Arts season to include Shakespeare 450 celebration

The 2014-15 arts season at Pitt-Bradford will bring classical music, speakers, art, theater and more to the university and the community.

Events are open to the public and free unless otherwise noted. For more information or tickets, contact the Bromeley Family Theater box office at 814-362-5113 or showtix@pitt.edu.

Spectrum, the longest running of the university’s three arts series, will open its theater season Sept. 19 with a rollicking look at Shakespeare the first in a three-part celebration of the Bard of Avon’s 450th birthday. Tickets for all of the stage productions are $6 for the public and $2 for all students.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company will create a Shakespearean masterpiece right before your eyes at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 in the Bromeley Family Theater in Blaisdell Hall. Each of the players has brushed up on his “thees” and “thous” for an evening of off-the-cuff comedy using the language and themes of the great playwright.

The Shakespeare 450 celebration will continue with a Division of Communication and the Arts presentation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by Dr. Kevin Ewert, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20-22 and 2 p.m. Nov. 2 in the Studio Theater in Blaisdell Hall. Tickets are $6 for the public and $2 for all students.

In the spring, Communications and the Arts finish up the celebration by presenting “Lear,” an adaptation of “King Lear” by Young Jean Lee, at 7:30 p.m. April 2-4, 2015, in the Studio Theater with an additional, 9:30 p.m. show April 3. It is also directed by Ewert.

The Spectrum writers’ series begins with screenwriter and filmmaker Sam Zalutsky at noon Oct. 9 in the Mukaiyama University Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons. Zalutsky is a creator, director and producer for the comedy web series “The Go-Getters.”  

Novelist Karen Gettert Shoemaker will visit at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 in the Mukaiyama University Room. She has published stories in Prairie Schooner, the London Independent, the South Dakota Review, Fugue, Kalliope and other literary magazines.  

Prism, Pitt-Bradford’s premier arts series, will offer two presentations this year. The first will be a production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Bromeley Family Theater. A sleepy Southern town confronts difference and justice through the eyes of 6-year-old Scout. Based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and presented by the National Players for the first time in its 65-year history. Tickets are $16-$20 for the public. Student tickets are $5.

The second Prism event will be a vocal recital by DeAndre Simmons at 8 p.m. Feb. 6, 2015, in the Bromeley Family Theater. The American bass-baritone wowed the audience with his velvety voice and captivating stage presence when he performed at Pitt-Bradford’s 50th Anniversary Gala last spring. Tickets are $12-$16 for the public. Students are $5. An optional pre-show reception will support the Marilyn Horne Archive Project. Tickets for the reception are $20 per person or $30 per couple.

The first Spectrum visual artist will be Ron Geibel, whose exhibition “Picture Perfect” will be in the KOA Art Gallery in Blaisdell Hall from Nov. 7 through Dec. 5. A gallery talk and reception will be held at noon Nov. 7 in the KOA Lobby of Blaisdell Hall. Influenced by the notion of the upper middle-class American family, ceramic artist Geibel investigates and explores the intersections of the public and private spheres. For more information, visit rongeibel.com.

Visitors can enjoy both Geibel’s show and the music of chamber music ensemble Gibbs and Main at noon Nov. 13 in the KOA Lobby. Gibbs and Main is five professional musicians dedicated to performing classical masterpieces side by side with Latin, pop and contemporary repertoire. For more information, visit gibbsandmain.com.

Pitt-Bradford students in the Vocal Arts Ensemble, directed by John Liberatore, will present their first concert of the year, featuring holiday music, at noon Dec. 2 in the KOA Speer Lobby. The group will also perform at noon April 14, 2015, in the KOA Speer Lobby.

Students, faculty, staff and members of the local community will all have a chance to show off their photography skills during “PASSION Photography Exhibit” Jan. 16 through Jan. 30, 2015, in the KOA Art Gallery. An opening reception will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Jan. 16. For more information on submitting photos, contact Kristin Asinger at kaa54@pitt.edu.

Writers on campus and in the community will have the chance to show off their talents when the 2015 edition of Baily’s Beads literary magazine is unveiled at its annual celebration at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21, 2015, in the University Room.

The second art exhibition of the Spectrum Series will be “From a Black Shore: Field Notes, Iceland” by Burke Jam Feb. 6 through March 6, 2015. A gallery talk and reception will be held at noon Feb. 6.

Western New York singer/songwriter Ade Adu will warm up February with a noon performance Feb. 10, 2015, in the Studio Theater. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Adu has since lived in West and South Africa, finally moving back to Western New York. He performs a broad range of genres, including dance, hip-hop, reggae, rock, euro-beat, R&B, contemporary Christian and more. For more information, visit www.adeadu.com.

Two weeks later, Strings and Hammers music trio will perform in the same space at noon Feb. 24, 2015. Strings and Hammers presents music for piano, violin and double bass.

A year’s worth of student art will be on exhibit March 20 through April 17, 2015, in the KOA Art Gallery in the Affairs of the Art Student Exhibition. A gallery opening will be held at noon March 20.

Finally, Dr. Marvin Thomas will present his popular annual history lecture 8 p.m. April 7, 2015, in Rice Auditorium in Fisher Hall. This year he will tackle The Sinking of the Lusitania, which was one of the major turning points in the First World War.

While not a part of the Spectrum series, the Southern Tier Symphony brings live classical music to Pitt-Bradford three times each year. Each concert is at 3 p.m. in the Bromeley Family Theater and costs $20 for the public, but is free for students.

“Overture across the Ages” on Sept. 27 will present musical epochs from Mozart to Copland and everywhere in between. “Classical Holiday” on Dec. 7 will feature Archangelo Corelli’s “Christmas Concerto Grosso in G. Minor,” Joseph Haydn’s “Toy Symphony” and other seasonal favorites. Finally, “Fabulous Finales” will be the theme of the concert May 3, 2015, and will include selections by Benjamin Britten, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven.

For disability-related needs, contact the Office of Disability Resources at 814-362-7609 or clh71@pitt.edu.

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