Arts at UW announces second semester lineup

MARSHFIELD – Arts at the UW, an organization dedicated to the performing and visual arts at the UW-Marshfield/Wood County campus is announcing the second half of the 2007-08 season.  All events will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen Laird Theatre, in the Helen Connor Laird Fine Arts Building, unless otherwise noted.

● “G.I. Jukebox - A Stage Door Canteen,” Performance only: 7:30 p.m. Jan 25, Feb. 1, 2; Dinner and Performance: 6 p.m. Jan 26.  During WWII, Hollywood stars and starlets made it their duty to entertain “the boys.” G.I. Jukebox is a night at the Stage Door Canteen. Local actors/vocalists will perform some of the best music of the 20^th Century, which spans Big Band, Swing and Latin. It’s a musical retrospective of an America we will never see again. A dinner theatre option is available for the Jan. 26 performance.  Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts. Tickets are $12; Dinner and Performance $29.

●“Ethnic Traditions: Paper Politics and Beyond,” Group Exhibition of Wisconsin Folk and Craft Artists, Gallery 450 Exhibit, Feb 4-April 6.  This exhibition will offer an array of professional talents from cross-sections of diversity in the fine crafts and folk arts traditions in Wisconsin.

● Nai-Ni Chen Dance Co. “A Dragon’s Tale,” Feb 22. A Dragon’s Tale features the fantastic color and pageantry of a Chinese festival, including new works that embody tradition in a contemporary or abstract context. The dances of Choreographer Nai-Ni Chen fuse the dynamic freedom of American modern dance with the grace and splendor of Asian art. This program is designed to introduce both the young and the old to the new diversity of dance. Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts and St. Joseph’s Hospital/Ministry Health Care. Tickets are $15.

● “Pops Concert,” March 7. Join the UW-Marshfield/Wood County Symphony as it explores the great American tradition of Pops Concerts. This concert will feature music from the finest American Big Band, Jazz, stage and screen composers. This “lighter fare” is always a crowd pleaser, providing audiences a great opportunity to hear the orchestra playing great music that one does not normally associate with a symphony. Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts. Tickets are $ 7.

● “The Lascivious Biddies”, March 15. The Lascivious Biddies, an all-female pop quartet based in New York City, is making headlines for having an energetic and tightly woven live show full of humor, musicianship, and a dash of sentimentality. Blending jazz, pop and cabaret, the Biddies include: Saskia Lane on bass, Amanda Monaco on guitar, Lee Ann Westover on lead vocal and Deidre Rodman on piano and melodica. Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts. Tickets are $16.

● “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” April 10-12, 17-19, 2 p.m. April 13.  The Cripple of Inishmaan is a strange comic tale in the great tradition of Irish storytelling, complete with comic, zany characters and plot twists. On the remote island of Inishmore, off the coast of Ireland in 1934, word gets around that a Hollywood director is coming to produce a film. A young orphan nicknamed “Cripple Billy” wants to be in the movie more than anyone. This play will take you along Cripple Billy’s crazy journey of hope and discovery. Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.

● “UW-Marshfield/Wood County Student Art Exhibition,” Featuring the work of UW-M/WC student artists, Gallery 450 Exhibit, April 20-May 16.

● Music @ the Wood “Spring Concert,” April 22. This end-of-the-year concert will feature both the Concert Choir and Jazz Ensemble performing a wide variety of classical and contemporary literature from the choral and jazz repertoire. Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts. Tickets are $5.

● Music@ the Wood “Sousa VII Concert,” 2 p.m. May 4, 7:30 p.m. May 6. Join Marshfield’s own March King Robert Johanek as he conducts this annual concert. Featuring the music of John Philip Sousa, this concert is a tradition not to be missed. In addition to the concert, join us for “As American as Pie,” a tasty fundraiser, in Gallery 450. Homemade pies, donated by band members, will be sold before the Sunday concert and during intermission. Pizza Pie will be sold on Tuesday night. Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts. Tickets are $7.

● Annual “Mother’s Day Concert,” May 9. Join saxophonist David Hastings, violinist Timothy McCollum and trumpeter Dr. David De Lyser as the guest artists performing with the UW-Marshfield/Wood County Symphony at this annual concert. This musical tradition is a great way to kick off the Mother’s Day weekend. Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts. Tickets are $6 (16 & under); $10 (over 16) in advance; $8 and $12 respectively at the door.

Tickets to all events are available at the Campus Box Office. To purchase tickets:

�        Call 715-389-6534.  Tickets must be paid for when they are reserved. VISA, MasterCard and Discover cards are accepted.

�        The Box Office window is open 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before performances, starting Jan. 22.  The box office will close March 17-23 for Spring Break.  Phone and mail orders will continue to be processed during these times.

Tickets ordered 24 hours prior to a performance may be paid for at the door. Any tickets not picked up 30 minutes prior to the performance will be released for sale.  Tickets are not refundable.