TUESDAY NIGHT RECORD CLUB: THE BEATLES' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2017-03-21 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Lauren K. Woods Theatre
It’s just like book club but with albums! With new advances in technology, the way we consume music through our devices, apps and on demand streaming services like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes is making the idea of the “album” as an art form extinct. Get together with other music enthusiasts on Tuesday nights in Woods Theatre to discuss some of the greatest records of all-time! Listen to the album beforehand and then come prepared to discuss…there will be special guest moderators and panelists at each event!
This discussion will feature THE BEATLES’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. This event is free but registration is required.

American-Israeli Relations in the Trump Era: A Lecture by Michael Tuchfeld
2017-03-22 16:30 - 18:00 | Pozycki Hall Auditorium
The positions that president Trump expressed in his campaign regarding Israel and the Middle East conflict were sometimes inconsistent or contradictory. Nevertheless, some characteristics show that he will act to roll back most of former president Obama’s ideas and policies of how to promote peace in the area. It is obvious that new terminologies have been formed and reached the gates of the region. What are they and what do they indicate? Many Israelis feel relieved, others – worried. What are P.M. Netanyahu’s expectations in the new era? What are the Israeli cabinet ministers’ expectations and do they expect the same things? The questions of settlements, annexation of territories conquered in 1967, the two-state solution and the settlement regulation law will be raised as well as the policy towards Iran, Egypt and other players on the political field
Is the defeat of the American political establishment a positive development for Israel?
What mistakes should both sides avoid?

These questions and others will be raised in the lecture….

Michael Tuchfeld is a journalist, currently working for Maariv-Makor Rishon and NRG 360 News website as a political analyst and correspondent. He was the parliamentary correspondent of Kol-Israel, IBA, and the host of the daily talk show on The Knesset Channel – Channel 2 News. He also has a weekly talk show on Galey Israel. He has an M.A. degree from Bar Ilan University in Communications and Political Sciences.
This event sponsored by The Jewish Cultural Studies Program at Monmouth University

World Cinema Series: Timbuktu
2017-03-22 19:30 - 21:00 | Pollak Theatre
World Cinema Series 2016-2017
“Breaking the Silence, Confronting the Past”
A global look at five filmmakers who defy repressive regimes and their “official line” to promote human freedom, historical truth, and social justice
“Timbuktu” (Director: Abderrahmane Sissako, Mauritania 2014)
A cattle herder and his family who reside in the dunes of Timbuktu find their quiet lives — which are typically free of the Jihadists determined to control their faith — abruptly disturbed.
Rated PG 13 (97 minutes)
Organized by the Office for Global Education
All synopses are based on IMdB website

First Senior Show: Graphic Design
2017-03-24 22:00 - 2017-03-31 17:00 | Joan and Robert Rechnitz Hall
Opening
Reception: Fri. Mar. 24, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Free and Open
to the Public
Featuring the work of Monmouth University graduating seniors who will receive
their degrees in Graphic Design.

Met Opera: Idomeneo (Broadcast Live in HD)
2017-03-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Pollak Theatre
James Levine
conducts a rare Met revival of Mozart’s Idomeneo, set in the aftermath of the
Trojan War. Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s classic production, which has its first Met
revival in over a decade this season, stars Matthew Polenzani in the title
role. The cast also includes Elza van den Heever as Elettra, Nadine Sierra as
Ilia, Alice Coote as Idamante, and Alan Opie as Arbace.
Run Time: 4:20
Encore: Sunday, April 9,
2017 at 1 pm

ACAFEST 2017
2017-03-25 20:00 - 22:00 | Pollak Theatre
Founded in 2013, Sea Sharp A Cappella became Monmouth University’s first and only a cappella group. Creating sound with only their voices, the Monmouth University Sea Sharps have brought the a cappella scene to campus sharing their versions of popular tunes and classic ballads. Over the short period of time, they have participated in the ICCA’s, been featured on MTV, and hosted many concerts including Acafest which features collegiate a cappella groups from all over the tri-state area such as 8 to the Bar from Drexel University, The Trentones from The College of New Jersey, the NJIT Gigabeats, and many more! For tickets, please contact museasharps@gmail.com.

Bolshoi Ballet: Swan Lake - Live in HD
2017-03-26 15:00 - 17:00 | Pollak Theatre
At moonlight on the banks of a mysterious lake, Prince Siegfried meets the bewitched swan-woman Odette. Completely spellbound by her beauty, he swears his faithfulness to her. However, the Prince realizes too late that Fate has another plan for him….

A ballet of ultimate beauty and a score of unparalleled perfection born at the Bolshoi in 1877. In the dual role of white swan Odette and her rival black swan Odile, prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova exudes both vulnerability and cunning through superb technical mastery, alongside the powerful and emotional Siegfried, Denis Rodkin. Including breathtaking scenes with the Bolshoi’s corps de ballet, this is classical ballet at its finest.

Captured live on Jan 25, 2015
Run time: 3:00
Music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography Yuri Grigorovich
Libretto Yuri Grigorovich

Rockin' Road to Dublin
2017-03-28 19:30 - 21:30 | Pollak Theatre
This show is rescheduled for: March 28, 2017 at 7:30 PM. If you had tickets for the Feb. 9 date and cannot make the new date please call the box office at 732.263.6889 between the hours of 9 AM – 5 PM Monday through Friday for a refund. If you are able to make the new date your current tickets will be valid.
The new generation of Irish music & dance. Experience the difference.
Inspired by epic spectacles like Riverdance, RRTD’s renowned team of tour professionals is reviving the classic art form to create a new Irish show with a contemporary feel and a broader appeal.
Choreographer and lead male Scott Doherty (Riverdance & Lord of the Dance) has teamed up with veteran Celtic rocker Chris Smith to produce an exciting fusion of music, movement and culture that has never been done before. RRTD is a breathtaking display of classic Irish tunes accented by rock’n’ roll riffs, electrifying dancers and a dynamic light show. Enjoy the thrilling sights and sounds as daring performers execute rapid-fire leaps, twirls and footwork, and nimble fiddlers square off with driving electric guitar chords and pulse-pounding drum beats. Fans say, “Rockin’ Road to Dublin not only combines Riverdance and Lord of the Dance perfectly, but actually surpasses them!”
There will be an open rehearsal and talk back at 4 p.m.
There will also be a meet and greet with the cast at 7 p.m. for Gold Circle ticket holders.

National Theatre Live: Hedda Gabler (Broadcast in HD)
2017-03-29 19:30 - 22:00 | Pollak Theatre
“I’ve no talent for life.” Just married. Bored already. Hedda longs to be free…Hedda and Tesman have just returned from their honeymoon and the relationship is already in trouble. Trapped but determined, Hedda tries to control those around her, only to see her own world unravel. Tony Award-winning director Ivo van Hove (A View from the Bridge at the Young Vic Theatre) returns to National Theatre Live screens with a modern production of Ibsen’s masterpiece. Ruth Wilson (Luther, The Affair, Jane Eyre) plays the title role in a new version by Patrick Marber (Notes on a Scandal, Closer).

A Plastic Ocean
2017-03-30 18:00
In A Plastic Ocean, an international team of adventurers, researchers, and ocean ambassadors go on a mission around the globe to uncover the shocking truth about what is truly lurking beneath the surface of our seemingly pristine Ocean. The result will astound viewers – just as it did our adventurers – who captured never-before-seen images of marine life, plastic pollution, and its ultimate consequences for human health. During its four-year production period, A Plastic Ocean was filmed in 20 locations around the world in beautiful and chilling detail to document the global effects of plastic pollution – and introduce workable technology and policy solutions that can, if implemented in time, change things for the better.
This free film screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Bayshore Recycling Vice President of Operations Gary Sondermeyer, who will provide an important and interesting perspective on controlling plastic waste and marine debris.
For additional information, please contact Karl Vilacoba at 732-571-3688 or kvilacob@monmouth.edu.
Event Information and Registration

BLACK MARIA FILM FESTIVAL
2017-03-30 18:30 - 21:00 | Pollak Theatre
The Black Maria Film Festival was founded in 1981 as a tribute to Thomas Edison’s development of the motion picture at his laboratory, dubbed the “Black Maria” film studio, the first in the world, in West Orange, NJ. Now in its 36th year, the festival attracts and showcases the work of independent filmmakers internationally. The festival is a project of the Thomas A. Edison Media Arts Consortium, an independent non-profit organization in residence at New Jersey City University’s Department of Media Arts. Unlike other major film festivals, the Black Maria Festival is not presented in only one location. Instead, the winning films are presented at universities, museums, libraries and cultural centers across the country all year.

ART+AUTISM
2017-04-01 09:00 - 2017-05-31 19:00 | Pollak Gallery
Presented in partnership with Autism Speaks New Jersey, this juried exhibition opening at the beginning of Autism Awareness Month will showcase the talents and abilities of artists living with Autism Spectrum Disorder and initiate a conversation about the unique power of art in the autism community. Each piece of work will be for sale and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Autism Speaks.
Opening Reception: April 2, 5-7 PM
The opening reception will be presented in conjunction with the Bravo Amici benefit concert for Autism Speaks on April 2 at 8 PM.

Light it up Blue
2017-04-02 - 2017-04-30 | The Great Hall
Each April 2nd, Autism Speaks celebrates the start of its signature campaign, Light It Up Blue, along with the international autism community in recognition of UN sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day and April, World Autism Month . Thousands of iconic landmarks and buildings join the hundreds of thousands of homes and communities around the world to “light blue” in support of people living with autism. Monmouth University will be joining the campaign lighting dramatically lighting up the Monmouth Library and Wilson Hall for the entire month of April.

BRAVO AMICI - FUNDRAISER FOR AUTISM SPEAKS
2017-04-02 20:00 - 23:00 | Pollak Theatre
Presented in partnership with Autism Speaks NJ, this special concert presentation held on World Autism Awareness Day will feature Geoff Sewell, founder of the classical crossover opera band Amici Forever and his cast of exceptionally talented Broadway performers singing favorite pieces from well-known musicals, operas and popular music. From classic opera favorites like La Traviata’s Brindisi to Phantom’s All I Ask of You and crowd pleasers like That’s Amore, audiences will delight in the uplifting performance by the gifted vocalists of Bravo Amici. The concert will also feature a special video presentation of Sewell’s song Heal Me co-written by his wife Simone and featuring daughters Olivia and Sienna (who has autism) highlighting the message that autism is treatable. This event will be held in conjunction with the Art+Autism gallery exhibition opening reception featuring juried work by artists with Autism. Proceeds will benefit Autism Speaks NJ.

WOMEN IN THE WORLD WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH FILM FESTIVAL
2017-04-03 19:30 - 21:00 | Pollak Theatre
Now in its 8th year, Women In Media – Newark’s international Women’s History Month Film Festival continues to educate about, and advocate for global issues facing women. “Women In the World,” the theme of the 2017 film fest, will focus on independent films that illustrate the resilience and determination of women worldwide to triumph over adversity and will include a panel of speakers on this topic. This will be the first year that this exciting, free film festival will be shared with Monmouth University’s audience.
Films screened during the event include SOLD – a narrative, feature film adaptation of the globally acclaimed novel by Patricia McCormick. Based on true stories, SOLD, is the story of Lakshmi who journeys
from a pastoral, rural village in Nepal to a gritty brothel/prison
called Happiness House in Kolkata, India.

SOLD is directed by Academy and Emmy award-winner, Jeffrey D. Brown,
Executive Produced by two time Academy Award winner, Emma Thompson,
Produced by Jane Charles, Co-Produced by Katie Mustard and Written by
Joseph Kwong and Jeffrey D. Brown.
There will be a post screening panel with about Human Trafficking with Wincey Terry Bryant and Susan Panzica, NJ Coalition Against Human trafficking; Dr. Guia Calicdan-Apostle, Vice President, The HEAAT Foundation; Keyla Munoz, FBI; Det. Shawn Murphy, SVU, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office

Visiting Writers: Colm Toibin
2017-04-04 16:30 - 18:00 | The Great Hall Auditorium
Colm Toibin is the author of eight novels, including ‘The Master’ and ‘Brooklyn’, and two collections of stories. His play ‘The Testament of Mary’ was nominated for a Tony Award for best play in 2013. He is Irene and Sidney B. Silverman Professor of the Humanities at Columbia University.

World Cinema Series: Leviathan
2017-04-04 19:30 - 21:30 | Pollak Theatre
World Cinema Series 2016-2017
“Breaking the Silence, Confronting the Past”
A global look at five filmmakers who defy repressive regimes and their “official line” to promote human freedom, historical truth, and social justice
“Leviathan” (Director: Andrei Zviagintsev, Russia 2014)
In a Russian coastal town, Kolya is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man’s arrival brings further misfortune for Kolya and his family.
Rated R (140 minutes)
Organized by the Office for Global Education
All synopses are based on IMdB website

Monmouth University Lecture Series: Jack Ford
2017-04-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Anacon Hall, 2nd Floor, Student Center
Presented by The Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities & Social Sciences and Monmouth Athletics

Wednesday, April 05, 2017
The Politics of College Athletics: Is It All About the Money?
Jack Ford
Award-winning Journalist, Documentary Producer, Prominent Trial Attorney,
Author, and Teacher
Rebecca Stafford Student Center, Anacon Hall
Discussion: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Reception: 7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
About This Lecture
Share your opinion with Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist and CBS News Correspondent Jack Ford as we discuss the ethics of college athletics.

About Our Speaker
Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist, documentary producer, prominent trial attorney, author, and teacher, Jack Ford has had a unique and remarkably successful career. Raised by a single parent, his journey has taken him from a small town in New Jersey to Yale University, where he was a scholarship student and three-year starter on the varsity football team, to the Fordham University School of Law, where he helped finance his legal education with winnings from three appearances on the television quiz show “Jeopardy,” to courtrooms and classrooms throughout the country, and, ultimately, to the upper echelons of television journalism.
Currently a CBS News Correspondent for “60 Minutes Sports” and the co-host of “Metro Focus” on PBS (WNET-New York), he is also the Co-Founder and Chief Anchor of the American Education Network. Mr. Ford began his television news career in 1984 with WCBS-TV in New York. In 1991, he was an original anchor at the launch of Court TV. He also appeared in Fred Friendly’s award-winning PBS Media and Society broadcasts, serving as Moderator for “That Delicate Balance II: The Bill of Rights.”

Ocean Frontiers III
2017-04-06 18:00 - 20:30 | Pozycki Hall Auditorium
Ocean Frontiers III is a truly unique and hopeful ocean film that explores the intersection of national security, marine commerce and conservation. Savor rare underwater footage of stunning marine life along the coast from Virginia to Maine and hear from a range of people who are leading the way to a sustainable and thriving ocean.
Participate in the post-film conversation about the new Mid-Atlantic Ocean Action plan and get your questions answered by an expert panel that includes: Liz Semple, Manager, Office of Coastal and Land Use Planning, New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection; Tim Dillingham, Executive Director, American Littoral Society; Tony MacDonald, Director, Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (moderator); and others to be announced. The film showing begins at 6:30 p.m.; guests are welcome to attend a reception at 6 p.m. with light refreshments.
This free film screening and panel discussion is being presented by the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute with the American Littoral Society, New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, Surfrider Foundation – Jersey Shore Chapter, Green Fire Productions, and The Nature Conservancy – New Jersey Chapter.
For more information, contact Karl Vilacoba at 732-571-3688 or kvilacob@monmouth.edu.
Registration and More Information

Monmouth Lecture Series: Lori M. Gaines, Esq.
2017-04-06 19:00 - 20:00 | The Great Hall Auditorium
Presented by
The School of Education

Thursday, April 06, 2017
Special Education Reconsidered
Lori M. Gaines, Esq.
Special Education Attorney, Barger & Gaines
Wilson Hall Auditorium
7:00 p.m.
Q&A following lecture
Reception with light fare and refreshments starting at 6 p.m.
About This Lecture
Federal special education law requires that school districts provide students with a “free appropriate public education.” But just what does that mean? In 1982 the Supreme Court considered this question in the landmark decision of Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Amy Rowley. Since then, however, the various federal court circuits across the country have adopted varying standards for determining whether a special education program is actually appropriate – some adopting the standard set out by the Supreme Court and others deciding to impose a greater standard. As a result, there is an inconsistency across our country and therefore an inconsistency in just how much educational benefit students with disabilities are entitled to receive based on where they live. This inconsistency led the Supreme Court to once again consider this question through the case of Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District.
Join Ms. Gaines for an interactive conversation about the Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District case, the arguments made for and against imposing a greater obligation on school districts to provide more than the minimum educational benefit to students with disabilities, and the potential impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on the climate of special education across the United States.

Second Senior Show: Fine Art & Animation
2017-04-07 - 2017-04-14 | Joan and Robert Rechnitz Hall
Opening Reception: Fri. April 7, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public
Featuring the work of Monmouth University graduating seniors who will receive their degrees in Fine Art and Animation.

National Theatre of London: Twelfth Night (Live in HD)
2017-04-07 19:30 | Pollak Theatre
Tamsin Greig is Malvolia in a new twist on Shakespeare’s classic comedy of mistaken identity.A ship is wrecked on the rocks. Viola is washed ashore but her twin brother Sebastian is lost. Determined to survive on her own, she steps out to explore a new land. So begins a whirlwind of mistaken identity and unrequited love. The nearby households of Olivia and Orsino are overrun with passion. Even Olivia’s upright housekeeper Malvolia is swept up in the madness. Where music is the food of love, and nobody is quite what they seem, anything proves possible. Simon Godwin (NT Live: Man and Superman, NT Live: The Beaux’ Stratagem) directs this joyous new production with Tamsin Greig (Friday Night Dinner, Black Books, Episodes) as a transformed Malvolia. an ensemble cast that includes Daniel Rigby (Flowers, Jericho), Tamara Lawrence (Undercover), Doon Mackichan (Smack the Pony) and Daniel Ezra (The Missing, Undercover).

Laughing With Me! - Improv workshops with Michael O’Keefe (Ages 8-12)
2017-04-08 10:00 - 11:00 | Pollak Theatre
Laughing With Me! is the ASD program that is filled with fast-paced, interactive fun!! Students think of communication issues like a game!! They will become flexible within these experiences. The outcome being that now they won’t break, but simply bend. They also learn that it’s OK to fail. It’s simply a part of life that’s ultimately not a big deal. Also, a common occurrence of the program is an understanding of a special kind of laughter that gives a boost to self-confidence and creates a feeling of camaraderie. This is called “earned laughter”, because the students realize that they have done something funny on purpose, in a setting that promotes and encourages that behavior. Delve into the ASD workshop where we look at how we handle what comes our way – expected or not! Add in the great fun and team spirit built into our games. We’ll be playing with both our strengths and our quirks. Your child is set for laughter and learning!
Mike O’Keeffe is a teaching artist with The Count Basie Theatre, and has been performing and teaching improv comedy professionally for over 25 years. He received his MA in Education from Monmouth University in 1996, and has been a public school teacher for 20 years. He has done regional improv touring shows with former troupe-mate Wayne Brady, and has traveled across the country performing corporate comedy and team-building. Recently, he presented a TED Talk on the concept of “Play” called “Using Improv to Become a Better Human”. He is an Adjunct Professor at Monmouth University, where he teaches Critical Discourse. This spring, he was a keynote speaker at the National Youth Leadership Council’s, “More Powerful Together” conference in Washington DC, which brought together educational leaders and future educators. He was a speaker at Princeton University this summer, where he demonstrated how to integrate performing arts into their Common Core Curricula.
FREE but registration is required.

Laughing With Me! - Improv workshops with Michael O’Keeffe (Ages 13-17)
2017-04-08 12:00 - 13:00 | Pollak Theatre

Met Opera Encore: Idomeneo (Broadcast Live in HD)
2017-04-09 13:00 - 16:00 | Pollak Theatre
James Levine conducts a rare Met revival of Mozart’s Idomeneo, set in the aftermath of the
Trojan War. Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s classic production, which has its first Met
revival in over a decade this season, stars Matthew Polenzani in the title
role. The cast also includes Elza van den Heever as Elettra, Nadine Sierra as
Ilia, Alice Coote as Idamante, and Alan Opie as Arbace.
Run Time: 4:20

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights: An Exhibit of Selected Works by Jacob Landau
2017-04-10 - 2017-04-16 | Monmouth University Library
Monmouth University Galleries opens an exhibition of works exploring the theme of justice for women by American artist, humanist, and teacher Jacob Landau.

Born in Philadelphia in 1917, Jacob Landau launched his career as an illustrator, winning national prizes at age 16 and a scholarship to the Philadelphia College of Art. He had over sixty one-person shows and was the recipient of many awards, including Tiffany, Guggenheim and National Arts Council grants.

Landau’s art, devoted to the “advocacy of the human,” which entails “revelation of the tragic” and “hope of transcendence,” embodies a vision of justice for women. Powerfully and subtly erasing inherited gender boundaries, it triumphs. In his watercolor AS ABOVE SO BELOW he gives us an unforgettable vision of the “patterned energy” that is the just relation between sexes. We see masculine “incompleteness” and feminine “imperfection” in balanced unity. The man below and the woman above, declaring together: “I and thou we create each other.” And by this creation of the human imagination we are convinced of its truth.

The exhibition features a selection of twelve pieces. All works are from Monmouth University’s extensive collection of Jacob Landau’s work, comprising over 300 prints, drawings and paintings. The collection was gifted to Monmouth University in 2008 by the Jacob Landau Institute of Roosevelt, NJ. This exhibit is co-sponsored by the Jewish Culture Studies Program and the Honors School of Monmouth University.
Opening Reception: Monday, April 10, 2017 from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

Docent tours are available (for times, contact Professor Noel Belinski 732-263-5425; email: nbelinsk@monmouth.edu).

Student Employee Appreciation Day
2017-04-11 11:00 - 16:00 | Student Center

Film Screening: Les Saisons (Seasons)
2017-04-13 16:30 - 18:15 | Pozycki Hall Auditorium
After traveling the world alongside migrating birds and diving the oceans in the acclaimed nature documentaries Winged Migrations and Oceans, Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud return to the lush green forests that emerged across Europe following the last Ice Age. Winter had gone on for 80,000 years when, in a short period of time the ice retreated, the landscape metamorphosed, the cycle of seasons was established and the beasts occupied their new kingdom. Les Saisons, with its exceptional footage of animals in the wild, is the awe-inspiring and thought-provoking tale of the long shared history that binds humankind with the natural world.
The film will be introduced by Rockefeller University Professor Jesse Ausubel, who served as a science advisor to Les Saisons’ directors.
This free and public event is being offered as part of the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute’s 2017 Spring Film Series.
For more information, contact Karl Vilacoba at 732-571-3688 or kvilacob@monmouth.edu.
Register Online

Sweeney Todd
2017-04-14 20:00 - 2017-04-17 16:00 | Lauren K. Woods Theatre
Third annual student-produced musical featuring a celebration of student performers and designers. Evening Performances – 8:00 pm /Saturday Matinee 2:00. April 14, 15, 17, 2017. Tickets available at the door or by contacting: boomroastedproductionsmu@gmail.com

CANCELLED - Laughing With Me! - Improv workshops with Michael O’Keeffe (Teacher Workshop)
2017-04-15 10:00 - 11:00 | Pollak Theatre
Please note this event has been cancelled.
Laughing With Me! is the ASD program that is filled with fast-paced, interactive fun!! Students think of communication issues like a game!! They will become flexible within these experiences. The outcome being that now they won’t break, but simply bend. They also learn that it’s OK to fail. It’s simply a part of life that’s ultimately not a big deal. Also, a common occurrence of the program is an understanding of a special kind of laughter that gives a boost to self-confidence and creates a feeling of camaraderie. This is called “earned laughter”, because the students realize that they have done something funny on purpose, in a setting that promotes and encourages that behavior. Delve into the ASD workshop where we look at how we handle what comes our way – expected or not! Add in the great fun and team spirit built into our games. We’ll be playing with both our strengths and our quirks.
Mike O’Keeffe is a teaching artist with The Count Basie Theatre, and has been performing and teaching improv comedy professionally for over 25 years. He received his M.A. in Education from Monmouth University in 1996, and has been a public school teacher for 20 years. He has done regional improv touring shows with former troupe-mate Wayne Brady, and has traveled across the country performing corporate comedy and team-building. Recently, he presented a TED Talk on the concept of “Play” called “Using Improv to Become a Better Human”. He is an Adjunct Professor at Monmouth University, where he teaches Critical Discourse. This spring, he was a keynote speaker at the National Youth Leadership Council’s, “More Powerful Together” conference in Washington DC, which brought together educational leaders and future educators. He was a speaker at Princeton University this summer, where he demonstrated how to integrate performing arts into their Common Core Curricula.
