"The Skin of Our Teeth" ends this weekend

The Department of Theatre and Dance and the University Players have been hard at work this fall on their first production of the 2008-09 season: Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, The Skin of Our Teeth. The play, which opened last weekend in the Alice Jepson Theatre, is the satiric story of the extraordinary Antrobus family through the ages. This family has survived flood, fire, pestilence, the ice age, a dozen wars and as many depressions. Ultimately bewitched, befuddled and becalmed, they are the stuff of which heroes and buffoons are made. Their survival is a wacky testament of faith in humanity.

Dorothy Holland, associate professor of theatre at the University of Richomond, directs the production which features Actors’ Equity Artists-in-Residence Joe Inscoe and Irene Ziegler. The student cast includes Rex Bradley, Ryan Breen, John Conrad, Alyssa Davis, Caitlyn Duer, Adam Ferguson, Mark Ferguson, Mary Beth Gayle, Christopher Hooper, Patrick Jones, Jackson Knox, Kiara Lee, Bryarly Richards and Amy Szerlong. Also included are University of Richmond community members Jane Dowrick, Elizabeth Kirkwood and Fiona Ross.

To learn more about the play, listen to the podcast that was recored by Peter Solomon for WCVE Public Radio. In it, Solomon talks to actor Joe Inscoe, offers clips from the production and discusses the impact this play has in 2008.

The production runs nightly through Saturday, November 22, 2008. Tickets are currently on sale through the Modlin Center Box Office for $15 with discounts for seniors, students, children, groups and University of Richmond employees and students.

I hope you can make it!

Follow up to NSP benefit concert

I wanted to share the results of the National Student Partnership's annual Thanksgiving benefit concert, as mentioned in an earlier post. The group collected over $1000 in cash and in-kind donations from students, employees and Richmond community members, which will go towards full Thanksgiving meals to Richmond families. I'm told this is an increase from last year, so thanks to everyone who attended the concert and helped to make a difference. And thanks to the student members of NSP who so willingly give of their time to support such needed efforts.

Rockapella returns to Richmond

Kick off the holiday season on December 5 when the popular a cappella group Rockapella returns to the Modlin Center following two previous sold out appearances. This year, they bring their smash hit show, "A Rockapella Holiday," for performances at 7:30 (almost sold out) and 9:30 pm in Camp Concert Hall. Here's a video from the group's 2007 holiday tour.



This year's tour will feature traditional favorites like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” as well as Rockapella’s original “Snowstar” (which was not on the set list for 2007).

Scott Leonard, Jeff Thacher, Kevin Wright, John K. Brown and George Baldi put on a great show. Don't miss it. Ticket are selling quickly!

Something new to listen to

I've recently uploaded two Modcasts for your listening enjoyment! These podcasts feature question and answer sessions with artist and audience members following recent Modlin Center performances. On October 24 & 25, Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited performed in Camp Concert Hall and took questions from the audience concerning, among other things, the current political and economic situation in Zimbabwe.

On October 27 & 28, the Modlin Center presented Monday Night World Theater's dramatic reading of Sixteen Wounded by Eliam Kraiem, directed by Donna E. Coghill. The performances, in Cousins Studio Theatre, were followed by a Q&A with the actors, director and dialect coach, Martin Sulzer-Reichel. Audience members asked about the actors' preparation for the reading, including learning the necessary Israeli and Palestinian dialects, along with inquiring about insights into the characters backgrounds and futures.

Whether you attended these performances or not, you can still enjoy these podcasts! And I'd love to hear your feedback about them right here!

Punch Brothers headed to Richmond

I thought this post from the Nonesuch Web site was worth sharing. We're looking forward to performances Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the Modlin Center!

Punch Brothers Tour Introduces Band's New Bass Player

Punch Brothers kicked off a string of November tour dates this past weekend after some time off that allowed for Chris Thile's monthlong tour with bassist Edgar Meyer featuring music from their recent debut duo album on Nonesuch (to which the Montreal Gazette recently gave 3 1/2 stars). These latest dates marked the debut of Punch Brothers' new bassist, Paul Kowert, who, fittingly, studied with Meyer at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music.

The Bluegrass Blog, in a post earlier today, features a bit of biographical information on the young bass player and a review from the site's John Lawless of the new lineup after their sold-out gig at Kirk Avenue Music in Roanoke, Virginia, last night.

"Kowert," the site reports, "is more than up to the task. Not only has he memorized the demanding Punch Brothers repertoire, but he is a brilliant soloist in his own right." Lawless calls Kowert's tone "gorgeous" and crediting his playing with having "brought a new dimension to the band’s already impressive sound."

There's no shortage of praise for the other members of the band as well, though the reviewer sees it as almost self-evident enough not to state it again:

I don’t suppose there is any news value in pointing out that each member of Punch Brothers was equally stunning on stage, as was the group as a whole. They continue to strike me as the most technically gifted string ensemble yet assembled, and the discipline they exhibit individually and as a unit is a wonder to behold.

To read the full article, visit thebluegrassblog.com. The tour continues with sets tonight and tomorrow night in Richmond, Virginia, at the Modlin Center for the Arts. For more tour information, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

Frank Rich on Oprah today

A friend (and big Oprah fan!) told me this morning that Frank Rich is scheduled to appear on Oprah today to give his input on the recent election. I can't find anything on Oprah's website but it's probably worth watching anyway. And if you miss it live, I'm sure you can check her site later. Rich, the Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times, will be visiting Richmond this weekend for two appearances at the Modlin Center: Sunday, Nov. 9 at 3 pm and Monday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 pm.

According to a recent preview in Style Weekly, Rich called Richmond home when he helped create the weekly paper The Richmond Mercury in 1972. Since then, he spent 13 years as the chief drama critic for The New York Times and is now an Op-Ed columnist there, offering a weekly editorial on the connection between culture and news. If you're able, don't miss this fabulous talk by one of the leading journalists of our time as he reflects on the impact of this historic election. He'll take questions from the audience and there will be a post-appearance book signing. Tickets are still available!

Students helping others at Thanksgiving

The Modlin Center Box Office is often asked for assistance by various groups on campus. Our services are requested to sell tickets to big concerts and events presented around campus by the Campus Activities Board, student theatre productions in Cousins Studio Theatre, annual Family Weekend a cappella concerts and so on.

One group we've always assisted is the National Student Partnership (NSP), a group that recruits and trains VCU/UR volunteers to work one-on-one with low-income community members in obtaining economic stability. Each November, NSP hosts an a cappella concert in the University of Richmond's Cannon Memorial Chapel. Again this year, the concert (November 13 from 7-9 pm) will feature the four University of Richmond a cappella groups--Choeur du Roi, The Octaves, Off the Cuff and the Sirens. This year, Virginia Commonwealth University's first co-ed a cappella group, The Notochords, will also be featured.

Here's the good part: all proceeds raised from ticket sales and donations will help provide full Thanksgiving meals to NSP clients and their family members. Tickets are only $3 or 3 canned goods. Such a deal! Tickets will be available in advance at a table in UR's Tyler Haynes Commons next week (Nov. 10-13) or at the door. I hope you can come out and support NSP and their wonderful student volunteers--students who give so much of their time in support of others.