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5/27/2010

Eileen Ivers returning

By Tim Cain - 5/27/2010 at 2:00 am

One of the best shows I ever saw at Kirkland Fine Arts Center was one of its most sparsely attended.

On St. Patricks’ Day 2004, Eileen Ivers – a past Ireland violin champion – headlined a show at the Millikin entertainment center. There were about 300 people in attendance.

They were the happiest people in town that night, I’m guessing. Instead of phoning in a performance, Ivers ripped it up. And even though the extent of my exposure to her prior to that night was a cursory listen of a CD her publicist had sent, I left the concert a fan.

We all get another chance next year.

Millikin has announced its Kirkland lineup for 2010-11. I’ll have a story in Friday’s paper, but Ivers returns next March. Single tickets won’t go on sale until close to the end of the year, but keep an eye out. She’s more than worth the cost of admission.

Read the original post at: http://www.herald-review.com/app/blogs/timcain/?p=2034

Posted at 8:10 AM by Trevor Ferre

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5/18/2010

Millikin University's Department of Theatre & Dance announces 2010-2011 Season

Expect the Unexpected…

It was Scottish poet Bobbie Burns who warned a little mouse (whose nest had been destroyed by a farmer’s plough) that the “best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men” often go awry. That’s where Steinbeck got it, and it also suggests the thread that runs through our 2010-2011 season of plays and musicals. In spite of all the planning that goes into the perfect wedding, the perfect family, or even the perfect suicide, stuff happens. Dark family secrets get unveiled, phones get answered by the wrong people, and some folks get “Pucked” by an annoying fairy in the woods. Whatever the plan, mouse or man, expect the unexpected!

Laura Ledford

Chair, Department of Theatre & Dance

Millikin University

Visit www.millikin.edu/theatre to read about the 2010-2011 Season.

Posted at 8:10 AM by Trevor Ferre

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4/27/2010

Behind-the-Scenes with the cast of Urinetown

Meet the cast of Urinetown http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL36O8MZYJo

Posted at 8:08 AM by Trevor Ferre

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4/12/2010

Urine Good Company says "Pay to Pee!"

Urine Good Company says “Pay to Pee!”

URGENT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, April 12, 2010

Under a new directive from the Urine Good Company (recently contracted by Millikin’s Department of Theatre and Dance to extort revenue from its patrons), users must pay a fee to access all toilet facilities on campus. Effective April 28, 2010, Policy F-37982.3 states that those seeking urinary relief must use UGC’s Public Amenity No. 9, the only available option for relieving themselves on campus. In a press conference held to announce the new policy, UGC spokesperson Penelope Pennywise cited “depleted water supplies and the need to conserve” as reasons for the policy, though she was overheard later singing “It’s a privilege to pee!” through a microphone accidently left on after the announcement.

Beginning on April 28 all toilets on the Millikin University Campus will be equipped with a coin deposit mechanism and swipe card reader. Every user will be required to pay 25¢ to access the toilet stalls, or if they prefer to swipe, the fee will be charged to their MU account by the Urine Good Company. An appropriate percentage of the revenue (called “pee-ola” by an anonymous theatre professor) will be kicked back to the Department of Theatre and Dance.

Campus enforcement of Policy F-37982.3 will be conducted by two new officers hired by UGC, Mr. Lockstock and Mr. Barrel. Lockstock and Barrel will apprehend, fine, assault, kill, or issue citations to those who refuse to pay to pee as well as those caught peeing in places other than Amenity No. 9.

Certain members of the public, clearly outraged by the policy, have already begun to organize resistance activities. Community members Soupy Sue, Hot Blades Harry, and Tiny Tom, led by reluctant activist and community organizer Bobby Strong, have formed a coalition to protest the policy “with violence if necessary… and really mean songs.”

Caldwell B. Cladwell, president and CEO of the Urine Good Company, will host a series of musical town hall meetings (sponsored by the Department of Theatre and Dance) on April 28^th through May 1st at 7:30PM and on Sunday, May 2nd at 2:00PM. These will take place in Albert Taylor Theatre, where Cladwell and Pennywise have promised to field appropriate questions from the peeing public. Inappropriate questions will result in an all-expenses-paid trip to Urinetown, a mysterious place from which no traveler returns.

These meetings are open to all Millikin students, faculty and staff, as well as concerned citizens of the Decatur area. Seating is limited, so please contact the Kirkland Box Office at 217-424-6318 for tickets and further information.

If you think you cannot attend the meetings but would like to register a complaint about policy F-37982.3, please e-mail UGC@millikin.edu Your comment or concern will receive a prompt and thoroughly unsatisfying response.

You may also post comments on this blog.*

*UGC reserves the right to censor your comment and/or sue you for libel.

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Posted at 8:07 AM by Trevor Ferre

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3/24/2010

Behind the Scenes: Brighton Beach Memoirs

Get a Behind-the-Scenes look at Brighton Beach Memoirs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpK6Q9gHimo

Posted at 8:07 AM by Trevor Ferre

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3/18/2010

Costume Design for Brighton Beach Memoirs

By the 1930s money was scarce because of the depression, so people did what they could to make their lives happy. In Brighton Beach Memoirs, we hear many references to the diversions of the time- movies, radio shows, books, etc. This golden age of the mystery novel included escapist stories by Agatha Christie, Dashielle Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Soon after the time period of Brighton Beach Memoirs, America would see the release of movies like The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. This confluence of events is certainly expressed in the clothing of the period. When the stock market came crashing down in 1929, so did women's hemlines. The short, tomboy silhouette of the 1920s was replaced by a long, feminine line with a defined waist. The 1930s also brought a new interest in color and pattern in fabrics, which were much more affordable than the beadwork and delicate trims of the 1920s. This is certainly reflected in the costume design for Brighton Beach Memoirs. Other fashion trends of the time that are present in the show include:

- Plus fours (knickers) for men. Edward VIII made the shortened pants fashionable.

-Lana Turner's 1937 film They Won't Forget made her the first sweater girl, a look for young women accentuating large breasts.

-A trend in men's fashions to replace the traditional matching vest of a three-piece-suit with a sweater vest.

The fashions of the 1930s are unique and represent the uncertainly in the world between the World Wars. Soon, as the inevitably of another war looms, women's fashions will lose their feminine shape and begin to take on masculine shapes and military details.

- Jana Henry Funderburk, Costume Designer

Posted at 8:06 AM by Trevor Ferre

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3/15/2010

You see, some people… they don’t like to talk about this thing… it’s called “Puberty”

The brilliant style that Neil Simon has in his writing is that every single character in the play goes through a monumental change by the end of it. And for Eugene, that change is growing from a boy to a man – a change in all teenagers that is metaphorically represented by puberty.

But how do I make this character more then just about a horny pubescent boy? Before we get into the good stuff, let’s make it clear that there is more going on in this boy’s life than just growing hair and searching for boobies…. Well, not much more. This is a boy that gets faced with crucial decisions through one of the most confusing times of anyone’s life. In a span of 107 pages, Eugene is faced with: a craving to be a New York Yankee, a passion for writing, a crush over his own first cousin (first being very important because if it was his third, it’d be okay), going to the store 15 times a day, the threat of being the only man left in the house - because of his brother’s leaving, his Pop’s health, and his Aunt Blanche and cousins finally leaving the house - and of course, the biggest obstacle in his way is his confusion and/or lack of direction of his raging hormones. It’s no wonder he’s reading biological novels, it’s the only source of information he can try and get besides his brother. Now lay the threat of having no money and the upcoming of the Second World War, and you have one very confused kid trying to discover what the lower half of the female body even looks like!

The search for the Golden Palace of the Himalayas begins…

I know from my own experiences that you don’t just snap into being a horny little kid… it takes time and experience. When I was first starting to notice girls… I wasn’t craving to just find nipples and beavers… Honestly, at first, I was a little scared of seeing those images. I often would get made fun of by my brothers growing up because if I saw a little “too much” of a woman I would get a little freaked out.

Obviously, things would change. As time went on, I would be exposed to a little more skin and imagery because of the media, something Eugene doesn’t really have the advantage of. But in Eugene’s favor is the expansion of his imagination because it is really all he has. So as an actor, it’s been a really creative process to see how these opposing experiences could create what I believe Eugene is going through in regards to what stage he is in this play. My own experiences gave me a slow rise to discovering the whole female body, while Eugene’s experiences from the play show he is craving for the whole package right away. So in Eugene’s life right now, I am playing it that he has gone through the beginning stages of puberty. He’s seen some risqué pictures in his life… but nothing compared to what he would die for. You don’t get too far with cartoon images of Betty Boop, as hot as she may be. Eugene is past the point of fear of the unknown. He is ready to face the unknown head on.

So because Eugene wants everything he can get right now at this time, but doesn’t have the resources, it makes complete sense for Eugene to be fascinated by his cousin’s perfect breasts. They’re big, defined, and laid on a perfectly shaped body. And since they are living together… why not take advantage of that access? When you’re going through puberty, you take whatever images you can get.

It may seem silly, but Eugene’s main goal in this play is to find the Golden Palace of the Himalayas. While all the other members of the family are fighting for something a little more serious in the real world, it doesn’t mean that puberty isn’t just as serious. Eugene’s character is blessed to have such a hopeful and optimistic attitude… he is the only one that keeps the family going. He annoys the crap out of everyone, but the family still loves him because he always has a smile on. As we as a cast and ensemble have learned, the smile on everyone’s face is what gets through the hard times.

So call Eugene a pervert, call him a brat, call him a pest... call him ridiculous for craving girls. But know that through all of that is a warm-hearted soon to be man who will some day play for the major leagues. He doesn’t need to worry about being a writer because he already is one when you sit down in your seat. And he couldn’t be more excited to tell his story!

- Kevin Hoffman, Junior BFA Acting Student

Posted at 8:06 AM by Trevor Ferre

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3/8/2010

Family Connections in Brighton Beach Memoirs

As we continue to create depth of character, family connections have become more and more prevalent during conversations with the cast. Tomorrow we will continue our image presentations with focus directed toward the family dynamic.

Each cast member will present multiple images of the essence of their character's opinion of the other characters. So, Eugene (Kevin Hoffman) will bring in pictures that represent how he feels about Blanche, Nora, Laurie, Jack, and Stanley. Additionally, Ali Homek will take us on an online tour of Brighton Beach so that everyone can get a better idea of the world these characters live in.

I look forward to the presentation and seeing how they'll incorporate this essence work into their performances.

-Alex Miller, Director

Posted at 8:05 AM by Trevor Ferre

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3/5/2010

Special Features to appear on KirkOut Blog

Dear KirkOut Readers:

For the next few weeks, we will be taking over your blog.- A small derivation if you will, to highlight the University’s upcoming production of “Brighton Beach Memoirs” by the American Playwright Neil Simon. This series of Blogs will be from people directly and indirectly involved in the production of that show. We will hear from the students who are building the set, to the designers who make their visions come to life. We will listen to the shows core from the director and the faculty members who teach the show in their lectures to students.

This blog is not confined to text, but to all types of media. We want you to be engaged on all levels. There will be text sure, but there will also be photos, and music, or even just ideas. “Illusions” is what this season is all about, and one Illusion that makes this art so wonderful is how breathtaking the entire show can look that we, as the audience, forget what it takes to put that lack of breath on the stage. This blog will offer a little opening to peek into the work that is going on before you even get here. It is my hope that through this blog series you become a bit more connected to the show, the University, and the Department of Theatre and Dance here at Millikin. I don’t want to break your “Illusion” of the theatre, I just want to Illuminate it.

It is my pleasure to invite you to read this blog. I hope I can see you at the show, which opens Wednesday March 24th and runs through Sunday Afternoon March 28th. You can purchase your tickets online and receive more information just click here .

I hope to see you all at the show, and enjoy the blog.

Michael A Cruse

Student Marketing & Promotions Intern

Posted at 8:04 AM by Trevor Ferre

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1/25/2010

So much for being skeptical!

There’s nothing better about being a presenter than when all the pieces come together with an event. And Sunday’s Jungle Jack Hanna at Kirkland was just such an event. We had a huge turnout, the weather cooperated, and, most importantly, Jack Hanna did a wonderful job. His presence on stage and off (he stayed and signed autographs for everyone who wanted one) was warm and genuine.

It’s easy to be jaded about TV personalities. We sometimes come to these kind of events thinking what we see in the media isn’t the “real person.” Not the case with Jack, as he wanted to be called. He was approachable to everyone—staff, audience, and especially great with kids. So much for being skeptical!

- Barry Pearson (Director)

Posted at 8:03 AM by Trevor Ferre

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