Arts at the UW announces 2007-08 season

MARSHFIELD – Arts at the UW, an organization dedicated to the performing and visual arts at the UW-Marshfield/Wood County campus is announcing its 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.

● “New Printmaking Images,” Printmaking by Paul DeLong, UW-Stout School of Art and Design, Gallery 450 Exhibit, Aug.1-Sept. 28, Reception 6-8 p.m. Sept. 27.

● “Vince: The Life and Times of Vince Lombardi,” Sept. 22. Even though Vince Lombardi has passed on, his spirit and motivation hasn’t. Actor/playwright John Pinero has won praise and recognition from every significant member of the professional football community for his one-man portrayal of the greatest professional coach in the history of football. Tailgate party: 6 p.m.; Performance: 7:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts and Marshfield Clinic. Tickets $20 (performance only: $15).

● Judy Cook Presents “Songs of the Lumbermen,” Sept. 26.  Maryland native, Judy Cook, will perform informative traditional ballads and songs about the North American lumbermen. She will share songs about unrequited love in the lumbercamps, the hearty laughter, outrageous boasts and poignant reflections from the men’s leisure hours, and other colorful images of life in a logging camp. Tickets are $7.

● “Maus: A Tail of Survival,” Traveling exhibit, UW-Stout School of Art and Design, Gallery 450 Exhibit, Oct. 1-31. Students from Nancy Blum-Cummings Two-Dimensional Foundations classes have assembled a cooperative and animated version of this stunning story of survival from WWII Germany. History Professor Jeffrey Kleiman, UW-Marshfield/Wood County, will provide commentary on this story and exhibit for the public (details forthcoming) during the run of the exhibit.

● Fall Band/Jazz Concert “Musical ‘Legends’,” Oct. 14.  Join the UW-Marshfield/Wood County campus community as it celebrates the musical contribution of five of our Symphonic Band legends.  Each of these “legends” has played for more than 20 years: Dr. Bill Myers, trombone; Randy Hastreiter, clarinet; Gayle Ruckwardt, trombone; Bonnie Kegler, bass clarinet; and Robert Biederwolf, music professor emeritus, on trumpet.  These “legends” will each choose a favorite selection for the band to perform at this concert.  Each will further be recognized in a special way.  Sponsored by Festival Foods and the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts. Tickets are $ 7.

● “The Elephant Man” Nov. 1-4, 8-10. Nov. 4 performance 2 p.m.; all others 7:30 p.m. This Broadway play is a theatrical retelling of the semi-biographical account of John Merrick set in London. Dubbed “The Elephant Man” by a circus freak show due to his severe physical deformities, he was rescued by a kind doctor. Eventually, Merrick is able to successfully integrate into Victorian society. In our age obsessed by image and vanity, “The Elephant Man” is sure to renew your belief in kindness, gentility and faith. Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Performance held in Black Box Theater.

● “Contemporary Visions,” Sculpture by Nancy Blum-Cumming, Foundations Faculty, and graphic design by Michelle Barfoot, assistant professor of Graphic Design, UW-Stout Department of Art and Design, Gallery 450 Exhibit, Nov. 6-Jan. 31. Reception 6-8 p.m. Nov. 6.

● “The Murder of Marsha Field,” Nov 16, 17.  When singer/actress Marsha Field turns up dead along Veterans Parkway, Inspector Wood and Detective Marathon face a perplexing Central Wisconsin mystery. Neal S’ville, Sherry Township, Spencer Loyal, Lindsey Granton, Hugh Itt - they all have motive, means, and opportunity.  It’s up to the audience, the UW-Marshfield/Wood County Symphony Orchestra and a nine-member chorus to solve this original symphonic mystery in the key of d-e-a-d. Sponsored by the Laird Endowment for the Arts. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.

● Music @ the Wood “Holiday Concert,” Dec. 4. Join the UW-Marshfield/Wood County Concert Choir, Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble as they perform holiday classics old and new. Under the direction of Dr. David De Lyser and Jeff Erickson.  Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts. Tickets are $7.

● “A Red, Hot…& Blue! White Christmas,” Dec. 9. “A Red, Hot…& Blue! White Christmas” is a six-performer troupe from Branson, Missouri. They will take you on a nostalgic musical journey through the decades with holiday classics from the ‘40s such as “White Christmas” and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” Their Christmas party from the ‘50s will include “Blue Christmas” and “Santa Baby!” and a wonderful a cappella version of “Carol of the Bells”. Sounds of the ‘40s and the Big Band Era, the Hilarious ‘50s, the Rockin’ ‘60s and Disco ‘70s will also be performed. Sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts and David & Tania Meyer, Ameriprise Financial. Tickets are $10 (16 and under); $16 (over 16).

● “G.I. Jukebox - A Stage Door Canteen,” 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,” 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 violinist Timothy McCollum, saxophonist David Hastings 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 Sept. 4.  The box office will close Dec. 22, 2007, and re-open Jan. 22, 2007, and again from March 17-23.  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.