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Staging Ground: An American Theater and Its Ghosts
Interweaving past and present, private anecdote and public record, Ann Arbor author Leslie Stainton's new book Staging Ground: An American Theater and Its Ghosts captures the history of one of America’s oldest and most ghosted theaters—the Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania—and recounts the story of a nation’s tumultuous struggle to invent itself.
Built in 1852 and in use ever since, the Fulton Theatre is uniquely ghosted. Its foundations were once the walls of a colonial jail that in 1763 witnessed the massacre of the last surviving Conestoga Indians. Those same walls later served to incarcerate fugitive slaves.
Staging Ground explores these tragic events and their enduring resonance in a building that later became a town hall, theater, and movie house--the site of minstrel shows, productions of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," oratory by the likes of Thaddeus Stevens and Mark Twain, performances by Buffalo Bill and his troupe of "Wild Indians," Hollywood Westerns, and twenty-first-century musicals. Stainton unfolds the story of this emblematic space, where for more than 250 years Americans scripted and re-scripted their history.
This event features a short reading from the book by Stainton followed by a conversation with Jim Leija (UMS), Martin Walsh (actor and U-M instructor) and Leigh Woods (actor and U-M theater professor).
This event was co-sponsored by the U-M Institute for the Humanities, and the Ann Arbor Book Festival, and the U-M Library in collaboration with UMS and AADL
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I Remember When: Playbill Part 2
In this episode, Gerald H. Hoag, former manager of both the Majestic Theatre and the Michigan Theatre, talks about the early theaters in Ann Arbor and some of the early stars and most popular films to come to town. Host Ted Trost mentions the Ann Arbor Film Festival and the Ann Arbor Art Fairs. Footage includes a street performer at the Art Fair and the University of Michigan Marching Band.
Directed by Dale Throneberry
Created by Jeff Werner
Executive producer: Catherine Anderson
Graphic artist Eric Anderson
Sponsored by the Ann Arbor Public Library, with help from the Ann Arbor Sesquicentennial Commission and the University of Michigan Speech Department.
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I Remember When: Playbill Part 1
In this episode, Alva Joanna Sink, wife of former University Musical Society (UMS) president, Charles A. Sink, talks about music in Ann Arbor and her husband's work with both UMS and the University of Michigan's School of Music; and Burnette Staebler, former president of Ann Arbor Civic Theatre, talks about the Theatre's earliest performances and other theatrical venues in town.
Directed by Ronald Snow
Created by Jeff Werner
Exec producer: Catherine Anderson
Graphic Artist: Eric Andersen
Sponsored by the Ann Arbor Public Library, with help from the Ann Arbor Sesquicentennial Commission and the University of Michigan Speech Department.
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Interview With Barry McGovern, Actor And Renowned Beckett Performer With The Gate Theatre Of Dublin
Do not miss this special event as actor Barry McGovern, one of the world's leading interpreters of Samuel Beckett's works, is interviewed by U-M Professor Enoch Brater. McGovern will discuss his work with the Dublin's Gate Theatre and his new solo performance adaptation of Beckett's novel "Watt." Ireland's acclaimed Gate Theatre is largely considered the leading interpreter of the great Irish modernist writer, playwright, and humorist Samuel Beckett in the world. This event is held in conjunction with University Musical Society's double-bill of two one-act Beckett plays (Endgame and Watt) performed by the Gate Theatre and featuring Barry McGovern at the Power Center Oct. 27 - 29. Barry McGovern first appeared at the Gate Theatre as Lucky in Waiting for Godot in 1972. He has had a long association with the work of Samuel Beckett, has appeared in numerous productions of Beckett's work and is known as the greatest exponent of Beckett today.
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The Essential Samuel Beckett With Theater Historian And Beckett Specialist Enoch Brater
Theater historian and Samuel Beckett specialist Enoch Brater presents an overview of the life and works of playwright Samuel Beckett, his influence upon modern theater, and the landmark productions of Beckett's works staged by the Gate Theatre of Dublin. This event is co-sponsored by the University Musical Society and the U-M Department of English Language and Literature.Ireland's acclaimed Gate Theatre is largely considered the leading interpreter of the great Irish modernist writer, playwright, and humorist Samuel Beckett in the world and this event is held in conjunction with University Musical Society's double-bill of two one-act Beckett plays ("Endgame" and "Watt") performed by the Gate Theatre Of Dublin and at the Power Center Oct. 27 - 29. Samuel Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969 for a body of work that includes novels, essays, poems and plays. His best-known play, "Waiting for Godot" (1953) is a comic study of philosophical uncertainty, and, like much of his work, focuses on the absurdity of human existence. Never exactly mainstream, Beckett is nonetheless considered one of the most important European writers of the 20th century for his influence on modern literature and for his ability to impress shock and confound.
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Who Is Anton Chekhov?
Join Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Michael Makin and Residential College Drama Lecturer Katherine Mendeloff as they examine Chekhov's role in Russian literature and society and as transformer and innovator of Russian drama. U-M acting students will also perform several scenes from Uncle Vanya featuring costume, live music and other scenic elements, setting the stage for a lively discussion of Chekhov's classic play and the challenges set forth for actors and directors in mounting this production. This event is presented in conjunction with the University Musical Society production of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya by the Maly Drama Theater of St. Petersburg at the Power Center March 25-28. The event is also held in collaboration with the U-M Center for Russian and East European Studies, and the U-M Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.
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Concert: The Master Of Horror: Edgar Allan Poe - Reverie and Phantasm With Blue Dahlia
This concert will feature Poe's best-known poetry and prose including The Raven, The Tell-tale Heart, and The Bells, in a dramatic musical setting. The father of American horror-fiction, Poe's works have given chills to generations since 1827. bLuE dahlia (bluedahlia.com) is a modern music quintet that specializes in blending the exotic and familiar. Textural guitars and soaring vocal harmonies with ethnic, orchestral percussion and delicate woodwind accents create a dense understory that drenches Poe's gothic flights of fancy with profound emotion. A successful creative venture since 1995, Blue Dahlia continues to expand its musical horizons. The group's body of work includes numerous recordings, live performances of original soundtracks for silent film, commercial sound tracking, artistic collaboration and more.
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Famed Chinese Actress Zhang Xunpeng Demonstrates and Discusses Kunqu, A Classical Genre of Chinese Theater
Acclaimed Chinese Actress Zhang Xunpeng will make a special appearance to discuss and demonstrate the ancient theatrical performance art of Kunqu. It is a synthesis of drama, opera, ballet, poetry recital, and musical recital, which also draws on earlier forms of Chinese theatrical performances such as mime, farce, and acrobatics, some of which go back to the third century B.C. or even earlier. This is an excellent opportunity to meet one of the great theatrical artists of China, in addition to learning more about this ancient performance art. Zhang Xunpeng is currently the Professor in Charge of Training the Fifth Generation of Kunqu Performers, at the Shanghai Theater and Drama College, Division of Theater and is also Senior Actress of the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe. The event was organized with the help of the University of Michigan Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments.
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'All's Well That Ends Well': Director John Neville-Andrews & Members of the Michigan Shakespeare Festival Cast Discuss and Perform Scenes from Their Upcoming Production
Join us to discuss one of the greatest comedies in the English language with one of the premiere acting companies in the Midwest. At this special interactive discussion/performance, renowned director John Neville-Andrews will encourage the audience to suggest moods and emotions for the cast members of the Michigan Shakespeare Festival to bring to scenes of "All's Well That Ends Well." He will then direct the actors to follow the audience's suggestions. "All's Well That Ends Well" is a romantic comedy with captivating themes of male versus female, society's view of merit and rank, and the value of honor and integrity. It keenly exposes each audacious plot after plot, until it all ends well -- or does it? This interactive event will feature Janet Haley as Countess Rossillion and Donna Dancho as Helena. Neville-Andrews will moderate.
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Artistic Director Guy Sanville and Purple Rose Cast Members Discuss the New Play 'Sea of Fools'
How do you create a play from a brand new script? Set in the height of the McCarthy era, Sea of Fools, penned by Michigan's own Matt Letscher, glimpses a company of actors who live in an elaborately-constructed fantasy world. The talented cast includes Guy Sanville. Hear Sanville and members of the cast discuss the transformation from the playwright's page to the performance stage! This event is scheduled to be broadcast live on Community Television Network, channel 18.Guy Sanville celebrated his twelfth anniversary as Artistic Director of The Purple Rose Theatre Company on May 1st. He has directed over twenty productions for the company and has received the Detroit Free Press Excellence in Theatre Award for Best Director four times. Sanville has appeared in seven plays for the Rose, most recently as Brock in Born Yesterday and Stu in Boomtown.