A young African-American visits his white girlfriend’s parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point. With a post-film discussion hosted by Walter D Greason, Ph.D.
Ricky Byrd is first and foremost – a man living in long term recovery. He also happens to be part of rock ‘n roll royalty. He is a well-recognized musician who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the lead guitarist and former original member of Joan Jett and The Blackhearts. Ricky played with Joan from 1981-1992, and has also recorded or toured with Roger Daltrey, Ian Hunter, Southside Johnny and many other talented musicians since that time. He presents on the benefits of a sober lifestyle and likes talking to youth, who are at that age, where pressures and experimenting can often lead them down a crooked and deadly path. Ricky takes pride in also educating those individuals in our communities that are somehow unaware and uninformed of the deadly drug and alcohol pandemic we are facing in this country.
Ricky most recently has been combining his love for music with his passion and mission to help carry the torch of change surrounding the stigma of drug and alcohol use. He hopes to break down the barriers and spread the message of hope, education, awareness and addiction resources to his audiences. Using the healing powers of music as a touchstone, Ricky likes to motivate those early in recovery or still struggling, along with their family members. Whether it’s through his various speaking appearances, concert events, music outreach sessions, small recovery music groups, or prevention programs, Ricky is dedicated to inspiring change.
Simon Russell Beale plays William Shakespeare’s Richard II, broadcast live from the stage of the Almeida Theatre in London. This visceral new production about the limits of power will be directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins, whose previous plays include Little Revolution at the Almeida and Absolute Hell at the National Theatre. Richard II, King of England, is irresponsible, foolish and vain. His weak leadership sends his kingdom into disarray and his court into uproar. Seeing no other option but to seize power, the ambitious Bolingbroke challenges the throne and the king’s divine right to rule. Simon Russell Beale returns to National Theatre Live screens following broadcasts of Timon of Athens and King Lear, and his recent role in the National Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of The Lehman Trilogy.
Take a fresh look at Van Gogh through the legacy of the greatest private collector of the Dutch artist’s work: Helene Kröller-Müller (1869-1939), one of the first to recognize the genius of Van Gogh. In the early 20th century, Kröller-Müller amassed nearly 300 of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings now housed at her namesake museum in Holland.
The Basilica Palladina exhibition in Vicenza, “Amid Wheat Fields and Clouded Skies,” with 40 paintings and 85 drawings on loan from the Kröller-Müller Museum, lends the basis of this program, revealing Van Gogh’s art and his genius, while allowing audiences to understand the importance of drawing as part of his craft.
Van Gogh’s seemingly instinctive canvases were the result of long, preparatory studies very rarely exhibited – not just sketches but stunning works of art in and of themselves, where the broken flow of lines that characterize the style and strokes in Van Gogh’s paintings can already be seen.
“Words & Music,” Monmouth University’s Grammy Affiliate program offers an intimate conversation with the musician and writers of our day. Hosted by Dean Kenneth Womack, the series will be convened at the University’s LakeHouse Studios space and attendees will enjoy the opportunity to interact with some of the most exciting and vibrant artists of our times. May Pang is an American music industry veteran, perhaps best known as Beatle John Lennon’s girlfriend during the early 1970s. She is the author of two books, including Loving John and Instamatic Karma.
Bel canto stars Pretty Yende and Javier Camarena team up for a feast of vocal fireworks on the Met stage. Maurizio Muraro is Sergeant Sulplice, with Stephanie Blythe as the outlandish Marquise of Berkenfield. Enrique Mazzola conducts.
La Fille du Régiment is a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; and the Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna.
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 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 event will feature The Clash’s London Calling.
The spring production of the Department of Music and Theatre is Steel Magnolias, the touching comedy-drama by Robert Harling, directed by Dr. John Burke. The play visits six Louisiana women delicate as magnolia flowers, but tough as steel when they must be – as they gather in their small-town beauty parlor to gossip, complain, and share the joys and sorrows they face in their lives. Despite differences in age, backgrounds, and attitudes, their camaraderie and sense of humor help them grow through good times and bad.
Please Note: This event if free and open to the public, but registration is required. Event Schedule Registration & Coffee: 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. Program: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Program […]
Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. His poetry has been published in Muzzle, Vinyl, PEN American, and various other journals. His essays and music criticism have been published in The FADER, Pitchfork, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. His first full length poetry collection, The Crown Ain’t Worth Much, was released in June 2016 from Button Poetry. It was named a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize, and was nominated for a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. With Big Lucks, he released a limited edition chapbook, Vintage Sadness, in summer 2017 (you cannot get it anymore and he is very sorry.) His first collection of essays, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, was released in winter 2017 by Two Dollar Radio and was named a book of the year by Buzzfeed, Esquire, NPR, Oprah Magazine, Paste, CBC, The Los Angeles Review, Pitchfork, and The Chicago Tribune, among others. He is a Callaloo Creative Writing Fellow, an interviewer at Union Station Magazine, and a poetry editor at Muzzle Magazine. He is a member of the poetry collective Echo Hotel with poet/essayist Eve Ewing.
