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  • Journeys of Interdependence: Portraits of First-Generation Identity in Higher Education

    The lives and experiences of students, families, faculty and professional staff who identify as first-generation are the subject of increased attention in higher education across the United States. The success of programs, initiatives, and interventions mostly focus on measurable student “outcomes” but may often miss the complicated narratives of aspiration, sacrifice, accomplishment and identity work first-generation students, families, faculty, staff and communities navigate.  Portraiture can make visible the triumphs and challenges of being first in the family in higher educational spaces. This juried exhibition features works that highlight the  first-generation college experience through portraiture  made in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking and textiles.

    Artist Reception: Rescheduled to Friday, March 1 from 5-7 pm. RSVP to the reception here

  • Vanya

    adapted by Simon Stephens, after Anton Chekhov
    directed by Sam Yates
    designed by Rosanna Vize

    Andrew Scott (Fleabag) brings multiple characters to life in Simon Stephens’ (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) radical new version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.

    Hopes, dreams, and regrets are thrust into sharp focus in this one-man adaptation which explores the complexities of human emotions.

    Filmed live during its sold-out run in London’s West End, Vanya will be playing exclusively in cinemas in 2024.

     

  • Romeo and Juliet

    Romeo and Juliet risk everything to be together. In defiance of their feuding families, they chase a future of joy and passion as violence erupts around them.

    This bold new film brings to life the remarkable backstage spaces of the National Theatre in which desire, dreams and destiny collide to make Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy sing in an entirely new way. Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose, Judy) and Josh O’Connor (The Crown, God’s Own Country) play Juliet and Romeo. The award-winning cast includes Tamsin Greig, Fisayo Akinade, Adrian Lester, Lucian Msamati, Deborah Findlay.

  • The Doo Wop Project’s Christmas Show

    The Doo Wop Project boys will get you into the Holiday Spirit! Hear old school Holiday Classics like The Drifters’ White Christmas, The Temptations’ Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town along with “Doowopified” contemporary hits like This Christmas and Last Christmas. It’s sure to be a jolly good time.

    The Doo Wop Project, the dynamic, rave-reviewed celebration of a beloved music genre stars the 5 engaging, charismatic and dashing Broadway stars from smash hits like JERSEY BOYS, A BRONX TALE, BEAUTIFUL, and MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL with their all-star band.

  • Mary Gauthier w/ special guest Jaimee Harris

    About Mary Gauthier
    As she has so eloquently accomplished over the past 25 years, acclaimed singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier has used her art once again to traverse the uncharted waters of the past few years. “I’m the kind of songwriter who writes what I see in the world right now,” she affirms. Thankfully, amid dark storms of pandemic loss, she found and followed the beacon of new love: Her gift to us, the powerful Dark Enough to See the Stars, collects ten sparkling jewels of Gauthier songcraft reflecting both love and loss.

    Her eleventh album, Dark Enough to See the Stars, follows the profound antidote to trauma, Rifles & Rosary Beads, her 2018 collaborative work with wounded Iraq war veterans. It garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album, as well as a nomination for Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Publication of her first book, the illuminating Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting, in 2021, brought her more praise. Brandi Carlile has said, “Mary’s songwriting speaks to the tender aspects of our humanness. We need her voice in times like these more than we ever have.” The Associated Press called Gauthier “one of the best songwriters of her generation.”

    Gauthier’s early work, which began at 35, reflected her newfound sobriety, delving into events from a troubled life, which persisted after she became a renowned chef in Boston. Dark Enough to See the Stars returns Gauthier to the scintillating confessional mode on such albums as her breakthrough release, 2005’s Mercy Now, as well as such ear worms as the hook-laden “Drag Queens in Limousines.” In addition to crafting instantly memorable songs, Gauthier has never shied away from difficult self-exploration, as with 2010’s The Foundling, on which she explored the repercussions of her adoption from a New Orleans orphanage and subsequent search for her birth mother.

    Gauthier’s partner, Jaimee Harris, who sings harmony throughout the album, co-wrote the paean to one of Gauthier’s favorite cities. “I have a long history with Amsterdam,” Gauthier recounts. “My first record deal was on a Dutch label, and I tour there regularly, and much of Mercy Now was written at my favorite hotel there.” A canceled flight to Denmark landed Gauthier and Harris in Amsterdam for an unexpected three days during the pandemic. “To return to that hotel and be able to share that with the person I love and show her the city…,” Gauthier pauses. “It’s complicated – because all around the edges was the pandemic. But you’ve got to express your joy – a joy that’s not free from pain. There’s grief all around us, but there’s this ability to still love and still be aware that the sky is beautiful and the hand that I’m holding is filled with love…”

  • An Evening with Glen Phillips & Shawn Mullins

    Prepare to be swept away by an extraordinary evening of acoustic brilliance featuring two musical legends – Glen Phillips and Shawn Mullins. These artists, each with their unique journey and captivating melodies, are coming together to create a musical experience that will resonate deep within your soul.

    Glen Phillips
    As lead singer and main songwriter of Toad the Wet Sprocket and a prolific solo artist, Glenn Phillips has left an indelible mark on the world of folk/pop music. His honest, introspective lyrics and soul-stirring melodies have forged a deep connection with fans over the years. After a hiatus with Toad, he ventured into a solo career and a multitude of collaborations with fellow artists, showcasing his musical diversity and depth. With his latest album, “THERE IS SO MUCH HERE,” Glenn delves into the joys and sorrows of everyday life, beautifully accompanied by talented musicians, including Dave Depper (Death Cab For Cutie), Ji Tanzer (Blue Cranes), and John Morgan Askew.

    Shawn Mullins
    Shawn Mullins’ musical odyssey has been nothing short of spectacular. From his humble beginnings in the Atlanta music scene to critical acclaim and Grammy nominations, Mullins has truly made a mark. His No. 1 hit “Lullaby” from the 1998 album “Soul’s Core” is a timeless classic, followed by “Beautiful Wreck” from “9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor.” His songs have been the soundtrack of our lives, featured in the 2000 Summer Olympics and iconic shows like Dawson’s Creek and Scrubs. Shawn Mullins’ versatility also extends to his co-writing of the Zac Brown Band’s chart-topper “Toes.” Today, he’s revisiting his roots with “Soul’s Core Revival,” breathing new life into his music for the 20th anniversary.

  • I will dance with those oak trees as long as

    Performance and Q&A: Tuesday, January 23 | 4:30pm-6pm | Woods Theatre
    Theater of Cultural Resistance Workshop: Wednesday, January 24, 11:40am-1pm | Pollak Theatre
    Registration is encouraged.

    I need a street
    Empty of bloodstains,
    A street that has never seen
    Or known terror.
    Let it be flawless, let it be flawless, flawless
    Like the sex of these girls that are killed unjustly
    Let it be long, let it be long, long,
    Like their agony.
    Kajal Ahmad

    In March of 1988 in Halabja, Iraq, Saddam Hussein’s regime attacked Kurdish peoples through the use of chemical weapons, as part of the Anfal ethnic cleansing campaign. Set in a carpet store at this time, I will dance with those oak trees as long as takes us on a poetic voyage into the life of three Kurdish women, inspired by the poetry of Kajal Ahmad and the characters Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Ninsun from the world’s most ancient epic poem: Gilgamesh. Carpets, chairs, and strings create the environment in which two actresses interpret the three different women and how they react to a violent and unstable outside world.  Accompanied by soundscapes inspired by traditional Kurdish music, this international duo uses objects, puppets, and a multilayered world of reality, dreams, memories, and visions to explore the question of what it means to be a hero when you have no other choice. 

    Performed by: Audrey Rose Dégez, Daria Holovchanska
    Producer, Playwright, & Director: Audrey Rose Dégez
    Puppet Master, Lighting & Sound Designer, Movement & Object Director: Daria Holovchanska
    Stage Manager: Berivan Alothman
    Produced by:CP4P International Productions

    DARIA HOLOVCHANSKA
    Daria was studying at the Kharkiv National University of Art (Ukraine) until the war began on February 24th, 2022, when she transferred to Aleksandr Zelverovich Theater Academy in Warsaw (Poland) to finish her Master Degree in Puppetry. Daria previously worked at Kharkiv National Academic Puppet Theater, performed in “Fairy tale for a little rabbit” (rabbit Sister, Hedgehog), “Princes spec” (Queen Isabelle), “Magical ring” (Angel), and ”Mother Courage and her Children” (Katrin), directed by Oksana Dmitrieva. Daria is one of the founders and actresses of TERRA Theater Company (performances “Peace to your home”, “Our City”, “Night Call”). She also took part in Slovo.Theater group, where she was a co-director, actress, lighting designer and mask maker of the performance “Mothermotherland”. Recently she performed in one of the biggest puppet festivals in the world in Charleville-Mézières 2023. She is interested in movement theater, objects, materials, puppets, stop-motion animation and masks.

    AUDREY ROSE DÉGEZ
    Audrey Rose Dégez is a producer, director, playwright (Our Common Thread (2015), Empathize Me (2016), 7×7 (2017), Mothermotherland (2022)), actress, mother, and wife from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA) and based in Paris (France). She received a BA in English Literature from Rutgers University and a professional acting diploma from l’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. During her undergraduate studies, she founded the post apocalyptic punk group The Wichts, as well as ran the sober basement show house The Blueberry Shire, which was featured in the short documentary, Safe Space. Scheduled to write a play at Residency Slovo in Kharkiv, Ukraine in September/October of 2022 as the first international resident in Slovo Building, she made the decision to found Slovo. Theater Group after the invasion of February 24th. For the last 10 years, shen has been developing CP4P International Productions through poetry and theatre workshops around the world. She has lived in Berlin and Paris, where she has created theatrical performances in English with children and volunteered with Syrian and Ukrainian refugee communities abroad. In her spare time, she is passionate about making incredible vegan cookies with her daughter, Lili Maritchka and her husband, Louis.

    For more information or to find ways to support this project follow: https://colabarts.breezechms.com/form/2023cp4p

    Co-sponsored by the Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies (PGIS): Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies | Monmouth University

    For more information about the event or to rsvp to the performance workshop contact Prof. Stojanov and Dr. Shoemaker astojano@monmouth.edu or dshoemak@monmouth.edu.

  • I will dance with those oak trees as long as

    Performance and Q&A: Tuesday, January 23 | 4:30pm-6pm | Woods Theatre
    Theater of Cultural Resistance Workshop: Wednesday, January 24, 11:40am-1pm | Pollak Theatre
    Registration is encouraged.

    I need a street
    Empty of bloodstains,
    A street that has never seen
    Or known terror.
    Let it be flawless, let it be flawless, flawless
    Like the sex of these girls that are killed unjustly
    Let it be long, let it be long, long,
    Like their agony.
    Kajal Ahmad

    In March of 1988 in Halabja, Iraq, Saddam Hussein’s regime attacked Kurdish peoples through the use of chemical weapons, as part of the Anfal ethnic cleansing campaign. Set in a carpet store at this time, I will dance with those oak trees as long as takes us on a poetic voyage into the life of three Kurdish women, inspired by the poetry of Kajal Ahmad and the characters Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Ninsun from the world’s most ancient epic poem: Gilgamesh. Carpets, chairs, and strings create the environment in which two actresses interpret the three different women and how they react to a violent and unstable outside world.  Accompanied by soundscapes inspired by traditional Kurdish music, this international duo uses objects, puppets, and a multilayered world of reality, dreams, memories, and visions to explore the question of what it means to be a hero when you have no other choice. 

    Performed by: Audrey Rose Dégez, Daria Holovchanska
    Producer, Playwright, & Director: Audrey Rose Dégez
    Puppet Master, Lighting & Sound Designer, Movement & Object Director: Daria Holovchanska
    Stage Manager: Berivan Alothman
    Produced by:CP4P International Productions

    DARIA HOLOVCHANSKA
    Daria was studying at the Kharkiv National University of Art (Ukraine) until the war began on February 24th, 2022, when she transferred to Aleksandr Zelverovich Theater Academy in Warsaw (Poland) to finish her Master Degree in Puppetry. Daria previously worked at Kharkiv National Academic Puppet Theater, performed in “Fairy tale for a little rabbit” (rabbit Sister, Hedgehog), “Princes spec” (Queen Isabelle), “Magical ring” (Angel), and ”Mother Courage and her Children” (Katrin), directed by Oksana Dmitrieva. Daria is one of the founders and actresses of TERRA Theater Company (performances “Peace to your home”, “Our City”, “Night Call”). She also took part in Slovo.Theater group, where she was a co-director, actress, lighting designer and mask maker of the performance “Mothermotherland”. Recently she performed in one of the biggest puppet festivals in the world in Charleville-Mézières 2023. She is interested in movement theater, objects, materials, puppets, stop-motion animation and masks.

    AUDREY ROSE DÉGEZ
    Audrey Rose Dégez is a producer, director, playwright (Our Common Thread (2015), Empathize Me (2016), 7×7 (2017), Mothermotherland (2022)), actress, mother, and wife from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA) and based in Paris (France). She received a BA in English Literature from Rutgers University and a professional acting diploma from l’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. During her undergraduate studies, she founded the post apocalyptic punk group The Wichts, as well as ran the sober basement show house The Blueberry Shire, which was featured in the short documentary, Safe Space. Scheduled to write a play at Residency Slovo in Kharkiv, Ukraine in September/October of 2022 as the first international resident in Slovo Building, she made the decision to found Slovo. Theater Group after the invasion of February 24th. For the last 10 years, shen has been developing CP4P International Productions through poetry and theatre workshops around the world. She has lived in Berlin and Paris, where she has created theatrical performances in English with children and volunteered with Syrian and Ukrainian refugee communities abroad. In her spare time, she is passionate about making incredible vegan cookies with her daughter, Lili Maritchka and her husband, Louis.

    For more information or to find ways to support this project follow: https://colabarts.breezechms.com/form/2023cp4p

    Co-sponsored by the Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies (PGIS): Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies | Monmouth University

    For more information about the event or to rsvp to the performance workshop contact Prof. Stojanov and Dr. Shoemaker astojano@monmouth.edu or dshoemak@monmouth.edu.

  • Inviting Motion (Sabbatical project Wobbe F. Koning)

    Inviting Motion
    Be invited by motion. What will you give up by giving in?

    Inviting Motion is an interactive Virtual Reality (VR) experience with themes of enticing, luring, attention grabbing, and having to give something up when we give into attractions.

    Talk: 11:45am-12:30pm | The Great Hall Auditorium
    Demo: Experience Inviting Motion – 12:35pm-1:30pm & 2:50pm-4:30pm | Demo: IDM Lab (Plangere 135)

    The Experience

    After going through a simple onboarding process to calibrate and tweak the experience, you, the user, are initially tasked with finding a human form in the noise of particles that surround you. After your attention is grabbed, you will be invited, and then teased a little. You can enjoy exploring the interactions, but what are you giving away? Are you being scrutinized?

    The experience generally last about 5 to 10 minutes

    About the Project

    As part of his Sabbatical from Monmouth University, Wobbe F. Koning returned to his alma mater The Ohio State University and worked with the community at the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) to produce this VR experience. Motion Capture was used to create the attention grabbing and inviting motions, which are sparsely represented (using a limited amount of points) but are still instantly recognizable as human.

    The project was a collaboration, and took shape as a result of the interactions with the ACCAD community.

    Bios:
    Wobbe F. Koning     is an award winning animator and digital artist often combining 3D Computer Animation and video with audio to create mostly linear single channel works. Next to creating 3D printed stop motion animations, he has been exploring Virtual Reality (VR) as a medium, experimenting with different approaches while relying on his experience as filmmaker. Though not in his nature, he has been letting go of the total control the creator has over linear storytelling, and in stead embraced the interactive nature of VR.

    Earlier work includes on-stage videos for dance performances, and multi screen installations. At Monmouth University he teaches animation in the Department of Art & Design.

    Raven Serenity Glover received their bachelors degree in Simulation, Animation, and Gaming at Eastern Michigan University. There, they gained skills in 3D animation and character modeling. In their undergraduate research symposium project, Dynamic Storytelling with Animation, Raven Serenity explored the potential advantages animation has over traditional filmmaking in telling dynamic narratives. As part of the MFA program in Digital Animation and Interactive Media at The Ohio State University, Raven Serenity hopes to further expand the utilization of animation to promote self-awareness and self-expression.

  • Titanic: The Musical

    In the final hours of April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic, on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, collided with an iceberg and ‘the unsinkable ship’ slowly sank.  It was one of the most tragic disasters of the 20th Century.  Fifteen hundred seventeen men, women, and children lost their lives.

    Based on real people aboard the most legendary ship in the world, Titanic: The Musical is ‘breathtaking’ (the Guardian) and ‘magnificent’ (the Telegraph), a stunning and stirring production focusing on the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of her passengers who each boarded with stories and personal ambitions of their own.  All innocently unaware of the fate awaiting them, the Third-Class immigrants dream of a better life in America, the Second Class imagine they too can join the lifestyles of the rich and famous, whilst the millionaire Barons of the First Class anticipate legacies lasting forever.

    With music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Peter Stone — the pair have collectively won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, an Olivier Award and three Tony Awards.  The original Broadway production of Titanic: The Musical won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book.  This stunning production, captured live on stage for cinema screenings, celebrates the 10th anniversary of its London premiere, where it won sweeping critical acclaim.

    Runtime: 145 minutes including one 10-minute intermission
    Rating: Not rated, Treat as PG