UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT CRUTCHER
and JOANNE KONG
GRAND BOULÉ PERFORMANCE

University President Ronald A. Crutcher performed virtually as part of the 55th Grand Boulé, a biennial gathering of Sigma Pi Phi, the oldest Black fraternal organization for professionals in the United States.

Crutcher was joined on piano by Joanne Kong, Department of Music director of accompaniment and coordinator of chamber ensembles. They performed three pieces as a prelude for the event’s memorial service, a remembrance of members who have passed away since the previous gathering. President Crutcher revisited a favorite piece, “Largo from Sonata in G Minor” by Henry Eccles.

“Music, and to a more general extent art in general, helps me to transcend the vicissitudes of life and all the craziness is going on,” Crutcher said. “When I'm focused on the music, I’m not aware of anything else, I'm totally focused on that. And it's soothing. It's reassuring.”

MANUAL CINEMA

10TH ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTACULAR!

Online | Through August 23

While we weren't able to celebrate Manual Cinema's 10th anniversary during their planned spring performance of Frankenstein this past spring, we can mark this milestone virtually with their 10th Anniversary Retrospectacular! 

Join Manual Cinema for a month-long virtual birthday party featuring four of the company’s most seminal shows from the past ten years on multi-camera, high-definition video, streaming for free. Each week, Manual Cinema will host live, virtual talkbacks reuniting each production’s creators and collaborators.

A KIDS PLAY ABOUT RACISM

Online | August 1 & 2

Our good friends at TheaterWorks USA (you may remember them from The Magic School Bus and Pete The Cat performances at the Modlin Center) have partnered with 40 other theatre companies that produce work for young audiences to create a free, groundbreaking online performance for families. A Kids Play About Racism explains what racism is, how to know it when you see and experience it, and ideas for what you can do about it.

For ages 5+ but all ages welcome.

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE

TheaterWorks USA now offers two virtual theatre opportunities for children this summer. Children can participate in virtual summer camps, theatre skill-building classes, and master classes through TheaterWorks Academy. Families who prefer to learn and engage at their own pace can use the variety of virtual activities and events available through TheaterWorks Anywhere. 

HOW CORONAVIRUS IS CHANGING MUSIC

INTERVIEW WITH ANDY McGRAW

Andy McGraw, associate professor of music and an ethnomusicologist, discusses how the pandemic has impacted the music industry and the role of music in bringing communities together during troubled times.

VISITING ARTIST PROGRAM:

MANUAL CINEMA

Students in Introduction to Film, Sound, and Video participated in two cinema workshops with Manual Cinema when the artists were on campus for their Momentos Mori performance at the Modlin Center. 

During the first half of the workshop, students were introduced to Manual Cinema's unique aesthetic and techniques using shadow puppetry, video, and sound design to create visual stories for the stage and screen. Manual Cinema takes an expansive approach to merging mediums, tools, and storytelling methods.

Students applied this theory in creating their own visual stories for performance and critique and later in their culminating independent film project for their class.