Jeanette Colby, the University calendar editor, offers a selection of events and activities to do this weekend. Log in and check out the University Events Calendar for more things to do. The calendar features a variety of events at all campuses, including the River Campus, Eastman School, Memorial Art Gallery, and Medical Center.
#1: Watch students in a musical theater showcase
Presented by the Department of Music, the students of Musical Theater Workshop will perform in a one-night only show, “Louder Than Words!: A Musical Showcase” on Friday, May 4. The musical revue is the culmination of a semester-long course in which students learn techniques of acting, interpret a song, and perform scenes from classic American musicals. The course is taught by Kim Kowalke, professor of music, who is musical director of the show; and David Runzo is stage director. The showcase of talented students will feature 18 different musicals, with selections from 110 in the Shade, My Favorite Year, Grease, The Last Five Years, A New Brain, and Baby, the Musical. The showcase is free and open to the public. The performance begins at 8 p.m., in Lower Strong Auditorium, on the River Campus.
#2: Hear Eastman wind ensembles at Kodak Hall
The Eastman Wind Orchestra and the Eastman Wind Ensemble will present a free program on Sunday, May 6. Conducted by Mark Scatterday and Jerry Junkin, the program features Karel Husa’s “Cheetah,” Bruce Yurko’s “In Memoriam: Kristina,” Arnold Schoenberg’s “Theme and Variations, Op. 43a,” and Adam Schoenberg’s “Symphony No. 2 Migration.” About 50 undergraduate and graduate student performers make up the Eastman Wind Ensemble, which is considered America’s first leading wind ensemble. The Eastman Wind Orchestra features the first-year and second-year students. The concert begins at 8 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
#3: Bring the family out for a day of celebration, culture, and art
The Memorial Art Gallery will host its annual Asian Pacific American Celebration on Sunday, May 6, from noon to 5 p.m. Celebrate art, culture, and community with music and dance performances throughout the day. Explore cultural display tables, hear Asian tales with a local storyteller, and see guided tours of the museum’s current collections. There will be workshops by Bollywood Dance Mania and Agape Black Belt Center. Listen to music Ryan Carey on the sitar and the Chinese Choral Society of Rochester. Suggested donation is $5 per family.
#4: See Nobel prize-winning playwright’s plays at Todd Theater
It’s your last chance to get a seat to “The Pinter Plays” playing at Todd Theater on Thursday, May 3, Friday, May 4, or Saturday, May 5. A double bill at Todd Theater, the production includes The Collection and The Lover, considered two of Pinter’s most shocking one-act plays. Pinter’s work and many elements of his writing style are so distinctive that the word “Pinteresque” has entered the theater lexicon. The Collection tells the story of infidelity and jealousy in two households: one same-sex couple and a heterosexual married couple. The Lover is about a couple who grapple with fantasy role-playing games. All performances take place in Todd Theater on the University of Rochester’s River Campus. Tickets are $8 for University of Rochester students; $12 for alumni, faculty, staff, and for seniors (65+); and $15 for the general public. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.rochester.edu/theater or by calling the box office at (585) 275-4088. Tickets may also be purchased up to an hour before each performance at the box office.
#5: See media art commissioned installation inspired by Rochester
Commissioned by the Memorial Art Gallery, as part of a new media art series, the exhibition Nosferatu (The Undead), a film installation by New York-based artist Javier Tellez, is on view at the museum through June 17. The exhibit focuses on cinema and mental illness and is the first of three exhibitions presented as part of “Reflections on Place,” which is inspired by the city of Rochester and curated by world-renowned authority on the moving image John Hanhardt. Combining black-and-white 16 mm and color digital film, Nosferatu (The Undead) was shot at the Eastman Kodak factory, the Dryden Theatre of the George Eastman Museum, and at the Main Street Armory in Rochester. Admission to the museum is free for University faculty, staff, and students with ID
