Events

Symposium on Religion in Public Life
2014-11-06 10:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | The Great Hall Auditorium
A symposium hosted by the Department of Philosophy, Religion and Interdisciplinary studies reflecting on the impact and significance of Pope Francis’s papacy for global and American Catholicism from both ecclesiastical and scholarly perspectives. Speakers will include the Most Rev. David M. O’Connell, the tenth Bishop of Trenton, and Susan Abraham, associate professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University. The symposium is sponsored by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Office of Global Initiatives.
RSVP to Ms. Lynette Ming at lming@monmouth.edu. If you have any questions please call 732-263-5501 or extension 5501.

National Theatre of London: A Street Car Named Desire
2014-11-06 19:00 - 22:00 | Pollak Theatre
The fastest-selling production in the Young Vic’s history, Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire will be broadcast live from their London home by National Theatre Live. With Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, The Fall) as Blanche DuBois, Ben Foster (Lone Survivor, Kill Your Darlings) as Stanley and Vanessa Kirby (BBC’s Great Expectations, Three Sisters at the Young Vic) as Stella. As Blanche’s fragile world crumbles, she turns to her sister Stella for solace – but her downward spiral brings her face to face with the brutal, unforgiving Stanley Kowalski. Visionary director Benedict Andrews returns to the Young Vic following his Critics’ Circle Award-winning Three Sisters.

Gallery Exhibition - Evelyn Leavens Retrospective 1924 - 2013
2014-11-07 09:00 - 2014-12-19 17:00 | Joan and Robert Rechnitz Hall
November 7 – December 19
Rechnitz Hall’s DiMattio Gallery
Opening Reception: Friday, November 14, 2014 from 7 – 9 pm
Born in 1924, Evelyn Leavens is a life long resident of Red Bank. Her first solo show was in 1952 at the Old Mill Gallery, Tinton Falls, known then for the introduction of Alice Neel and Martha Graham.
In 1958 a book of drawings “Boswells’ Life of Boswell” by Leavens was published by Simon and Schuster which became #2 on the New York Times children’s best seller that year.
She has received two fellowships from N.J. State Council of the Arts and was included in the 1977 N.J. Arts Council biennial at the Trenton State Museum. Her work has shown, notably, at City Without Walls, Aljira, Tweeds, Summit Art Center and the Morris State Museum.
Primarily self taught, she attended the Vermont Studio Center in 1987 where she studied with Malcolm Morley, Archie Rand and Niel Welliver.
“Black Convergence is a bit hard to describe. First, it is not an abstract. It takes nothing from nothing. This painting is non-objective because it has nothing in its mind to start with. The first mark on the paper is the way to the second mark. This progresses, through many marks and changes to become a true non-objective. It makes many changes until, through love and hate, eventually becomes acceptable. I never give up”.
– Evelyn Leavens
This exhibition will include works from throughout the artist’s life.
Image Caption: Black Convergence, 2012, Watercolor on paper, 16″ x 20”

Fall Poetry Festival
2014-11-08 09:00 - 17:00 | Bey Hall
Do you write poetry? Have you considered writing or translating poetry? Do you love language and its ability to engage in meaningful exploration? Monmouth University and the Long Branch Arts Council invite you to a series of workshops in poetry, lyrical essay, and translation of poetry; readings by acclaimed writers; lunch & discussion, and a reading by registered participants.
On Friday, October 31, 11:30-1:00, poet Judith Vollmer will offer a master class/workshop (“The Transfer: How a Poem Reveals Hidden Gifts”) in Wilson 311.
Workshop leaders and readers for the November 8th day-long fest: Gabor Barabas, Michael Broek, Natalie Diaz, Prescott Evarts, Jr., Melissa Febos, Carmen Firan, Marisa Frasca, Laura McCullough, Mihaela Moscaliuc, Suzanne Parker, Michael Waters, and Dan Weeks.
Admission to readings is free and open to the public. The workshops, also free, will be open to registrants only: for more information and to register, email Sara Rimassa at monmouthreview@gmail.com (“Poetry Fest” in subject line) no later than Tue, October 28th.
This event is co-sponsored by the Long Branch Arts Council, the City of Long Branch, Investors Bank Foundation, Monmouth Arts/ArtHelps, the Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monmouth University, the Department of English at Monmouth University, and The Monmouth Review.
Saturday, November 8th, 2014, Bey Hall (Monmouth University), 9:00-5:00
9:00-9:45 Sign-in for registrants in Bey Hall (refreshments)
9:45-10:00 Welcome (Gabor Barabas and Mihaela Moscaliuc) and workshop information
10-11:30 Workshops
11:30-12:30 Lunch discussion for registrants: The Monmouth Review information session; Q & A about submission & editorial process with poet Dan Weeks, editor of This Broken Shore.
12:30-1:20 Reading: Gabor Barabas, Michael Broek, Natalie Diaz, Prescott Evarts, Jr., Melissa Febos, and Dan Weeks
1:30-3:00 Workshops
3:00-4:00 Reading: Carmen Firan, Marisa Frasca, Laura McCullough, Mihaela Moscaliuc, Suzanne Parker, and Michael Waters.
4:00-5:00 Reading by registered festival participants

True Blues with Corey Harris, Guy Davis, and Alvin Youngblood Hart
2014-11-08 20:00 - 23:00 | Pollak Theatre
Hosted by Corey Harris, a MacArthur Grant recipient, and featuring renowned roots musicians Guy Davis and Alvin Youngblood Hart, True Blues chronicles the extraordinary living culture of the blues in an evening of music and conversation. In bringing the True Blues film to the concert stage, the True Blues concert vividly brings to life this crucial wellspring of American music.
Both Corey Harris and Alvin Youngblood Hart were featured in Martin Scorcese’s “The Blues: A Musical Journey,” which followed Corey on a roots journey to West Africa. Alvin contributed, as well, to Wim Wenders’ ”The Soul Of a Man” and Denzel Washington’s “The Great Debaters.” Guy has often followed in the Thespian footsteps of his parents, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, most recently in the Broadway revival of “Finian’s Rainbow,” and earlier in “Mulebone” and “Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil.”
Blues is at the center of their artistry, and the blues takes center stage in True Blues, the concert.

Met Opera: LE NOZZE DI FIGARO Encore
2014-11-09 13:00 - 16:15 | Pollak Theatre
Met
Music Director James Levine conducts a spirited new production of Mozart’s
masterpiece, directed by Richard Eyre, who sets the action of this classic
domestic comedy in a 19th-century manor house in Seville, but during the gilded
age of the late 1920s. Dashing bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov leads the cast in
the title role of the clever servant, opposite Marlis Petersen as his bride,
Susanna, Peter Mattei as the philandering Count they work for, Amanda Majeski as the long-suffering Countess, and Isabel Leonard as the
libidinous pageboy Cherubino.

Nine for IX: The 99'ers
2014-11-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Pollak Theatre
A look at the 1999 women’s national soccer team and the impact of their World Cup victory on the sport of soccer and female athletes overall. Nine for IX is a series of documentary films which originally aired on ESPN celebrating the 40th anniversary of Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. Four of the episodes will be screened during the year.

Visiting Writer: Joyce Carol Oates
2014-11-13 16:30 - 18:30 | Pollak Theatre
There is no more versatile and accomplished American writer than Joyce Carol Oates. The author of many books, Oates has penned bestselling novels, critically acclaimed collections of short fiction, as well as essays, plays, poetry, a recent memoir, A Widow’s Story, and an unlikely bestseller, On Boxing. Her remarkable literary industry – which includes work as an editor and anthologist – spans forms, themes, topics and genres. Writing in The Nation, critic Henry Louis Gates Jr. said, “A future archeologist equipped only with her oeuvre could easily piece together the whole of postwar America.” In 2010, reflecting the widespread esteem in which her work is held, President Barack Obama awarded Oates the National Humanities Medal. Best known for her fiction, Oates’ novels include them, which won the National Book Award; Blonde, a bold reimagining of the inner life of Marilyn Monroe; The Falls, which won the France’s Prix Femina; The Gravedigger’s Daughter and Little Bird of Heaven, each set in upstate New York; and We Were the Mulvaneys, which follows the disintegration of an American family and which became a bestseller after being selected by Oprah’s Book Club. Her 2012 publications include the novels Daddy Love, and Mudwoman, and Black Dahlia & White Rose, a collection of stories. Her novel, The Accursed, was released in March 2013. Her recent novel Carthage (January 2014) was a New York Times bestseller. Her new book is High Crime Area: Tales of Darkness and Dread (April 2014).High Lonesome: New and Selected Stories 1966-2006 gathers Oates’ short fiction from earlier collections and includes eleven additional tales that further demonstrate the artistry and originality of a writer who “has imbued the American short story with an edgy vitality and raw social surfaces” (Chicago Tribune). Included in this volume is Oates’ most anthologized short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Inspired by a song by Bob Dylan, it was later adapted as a film, Smooth Talk. It is one of a handful of Oates’ works made into films or movies for television. The latest adaption is Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang (2012), by Palme d’Or winner Laurent Cantet. Since 1963, forty of Oates’s books have been included on the New York Times list of notable books of the year. Among her many honors are two O. Henry Prizes and two Bram Stoker Awards, the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction, World Fantasy Award, and M. L. Rosenthal Award from the National Institute of Arts and Letters. In 2009, Oates was given the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Book Critics Circle. In 2012, she was awarded both the Mailer Prize for Lifetime Achievement and the PEN Center USA Award for Lifetime Achievement. In March 2014 she will be awarded the Poets & Writers Distinguished Lifetime Award.
Joyce Carol Oates is the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Princeton University, and since 1978, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Skippyjon Jones
2014-11-14 10:00 - 11:15 | Pollak Theatre
Skippyjon Jones is a little kitten with big ears and even bigger dreams! Sometimes he pretends to be a bird, sometimes he pretends to be a llama, and sometimes he pretends to be a whale… Anything BUT a Siamese cat!
His Mama sends him to his room so that he can think about behaving like the cat he really is. While bouncing on his big boy bed, Skippyjon’s wild imagination takes over again as he catches his reflection in a mirror. “Holy guacamole,” Skippyjon exclaims. “My ears are too big for my head, my head is too big for my body. I am not a Siamese cat – I am a CHIHUAHUA!”
And not just any Chihuahua. He dons a mask, a cape, and an accent, and transforms into Skippito Friskito, the greatest canine sword fighter in old Mexico! But when the local pack of chihuahuas is terrorized by the gigantic bee, Alfredo Buzzito El Blimpo Bublebeeto Bandito, will Skippyjon be a ‘fraidy-cat or the top dog?
Based on the book by Judy Schachner, Skippyjon Jones is an enchanting musical about unleashing your powerful imagination and following your dreams.

(Approximately one hour in length, recommended for grades K- 4)
Curriculum Connections: Communication and Language Arts, Literature-Based, Music, Relationships & Family, Social Studies.

*Tickets on sale July 1st*

Southside Johnny & The Poor Fools
2014-11-14 20:00 - 23:00 | Pollak Theatre
Southside Johnny & The Poor Fools return to the Pollak Theatre for another riveting evening embarking on a stripped down journey through Johnny Lyon’s eclectic version of the Great American Songbook. Playing a wide range of music from Dylan, Mose Allison, Muddy Waters, NRBQ, Richard Thompson, Emmylou Harris, The Band, George Jones and more, The Poor Fools also dive into some of the Southside’s Asbury Jukes material–revisiting some classics as well as the underperformed deep tracks. In this incarnation, musicians such as Jeff Kazee, John Conte, Tommy Byrnes, and Neal “The Dude” Pawley, join Johnny for singing, playing, and having some fun on stage. It will be a loose mix of songs, stories, and banter between the musicians and–hopefully–the audience.
No rules. No fences. With Lyon shaking up each night’s setlist for himself and his gang of multi-instrumentalist band members, these troubadours ride the rails of the runaway train known as Southside Johnny and The Poor Fools.

Bob Burger will be opening the show.
All ticket holders will receive a free autographed poster signed by the artists after the show.

Deadline to submit substitutions and waivers for January 2015 Graduation
2014-11-15

Graduate Information Session
2014-11-15 10:00 | The Great Hall -104
Throughout the year, Monmouth hosts graduate sessions for prospective students where admissions counselors, faculty members, and financial aid representatives will be available to answer your questions as you:

Discover how we make graduate school affordable.
Gain a broader understanding of the application and admission process.
Learn more about graduate programs.
Talk with program directors 1-on-1.

Met Opera: CARMEN Encore (Broadcast in HD)
2014-11-16 13:00 - 16:15 | Pollak Theatre
Richard
Eyre’s mesmerizing production of Bizet’s steamy melodrama returns with
mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili singing her signature role of the ill-fated
gypsy temptress. Aleksandrs Antonenko plays her desperate lover, the soldier
Don José, and Ildar Abdrazakov is the swaggering bullfighter, Escamillo, who
comes between them. Pablo Heras-Casado conducts the irresistible score, which
features one beloved and instantly recognizable melody after another.
Broadcast in HD

Last Day to Withdraw from Pattern "B" Classes
2014-11-17

On Screen in Person: The Phantom Tollbooth
2014-11-17 19:30 - 22:00 | Pollak Theatre
Director Hannah Jayanti
The Phantom Tollbooth: Beyond Expectations playfully examines the creation, creators, lasting impact and enduring relevance of one of the most beloved children’s books of our time. Through interviews, animation, and archival imagery, the documentary traces the friendship between author Norton Juster and Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Jules Feiffer.
There will be a Q&A with director Hannah Jayanti following the screening.
On Screen/In Person is made possible by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program.

Ani DiFranco
2014-11-18 20:00 - 23:00 | Pollak Theatre
Folk singer Ani DiFranco melds soul, funk, jazz, electronica and spoken word into her eclectic repertoire, which features the songs “Untouchable Face,” “32 Flavors” and “Wishin’ and Hopin’.” A Grammy-winning songwriter and collaborator, DiFranco has never stopped evolving, experimenting or pushing the limits of what can be said and sung, over the course of more than 20 albums. Her CDs include the live two-disc Living in Clip, the career retrospective Canon and her latest release, ¿Which Side Are You On?
Among DiFranco’s “lifelong tribe of co-conspirators” are Pete Seeger, Prince, Dr. John, Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper. The Buffalo, N.Y. native has made New Orleans her home base for much of the last decade, but she considers herself a traveler, touring the world both solo and with her band.Opening the show will be renowned jazz violinist Jenny Scheinman, who has collaborated and played with artists like Norah Jones, Lou Reed, Aretha Franklin, Lucinda Williams and Bono.

Art Now: Bernd Klug - Sound Installation and Performance
2014-11-20 14:00 - 19:00 | Joan and Robert Rechnitz Hall
This sound installation features a piano-wired based interactive feedback system that turns Rechnitz Hall into a resonating instrument. Room frequencies, wavelengths and the connection points of the strings will create a unique sonic activation of the exhibition space.
Using the means of transducers, piezo-disks, single coils and speakers, found sounds will be amplified and create an interactive situation, blurring the lines between sculpture, architecture, instruments and sound. In a performance, students will play the sound installation transforming architecture directly into an orchestra.
2 pm: Installation Opens
4:30 pm: Artist Talk with Bernd Klug and Richard Garet, Daniel Neumann and Wolfgang Gil from Contour Editions
6 pm: Student Performance

Mary Chapin Carpenter
2014-11-20 20:00 - 23:00 | Pollak Theatre
Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and 2012 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Mary Chapin Carpenter will embark on a unique series of intimate, acoustic performances this fall. The tour marks Carpenter’s return to singing both timeless hits and deep cuts from her expansive and beloved 13-album catalog after performing with orchestras in early 2014. Carpenter will be joined on stage by longtime friends Jon Carroll (piano) and John Doyle (guitars, bouzouki).
Carpenter has spent the past year performing alongside world-renowned orchestras since the release of her debut orchestral album, Songs From the Movie (Zoë /Rounder), which was conducted and arranged by six-time Grammy Award winner Vince Mendoza. Carpenter’s world debut orchestral concert took place on January 24 at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall alongside the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. In March, she performed two milestone concerts at New York’s Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Mr. Mendoza, and was joined by special guests Joan Baez, Shawn Colvin, Jerry Douglas, Tift Merritt and Aoife O’Donovan.
Over the course of
her career, Carpenter has sold over 13 million records. With hits like “Passionate Kisses” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” she has won five Grammy Awards (with 15 nominations), two CMA awards and two Academy of Country Music awards for her vocals. Her songs speak to the most personal of life’s details and the most universal.
Tift Merritt will be opening the show.

Gallery Exhibition: December Senior Show
2014-11-21 09:00 - 2014-12-05 17:00 | Rotary Ice House Gallery
November 21 – December 5, 2014
Ice House Gallery
Opening Reception: Friday, November 21, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Featuring the work of Monmouth University graduating seniors who will receive their degrees in Graphic Design, Animation or Fine Art.

One Last Waltz: A Celebration of the Music & Legacy of The Band
2014-11-21 19:30 - 22:00 | Pollak Theatre
Tickets on sale Oct. 6
A wise man once said it’s better to burn out than fade away, and on Thanksgiving Day of 1976, one of the best live acts of the rock era went out in a blaze of glory.
Glen Burtnik, Salvatore Boyd, Bob Burger & Arne Wendt, performing as The Band. They will be joined on stage by a cast of artists, including Southside Johnny, Pat Guadagno, Bobby Banderia, Kate Taylor, Bruce Gassman, Frank Puggy DeRosa, Matt Wade, Stringbean Sorenson, Frank Lombardi, Anthony D’Amato, Emily Grove, Nick Foster, Tommy LaBella, Taylor Hope and more, to bring us on a musical journey back in time to the fall of 1976.
A Burtnik/Boyd Production

Met Opera: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Broadcast in HD)
2014-11-22 13:00 - 17:00 | Pollak Theatre
The Met’s effervescent
production of Rossini’s classic comedy – featuring some of the most instantly
recognizable melodies in all of opera – stars Isabel Leonard as the feisty
Rosina, Lawrence Brownlee as her conspiring flame, and Christopher Maltman as the
endlessly resourceful and charming barber, himself. Michele Mariotti conducts
the vivid and tuneful score.
Broadcast in HD
Encore: Sun. December 7 at
1:00 PM
Tickets on sale August 22.

World Cinema Series: The Flowers of War
2014-11-24 19:30 - 22:30 | Pollak Theatre
Zhang Yimou’s “The Flowers of War” (2011) (R) A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan’s rape of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.

A Marvelous Night: The music of Van Morrison
2014-11-26 19:30 - 22:00 | Pollak Theatre
PLEASE NOTE: This concert will take place as scheduled.
On Thanksgiving Eve, some of New Jersey’s finest entertainers will get together at the Pollak Theater to share the music of Van Morrison with their friends. Enjoy the mystical compositions of one of the most influential and unusual artists of our time as performed by legendary front man Rob Paparozzi (Original Blues Brothers Band, Blood Sweat ‘n Tears ) and Master Song Stylist Pat Guadagno (BobFest, The Candle Brothers ). The all-star band will include Steven Socrates Delopoulos (Burlap to Cashmere) Irish Tenor Steve Reilly, Michael Ghegan (Michael Jackson Cirque de Soleil) and a host of other surprise guests. Put the Turkey in the oven, and bring the family, just don’t miss this transcendental experience. You will be healed!

Thanksgiving Break
2014-11-27 - 2014-11-28
Have a wonderful holiday!

Theatre Fest 2014
2014-12-01 - 2014-12-04 | Lauren K. Woods Theatre
Please join us for the first Annual TheatreFest, four days and nights of theatre entirely produced and directed by Monmouth University students. All events free of charge and open to the public! Details of the individual events below. For more information, contact Professor Sheri Anderson, shanders@monmouth.edu.
Monday, December 1: 8pm – Woods Theatre
Boom Roasted Productions: An Evening of Contemporary Scenes
Director: Megan Roberts
Tuesday, December 2
Alpha Psi Omega: A Day with the Bard
Throughout the day all over campus, members of Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theatre Honor Society, will present Shakespearean scenes, monologues, and sonnets.
Director: Nick Zazzario
Wednesday, December 3: 8pm – Woods Theatre
Theatre Majors and Minors Showcase
A variety of scenes and songs performed and directed by our theatre majors and minors. The evening will end with a world premiere staged reading of theatre minor Patrick S. Hall’s Occupied.
Producers: Molly Huber and Patrick Hall
Thursday, December 4: 8pm – Woods Theatre
Communication/Performance Studies Student Showcase
Co-Sponsored by CommWorks: Students Committed to Performance
Producer: Zoe Bulitt

Bolshoi Ballet: The Pharaoh’s Daughter
2014-12-04 19:00 - 21:30 | Pollak Theatre
Music Cesare
Pugni
Libretto Jean-Henry
Saint-Georges and Marius Petipa
Choreography, sets and costumes Pierre Lacotte
Cast Svetlana
Zakharova (Aspicia), Ruslan Skvortsov (Lord Wilson) and Nina Kaptsova (Ramze,
Aspicia’s slave)
Young Englishman Lord
Wilson is travelling through Egypt when a powerful storm breaks out. He is
forced to take shelter in the nearest pyramid, where the daughter of one of
Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs lies entombed. Lord Wilson falls asleep and
begins to dream that the princess has come to life.
The plot of this lavish
production is loosely based on Théophile Gauthier’s novel Le Roman de la Momie. French choreographer
Pierre Lacotte was exclusively commissioned in 2000 by the Bolshoi Theatre to
resurrect Marius Petipa’s mighty Egyptian fresco, and he succeeded brilliantly
in giving new life to this forgotten masterpiece. With its exotic setting,
impressive parades, spectacular variations and crowd scenes, this grand 19th‐century Orientalist fantasy is one of the most
remarkable productions in the Bolshoi’s repertoire. The main roles are here
danced by Bolshoi principals Svetlana Zakharova, Nina Kaptsova and Ruslan
Skvortsov.

Running
time 2h30

Student Recital: Jennifer Weingarten
2014-12-05 19:00
Jennifer Weingarten, a Music Education Major, will be performing her senior recital on Friday, December 5, 2014 at 7:00 PM in the Lauren K. Woods Theater. She will be featured on voice, piano, and clarinet. Admission is free; light refreshments will be served.

Senior Recital - Jennifer Weingarten
2014-12-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Lauren K. Woods Theatre

Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea
2014-12-05 20:00 - 23:00 | Pollak Theatre
There’s simply no better way to start the holiday season than to spend this special evening with Conductor Father Alphonse Stephenson as he provides humorous and personal anecdotes amidst a program of holiday classics and carols performed flawlessly by his 42-piece orchestra and distinguished vocalists. This well-established Christmas tradition is celebrating its 24th year at Monmouth University. Be sure to get your tickets early for this annual sell out!

First Annual Jersey Shore “Hawk” Mock Trial Invitational
2014-12-06 - 2014-12-07
The Monmouth University Pre-Law Club and Mock Trial team are happy to announce the inaugural Jersey Shore “Hawk” mock trial invitational tournament to be held at Monmouth University on Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7.
The tournament will be a 2-2 format with two rounds on Saturday and two rounds on Sunday with an awards ceremony following the fourth round on Sunday.
For more information, contact Gregory Bordelon, J.D., at gbordelo@monmouth.edu.
