Events

Raymonda
2019-10-27 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Pollak Theatre
Choreography by Marius Petipa
Raymonda is betrothed to Jean de Brienne, a gallant knight who pledged to go on a crusade led by the King of Hungary. When her beloved leaves, Abderakhman, a foreign knight, makes a bid for the hand of Raymonda and threatens her fate when she rejects him.
Raymonda is a must-see of the Bolshoi, a work of living dance history showcasing the ballerina as the ultimate virtuoso. Being one of legendary choreographer Marius Petipa’s final works, he fully armed this ballet with beautiful court scenes, romantic corps de ballet dances, Hungarian czardas and a title role suited for the most outstanding ballerina.
Runtime: 3 hours

Reproductive Justice 2019: Perils and Prospects
2019-10-29 18:00 - 19:30 | Anacon Hall, 2nd Floor, Student Center
The personal is the political has been a part of the American vocabulary since at least the 1960s. Initially this argument was a source of identity and politics-making in the male public arena, not the female domestic space. Recently, this personal has been targeted in both Western Europe and North America where varying nationalist resurgences have resulted in anti-choice legislation. In response, some American states have passed reproductive-speciﬁc protections through legislative acts of their own. Against the backdrop of culture war, what does this renewed attention to female agency and their bodies say about our broken, polarized present? What prospects lay ahead for women? And more importantly, what perils?
Click to Print Flyer
Opening Remarks
Dr. Nancy Mezey – Dean of the Honors School
Moderator
Dr. Rekha Datta – Interim Provost
Host and Organizer
Dr. L. Benjamin Rolsky
Panelists
Anne C. Deepak – Associate Professor of Social Work
Sasha N. Canan – Assistant Professor of Health and Physical Education
Lazara G. Paz-Gonzalez – Adjunct Professor of Nursing and Health Studies
Sponsored By:
The Provost’s Office, The School of Humanities & Social Science and the Department of History & Anthropology in conjunction with the Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies, The University Library, The Leon Hess Business School, The School of Education, The School of Social Work, and The Honors School.

Graduate English Meet-Up
2019-10-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Withey Chapel – the Great Hall
A goosebump inducing evening of perfect readings for the season. Enjoy spooky readings of the season from faculty members and students. Meet and mingle with other Graduate students.
For more information, contact Michele McBride at mmcbride@monmouth.edu.

Just Beachy: A Reading of Sandy Stories
2019-10-29 19:00 - 21:00 | DiMattio Gallery at Rechnitz Hall
Help us mark the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. Readers will present stories that have been posted to “9 Feet High,” part of the Just Beachy/After Sandy installation now on view in Rechnitz Hall’s DiMattio Gallery.
We invite you to participate by reading your own story, or listen as you hear your own story being read. Join us as your Sandy experience is acknowledged through the spoken word. Your story deserves to be heard!

Ink & Electricity Lecture Series
2019-10-30 17:00 - 18:00 | The Great Hall -104
This annual lecture series brings top scholars in the fields of digital humanities, media studies, the history of the book, print culture, and children’s literature to Monmouth University every fall.
STRANGER THAN FICTION:
THE NOVEL IN WEB 2.0
A Talk by Dr. Priya Joshi
Professor of English
Temple University
Fan sites, new writing platforms, and new markets for the novel are now produced and curated by readers on Web 2.0 platforms. This talk reviews the story of “literature” in the age of digital production with particular attention to the future of literary theory.
This event is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served.
Ink and Electricity is sponsored by the Wayne D. McMurray-Helen Bennett Endowed Chair in the Humanities at Monmouth University, Dr. Kristin Bluemel, professor of English. She can be reached at kbluemel@monmouth.edu or 732-571-3622.

Nurse Practitioner Skills Boot Camp
2019-11-01 08:00 - 17:00
Fee: $225/$200 MU Students/Alumni
Instructional materials, continental breakfast and lunch are included in the program fee.
8 contact hours for nurses will be provided. All participants receive a “Boot Camp” T-Shirt!
Are you looking to enhance your advanced practice skills? Join us for an immersion program for Nurse Practitioners providing specialized training in key areas. The hands-on experience will be facilitated by content experts who will share knowledge, tips and techniques for practice.
All participants will begin the program with Clinical Decision Making: Interpreting & Integrating Diagnostics (2 hour module) and select 2 from the following modules:

Radiographic Interpretation of Chest and Musculoskeletal System
Suturing and Wound Closure
Care of Common Orthopedic Injuries & Splinting Basics

For more information, visit the School of Nursing and Health Studies Continuing Education site or contact Barbara Paskewich at bpaskewi@monmouth.edu or 732-571-3694.

William Close and the Earth Harp Collective
2019-11-02 20:00 - 22:00 | Pollak Theatre
Concurrently primitive and futuristic, The Earth Harp incorporates sculpting, architecture and sound design, standing at the crossroads of music and art. The Earth Harp was built and developed by William Close, a New York native and alumni at the Art Institute of Chicago. William performs as part of The Earth Harp Collective – a team of musicians, dancers, aerialists and artists.
While studying at the Institute, Close realized in order to succeed he had to do something that no one else had done. An avid musician who played in garage bands as a teenager, he started concocting then building his own instruments. His background as a sailor served as inspiration for the use of natural sounds – the wind whipping the sails, the sound of the rigs flapping and being pulled tight.
“I’ve always seen and heard the world as an instrument,” says Close. “Just hearing nature’s tones inspires me.”
The body of The Earth Harp rests on the stage, while the strings travel over the audience, attaching to the back of the theatre, concert hall and/or festival ground, turning every space into an instrument. By using violin rosin covered gloves along the strings, the Earth Harp’s bowed tones and overlapping ripple effect offers a dramatic cathedral-like sound effect.
Close’s celebrated Earth Harp earned him a finalist slot on NBC’s America’s Got Talent and was recently named by the World Record Academy as creating and holding the record for the world’s largest stringed instrument. Close has designed at least two permanent Earth Harp installations, one as part of Cirque du Soleil’s show KA at the MGM Las Vegas, the other as part of a 1,300-seat theater aboard the Royal Caribbean International’s newest ship, Quantum of the Seas. He has brought his Earth Harp to iconic venues like Rome’s Coliseum, Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center, New York’s Lincoln Center, Seattle’s Space Needle, Shanghai’s Grand Theater, Sao Paulo’s Theatro Muncipal, Qatar’s Dhow Harbour, as well as major U.S. festivals like Lollapalooza, Coachella, Bumbershoot, Burning Man and Lighting in a Bottle. With an interest in soundtrack work, Close has also recorded music for Game Of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi for Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim.
“I love the idea of these expansive, grand-scale, but still user-friendly experiences,” he says.
For Close and his Earth Harp, the sky is literally no limit

Manon Encore
2019-11-03 13:00 - 17:00 | Pollak Theatre
Massenet’s tale of passion, excess, and their consequences stars rising soprano Lisette Oropesa in the effervescent title role. Tenor Michael Fabiano is her ardent admirer, Chevalier des Grieux, with Maurizio Benini conducting Laurent Pelly’s enchanting production.
Runtime: 4 hours 12 minutes

Collective Unconscious: Artist Talk with Amanda Stojanov
2019-11-04 16:30 - 18:30 | Edison Science Hall Multipurpose Room 201
Amanda Stojanov is an artist, educator, and activist. Her work explores storytelling through multi-tech platforms including VR, immersive audio/visual projection, animation, and others. She has worked with design teams in large design studios, independent agencies, and non-profit organizations, and she continues to work as a freelance art director and designer. Stojanov is a member/co-founder at voidLab and co-founder of voidLab’s panel series DECENTRALIZING THE WEB (projects.dma.ucla.edu/voidlab), which cultivates critical evaluations of online presence through an intersectional feminist lens. It aims to untangle the psycho-social implications of identity politics on the global web, examining the embedded biases driving dominant modes of representation in digital spaces.
Stojanov has exhibited her work in California, Budapest, and Linz. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Interactive Digital Media in Monmouth University’s Department of Communication. Previously she worked as an educator at Art Center College of Design, UCLA, and Loyola Marymount University.
Stojanov’s work can be seen at: https://amandastojanov.com/

Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On?
2019-11-05 19:30 - 21:30 | Pollak Theatre
It’s just like a book club but with albums! 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 discussion will feature Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On? This event is free but registration is required.

The Game Changers
2019-11-07 19:30 | Pollak Theatre
Jon and Tracey Stewart, on behalf of Hockhockson Farm Foundation cordially invite you to a screening of the film The Game Changers followed by a Q&A panel with cast and producers of the film (James Wilks, Joseph Pace, Rip Esselstyn, Nick Berman and Dr. Robert Ostfeld), moderated by Jon Stewart.
Guests must first register online. Tickets are held at Will Call and are available for pick-up on the day of the event at 6:30 PM using a valid photo ID. Please be prompt. All seat assignments are released and tickets will be reassigned to the waiting list if not claimed by 7:20 PM.

The Game Changers
The Game Changers is a new film executive produced by James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan that documents the explosive rise of plant-based eating in professional sports, mixing real-time, groundbreaking science with cinematic stories of struggle and triumph. The film features some of the strongest, fastest and toughest athletes on the planet — and it’s backed by them too — with additional EPs including Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, top-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic, and nine-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul.
Directed by Oscar®-winner Louie Psihoyos, The Game Changers follows the story of James Wilks—elite Special Forces trainer and winner of The Ultimate Fighter—as he travels the world on a quest for the truth about meat, protein, and strength. Showcasing elite athletes, special ops soldiers, and visionary scientists. Wilks’ journey exposes outdated myths about food that not only affect human performance, but the health of the entire global population.
Run Time: 85 minutes
About the Panel:
James Wilks – Producer
James Wilks is a mixed martial artist best known for winning Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter. He also serves as a combatives trainer for government agencies including the US Marshals, US Marines, US Army Rangers and US Navy SEALs.
Joseph Pace – Producer
Joseph Pace is a Canadian writer and researcher who has been focused on the future of food for more than two decades. Joseph also played a pivotal role in helping to launch NutritionFacts.org, the first non-commercial, science-based website to provide free video updates on the latest in nutrition research.
Dr. Robert Ostfeld – Cardiologist
Cardiologist Robert Ostfeld, MD, MSc is the founder and director of the Cardiac Wellness Program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, where he encourages patients to embrace a whole-foods, plant-based diet. He earned his MD at Yale and his MSc in epidemiology at Harvard, and he is an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Rip Esselstyn – Former Firefighter / Triathlete
Rip Esselstyn is a former fireman and world-class triathlete who won the Masters National Championships in the 200-yard backstroke, setting the American record in the process. He is also the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Engine 2 Diet, Plant-Strong, The Engine 2 Seven-Day Rescue Diet and The Engine 2 Cookbook.
Nick Berman – New York City Firefighter
Hockhockson Farm Foundation
www.hockhocksonfarm.org
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Madama Butterfly
2019-11-09 13:00 - 16:30 | Pollak Theatre
Anthony Minghella’s vividly cinematic staging returns to cinemas, featuring soprano Hui He in the devastating title role. Pier Giorgio Morandi conducts one of opera’s most beautiful and heartbreaking scores, with a cast that also includes tenor Piero Pretti as Pinkerton, baritone Paulo Szot as Sharpless, and mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong as Suzuki.
Runtime: 3 hours 32 minutes

6th Biennial Interdisciplinary Conference on Race
2019-11-14 14:00 - 2019-11-16 12:00 | Monmouth University
Click to View Conference Program
Monmouth University’s upcoming 6th biennial Interdisciplinary Conference on Race is themed Race, Memory and Identity and brings distinguished speakers and cultural performances.
This conference aims to bring together scholars from multiple disciplinary perspectives to broadly explore the intersections of Race, Memory, and Identity. Contemporary social, political, and media discourses demonstrate the continued need to evaluate the differing ways that race and identity impact memory in connection to history, trauma, loss and remembrance. Understanding memory as both a subject and a tool can act to promote conversations about how memories of the past impress upon individual and collective memory to affectively shape racial and cultural identities.
This year, historian Dr. William Sturkey, UNC, Chapel Hill, will deliver the opening plenary lecture. Dr. Qiana Whitted, USC, and other distinguished speakers will also participate in this conference.
Registration Fees:

Scholar/General Public: $125
Non-MU Student: $85
Monmouth University Faculty, Students & Staff: No Charge
(Please Note: members of the Monmouth community still need to register. )

For more information, please contact Brooke Nappi at bnappi@monmouth.edu or use the link below to visit the conference web site.

Visit Conference Web Site

BRIDGMAN | PACKER DANCE
2019-11-15 20:00 - 23:00 | Pollak Theatre
“gorgeous, and deeply moving.” – Huffington Post, NYC
“witty, sexy, and surreal.” – The New Yorker
Dance meets film meets virtual reality: Bridgman|Packer Dance will present Voyeur, their highly acclaimed work that received a 2017 New York Dance and Performance Award. Featuring choreographer/performers Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer’s innovative work in “Video Partnering”—the integration of live performance and video technology— Voyeur is inspired by artist Edward Hopper’s world of color, light, perspective, and under-the-surface eroticism. Fragmented moments of private lives are witnessed through windows and doorways. As the performers merge and collide with the video imagery, the presence of a seen or unseen viewer lies at the heart of Voyeur. Voyeur will be paired with other work from Bridgman|Packer Dance’s repertory.
Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer have been presented by Lincoln Center in New York City, City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival, 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Festival, Dance Theater Workshop (now New York Live Arts), Central Park Summerstage, Baryshnikov Arts Center, and The Sheen Center. Their 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship was the first in the history of the Guggenheim Foundation to be given to two individuals for their collaborative work.

This engagement of Bridgman | Packer Dance is funded through the Mid Atlantic Tours program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

www.midatlanticarts.org/

COMPANY
2019-11-15 20:00 - 22:00, 2019-11-16 20:00 - 22:00, 2019-11-17 15:00 - 17:00, 2019-11-20 20:00 - 2019-11-29 22:00, 2019-11-24 15:00 - 17:00 | Lauren K. Woods Theatre
Sondheim’s game-changing musical is a sophisticated and honest look at modern adult relationships. From musical theatre’s most renowned composer, Company is largely regarded as a trailblazer of the dark-comedy, modern-musical genre and the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Lyrics and Best Book.

On the night of his 35th birthday, confirmed bachelor, Robert, contemplates his unmarried state. Over the course of a series of dinners, drinks and even a wedding, his friends – “those good and crazy people [his] married friends” – explain the pros and cons of taking on a spouse. The habitually single Robert is forced to question his adamant retention of bachelorhood during a hilarious array of interactions. (Source mtishows.com)

On A Winter’s Night with Christine Lavin, John Gorka, Patty Larkin, Cheryl Wheeler and Cliff Eberhardt
2019-11-16 20:00 - 23:00 | Pollak Theatre
Presenting the 25th Anniversary concerts of On A Winter’s Night from veteran singer-songwriters Christine Lavin, John Gorka, Patty Larkin, Cheryl Wheeler and Cliff Eberhardt. These are among the brightest stars of the singer/songwriter movement for the past three decades.
In 1994 Christine Lavin gathered them together, along with folk and Americana artists to showcase music of the Winter Season on the now classic On A Winter’s Night CD, followed by several years of touring collaborations. These artists have released dozens of recordings and toured steadily through the decades, with fond memories of their touring days together. Now in 2019-2020, the winter season is again celebrated by these unique and popular performers, back together by popular demand.

Taije Silverman
2019-11-18 16:30 - 18:30 | The Great Hall Auditorium
Taije Silverman is the author of Houses Are Fields, a book of poems published in 2009 by Louisiana University Press. Her Selected Poems of Giovanni Pascoli (translated from the Italian with Marina Della Putta Johnston) will be published by Princeton University Press in fall 2019. Recent poems and translations have been in The Best American Poetry 2017 and The Best American Poetry 2016, Harvard Review, The Nation, Agni, The Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. Her poems are forthcoming in The Gettysburg Review, Five Points, and The Georgia Review. She is the recipient of a 2017 Pushcart Prize, the 2016 Anne Halley Prize for best poem in The Massachusetts Review, a 2011 Fulbright Award, the 2010-11 W.K. Rose Fellowship from Vassar College, and residencies from the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Houses Are Fields appeared in Italian translation in 2013 (Le Case Sono Campi, trans. Giorgia Pordenoni, Oedipus Edizioni). Silverman previously taught at the University of Bologna, where she was a Fulbright Scholar, and at Emory University, where she was the Creative Writing Fellow.

The Prado Museum: A Collection of Wonders
2019-11-18 19:30 - 21:00 | Pollak Theatre
THE PRADO MUSEUM: A COLLECTION OF WONDERS celebrates the 200th anniversary of the storied Prado Museum — one of the most-visited museums in the world. Hosted by Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons, this cinematic journey offers viewers a spell-binding experience, telling the story of Spain and beyond, through the works of Vélazquez, Rubens, Titian, Mantegna, Bosch, Goya, El Greco,and more.
Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes

Superintendents' Academy: Session 2
2019-11-19 08:30 - 10:30
The School of Education at Monmouth University is pleased to announce the eleventh year of their Superintendents’ Academy for superintendents and central office administrators.

TechLaunch BullPen #15
2019-11-19 16:30 - 20:30 | Pozycki Hall Auditorium
TechLaunch is a virtual business accelerator for tech startups. BullPen #15 is being hosted at Monmouth University
The series of “BullPen” pitch events (similar in concept to “Shark Tank”) is where a select handful of 4 tech startup companies pitch their business plans to a panel of investors and mixed audience.
Winner gets $15,000 of business services from our sponsors and the opportunity to present at Jumpstart NJ Angel Network.
Each presenting team is screened, mentored and prepared to make a 10 minute Investor type presentation to a panel of 4 Investors and successful Entrepreneurs.
The audience is encouraged to participate in the 7 minute Q & A session. Afterwards, the Investor panel will have 7 minutes to provide constructive feedback.
BullPen is aimed at serious early stage tech startup companies with high growth potential, an experienced team, a demonstrated Minimum Viable Product (MVP), and at least one potential customer who is prepared to pay for your product.
BullPen #15 Distinguished Judges Are:

Allen Fogel, Angel Investor…Member Golden Seeds & Robin Hood Ventures
Jeff Weinstein, Angel Investor and Managing Director at SpringSeed Ventures
Kimberly Weisul, Inc Magazine, Editor-at-Large
Mark Kolb, Investor…Entrepreneur in Residence at Tech Council Ventures

Agenda:

4:30 – 5:00 p.m. – Registration/Pizza/Networking
5:00 – 5:15 p.m. – Introductions
5:15 – 7:00 p.m. – BullPen Program (4 Investor Pitches)
7:00 – 7:15 p.m. – Winners announced
7:15 – TBD – Networking with Entrepreneurs and Investors

This event is free but registration is required.
Please use the available link to register online.
Register for TechLaunch BullPen #15

George Eliot, Judaism, and Mary Anne Evans, Bicentennial
2019-11-19 19:30 - 22:30 | The Great Hall Auditorium
In this lecture, eminent Eliot scholar and internationally renowned literary critic William Baker takes audiences on a multimedia celebration of Jewish author George Eliot’s life and times. Of special note will be the 200th anniversary of her epic novel Middlemarch.
About the speaker:
William Baker is Emeritus Professor of English and University Libraries at Northern Illinois University. He has authored more than 30 books, including numerous studies of George Eliot and nineteenth-century British literature.

Andrei Codrescu: My Body Is Home in America but My Mind Is Free to Be Everywhere: How I Make the World More Interesting
2019-11-20 18:00 - 20:00 | The Great Hall – Versailles and Pompeii rooms

A Midsummer Night's Dream
2019-11-21 19:30 - 22:30 | Pollak Theatre
By William Shakespeare
‘The course of true love never did run smooth’
A feuding fairy King and Queen of the forest cross paths with four runaway lovers and a troupe of actors trying to rehearse a play. As their dispute grows, the magical royal couple meddle with mortal lives leading to love triangles, mistaken identities and transformations…with hilarious, but dark consequences.
Shakespeare’s most famous romantic comedy will be captured live from the Bridge Theatre in London. Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Oliver Chris (Green Wing, NT Live: Young Marx), David Moorst (NT Live: Allelujah!) and Hammed Animashaun (The Barber Shop Chronicles) lead the cast as Titania, Oberon, Puck and Bottom.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will build on the success of his immersive staging of Julius Caesar (NT Live 2018). The Bridge Theatre will become a forest – a dream world of flying fairies, contagious fogs and moonlight revels, surrounded by a roving audience following the action on foot.

42nd Street – The Musical
2019-11-22 19:30 - 21:30 | Pollak Theatre
One of Broadway’s most classic and beloved tales, 42nd Street, comes cinema screens in the largest-ever production of the breathtaking musical. The musical, set in 1933, tells the story of Peggy Sawyer, a talented young performer with stars in her eyes who gets her big break on Broadway.
Peggy arrives to New York City from her hometown of Allentown, Pennsylvania and her talent catches the eye of legendary Broadway director Julian Marsh. She gets a spot in the chorus of the musical-within-the-musical, Pretty Lady. Dorothy Brock, the classic Broadway diva and star of the show, takes a dislike to the new girl. When Dorothy is injured, Pretty Lady looks like it will have to close, unless a new girl talented enough to lead the show can be found — someone like Peggy Sawyer!)
Filmed in 2018 at London’s Theatre Royal the production is directed by the original author of the show, Mark Bramble. This eye-watering extravaganza is full of crowd-pleasing tap dances, popular musical theatre standards (“Lullaby of Broadway”, “We’re in the Money (the gold digger’s song), “42nd Street” and more), and show-stopping ensemble production numbers.

Akhnaten
2019-11-23 13:00 - 17:00 | Pollak Theatre
Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo headlines American composer Philip Glass’s transcendent contemporary creation, with Karen Kamensek conducting. Phelim McDermott’s stunning production employs a virtuosic company of acrobats and jugglers to conjure a mystical reimagining of ancient Egypt.
Runtime: 3 hours 56 minutes

Le Corsaire
2019-11-24 13:00 - 16:30 | Pollak Theatre
Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky
On the bazaar square of Andrinopolis, the Pacha is struck by the beauty of Medora and tries to buy her, but the lovely young woman is not for sale. As the transaction is about to be completed, Medora is kidnaped by Conrad, a charming corsair (pirate) who catches her eye. Bolshoi Prima Ballerina, the “mesmerizing” Ekaterina Krysanova and Leading Soloist Igor Tsvirko ignite Medora and Conrad’s passion with undeniable intensity. (The Guardian) Le Corsaire remains a breath-taking production reworked by Alexei Ratmansky, who has created enough dancing for nearly the entire troupe, along with luxurious cinematic sets and a shipwreck, bringing the magnificence of the Bolshoi to life.
Runtime: 3 hours 30 minutes
