As I lie awake into the wee hours of the morning (it must be the pent up excitement for the Thompson Hall grand opening, I'm sure) I came to the conclusion that the blog is dead.
I'm sure many others have come to this conclusion already and are now all "aTwitter" instead. I must admit, I get it. I love instant gratification as much as the next Gen Yer, but I feel like I just started to get the hang of blogging and it's already out of style.
I can't keep up! Until we hop on the Twitter train, I'm going to try to keep up with the blog and I hope you hang with me.
I'll keep it short and sweet, but probably still more than 140 characters - sorry!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
ARTS NC license plate - sweet!
The arts specialty plate has taken front and center in our advocacy efforts the last two weeks as the Senate and House debate revenue sources and the budget remains in limbo. Thank you to all who have responded to recent Call to Action messages.
We are close to a breakthrough on the arts license plate but we need you to help us gather persuasive data. ARTS North Carolina would like to demonstrate support for the arts plate through an email survey. Take a look and please tell us if you are interested in having this plate by a simple email to licenseplate@artsnc.org We will compile the numbers and take our report to the Legislature as soon as possible, so please act now. Just include your affirmative response, your name and address, and your email information. Be one of the first to receive information on plate sales when the legislation is passed. Your response in no way obligates you to buy the plate.
We want The Creative State on 100,000 cars before Christmas. Think of the visibility our plate can create for all the arts. Imagine the sustaining revenue and what we, your advocacy organization, could accomplish with substantial plate sales - statewide arts marketing, better networking and communications, arts education advocacy, reinstatement of Professional Consulting Services, local "on the ground" advocacy training and support, the beginnings of a trust for facility development...the options and potential revenue are unlimited!
Please forward this to colleagues, friends, and family who would want our arts specialty plate and personally ask them to respond. The more people interested, the stronger the case.
Live Expectantly. Be Prepared. Take Action.
Karen WellsARTS North Carolina108 S. Blount StreetRaleigh, NC 27601919-834-1411karen@artsnc.orghttp://capwiz.com/artsusa/nc/utr/1/NJIWKWNQRV/EGCEKWNTHA/3654118756
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A couple of updates
University Theatre is in the thick of new student orientation and working hard to create a memorable grand opening.
If you didn't already know, season tickets are now available! This year, we will have reserved seating, so it is even more important to get your seats early.
General public/adult - $64
seniors/student/faculty/staff/parents/Encore/Alumni Assoc. Members - $56
NCSU Students - $20
For tickets, call 919.515.1100 or visit www.ncsu.edu/ticketcentral.
And, don't call it a comeback - University Theatre has a new and improved facebook page!
Search for it under NC State University Theatre. Get updates, check the blog, and communicate with the staff and other fans.
We look forward to starting a new year with new and returning students and a full slate of productions!
Coming soon - University Theatre Alumni Reunion information (mark your calendars for September 25 & 26, 2009).
Until next time...
If you didn't already know, season tickets are now available! This year, we will have reserved seating, so it is even more important to get your seats early.
General public/adult - $64
seniors/student/faculty/staff/parents/Encore/Alumni Assoc. Members - $56
NCSU Students - $20
For tickets, call 919.515.1100 or visit www.ncsu.edu/ticketcentral.
And, don't call it a comeback - University Theatre has a new and improved facebook page!
Search for it under NC State University Theatre. Get updates, check the blog, and communicate with the staff and other fans.
We look forward to starting a new year with new and returning students and a full slate of productions!
Coming soon - University Theatre Alumni Reunion information (mark your calendars for September 25 & 26, 2009).
Until next time...
Friday, May 1, 2009
2009 - 2010 season announcement!
This year the shows are big and anticipation even greater as we build, block and open on the new stages of Frank Thompson Hall.
Here's what we are serving:
Amadeus
Blue
ReDesign
It's a Wonderful Life
Into the Woods
our annual student studio (TBD)
Macbeth
Tickets go on sale this summer - stay tuned to the blog and website for ticketing and performance information and updates.
Here's what we are serving:
Amadeus
Blue
ReDesign
It's a Wonderful Life
Into the Woods
our annual student studio (TBD)
Macbeth
Tickets go on sale this summer - stay tuned to the blog and website for ticketing and performance information and updates.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Bloggy McBlogerson
Hello friends,
As you may imagine, April is a busy month. It is the culmination of the year and that which remains gets crammed into the month before the students part ways for home, internships, or other adventures that may be better left to the students' imaginations.
Music has a ton of concerts this month, so get one in! Dance has their annual spring concert and there is only one last chance to see a Center Stage concert this year. Get your Gregg Museum fix too! ncsu.edu/arts is the place to go to figure out what you need to see, hear, feel, experince before the dog days of summer are upon us.
University Theatre and the Craft Center are now in the reality of moving into the new Frank Thompson Hall. We have a lot ahead of us. The beauty of the new building only serves as a reminder of how far this building has come! I anticipate a lot of excitement and new memories being made with each turn of the pottery wheel and each curtain call.
We are working hard to build up our new staff as well. As you can see, we have already hired our new Assistant Director who hit the ground running today. She has a fresh perspective and new ideas that we all look forward to.
Amidst all the change, we are planning the new season - get ready to order your tickets as soon as they go on sale!! I'll keep you anticipating the announcement of the new season for a couple more days.
As always thank you for your continued support as we work diligently to get Thompson Hall up and running. We look forward to celebrating a new era of University Theatre with you!
As you may imagine, April is a busy month. It is the culmination of the year and that which remains gets crammed into the month before the students part ways for home, internships, or other adventures that may be better left to the students' imaginations.
Music has a ton of concerts this month, so get one in! Dance has their annual spring concert and there is only one last chance to see a Center Stage concert this year. Get your Gregg Museum fix too! ncsu.edu/arts is the place to go to figure out what you need to see, hear, feel, experince before the dog days of summer are upon us.
University Theatre and the Craft Center are now in the reality of moving into the new Frank Thompson Hall. We have a lot ahead of us. The beauty of the new building only serves as a reminder of how far this building has come! I anticipate a lot of excitement and new memories being made with each turn of the pottery wheel and each curtain call.
We are working hard to build up our new staff as well. As you can see, we have already hired our new Assistant Director who hit the ground running today. She has a fresh perspective and new ideas that we all look forward to.
Amidst all the change, we are planning the new season - get ready to order your tickets as soon as they go on sale!! I'll keep you anticipating the announcement of the new season for a couple more days.
As always thank you for your continued support as we work diligently to get Thompson Hall up and running. We look forward to celebrating a new era of University Theatre with you!
Allison Bergman - Assitant Director, University Theatre
University Theatre is thrilled to introduce our newest addition! Allison Bergman, Assitant Director for University Theatre. Allison's official first day is April 16. We hope you all will take the time to introduce yourself and get to know her before the semester ends! We've given you a head start...
What did you want to be when you grew up?
My father was an actor and a musician, so I never questioned that I would be in the performing arts in one capacity or another. When I was a child actor in Hollywood my mother would keep a few of my best outfits, my dance shoes, and a stack of pictures and resumes in the trunk of the car in case my agent called and we had to rush to the next audition.
What do you do for fun, when you aren’t tied up in the theatre?
Until a few years ago it would have been difficult for me to answer this question. I was all art, all the time. But lately, I have started to enjoy a more balanced lifestyle including learning to ride a bicycle and sea kayaking. My first kayaking trip was a nighttime paddle up the Hudson River. I also enjoy making a mess of my kitchen while inventing health conscious recipes.
What is your favorite form of theatre? (musicals, drama, caberet, one acts, absurdist, etc…)
Great theatre in any form has two criteria for me. It tells a good story and it is exclusively theatrical. That is, it can only be told on a stage. I love theatre that effectively engages and celebrates all the elements, advantages and limitations of a live dramatic event in new and surprising ways.
What are you most looking forward to doing with University Theatre?
I am really charged up about creating programs and events that will build bridges to the theatre for students who don’t realize there is a place for them here. It could be on stage, in production, or supporting their classmates in the audience. With Thompson reopening we have an opportunity to make a big splash and spread the word that University Theatre is available to everyone.
What class, already on the books, are you most excited about?
I’m most excited to teach the challenges and complexities of Stage Directing. It fuses the artistic elements of theatre with the diplomacy of effective leadership. You have to be well versed in acting, script analysis, design, movement, and production, in order to effectively communicate your vision and work with all of the departments. It is really a study in the mastery of collaboration.
What new classes do you hope to create and teach?
I’m developing some project-based classes that explore original material; pieces created collectively or possibly solo performance. I’m also formulating ideas for an exploration of multi-media applications in live performance.
What are you most excited to explore in North Carolina?
I have yet to visit the Blue Ridge Mountains. That’s pretty high on my list. Locally, I’m eager to visit the many small theatre companies that call Raleigh home, and learn about the new theatre voices being nurtured here. Anyone with suggestions for places to see and things to do, this Yankee would love to hear about them.
What else do you want students to know about you?
I would like the students to know that I take fun very seriously. I am in the arts to work and to play. I believe they can and should be one in the same; churning out ideas, sharing them with others, tumbling them around and creating something new. The concept of play is often dismissed as we mature into adulthood, but theatre is a place where it thrives. As an artist, an educator and a human being, I hope to bring out the ‘permission to play’ in as many people as possible. An imagination is a terrible thing to waste.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
My father was an actor and a musician, so I never questioned that I would be in the performing arts in one capacity or another. When I was a child actor in Hollywood my mother would keep a few of my best outfits, my dance shoes, and a stack of pictures and resumes in the trunk of the car in case my agent called and we had to rush to the next audition.
What do you do for fun, when you aren’t tied up in the theatre?
Until a few years ago it would have been difficult for me to answer this question. I was all art, all the time. But lately, I have started to enjoy a more balanced lifestyle including learning to ride a bicycle and sea kayaking. My first kayaking trip was a nighttime paddle up the Hudson River. I also enjoy making a mess of my kitchen while inventing health conscious recipes.
What is your favorite form of theatre? (musicals, drama, caberet, one acts, absurdist, etc…)
Great theatre in any form has two criteria for me. It tells a good story and it is exclusively theatrical. That is, it can only be told on a stage. I love theatre that effectively engages and celebrates all the elements, advantages and limitations of a live dramatic event in new and surprising ways.
What are you most looking forward to doing with University Theatre?
I am really charged up about creating programs and events that will build bridges to the theatre for students who don’t realize there is a place for them here. It could be on stage, in production, or supporting their classmates in the audience. With Thompson reopening we have an opportunity to make a big splash and spread the word that University Theatre is available to everyone.
What class, already on the books, are you most excited about?
I’m most excited to teach the challenges and complexities of Stage Directing. It fuses the artistic elements of theatre with the diplomacy of effective leadership. You have to be well versed in acting, script analysis, design, movement, and production, in order to effectively communicate your vision and work with all of the departments. It is really a study in the mastery of collaboration.
What new classes do you hope to create and teach?
I’m developing some project-based classes that explore original material; pieces created collectively or possibly solo performance. I’m also formulating ideas for an exploration of multi-media applications in live performance.
What are you most excited to explore in North Carolina?
I have yet to visit the Blue Ridge Mountains. That’s pretty high on my list. Locally, I’m eager to visit the many small theatre companies that call Raleigh home, and learn about the new theatre voices being nurtured here. Anyone with suggestions for places to see and things to do, this Yankee would love to hear about them.
What else do you want students to know about you?
I would like the students to know that I take fun very seriously. I am in the arts to work and to play. I believe they can and should be one in the same; churning out ideas, sharing them with others, tumbling them around and creating something new. The concept of play is often dismissed as we mature into adulthood, but theatre is a place where it thrives. As an artist, an educator and a human being, I hope to bring out the ‘permission to play’ in as many people as possible. An imagination is a terrible thing to waste.
Friday, March 13, 2009
WE NEED YOUR QUESTIONS!
University Theatre is going through some exciting changes! Not only are we anticipating our move back into Frank Thompson Hall (yes, this is the same as Thompson Theatre or whatever other endearing names you may have for the building...) but we are excited to introduce new staff members to our team!University Theatre is introducing a new series of blogs and soliciting your input! We will continue this series as we hire a new Costumer, Lighting and Sound Designer and Scenic Designer.University Theatre recently hired a new Assistant Director, Allison Bergman, and we want you to ask her some questions about her interests, her background or anything else you want to know! Once they are compiled, they will be posted on our blog: universitytheatre.blogspot.com.
Please submit your questions about Allison to Ellie Cooke at ellie_cooke@ncsu.edu
between March 16 - 20, 2009.
Below is Allison's background to give you some background:
Allison Bergman is a veteran stage director of over 30 theatre productions in LA, Boston, Pittsburgh and New York City. She holds an MFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon University where she was a Steven Bochco Scholar, and a BFA in theatre studies from Boston University. She studied acting, dance and voice at L.A. City College Theatre Academy, American National Academy of Performing Arts, and Southern California Conservatory of Music, and has won a Drama-Logue Award for Directing. In tandem with her directing career, Allison is a Dramaturgical Consultant with several projects in development in New York and LA.
She is the former Artistic Director of Broadway On Sunset and co-founder of The West Coast Musical Theatre Conference. She has also co-authored ACTING THE SONG - Performance Skills for the Musical Theatre, and penned the libretto for a new musical, ANCIENT CITY. Before her move to the East Coast, she had been named Outstanding Woman in Theatre in Los Angeles.
Allison is thrilled to be joining the Arts NC State family as Assistant Director of Theatre. She is looking forward to teaching, directing, coaching and making theatre happen in the beautiful new Frank Thompson Hall Theatre Building. Look for her classes in acting and directing. She also hopes to develop instruction in musical theatre performance, writers' labs, and a variety of skills workshops such as improvisation, collaboration, and multi-media performance.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Student Studio - Waiting for Godot
As is typical in the theater, one show closes and another opens. Just as the Never the Sinner set was taken apart and thrown lovingly into the dumpster, University Theatre begins to change gears again in order to present our Student Studio, Waiting for Godot.
Before we go into any existentialist babble, congratulations are due to the cast, crew and director of Never the Sinner. Their set may be in the landfill, but the haunting storyline and convincing acting are still lingering in the audience's minds. If you missed Never the Sinner, you certainly missed an experience that left the audience thinking and wanting more explaination. It was a heinous crime that seems to have been surprisingly forgotten. However, I have a feeling University Theatre's production of the show may have encouraged people to gather more information about the case, or at least to continue a dialogue analyzing the outrageous motivations for this crime.
If nothing else, you can catch pictures from the show on our website: www.ncsu.edu/theatre.
Moving from the sinister to the perplexing, University Theatre closes out its abbreviated season with a completely student-produced production of Waiting for Godot. The show will be presented in the Talley Student Center Ballroom from March 20 - 22, 2009. You can purchase your tickets at Ticket Central or by calling 919.515.1100. We look forward to ending our season with a focus on the students and looking towards our future in the new Frank Thompson Hall.
Be sure to stay with us as we make our transition and celebrate a new season, and a new building, with you.
Before we go into any existentialist babble, congratulations are due to the cast, crew and director of Never the Sinner. Their set may be in the landfill, but the haunting storyline and convincing acting are still lingering in the audience's minds. If you missed Never the Sinner, you certainly missed an experience that left the audience thinking and wanting more explaination. It was a heinous crime that seems to have been surprisingly forgotten. However, I have a feeling University Theatre's production of the show may have encouraged people to gather more information about the case, or at least to continue a dialogue analyzing the outrageous motivations for this crime.
If nothing else, you can catch pictures from the show on our website: www.ncsu.edu/theatre.
Moving from the sinister to the perplexing, University Theatre closes out its abbreviated season with a completely student-produced production of Waiting for Godot. The show will be presented in the Talley Student Center Ballroom from March 20 - 22, 2009. You can purchase your tickets at Ticket Central or by calling 919.515.1100. We look forward to ending our season with a focus on the students and looking towards our future in the new Frank Thompson Hall.
Be sure to stay with us as we make our transition and celebrate a new season, and a new building, with you.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Want to apply for Arts Village? It's not too late!
There's still time to apply to live in the Arts Village! The application deadline has been expanded to Feb. 2, 2009. For more information visit ncsu.edu/arts/artsvillage
Thursday, January 29, 2009
It has come to my attention that at least one person has looked at this blog in the past month. So, I think that constitutes an update!
As is evident by the infrequent postings, University Theatre has been very busy! Each day brings us closer to moving into the new space and opening a brand new season! It is all very exciting and very time consuming.
Currently, our students are working hard on our upcoming production, NEVER THE SINNER.
As I mentioned, things are coming into place as we think about our move back into the Frank Thompson Building. The University Theatre staff's summer will likely be filled with boxes, packing peanuts, sweat and hopefully no blood or tears. We are in the process of filling all those empty offices with fresh new faces who are ready to hit the ground running and create our stunning new season of shows.
The selection of the 0910 season still continues but once we have it finalized - you will be the first to know. Well, we'll be the first to know, but you will come in close second.
We thank everyone for their continued support and attendance at University Theatre productions and look forward to celebrating the new Frank Thompson Building with all of you.
Keep visiting, and I'll keep posting...
As is evident by the infrequent postings, University Theatre has been very busy! Each day brings us closer to moving into the new space and opening a brand new season! It is all very exciting and very time consuming.
Currently, our students are working hard on our upcoming production, NEVER THE SINNER.
The production is based on the Leopold and Loeb story, which actually got some recent press in the Smithsonian Magazine if you happen to run across that. The story focuses on the relationship of the two men and the drama that surrounds their involvment in the "crime of the century" eventhough it took place in 1924 and there were "75 years to go" (as the cast of RAGTIME may put it) until the end of the century. Terri Janney will be coming back to NCSU to direct the show. It will run Feb 18 - 22, 2009 in Stewart Theatre. Call Ticket Central for tickets at 515.1100. Student tickets are only $5!
As I mentioned, things are coming into place as we think about our move back into the Frank Thompson Building. The University Theatre staff's summer will likely be filled with boxes, packing peanuts, sweat and hopefully no blood or tears. We are in the process of filling all those empty offices with fresh new faces who are ready to hit the ground running and create our stunning new season of shows.
The selection of the 0910 season still continues but once we have it finalized - you will be the first to know. Well, we'll be the first to know, but you will come in close second.
We thank everyone for their continued support and attendance at University Theatre productions and look forward to celebrating the new Frank Thompson Building with all of you.
Keep visiting, and I'll keep posting...
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