Bards on the Bay Northwoods Playwright Festival
April 24, 2005

The third annual Bards on the Bay Northwoods Playwrights Festival will be held at UW-Marinette April 30 and May 1 at 7:30 pm in the Herbert L. Williams Theatre.

Led by Theatre on the Bay Artistic Director and Playwright-in-Residence, Dr. Doug Larche, the spring playwriting workshop has produced seven new short plays inspired by the timeless music of the late storyteller, singer and songwriter, Harry Chapin. They will be performed by students of the UW-Marinette Acting I class and members of the college and campus community. 

The plays include “Three Doors” by Jan Ross Deetjen, “Dancing Boy,” by Jason Larche, “Sunday Morning,” by Richard B. Peterson, “Sniper” and “When Someone Came Knocking” by William Shepard, and “Mail Order Anya,” and “All My Roads Have Bends” by Dr. Doug Larche. Actors include Guzal Azamatova, Amanda Berg, Brian Cashen, Joshua Dake, Jenna Heemstra, Steven Hernandez, Steven Jensen, Motohiro Katsuta, Su-Yeon Kim, Ainura Khissimova, Will Knaapen, Aizhana Kurmangalieva, Joshua LaLonde, Ben Martin, Bill Moore, Trever Newbury, Nick Nygren, Mike Polfus, Katie Rickaby, Bill Shepard, Joao Silva, Robin Swanson, Zaur Taghiyev, Blaine Vander Velden, Annagul Yaryeva.

The new short plays will be directed by UW-Marinette students Joshua LaLonde and Robin Swanson, and community directors Richard Peterson, Jason Larche, Bill Shepard and Doug Larche.

Bards on the Bay is produced by Theatre on the Bay, the UW-Marinette Department of Communications and Theatre Arts and the Department of Continuing Education. Admission to the festival free.
###

TOB’s 39th Summer Season
April 23, 2005

The summer theatre season at UW-Marinette promises exciting live stage performances from both Theatre on the Bay and the Children's Theatre. To prepare for that season, fund raising for both programs is now taking place.

For 38 years, TOB has been providing not only cultural entertainment for residents of Northeast Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but education for children. TOB attracts business transplants as well as tourists who help the local economy grow. "Theatre on the Bay is a community asset," said University Relations Director Maureen Molle, "and for the past 38 years, the community has come forward to acknowledge its importance as the cultural treasure that it is."

The Bards on the Bay Festival will be held April 30 and May 1 at 7:30 pm to showcase the original works of new and veteran playwrights participating in the Continuing Education Bards on the Bay Playwriting Workshop led by Dr. Doug Larche. Seven new short plays inspired by the timeless music of the late storyteller, singer and songwriter, Harry Chapin, will be performed by eighteen members of the UW-Marinette Acting I class and members of the community. Admission is free.

“Disney's Beauty and the Beast,” with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, is the most ambitious production undertaken since the Children's Theatre began in 1993. It will be staged on Thursday through Sunday on two weekends June 16 - 19 and 23 - 26. With direction by Jason Larche and musical direction by Jay Jensen, the production is based on the Disney movie version of the timeless classic that will appeal to children and adults alike. Tickets are $7 and $10.

Artistic Director Dr. Doug Larche has announced two plays for Theatre on the Bay this summer. "Forever Plaid" July 1 - 3 and 8 - 11. and "Lend Me a Tenor" July 22 - 25 and July 29 - August 1.

"Forever Plaid" by Stuart Ross with musical arrangements by James Raitt, features the tight harmonies of a four-guy group that never got to make it to their biggest performance, but by divine intervention, are allowed to return to earth for one last great celebration. “Forever Plaid” is one of the most popular and successful musicals in recent memory that will delight audiences with the songs from a great era in musical history.

"Lend Me a Tenor," is a hilarious, wild romp of mistaken identities, extreme measures and compromising positions set in the delightful but crazy world of international opera, featuring desperate divas, aging lyric tenors and young people in love. Written by Ken Ludwig, it was a Tony Award nominee. Tickets for the TOB plays are $10 and $12.

Theatre on the Bay and the Children's Theatre depend entirely on the continued support of the community through ticket sales and donations. UW-Marinette, Marinette County and the State of Wisconsin provide a stage, basic equipment, maintenance, publicity services and business management, but no money for productions. The production budget for the summer includes royalties, scripts, orchestra, director and staff, set design and construction, sets, lighting, sound, costumes, makeup, and maintenance, repair and replacement of equipment and promotional materials.

In exchange for donations, businesses and individuals may advertise or have their name listed in the summer program booklet which is seen by nearly 3000 patrons during the summer. In addition to donations, special "Above- the-Title sponsorships are available which include one's business listed in the program booklet and in all promotional materials and press releases for the play one chooses to sponsor.
To make a donation, arrange an advertisement, or become a sponsor, contact Eaton Design Studio at 732-9490 or UW-Marinette at 735-4310.

Tickets for "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" are available by calling 735-4343 weekdays from 9 am to 2 pm. Tickets for all three shows will be available at the box office at 735-4313 beginning June 13. Box office hours are 4 - 6 pm daily and to curtain time on show days.
###

Undergraduate Research Conference at UW-Marinette
April 22, 2005

The public is invited to the Eighth Annual Undergraduate Research and Performance Conference April 28 from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm at UW-Marinette. Sponsored by the campus Student Affairs Committee, the conference will provide a forum for student accomplishments during the 2004-05 academic year. A reception will be held following the conference to honor presenters, student artists whose works are on display in the art gallery, and students whose works have been published in the annual campus arts journal, Northern Lights.

The research and performances to be presented were developed in a number of classes including Biology, Chemistry, Communications and Theatre Arts, English, Philosophy, Geography, Music, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, and Women’s Studies during the academic year.

“We are very excited about this year’s conference,” said Assistant Professor of Geography/Geology and Student Affairs Committee Chair Keith West. “Students have responded with an impressive array of presentations ranging from gas chromatography to the Cold War to Zebra Mussels to musical and theatrical performances. The URPC provides an excellent vehicle to showcase the diverse talents and interests within our student body.”

Dean Paula Langteau will welcome presenters and attendees at 8:45 am in the Herbert L. Williams Theatre. Concurrent sessions will be held in the Main and Theatre Building at 9:10, 10:15 and 11:20 am.

Following the concurrent sessions, a reception for conference presenters and students whose artwork is on display in the gallery and whose works are published in the 2003 edition of Northern Lights Arts Journal will be held from 12:30 to 1 pm. Refreshments will be served and copies of Northern Lights will be available. This year’s Northern Lights editorial committee included co-chairs Katherine Holman and Jennifer Stolpa, Jane Oitzinger, Jim LaMalfa, Gabriella Derusha, Maureen Molle, Gary Karman and Lara Brendemihl.
###

Artists invited to submit works for exhibit
April 7

Local artists are invited to submit works for the Francis Hardy Center for the Arts "Common Ground" exhibit to be held in Marinette and Menominee July 1 to September 30. The multimedia exhibit featuring works to stimulate and encourage dialogue on issues threatening our common resources was on display last summer in Ephraim, Door County.

This summer, a number of pieces from the exhibit will be brought to UW-Marinette, the Spies Library and the Stephenson Library for display. Local artists are invited to participate in a juried selection process to be included in the exhibit.

"We are very excited about this opportunity for our campus and our community," said UW-Marinette art professor James LaMalfa. "This exhibit is one of the largest shows we have ever had in our gallery. We were very impressed with the quality of the work when we viewed it this summer in Ephraim."

Juried work should have as its theme the environment of the land and the water to conform to the theme of the Common Ground exhibit. Other requirements include the following:

1. Slides of artwork should be submitted to the UW Marinette by mail or dropped off at front desk by May 15th. Artwork in any medium is eligible, but selection will be based on appropriateness to the theme.
2. A concise statement about each entry should be included indicating its appropriateness to the theme of the exhibit.
3. Artists may submit up to 2 slides. There is a non-refundable fee of $5 per slide payable to UW-Marinette .
4. Accepted artist will be notified by e-mail or phone.
5. Work should be hand-delivered to UW-Marinette.
6. Slides should be labeled with number (#1 and #2), artist name, media, title, and insurance value.
7. Accepted work should be delivered to the UW by June 1st, 2005. Work will be on display through September 30, but will not travel. On October 1, artists may pick up their work at the site of display: the Spies Library in Menominee, the Stephenson Library in Marinette or UW- Marinette.
   

For more information or to request an application form, contact LaMalfa at 715-735-4300 or email LaMalfa. Application forms are also available at the main reception desk at UW-Marinette or the Spies and Stephenson libraries.
###