Center for the Arts

Gallery Exhibitions

Transition: Vietnam – Photography by Mark Ludak and Andrew Cohen

Vietnam is a country in transition. Intrigued by the rapid transformation of Vietnam, one of the fastest growing economies of the world Monmouth University professors, Mark Ludak and Andrew Cohen have returned multiple times to photograph this region. A dynamic, youthful country, especially seen in mega-cities like Ho Chi Minh City (Sai Gon), it is a country where the traditional and contemporary are reconstituted into distinctively Vietnamese manifestations.

Gallery Exhibitions

NATURE AND NURTURE – Mother/Daughter Artists: The Paintings of Cheryl Griesbach and Claudia Griesbach-Martucci

In 2000, Cheryl Griesbach began creating a body of paintings based on her interests in European 18th and 19th century still-life, botanical and landscape art. Her method includes the
manipulation of segments of Northern European paintings and incorporating that imagery in building a new landscape, like a stage. Following
in her parent’s footsteps Claudia Griesbach also attended the School of Visual Arts and with her background in illustration and oil painting, a
skill she learned from her mother, each of her paintings tells a story. In her most recent work she explores the notion “that behind every exquisite thing that exists there is something tragic,” a quote from Oscar Wilde’s Portrait of Dorian Gray.

Gallery Exhibitions

Sheba Sharrow

As one of its series of events around the theme of “Activism,” Monmouth University hosts an exhibition of paintings by the 20th-century artist who chronicled outrage and compassion for the struggles against injustice. Figurative painter Sheba Sharrow bore witness to human suffering, struggle and liberation. She was a child of the Great Depression and World War II, a participant in the social justice movements of the 1960s and ’70s, saw the bloody roads walked for civil rights and the damages wrought by wars.

The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD

The Exterminating Angel

The Exterminating Angel has its Met premiere this season, conducted by the composer, Thomas Adès. The 2016 opera, co-commissioned by the Met and sung in English, is based on the screenplay by Luis Buñuel and Luis Alcoriza for the acclaimed 1962 Buñuel film. Directed by the librettist Tom Cairns, the ensemble cast features Audrey Luna as Leticia Maynar; Amanda Echalaz as Lucia de Nobile; Sally Matthews as Silvia de Ávila and Sophie Bevan as Beatriz, both in Met debuts; Alice Coote as Leonora Palma; Christine Rice as Blanca Delgado; Iestyn Davies as Francisco de Ávila; Joseph Kaiser as Edundo de Nobile; Frédéric Antoun in his Met debut as Raúl Yebenes; David Portillo as Edmundo; David Adam Moore in his Met debut as Col. Álvaro Gómez; Rod Gilfry as Alberto Roc; Kevin Burdette as Señor Russell; Christian Van Horn as Julio; and John Tomlinson as Dr Carlos Conde. The Exterminating Angel is a co-commission and co-production with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Royal Danish Theatre; and Salzburg Festival, where the production premiered in 2016.

Grammy Museum Affiliation

Tuesday Night Record Club

TUESDAY NIGHT RECORD CLUB: Miles Davis, Kind of Blue

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 Miles Davis Kind of Blue and the special guests will include: Ashley Kahn, American music historian, journalist, producer, and author of KIND OF BLUE, the making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece; and Jay Sweet, Musician and Adjunct Professor, Monmouth University’s Department of Music and Theatre.

Performing Arts Series

Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea

Please note this event event is sold out. Call 732.263.6889 to be added to the waitlist if more tickets become available. There’s no better way to celebrate the holiday season than to spend a special evening with the Orchestra of Saint Peter by the Sea in a program of holiday classics and carols under the direction of Reverend Alphonse Stephenson. Distinguished vocalists perform beautiful arias and treasured classics in between humorous and personal anecdotes imparted by Reverend Alphonse Stephenson, the consummate entertainer. Be sure to get your tickets early for this annual sell out!

The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD

The Exterminating Angel (Encore)

The Exterminating Angel has its Met premiere this season, conducted by the composer, Thomas Adès. The 2016 opera, co-commissioned by the Met and sung in English, is based on the screenplay by Luis Buñuel and Luis Alcoriza for the acclaimed 1962 Buñuel film. Directed by the librettist Tom Cairns, the ensemble cast features Audrey Luna as Leticia Maynar; Amanda Echalaz as Lucia de Nobile; Sally Matthews as Silvia de Ávila and Sophie Bevan as Beatriz, both in Met debuts; Alice Coote as Leonora Palma; Christine Rice as Blanca Delgado; Iestyn Davies as Francisco de Ávila; Joseph Kaiser as Edundo de Nobile; Frédéric Antoun in his Met debut as Raúl Yebenes; David Portillo as Edmundo; David Adam Moore in his Met debut as Col. Álvaro Gómez; Rod Gilfry as Alberto Roc; Kevin Burdette as Señor Russell; Christian Van Horn as Julio; and John Tomlinson as Dr Carlos Conde. The Exterminating Angel is a co-commission and co-production with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Royal Danish Theatre; and Salzburg Festival, where the production premiered in 2016.

Department of Music & Theatre Arts Productions

Winter Dance Showcase

Join us for an evening of Dance performed by the dance program students, the University Dance Team, and candidates for the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. Students will perform original works by faculty members and distinguished students.

Live Theatre Broadcasts in HD

National Theatre: Broadcast in HD

Follies

Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical is staged for the first time at the National Theatre and broadcast live to cinemas.
New York, 1971. There’s a party on the stage of the Weismann Theatre. Tomorrow the iconic building will be demolished. Thirty years after their final performance, the Follies girls gather to have a few drinks, sing a few songs and lie about themselves.
Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee and Imelda Staunton play the magnificent Follies in this dazzling new production. Featuring a cast of 37 and an orchestra of 21, it’s directed by Dominic Cooke (The Comedy of Errors).
Winner of Academy, Tony, Grammy and Olivier awards, Sondheim’s previous work includes A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George.

Department of Music & Theatre Arts Productions

A MUSICAL WINTER WONDERLAND

This event is SOLD OUT. However a limited amount of standing room only tickets will be available at the door for $10 (Cash Only). A cavalcade of holiday favorites featuring the Monmouth University Chamber Orchestra, The Jazz Hawks, The Concert Choir, the Chamber Choir, soloists, and a special appearance by the Colts Neck Reformed Church Exultation Ringers, all in the magisterial setting of Wilson Hall.

Performing Arts Series

The Lords of 52nd Street – LEGENDS OF THE BILLY JOEL BAND with Special Guest Matt McAndrew

The Lords of 52nd Street are Billy Joel’s original band with Liberty DeVitto on drums, Russell Javors on rhythmic guitar, and Richie Cannata
on saxophone and keyboards. The band
recorded and toured with Joel for over a decade performing alongside the Piano Man at famous arenas including Wembley Stadium, Sydney Opera House and Madison Square Garden. The show will open with a performance by Matt McAndrew, singer songwriter, from season seven
of The Voice. Proceeds from this concert will benefit the newly formed, SRF Suicide Prevention Research and Training Project at Monmouth University’s School of Social Work.

The Bolshoi Ballet

The Taming of The Shrew

Baptista struggles to marry off his tempestuous daughter Katharina, a shrew who denies that any man could possibly be her match. However when she meets Petruchio, who is as ill-tempered as she, the two forces of nature ignite an unexpected and explosive encounter.

Acclaimed choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot brings out the wit, fast- paced athleticism and vibrancy from the Bolshoi Ballet dancers in Shakespeare’s rowdy comedy. Principals Ekaterina Krysanova and Vladislav Lantratov clash, challenge and eventually give themselves to one another in a wonderfully entertaining production that can only be seen at the Bolshoi!

Gallery Exhibitions

Rare Wildlife Revealed: The James Fiorentino Traveling Art Exhibition

The youngest artist ever inducted into the prestigious New York Society of Illustrators, Fiorentino uses his trademark detail and realism in watercolor to paint New Jersey’s most
endangered and vulnerable wildlife species. His evocative artwork inspires viewers through his life-like depictions of rare wildlife in their
natural surroundings. His paintings truly bring wildlife to life on paper, and in doing so, his art helps to educate and engage viewers about the
precipitous declines that many of these species have undergone. This exhibition
is presented in partnership with
Conserve Wildlife Foundation.

Gallery Exhibitions

Oceanids by Joseph Coscia Jr.

Oceanids are some 3000 nymphs in Greek mythology who watch over fresh water: rain, clouds, lakes, springs and rivers, as well as pastures, breezes and flowers. They are the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. Coscia, the Chief Photographer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has spent countless hours with classical sculptures, photographing them in various settings and seasons. He focuses on the qualities of light on sculpture in changing conditions, and the shifting effects of natural light on stone surfaces. His photographs of museum pieces explore elements of the art outside the context of the museum setting.

His recent work draws on Man Ray’s solarization techniques. This effect reverses the shadow areas and transforms the sense of weight and volume of the objects, so that they appear suspended in air or water. The forms are evocative of earthly creatures or fossils; photographing and printing them using recreated old photographic techniques removes time specificity, so that they also are suspended in time.

Gallery Exhibitions

Maunderings by Tonya D. Lee

In this exhibition, artist and Monmouth University Art and Design faculty member, Tonya D. Lee presents a collection of multi-discipline work that explores the abstraction of nature and environment through the combination shapes, patterns, moments and pauses that are derived from passive spaces, fleeting thoughts and changing winds. Location and process are in a conversation about ephemeral moments of beauty. Using a multi-disciplinary process of combining painting, drawing, collage, construction, and digital media, the obsessions with materiality explore form and color as an echo of the present overlapping past presents — form and color negotiating to exist as object and subject.

Artful Explorations of Activism

World Cinema Series

World Cinema Series: Even the Rain

Spanish director Sebastián, his executive producer Costa and all his crew are in Bolivia, in the Cochabamba area, to shoot a motion picture about Christopher Columbus, his first explorations and the way the Spaniards treated the Indians at the time. Costa has chosen this place because the budget of the film is tight and here he can hire supernumeraries, local actors and extras on the cheap. Things go more or less smoothly until a conflict erupts over the privatization of the water supply. The trouble is that one of the local actors is a leading activist in the protest movement.

Not Rated (103 minutes)

The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD

Tosca

Sir David McVicar’s ravishing new production offers a splendid backdrop for two extraordinary sopranos sharing the title role of the jealous prima donna: Sonya Yoncheva (pictured above) and Anna Netrebko. Vittorio Grigolo and Marcelo Álvarez alternate in the role of Tosca’s revolutionary artist lover Cavaradossi, with Željko Lučić and Michael Volle as the depraved police chief Scarpia. Emmanuel Villaume and Bertrand de Billy share conducting duties.

The Bolshoi Ballet

Romeo and Juliet

In Verona, Romeo and Juliet fall madly in love while their respective families, the Montagues and the Capulets, are caught in a bitter rivalry ending in heart-wrenching tragedy…

Alexei Ratmansky, former artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, stages the company’s premiere of his production with dramatic urgency and a fresh re- telling of Shakespeare’s beloved classic. His brilliant and detailed adaptation set to Prokofiev’s romantic and cinematic score, reignites the story of literature’s most celebrated star-crossed lovers like no other classical ballet choreographer today.

Live Theatre Broadcasts in HD

National Theatre: Broadcast in HD

Young Marx

Rory Kinnear (The Threepenny Opera, Penny Dreadful, Othello) is Marx and Oliver Chris (Twelfth Night, Green Wing) is Engels, in this new comedy written by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman. Broadcast live from The Bridge Theatre, London, the production is directed by Nicholas Hytner and reunites the creative team behind Broadway and West End hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors.
1850, and Europe’s most feared terrorist is hiding in Dean Street, Soho. Broke, restless and horny, the thirty-two-year-old revolutionary is a frothing combination of intellectual brilliance, invective, satiric wit, and child-like emotional illiteracy.
Creditors, spies, rival revolutionary factions and prospective seducers of his beautiful wife all circle like vultures. His writing blocked, his marriage dying, his friend Engels in despair at his wasted genius, his only hope is a job on the railway. But there’s still no one in the capital who can show you a better night on the piss than Karl Heinrich Marx.

Performing Arts Series

CSNsongs – Celebrating the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Returning to Monmouth by popular renowned for an encore engagement, CSNsongs is an ensemble of accomplished musicians who pay homage to the folk/rock legends that revolutionized music in the 1960’s and 70’s. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s compositions are perfectly and respectfully reproduced as they were originally written and recorded. Relive these historical musical moments with CSN Songs impeccable recreations of Suite Judy Blue Eyes, Ohio, Love the One Your With, Just a Song Before I Go, Southern Man and many other CSN&Y treasures.