directly inform how museum staff supervise the museum collection, including consideration for displaying and interpreting works of art. “We have a long to-do list of things we want to address to provide a broader, richer perspective for our collection and for our exhibitions,” he noted.

The thoughtful addition of artwork must be ongoing as the responsibility of cultural diversity and inclusion of identities is

REVIEWS OF 1ST MIX

not the burden of one piece but must be spread across the entire permanent collection. Looking for patterns within a body of work (or a museum’s collection) that speaks to one audience and excludes another audience is an important method of checks and balances for Aoki. “It doesn’t have to be one work that does it, but over the course of 100 years what has material work done to speak to that question of inclusivity and who it hails out, who it calls to, who it engages or not?” he said. “It’s important for our sense of human cultural agency in the world through something as simple and as complex as art.”

What excites Boland is the possible exposure of elements the museum staff hasn’t yet considered. “It’s the surprises that are the most appealing to me – what haven’t we even thought about or realized, or what isn’t speaking to someone where it could – and that’s what MIX can do.”

What is art? What is social justice?

Does art have a role in social justice? Does social justice matter in art? These are some of the questions discussed at the first MIX event. It will be great to see how future MIX events will carry forward the insights about art and social justice generated at the first MIX. ~ Silvia Canetto, Professor, Department of Psychology; Affiliate Faculty in the Center for Women's Studies & Gender Research, Department of Ethnic Studies; Department of Human Development and Family Studies

The first edition of MIX was truly elevating. Listening to the panelists talking about not only their ideas and their ways of fighting for social justice, but exchanging different points of view, finding common ground and similarities in their fight, and having different identities was terrific. I think empathy was the starting point for the event, understanding was part of the experience, and I felt energized to do more by the end. I hope the audience felt that way too. I’m very proud of what we created together and I’m sure the next edition will be even better.

PANELISTS:

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from the first MIX— I’m not familiar with anything quite like it—but I had faith in the organizers and participants that proved well founded. The discussion was lively and challenging, yet respectful, and as large and complex as the topic was, it still addressed specific issues and suggested meaningful action. Having the program centered around the museum’s displays and interpretation not only offered a grounded discussion but served the museum in ways we couldn’t have achieved alone. One of the big ‘takeaways’ for me was that it’s not enough to be taking a nuanced and sensitive approach to the way we handle art, we need to be sure we’re communicating those approaches clearly and that we are being overt about the difficult issues with which we wrestle in the choices we make for the display

ERIC AOKI: Professor, Interpersonal, Co-Cultural, and Intercultural Communication, Department of Communication Studies; Artist RACHAEL JOHNSON: former North Star mentor at the Native American Cultural Center; Student Coordinator at Women’s Studies & Gender Research, Ethnic Studies Department; Artist OCTAVIUS JONES: Adjunct Professor- Ethnic Studies and Women's Studies Department, Storyteller JOE TINER: Graduate Assistant at Resources for Disabled Students, Photographer SILVIA CANETTO: Professor, Department of Psychology; Affiliate Faculty in the Center for Women's Studies & Gender Research, Department of Ethnic Studies; Department of Human Development and Family Studies Moderator: TOM DUNN Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Director of Basic Course

~ Krisagon Barz Mendonça, Designer and Illustrator, CSU Creative Services

and interpretation of the objects in our care. ~ Lynn Boland, Director of the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art

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“People will leave with maybe more questions than answers, but that’s part of these conversations. It’s hard to come up with absolute answers. What we’re trying to do is hopefully move things forward,” Mendonca says.

1st MIX took place on Thursday, March 29 in the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art. The series continues next fall.

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MAY 2018 EVENTS

MFA THESIS EXHIBITION 2OI8 UNTIL MAY 18, 2018

ONGOING EXHIBITION

MFA THESIS EXHIBITION

The Griffin Foundation Gallery and Works on Paper Gallery MAGGIE ADAMS SONJA ALLEN TAYLOR BISBEE ADAM JONES MELISSA LAUGEN ANDREW MEYER CARRIE MILLER ZACH MILLER BARBARA RUDLAFF KYLE SINGER

MFA THESIS EXHIBITION 2018 APR 27 - MAY 18, 2018 OPENING RECEPTION: FRI APR 27, 5 P.M.

GREGORY ALLICAR MUSEUM OF ART University Center for The Arts 1400 Remington Street, Fort Collins, CO

Thursday MAY 3, 2018

EVERY FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH

STORY TIME IN THE MUSEUM

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10 A.M. Robert W. Hoffert Learning Center

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Thursday MAY 3, 2018 PANEL

MFA SPEAKS 5:30 P.M. Robert W. Hoffert Learning Center

Wednesday MAY 9 and Thursday 10, 2018

MOTHER DAY & GRADUATION SALE

10 A.M. - 7:30 P.M. Museum Store & Hoffert Learning Center

MAY 29 - SEPT 22, 2018 EXHIBITION

SPATIAL FLUX: CONTEMPORARY DRAWINGS FROM THE JOANN GONZALEZ HICKEY COLLECTION The Griffin Foundation Gallery and Works on Paper Gallery

Jason Rosenholtz-Witt, 2011, M.M. Music

ing my 30th year of teaching instrumental music, all in the state of Colorado! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by. I taught for six years in the Fort Lupton School District, three years in the Aurora Public Schools District (Rangeview High School), and the past 21 years as a junior high, high school assistant, and elementary sectional teacher in the Cheyenne Mountain School District in Colorado Springs. Our band at Cheyenne Mountain have achieved a lot over the years, but the highlights are definitely the four times the Jazz Ensemble, and seven times the Symphonic Band have performed at CMEA since 2000. In 2007, the band played at the ASBDA convention, and every year the bands play at the CBA Middle School festival, where they receive superior ratings. Our jazz band plays in Greeley for the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival, and the 18th and Vine Festival in Kansas City. I feel very fortunate to have taught music for this long, and one of the joys of my profession is helping out the younger directors whenever possible, as I was where they are once upon a time and I know they appreciate the help and advice! And of course, my family is very special to me - my wife Kari, son Ryan, step-daughter Katie, and step-son Kyle - as they have supported me through thick and thin. I’m proud to be an alum of CSU! My experience as a graduate teaching assistant set me up for a very satisfying career as a band director/music educator. GO RAMS, and here’s to a few more years for me!

I've won a number of fellowships and grants towards the completion of my dissertation, tentatively titled, "Musical Networks in the Venetian Republic, 1580-1630."

Northwestern University Presidential Fellowship The Presidential Fellowship is funded by the President of the University and awarded by The Graduate School (TGS). This highly competitive award is the most prestigious fellowship awarded to graduate students by Northwestern University. This is a two-year fellowship and I am the first musicology student to ever win this award.

The Dr. Gudrun Busch Musicology Fellowship: This is awarded directly by the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel, Germany and will support a two-month residency at that library for research on rare early seventeenth-century Italian musical sources. Read about it here.

Spencer Poston, 2016, B.S. Music After graduating from Colorado State, I began my career in Deer Trail, Colorado, where I taught K-12 Music, including K-3 general music, 4th/5th grade band, middle school band, high school band, and a rock band class. Having gained some valuable experience in Deer Trail, I returned to my alma mater(s), Thompson Valley High School and Walt Clark Middle School in Loveland, Colorado, to teach 6-12 band. It's a joy to be teaching in the same institutions where I began my musical journey and I am thrilled to teach close to CSU, a place that is very special to me!

The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation: The Foundation awards travel grants to individual scholars to support historical research on Venice and the former Venetian empire, and for the study of contemporary Venetian society and culture. I was awarded a grant to support three months of archival research in Bergamo, Italy at the Biblioteca Civica Angelo Mai. My project proposal was titled, "Singing at the Edge of the Veneto: Giovanni Cavaccio in Bergamo, 1598-1626." Link to list of 2017-18 fellows.

To submit your Class Note: Email Brandon Adams at brandon.adams@colostate.edu

I S S UE 2 7, M AY 2 0 1 8 / T H E GRE E N ROO M T HE UN IVERS ITY C ENT ER F OR T HE ARTS

Dan Bell, 1988, M.M. Music I am just finish-

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