Arts and entertainment  |  UW and the community

October 18, 2012

Arts Roundup: Theater, music, art — and Laurie Anderson

UW arts are well represented during this busy autumn week, with theater, art exhibits, jazz, classical piano and even the chanting of a visiting Russian monastery choir.

The Undergraduate Theater Society kicks off the year with a comedy, the Jacob Lawrence Gallery hosts an innovative new exhibit and musician/performing artist Laurie Anderson comes to campus. Plus, Craig Sheppard plays Debussy and Robin McCabe joins the University Symphony. Who could chant for anything more?

“Five Flights,” Undergraduate Theater Society, Oct. 18-28. A comedy by Canadian playwright Adam Bock in which siblings deal with a large aviary left by their late father. The New York Times wrote of one production, “Mr. Bock isn’t much interested in conventional theater. Instead he mixes effervescent dialogue with incongruous structure until your head is spinning.” Directed by Dylan Ward, in Hutchinson Hall’s Cabaret Theater. Tickets are $5-$10.

Laurie Anderson, Oct. 19, 20. Music and performance art pioneer Anderson will discuss her 40-year career juxtaposing the worlds of technology, music, visual art and linguistics in a lecture at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19, in 130 Kane Hall. Then she will present “Dirtday!,” a collection of songs that looks at politics, families, history, animals and evolution, at 8 p.m. Oct. 20, in Meany Hall as part of the UW World Series. Both of these events are now sold out, but a waiting list for “Dirtday!” will be started one hour before the show at the Meany Box office.

Also, The Henry Art Gallery will host an exhibit related to Anderson’s UW visit. “Collected Stories: Books by Laurie Anderson” will be on view in the Henry’s Test site, in the museum lobby, until Feb. 3, 2013.

Mallet Jazz: Collier and Dean with Susan Pascal, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19. The Mallethead Series presents Tom Collier, School of Music director of percussion and jazz studies, with bassist Dan Dean and special guest artist vibraphonist Pascal. The three will present a set of original compositions and jazz standards arranged for vibes and marimba. In the Meany Studio Theater. Pascal, a UW alumna, also will perform with her quintet project Oct. 26 and 27, as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival.Tickets are $12-$20, 206-543-4880.

Exhibit: “Soft Power, Activated,” Oct. 23 – Nov. 10. An exhibit in the Jacob Lawrence Gallery that, advance notes say, seeks to expand the definition of the gallery “beyond a repository of objects.” A new project, gathering, interview or performance will be presented most every day during the run. Curated by art alumna Susie J. Lee and Kolya Rice, an art history lecturer, in conjunction with the Seattle Art Museum’s exhibition, “Elles: Women Artists of the Centre Pompidou, Paris.” A complete list of events is online at the School of Art and a public Facebook page.

Craig Sheppard, “Happy Birthday, Claude, Part I,” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23. Pianist and School of Music faculty member Craig Sheppard will perform Claude Debussy’s “24 Preludes” in the first of two solo piano recitals this school year in honor of the 150th anniversary of Debussy’s birth. Tickets are $12-$20,
206-543-4880.

Sretensky Monastery Choir, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21. Based in a 14th century monastery in the heart of Moscow, this choir continues the rich tradition of church chants, the uniquely sonorous singing which Russia has always been famous for. Its repertoire also includes songs of the 20th century, most notably from the times of both World Wars, drawing on the full spectrum of Russia’s choral tradition. Tickets are $25-$50, plus fees, 1-800-838-3006.

“Site-specific” dance lecture Oct. 22, performance Oct. 25. The UW Dance program will delve into the world of site-specific dance performance with a lecture by D. Chase Angier of Alfred University titled “Shifting Landscapes: Exploring the Challenges of Framing Site-Specific Performance and its Effect on the Art/audience Relationship” from 2:30 to 4:20 p.m. Oct. 22, in the Meany Hall Dance Studio, room 265. That will be followed by performances by Jennifer Salk, associate professor of dance, titled “Hello!?” at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Oct. 25 in Gould Hall. Both events are free.

University Symphony with Robin McCabe, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 25. Jonathan Pasternack conducts the University Symphony in a program of works by Gubaidulina, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich. Selections include Gubaidulina’s “The Rider on the White Horse,” Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” featuring School of Music faculty member Robin McCabe, piano; and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Meany Hall. Tickets are $10-$15.
206-543-4880.

Next week: Eighteen wheels, a dozen roses — and singer-songwriter Kathy Mattea.