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"Galvin's” Notice |
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ATTENTION SENIORS! |
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On Friday, May 8 the St. Ambrose University Theatre Department will be hosting a farewell roast in honor of Michael Kennedy’s 40 years as a theatre professor. The roast will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Rogalski Center Ballroom. All are invited, and there are no tickets needed! Save the date, and be sure to pass this on to anyone who knows Michael Kennedy. |
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“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" Set in Victorian London, “Sweeney Todd” tells the story of a barber who has been sent into exile on false charges. He returns home to find his wife murdered and his daughter taken by the man who falsely accused him. Sweeney vows to have his revenge against all who have wronged him. At the helm of the production team is director Michael Kennedy. When asked why he selected “Sweeney Todd” to direct, Kennedy replied that this was a script he had wanted to do for some time. “I liked the drive of it,” he said, “and that the only redeeming social value in the play is survival.” After being assured by musical director Keith Haan that the department had the voices to carry the complex musical score, Kennedy created his concept for the production. “The ensemble is one character,” he explained, “and they represent the street people that we try not to see in everyday life, but are still constantly present. Shellee Frazee has been doing the musical staging and is creating brilliant concept work for the ensemble.” “Sweeney Todd” is also significant in that, as Kennedy retires after this school year, it will be his last production as a full-time faculty member at St. Ambrose. When asked about any upcoming plans, Kennedy said that he will be returning to SAU in the fall to teach Survey of Film and Playwriting. He will also be seen onstage, performing in “Glengarry Glen Ross” for the Curtainbox Theatre in September. He also expressed an interest in pursuing some theatre and voiceover work in Chicago. When asked about the productions he has directed at St. Ambrose, Kennedy stated, “I’m always very proud of the level of productions we have here.” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” will perform in the Galvin Fine Arts Center April 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and April 19 at 3 p.m. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Galvin Fine Arts Center Box Office at (563) 333-6251 and are free for current SAU students. This will be a production you won’t want to miss, so reserve your tickets today. |
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Rachel Mayer Prepares for Washington Since the Regional Festival, Mayer has been preparing for any projects that await her in Washington. The SSDC competition continues with a week of master classes and workshops and the national winner will be selected by performance in those classes. The national winner will receive a $1,000 grant to offset the costs of a professional development opportunity that will be arranged with the winner and SSDC. There are two specific projects that await Mayer in Washington. The first is a master class with designer Ming Cho Lee and the Barbizon Scenic Designers. Based off of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale,” Mayer will have to offer a visual representation of what the physical world of the play should look like. She will also be completing a casting exercise by creating a photo gallery of what the characters should look like. The other project will be with John Dillon, the founder of the SSDC Fellowship. For this master class, Mayer will decide how she would direct the opening scene of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and will have no more than four minutes to present her vision and ideas to the workshop. In preparation for her trip, Mayer will be presenting her work in the Studio Theater on Monday, April 6 at 10 a.m. All are invited to attend and offer thoughts and feedback. |
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"Agnes of God" Wraps Up Studio Theatre Season
Last month, SAU Senior Seth Kaltwasser directed a production of John Pielmeier’s “Agnes of God” in the Studio Theatre. It will be the last play produced in the Studio during the 2008-09 school year. The production starred SAU Senior Emily Kurash and SAU Juniors Katie McCormack and Monique Vos in a play that centers around the mysterious pregnancy of a young nun (Vos) and the court psychiatrist (McCormack) assigned to her case. The production was a complete success, with sold-out Thursday and Friday performances and a nearly-full house for the Saturday matinee. The production team consisted of SAU Senior Jovon Eberhart (Scenic Designer), SAU Junior Kelly Hawkins (Costume Designer), Matt Carney (Lighting Designer), SAU Junior Heather Behrens (Marketing), SAU Sophomore Ross Epping (Props Mastor), and SAU Junior Dan Hernandez (Vocal Coach). “I’m really pleased with our final product,” says Seth Kaltwasser. “There were a number of challenges in staging this play, but everyone put in a lot of work these past couple of weeks and I think the show proved to be really effective. Because of the play’s subject matter, “Agnes of God” can be a difficult play to swallow, but our audiences seemed to truly connect with this story and these characters. I have greatly enjoyed my time working with this script, these actors, and my incredible production team.” Congratulations to the “Agnes of God” cast and production team! |
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2009-10 Galvin Mainstage Season Get ready, Ladies and Gentlemen! Next year’s mainstage season has been announced! In early October, Shellee Frazee will direct and choreograph “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” with a book by Larry King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. The musical is set in the late 1970s in a brothel that has been operating outside of Gilbert, Texas for more than a century. It is under the proprietorship of Miss Mona Stangley, who happens to be on very good terms with the local sheriff, Ed Earl Dodd. When television reporter Melvin P. Thorpe decides to make the illegal activity an issue, the brothel gets closed down. Next up is the children’s show in early December. “A Year With Frog and Toad,” written by brothers Robert (music) and Willie Reale (book and lyrics), will be directed by SAU alum and new faculty member Dan Rairdin-Hale. The successful children’s musical chronicles¬–you guessed it, a year with Frog and Toad. Follow Frog, Toad and all of their animal friends as they pass through the four seasons. “A Year With Frog and Toad” will run in early December on the Galvin Mainstage. Filling the February slot is an American classic by celebrated playwright, Tennessee Williams, “The Glass Menagerie.” The play follows the story of the Wingfield family: Amanda, the over-bearing mother, who is stuck in the past; Laura, the sensitive and crippled daughter; and Tom, our narrator and Amanda’s son, who is supporting the family with his factory job. Amanda is obsessed with finding a suitor for Laura, who spends most of her time with her glass collection. Dr. Corinne Johnson will be directing “The Glass Menagerie.” The last show of the year will be the Greek tragedy “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles. New faculty member Dan Rairdin-Hale will be directing the play. “Oedipus Rex” is a classic story of the downfall of a great Theban king. Look for “Oedipus Rex” in late April. | |
Onward and Upward! Two Ambrosians Move on to Graduate School!
Best of luck to Jovon and Andrew in graduate school this fall! |
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SAU Faculty OUTSIDE the Galvin Theatre Every so often the instructors we know and love here at St. Ambrose get a chance to share their talents with theatres around the Quad Cities and surrounding areas. Dr. Corinne Johnson, professor of theatre, recently was involved in a production of “Walking the Wire” at Riverside Theatre in Iowa City. Riverside is a 99-seat Equity theatre, whose seasons consist mostly of contemporary plays and musicals. Of the play Dr. Johnson states, “Every year they [Riverside] celebrate new playwrights by soliciting original monologues revolving around a certain topic. This year the topic was ‘Food’. ‘Walking the Wire’ refers to a quote that acting is like ‘walking the wire (tight rope) without a net.’ My monologue ended the first act and was called ‘The Grumpy Gourmand’ and was written by Rebecca Christian.” So why does Dr. Johnson venture out into the theatre-world outside of Ambrose to keep working? “I think it is very important for me to stay in touch with professional actors and to keep my chops up personally. The moment I forget what it is like to be an actor, my ability to be my best at directing and teaching acting will be diminished. I need to be on the other side of the table every once in awhile. I loved that I got to work with a fantastic director and that I was forced to work outside my comfort zone. If I expect and demand my students to do it, I mustn't be afraid to do it myself.” Students truly do appreciate this work-ethic; never once do they hear, “Do as I say, not as I do!” Congratulations Cory! |
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Freshman Spotlight: Elizabeth Nickell
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| Freshman Spotlight: Nicole Schmidt
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Theatre in the QCA This Month Show: “Aesop’s Falables” Show: “Church Basement Ladies” Show: “Steel Magnolias” Show: ComedySportz Quad Cities |
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SAU Theatre Newsletter Next Issue
Please use our convenient signup page to manage your subscription to SAU e-newsletters. Visit the St. Ambrose University Web site for more information about courses offered, degrees, events, and staff. And also check out the SAU Theatre Website for more information about the Theatre Department, or contact theatre chair Kristofer Eitrheim by email or by phone at 563/333-6255. |
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Department Chair: Kristofer Eitrheim - 563/333-6255
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In January, SAU senior Rachel Mayer competed in the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers National Fellowship Scene Audition for the Regional Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. After successfully directing a scene from Melanie Marnich’s “Quake” (with actors Jessica Denney, Mike Kline, and Seth Kaltwasser), Mayer was the one student from the from the five-state region selected to attend the National American College Theater Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
Andrew Harvey ‘07, SAU Theatre Department Alum and current SAU staff member, has decided to further his theatre education. Harvey speaks of his search, “I applied to a dozen schools around the country and in the UK. Some of the programs were on the MA/PhD track, some were on the MFA Acting track, and a few on the MA Irish Studies track. They all had something to do with Theatre, though—I just wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go. I knew that I wanted to teach at the college level ultimately—it was just a matter of how I was going to get there. It was important to me that the programs I applied to had a good reputation, that they provided opportunities to teach, and that the faculty were people who I wanted to spend a chunk of my life with. When I auditioned at the University and Resident Theatre Auditions (U/RTAs), I got a few offers out of that, one of which was Michigan State. I felt like I clicked with the faculty immediately when I recently visited the campus and the program as they described it—one that has recently been retooled—was exciting. There is a balance in their program between performance and pedagogy and that was what I was looking for. Plus…a full tuition waiver, medical insurance, and a pretty nice stipend helped to seal the deal. I know grad school is going to be intense and taxing, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Jovon Eberhart, SAU senior, will be graduating from Ambrose this May and then will move on to the University of Florida this fall to pursue a Master’s of Fine Arts in Scenic Design. Eberhart found that she meshed well with the faculty at Florida. “Risk taking is a major element of my design process. Whether it's 240-square-feet of paper mache or gallons of carpenter's glue on the floor, I'm trying something new and different with every project. I wanted to become part of a graduate program that fosters discovery and innovation. While at U/RTA I met Professor Mihai Ciupe of the University of Florida, and was incredibly impressed with both his portfolio and the designs of his students.”
Hometown: Fort Atkinson, Iowa
Hometown: Davenport, IA 
Hometown: Bellevue, Iowa Copyright 2009St. Ambrose University 518 W. Locust Street Davenport IA 52803 563/333-6000Contact SAU