From the Collection: Peruvian Textiles

Jennifer Stager: Color, Vision, and Variegation

May 10, 3:30 pm | Denny 259

, faculty member at John Hopkins University (Ph.D. Berkeley), specializes in the art and architecture of the ancient Mediterranean and its afterlives. Her areas of focus include questions of color, materiality, and vision in the ancient Mediterranean world, the afterlives of antiquity, and the intersections of gender, race, and class in the production and study of art and architecture. Reception to follow the lecture.

Free |

Music of Today: International Experimental Music Ensemble

“” — the third production of the UW’s����— is a Tony Award-winning show that imagines a theater troupe to tell the story of a young prince searching for meaning in life.

Its music and lyrics were written by (“Godspell,” “Wicked”), and its script by Roger O. Hirson. The original production, directed by , premiered on Oct. 23, 1972, and ran for 1,944 performances, making it Broadway’s 33^rd-longest-running show.

The UW’s production is being directed by , a lecturer in the who also directs the Musical Theater Program. , an artist in residence with the dance program, did the choreography and Seattle-based performer and teacher is musical director.

The show runs March 8 – 19 in the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse Theater. Mendieta answered a few questions about the production and the program.

Why did you choose “Pippin”?����

W.M.: Mainly because it reinforces��pedagogical objectives of the Musical Theater Program. The themes found in the material are incredibly relevant. This gives us the opportunity to address contemporary social issues through the lens of this incredible art form.

��How do the 91̽��schools of drama and music and the dance program cooperate for such shows?

W.M.: Many of the people that help this production happen are��representatives of each of the three collaborating units. The conductor is an��alum from music, the choreographer is a faculty member from dance and the designers are MFA candidates in drama. The same applies to the cast and crew. Also, what is great about this��collaborative process is that it serves as an opportunity for undeclared majors to discover their passions. One of the students in the orchestra is now considering a degree in music and several cast members are hoping to declare a musical theater major.

“Pippin” was on Broadway in the early 1970s. Will this be done in a ’70s style, as a sort of “period piece”?

W.M.: The original production took place in 1972, but the story was not set in the 1970s, per se. The script is more fluid.��Our��concept takes advantage of this fluidity and plays with time and period in a way to make the material relevant to our audiences. Ultimately, we are presenting it in a “” style.

��Can you tell a bit more about the “burlesque” style? It’s different from the old stereotype of bawdy acts and bad comics, isn’t it?��

W.M.: We tend to associate burlesque with striptease or “girlie shows” but that is not necessarily its original use. American burlesque is a descendant of European burlesque, and its intent was��to mock “high art.” However in the late 1800s, we begin to see current events appear in burlesque’s parodies. It was an exciting time for the American musical theatre art form, as the merging of burlesque, minstrelsy and variety acts help to shape what we know as vaudeville — which has had great influence on musical theatre.��The score and script of Pippin resides among many of these styles, so we added current events to the��mixture for this production.

The 91̽��Musical Theater Program is now in its third year. How’s it going?

W.M.: The program is nearing the end of its pilot period and we are now focused on learning what are our options for the future. To help us with that, the College of Arts & Sciences is conducting an internal program review to assess the last few years, and help us put forth a strategic plan in action for the foreseeable future. It is an exciting time!

• Tickets to “Pippin” are $18-$20 and available or through ArtsUW, 206-543-4880 or ticket@uw.edu.

Trisha Brown Dance Company
8:00 pm, February 4 – 6 | Meany Theater
A pioneer and maverick of postmodern dance, Washington state native Trish Brown has spent a lifetime pushing the limits of choreography. Her dance company returns to Meany Hall as part of 91̽��World Series for a retrospective of Brown’s stage work. Come on Thursday, February 4, and stay after the performance for an Arts Dawgs after party in Meany Hall’s lobby.

BANDALOOP performs “Man Walking Down the Side of a Building”
February 5 | Red Square outside Meany Hall
Catch this vertical dance group suspended from the top of Meany Hall in Trisha Brown’s famous work, “Man Walking Down the Side of a Building,” featuring 91̽��Dance Program’s Rachel Lincoln. There will be three performances on February 5 at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Trisha Brown: In Plain Site
2:00 p.m, February 6 | South Hall of the Seattle Art Museum
In a special site-specific adventure, “Trisha Brown: In Plain Site” mines and then recombines material from choreographer Trisha Brown’s repertory into a new work.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Through February 7 | Jones Playhouse
UW’s Musical Theater program presents a warmhearted musical comedy chronicling the experiences of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime.

Igor Levit
7:30 p.m. February 10 | Meany Theater
One of the most accomplished artists of the new generation, Russian-German pianist Igor Levit makes his Seattle debut at Meany Hall with a program of Bach, Beethoven, Schubert and Prokofiev.

Critical Issues in Contemporary Art Practice: John Knight
7:00 p.m., January 28| Meany Theater
The School of Art + Art History + Design kicks off winter quarter with a lecture series about contemporary art practice. Join the conversation with Los Angeles artist John Knight.

So Percussion
7:30 p.m., January 31 | Meany Theater
So Percussion, presented by 91̽��World Series, redefines the modern percussion ensemble with immersive multi-genre programs. .

Trisha Brown Dance Company
8:00 pm, February 4 – 6 | Meany Theater
A pioneer and maverick of postmodern dance, Washington state native Trish Brown has spent a lifetime pushing the limits of choreography. Her dance company returns to Meany Theater as part of 91̽��World Series for a retrospective of Brown’s stage work.

Body Parts
Through February 7 | Henry Art Gallery
Ranging from messy cut-and-paste compositions to digital, constructed photography, Body Parts applies collage methods and strategies to figurative representation. This exhibition includes works by Daniel Gordon, Thomas Hirschhorn, Eva Kot’átková, Wangechi Mutu and others.

The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
January 27 – February 7 | Jones Playhouse
UW’s Musical Theater program presents a warmhearted musical comedy chronicling the experiences of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime.

Dance Faculty Concert
January 20-24 | Meany Studio Theater
This popular annual concert showcases originally choreography – from ballet to contemporary dance, musical theater to tango – by UW’s nationally and internationally recognized faculty. Pieces will be performed by advanced dance students, faculty and guest artists.

Seattle Theatres Lost and Founded
7:30 p.m., January 25 | Meany Studio Theater
A free public reading of plays from The Bathhouse Theatre, one of the significant theaters in Seattle’s theatrical history. This event is the third in a five-part series, and part of the School of Drama’s 75^th anniversary season.

Faculty Recital: Melia Watras
7:30 p.m., January 26 | Meany Theater
School of Music faculty member Melia Watras performs a solo recital of music influenced by mythology and folklore. New works by Watras and fellow 91̽��School of Music faculty Richard Karpen and Cuong Vu will be performed alongside Robert Schumann’s “Märchenbilder.”

The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
January 27 – February 7 | Jones Playhouse
UW’s Musical Theater program presents a warmhearted musical comedy chronicling the experiences of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime.

Steffani Jemison: Sol
Through February 27 | Jacob Lawrence Gallery
2016 Jake Legacy Artist-in-Residence Steffani Jemison presents “Sol,” an exhibition featuring paintings on acetate, a vinyl text work and a slide projection, built on site together with 91̽��student interns and Jake Gallery volunteers.