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  • British Invasion, Part 3: The Third Wave

    Class Schedule: Thursdays – Jan. 25 & Feb. 1 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

    This two-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole will survey some of the major artists of the Second Wave period, from 1967 through the 1970s. It will cover genres from psychedelia through blues rock, progressive rock, glam rock, and much more. How did the First Wave of the British Invasion lead to the different sights and sounds of the late 1960s? The course will explore artists such as Led Zeppelin, Cream, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd , Fleetwood Mac, the Bee Gees, Van Morrison, Elton John, David Bowie, and Yes, and their impact on both British and American music. Finally, how did the Second Wave set the stage for the new wave, punk, and pop sound of the Third Wave?

    Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

  • Hernan Diaz

    Hernan Diaz is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of two novels translated into thirty-four languages. He is the recipient of the John Updike award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, given to “a writer whose contributions to American literature have demonstrated consistent excellence.”

    His first novel, In the Distance, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award, and it was the winner of the Saroyan International Prize, the Cabell Award, the Prix Page America, and the New American Voices Award, among other distinctions. It was also a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Book of the Year and one of Lit Hub’s 20 Best Novels of the Decade.

    Trust, his second novel, received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was a New York Times bestseller, the winner of the Kirkus Prize, and longlisted for the Booker Prize, among other nominations. It was listed as a best book of the year by over thirty publications and named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and Time magazine, and it was one of The New Yorker’s 12 Essential Reads of the Year. One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2022, Trust is currently being developed as a limited series for HBO.

    Hernan Diaz’s stories and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Harper’s, The Atlantic, Granta, The Yale Review, Playboy, McSweeney’s, and elsewhere. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Award, and fellowships from the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, and The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center.

    Diaz holds a PhD from NYU, edits an academic journal at Columbia University, and is also the author of Borges, between History and Eternity.

  • Journeys of Interdependence: Portraits of First-Generation Identity in Higher Education

    The lives and experiences of students, families, faculty and professional staff who identify as first-generation are the subject of increased attention in higher education across the United States. The success of programs, initiatives, and interventions mostly focus on measurable student “outcomes” but may often miss the complicated narratives of aspiration, sacrifice, accomplishment and identity work first-generation students, families, faculty, staff and communities navigate.  Portraiture can make visible the triumphs and challenges of being first in the family in higher educational spaces. This juried exhibition features works that highlight the  first-generation college experience through portraiture  made in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking and textiles.

    Artist Reception: Rescheduled to Friday, March 1 from 5-7 pm. RSVP to the reception here

  • Vanya

    adapted by Simon Stephens, after Anton Chekhov
    directed by Sam Yates
    designed by Rosanna Vize

    Andrew Scott (Fleabag) brings multiple characters to life in Simon Stephens’ (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) radical new version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.

    Hopes, dreams, and regrets are thrust into sharp focus in this one-man adaptation which explores the complexities of human emotions.

    Filmed live during its sold-out run in London’s West End, Vanya will be playing exclusively in cinemas in 2024.

     

  • Romeo and Juliet

    Romeo and Juliet risk everything to be together. In defiance of their feuding families, they chase a future of joy and passion as violence erupts around them.

    This bold new film brings to life the remarkable backstage spaces of the National Theatre in which desire, dreams and destiny collide to make Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy sing in an entirely new way. Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose, Judy) and Josh O’Connor (The Crown, God’s Own Country) play Juliet and Romeo. The award-winning cast includes Tamsin Greig, Fisayo Akinade, Adrian Lester, Lucian Msamati, Deborah Findlay.

  • The Doo Wop Project’s Christmas Show

    The Doo Wop Project boys will get you into the Holiday Spirit! Hear old school Holiday Classics like The Drifters’ White Christmas, The Temptations’ Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town along with “Doowopified” contemporary hits like This Christmas and Last Christmas. It’s sure to be a jolly good time.

    The Doo Wop Project, the dynamic, rave-reviewed celebration of a beloved music genre stars the 5 engaging, charismatic and dashing Broadway stars from smash hits like JERSEY BOYS, A BRONX TALE, BEAUTIFUL, and MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL with their all-star band.

  • Mary Gauthier w/ special guest Jaimee Harris

    About Mary Gauthier
    As she has so eloquently accomplished over the past 25 years, acclaimed singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier has used her art once again to traverse the uncharted waters of the past few years. “I’m the kind of songwriter who writes what I see in the world right now,” she affirms. Thankfully, amid dark storms of pandemic loss, she found and followed the beacon of new love: Her gift to us, the powerful Dark Enough to See the Stars, collects ten sparkling jewels of Gauthier songcraft reflecting both love and loss.

    Her eleventh album, Dark Enough to See the Stars, follows the profound antidote to trauma, Rifles & Rosary Beads, her 2018 collaborative work with wounded Iraq war veterans. It garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album, as well as a nomination for Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Publication of her first book, the illuminating Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting, in 2021, brought her more praise. Brandi Carlile has said, “Mary’s songwriting speaks to the tender aspects of our humanness. We need her voice in times like these more than we ever have.” The Associated Press called Gauthier “one of the best songwriters of her generation.”

    Gauthier’s early work, which began at 35, reflected her newfound sobriety, delving into events from a troubled life, which persisted after she became a renowned chef in Boston. Dark Enough to See the Stars returns Gauthier to the scintillating confessional mode on such albums as her breakthrough release, 2005’s Mercy Now, as well as such ear worms as the hook-laden “Drag Queens in Limousines.” In addition to crafting instantly memorable songs, Gauthier has never shied away from difficult self-exploration, as with 2010’s The Foundling, on which she explored the repercussions of her adoption from a New Orleans orphanage and subsequent search for her birth mother.

    Gauthier’s partner, Jaimee Harris, who sings harmony throughout the album, co-wrote the paean to one of Gauthier’s favorite cities. “I have a long history with Amsterdam,” Gauthier recounts. “My first record deal was on a Dutch label, and I tour there regularly, and much of Mercy Now was written at my favorite hotel there.” A canceled flight to Denmark landed Gauthier and Harris in Amsterdam for an unexpected three days during the pandemic. “To return to that hotel and be able to share that with the person I love and show her the city…,” Gauthier pauses. “It’s complicated – because all around the edges was the pandemic. But you’ve got to express your joy – a joy that’s not free from pain. There’s grief all around us, but there’s this ability to still love and still be aware that the sky is beautiful and the hand that I’m holding is filled with love…”

  • An Evening with Glen Phillips & Shawn Mullins

    Prepare to be swept away by an extraordinary evening of acoustic brilliance featuring two musical legends – Glen Phillips and Shawn Mullins. These artists, each with their unique journey and captivating melodies, are coming together to create a musical experience that will resonate deep within your soul.

    Glen Phillips
    As lead singer and main songwriter of Toad the Wet Sprocket and a prolific solo artist, Glenn Phillips has left an indelible mark on the world of folk/pop music. His honest, introspective lyrics and soul-stirring melodies have forged a deep connection with fans over the years. After a hiatus with Toad, he ventured into a solo career and a multitude of collaborations with fellow artists, showcasing his musical diversity and depth. With his latest album, “THERE IS SO MUCH HERE,” Glenn delves into the joys and sorrows of everyday life, beautifully accompanied by talented musicians, including Dave Depper (Death Cab For Cutie), Ji Tanzer (Blue Cranes), and John Morgan Askew.

    Shawn Mullins
    Shawn Mullins’ musical odyssey has been nothing short of spectacular. From his humble beginnings in the Atlanta music scene to critical acclaim and Grammy nominations, Mullins has truly made a mark. His No. 1 hit “Lullaby” from the 1998 album “Soul’s Core” is a timeless classic, followed by “Beautiful Wreck” from “9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor.” His songs have been the soundtrack of our lives, featured in the 2000 Summer Olympics and iconic shows like Dawson’s Creek and Scrubs. Shawn Mullins’ versatility also extends to his co-writing of the Zac Brown Band’s chart-topper “Toes.” Today, he’s revisiting his roots with “Soul’s Core Revival,” breathing new life into his music for the 20th anniversary.

  • I will dance with those oak trees as long as

    Performance and Q&A: Tuesday, January 23 | 4:30pm-6pm | Woods Theatre
    Theater of Cultural Resistance Workshop: Wednesday, January 24, 11:40am-1pm | Pollak Theatre
    Registration is encouraged.

    I need a street
    Empty of bloodstains,
    A street that has never seen
    Or known terror.
    Let it be flawless, let it be flawless, flawless
    Like the sex of these girls that are killed unjustly
    Let it be long, let it be long, long,
    Like their agony.
    Kajal Ahmad

    In March of 1988 in Halabja, Iraq, Saddam Hussein’s regime attacked Kurdish peoples through the use of chemical weapons, as part of the Anfal ethnic cleansing campaign. Set in a carpet store at this time, I will dance with those oak trees as long as takes us on a poetic voyage into the life of three Kurdish women, inspired by the poetry of Kajal Ahmad and the characters Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Ninsun from the world’s most ancient epic poem: Gilgamesh. Carpets, chairs, and strings create the environment in which two actresses interpret the three different women and how they react to a violent and unstable outside world.  Accompanied by soundscapes inspired by traditional Kurdish music, this international duo uses objects, puppets, and a multilayered world of reality, dreams, memories, and visions to explore the question of what it means to be a hero when you have no other choice. 

    Performed by: Audrey Rose Dégez, Daria Holovchanska
    Producer, Playwright, & Director: Audrey Rose Dégez
    Puppet Master, Lighting & Sound Designer, Movement & Object Director: Daria Holovchanska
    Stage Manager: Berivan Alothman
    Produced by:CP4P International Productions

    DARIA HOLOVCHANSKA
    Daria was studying at the Kharkiv National University of Art (Ukraine) until the war began on February 24th, 2022, when she transferred to Aleksandr Zelverovich Theater Academy in Warsaw (Poland) to finish her Master Degree in Puppetry. Daria previously worked at Kharkiv National Academic Puppet Theater, performed in “Fairy tale for a little rabbit” (rabbit Sister, Hedgehog), “Princes spec” (Queen Isabelle), “Magical ring” (Angel), and ”Mother Courage and her Children” (Katrin), directed by Oksana Dmitrieva. Daria is one of the founders and actresses of TERRA Theater Company (performances “Peace to your home”, “Our City”, “Night Call”). She also took part in Slovo.Theater group, where she was a co-director, actress, lighting designer and mask maker of the performance “Mothermotherland”. Recently she performed in one of the biggest puppet festivals in the world in Charleville-Mézières 2023. She is interested in movement theater, objects, materials, puppets, stop-motion animation and masks.

    AUDREY ROSE DÉGEZ
    Audrey Rose Dégez is a producer, director, playwright (Our Common Thread (2015), Empathize Me (2016), 7×7 (2017), Mothermotherland (2022)), actress, mother, and wife from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA) and based in Paris (France). She received a BA in English Literature from Rutgers University and a professional acting diploma from l’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. During her undergraduate studies, she founded the post apocalyptic punk group The Wichts, as well as ran the sober basement show house The Blueberry Shire, which was featured in the short documentary, Safe Space. Scheduled to write a play at Residency Slovo in Kharkiv, Ukraine in September/October of 2022 as the first international resident in Slovo Building, she made the decision to found Slovo. Theater Group after the invasion of February 24th. For the last 10 years, shen has been developing CP4P International Productions through poetry and theatre workshops around the world. She has lived in Berlin and Paris, where she has created theatrical performances in English with children and volunteered with Syrian and Ukrainian refugee communities abroad. In her spare time, she is passionate about making incredible vegan cookies with her daughter, Lili Maritchka and her husband, Louis.

    For more information or to find ways to support this project follow: https://colabarts.breezechms.com/form/2023cp4p

    Co-sponsored by the Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies (PGIS): Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies | Monmouth University

    For more information about the event or to rsvp to the performance workshop contact Prof. Stojanov and Dr. Shoemaker astojano@monmouth.edu or dshoemak@monmouth.edu.

  • I will dance with those oak trees as long as

    Performance and Q&A: Tuesday, January 23 | 4:30pm-6pm | Woods Theatre
    Theater of Cultural Resistance Workshop: Wednesday, January 24, 11:40am-1pm | Pollak Theatre
    Registration is encouraged.

    I need a street
    Empty of bloodstains,
    A street that has never seen
    Or known terror.
    Let it be flawless, let it be flawless, flawless
    Like the sex of these girls that are killed unjustly
    Let it be long, let it be long, long,
    Like their agony.
    Kajal Ahmad

    In March of 1988 in Halabja, Iraq, Saddam Hussein’s regime attacked Kurdish peoples through the use of chemical weapons, as part of the Anfal ethnic cleansing campaign. Set in a carpet store at this time, I will dance with those oak trees as long as takes us on a poetic voyage into the life of three Kurdish women, inspired by the poetry of Kajal Ahmad and the characters Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Ninsun from the world’s most ancient epic poem: Gilgamesh. Carpets, chairs, and strings create the environment in which two actresses interpret the three different women and how they react to a violent and unstable outside world.  Accompanied by soundscapes inspired by traditional Kurdish music, this international duo uses objects, puppets, and a multilayered world of reality, dreams, memories, and visions to explore the question of what it means to be a hero when you have no other choice. 

    Performed by: Audrey Rose Dégez, Daria Holovchanska
    Producer, Playwright, & Director: Audrey Rose Dégez
    Puppet Master, Lighting & Sound Designer, Movement & Object Director: Daria Holovchanska
    Stage Manager: Berivan Alothman
    Produced by:CP4P International Productions

    DARIA HOLOVCHANSKA
    Daria was studying at the Kharkiv National University of Art (Ukraine) until the war began on February 24th, 2022, when she transferred to Aleksandr Zelverovich Theater Academy in Warsaw (Poland) to finish her Master Degree in Puppetry. Daria previously worked at Kharkiv National Academic Puppet Theater, performed in “Fairy tale for a little rabbit” (rabbit Sister, Hedgehog), “Princes spec” (Queen Isabelle), “Magical ring” (Angel), and ”Mother Courage and her Children” (Katrin), directed by Oksana Dmitrieva. Daria is one of the founders and actresses of TERRA Theater Company (performances “Peace to your home”, “Our City”, “Night Call”). She also took part in Slovo.Theater group, where she was a co-director, actress, lighting designer and mask maker of the performance “Mothermotherland”. Recently she performed in one of the biggest puppet festivals in the world in Charleville-Mézières 2023. She is interested in movement theater, objects, materials, puppets, stop-motion animation and masks.

    AUDREY ROSE DÉGEZ
    Audrey Rose Dégez is a producer, director, playwright (Our Common Thread (2015), Empathize Me (2016), 7×7 (2017), Mothermotherland (2022)), actress, mother, and wife from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA) and based in Paris (France). She received a BA in English Literature from Rutgers University and a professional acting diploma from l’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. During her undergraduate studies, she founded the post apocalyptic punk group The Wichts, as well as ran the sober basement show house The Blueberry Shire, which was featured in the short documentary, Safe Space. Scheduled to write a play at Residency Slovo in Kharkiv, Ukraine in September/October of 2022 as the first international resident in Slovo Building, she made the decision to found Slovo. Theater Group after the invasion of February 24th. For the last 10 years, shen has been developing CP4P International Productions through poetry and theatre workshops around the world. She has lived in Berlin and Paris, where she has created theatrical performances in English with children and volunteered with Syrian and Ukrainian refugee communities abroad. In her spare time, she is passionate about making incredible vegan cookies with her daughter, Lili Maritchka and her husband, Louis.

    For more information or to find ways to support this project follow: https://colabarts.breezechms.com/form/2023cp4p

    Co-sponsored by the Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies (PGIS): Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies | Monmouth University

    For more information about the event or to rsvp to the performance workshop contact Prof. Stojanov and Dr. Shoemaker astojano@monmouth.edu or dshoemak@monmouth.edu.