I walked over to the new building site today after lunch and took some photos. They have been doing more preparation, it looks like. Several years ago when I was working on the Hancher 30th anniversary year book, I was so thankful for the photos someone had taken from the very beginning of the construction of the building back then. Today we are awash with digital images so I doubt it that will ever be a problem, but still it seems like a good idea.
—Ron
I didn't see it, but Chuck just sent me this photo. The big machines have started their work. It was a blizzard out my window a bit ago but I have a feeling that doesn't stop work. Kind of exciting. And oddly, with a a feeling of nervousness. Hmmm. Maybe talking so long about it almost seemed like a figment of my imagination, that something beautiful will rise up from the spot. Good grief, enough analysis. Let's just get moving the dirt.
—Ron
Anna Kahn is my graphics assistant here at Hancher and like all our great students, she will graduate. Darn. Not darn she is graduating but darn I will be losing a creative, smart, and very able designer. (Her poster for AXIS Dance Company is shown here and can be seen at the Old Capitol Mall across from the Hancher Box Office.)
Anna has been doing our playbill layout and lots of other publications for the last two years. She has made my life easier and was a colleague in the way that designers are by talking about design and bouncing ideas off each other. I will miss her.
But first she is having a show of her work this week at Studio Arts Atrium. It is such a good thing to get to put your work together and out there. She has promised refreshments (maybe pie) at the Reception on Saturday, March 9, from 6-8:30.
It is important to support student work here at the UI and this is such an easy way to do it.
—Ron
Van Cliburn died today. He was 78. Tim here at Hancher found the page in our autograph book that Van Cliburn signed when he performed here in 1972. He also was here in 2000 with the UI Symphony.
Tim also found the program for both performances.
Van Cliburn, Piano
Sunday, October 1, 1972, 8:00 p.m.
Hancher Auditorium
Johannes Brahms
Intermezzo No. 01 in A Minor, op. 118
Rhapsodie No. 01 in B Minor, op. 79
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata in F Minor, op. 57 (Appasionata)
Frederic Chopin
Ballade in F Minor, op. 52, no. 4
Nocturne in E Major, op. 62, no. 2
Claude Debussy
Etude No. 05, pour les octaves
La terrasse des audiences au clair de lune
L'isle joyeuse
Johannes Brahms
Intermezzo No. 02 in A Major, op. 118
Rhapsodie No. 02 in G Minor, op. 79
Van Cliburn, Piano
UI Symphony Orchestra
William LaRue Jones, Conductor
Wednesday, September 20, 2000, 8:00 p.m.
Hancher Auditorium
Piotr Tchaikovsky
Concerto No. 01 in B-Flat Minor, op. 23
Just sent this postcard off to print. I remember the last time eighth blackbird was here and I was skeptical of contemporary chamber music and came away being amazed and converted. Love 'em. Can't wait. I'm not sure why all lower case.
—Ron
We are getting things ready here for the coming events for Spring. As I have mentioned here before we have great students and one that makes my life much easier is Vanessa. She works with Rob as the intern who gets the playbill copy ready for my student Anna (who really makes my life easier because she too is amazing!).
Vanessa sent me the copy this morning for India Jazz Suites (March 7) with the note "Looks like it will be a great show!" She as written something on the intern Tumblr site. See what she has to say.
Thanks, Vanessa.
—Ron
WOMEX
2012
Thessaloniki,
Greece
October
17-21
I'm writing from Thessaloniki, Greece on the afternoon after WOMEX (the World Music Expo) ended. After hearing about 40 bands perform in 5 days, I want to write down some highlights - mostly in an effort not to forget. I'm sitting on a balcony that looks at apartment buildings and sipping Metaxa.
The L's win!
Looking back through the alphabetical listing, I realize that I love all three bands that begin with the letter "L."
Also sort of in the L's are:
Ze Luis - sweet singer from Cape Verde
Sam Lee - another sweet singer who specializes in British folk songs paired with interesting instruments like table and shruti box.
Yom & Wang Li - ridiculously virtuosic Klezmer clarinet paired with equally virtuosic Chinese jew's harp player who specializes in finding overtones and nuance. They come from different approaches, but worked out a great set of tunes together.
And now for groups that start with other letters...
DakhaBrakha (Ukraine) - I didn't know what to expect from this group and I almost went to a different venue after about 4 minutes. Luckily I stayed because they were the revelation of the week. Wearing awesome traditional garb that includes seriously high hats, their tunes took time to develop and to end. Working with traditional folk tunes, they put them through the lens of modern, urban life in the Ukraine. The vocals and harmonies were particularly amazing. I'm looking forward to exploring whatever I can find on the web when I'm back.
I'll mention a few other favorites like Mokoomba (Tonga rhythms from Zimbabwe), Boban and Marko Markovic Orchestra (Serbian brass band with about 20 brass players on stage), and Mama Marjas (Italian reggae). (Wait! Those are all M artists!) And for some reason I have deep love for cumbia, electronics, and hip-hop combinations so Mexican Institute of Sound was the perfect way to wrap up the last night.
I walked a lot in Thessaloniki and my go to tunes on my iPod were Ethan Lipton's No Place to Go, Balkan Beat Box, and Grupo Fantasma.
—Jacob
I came out as a gay man at work here at Hancher many years ago now. It was a really big deal for me and much to my surprise, my coworkers came into my office throughout the day to congratulate me. I never felt so supported and embraced. I had spent decades with a secret and it turned out to be a positive thing to at last be open and honest. I will never forget those people who made me feel so good.
That is something that I can only hope everyone can experience; to simply be who they are and be happy.
Our event tomorrow was started as a supportive project for gay kids who are being bullied—The It Gets Better Project. The idea has expanded to include all who have been bullied. Finally we are recognizing how many kids are hurt and miserable because they are picked on, physically and emotionally attacked, and made fearful because of who they are.
Today on tv I saw Marlo Thomas (of the great Free To Be Me project) talking about a new campaign that encourages bystanders to bullying to stand up and do something. "Be More Than A Bystander." Good idea.
So Friday is a day designated at a time to wear purple to connect with everyone you see and leave the message to stop bullying. It is a day to do something to further this cause. It is not just important; it is critical.
The Hancher event "It Gets Better" is coming from the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles. It is a message for everyone: gay, straight, teen, adult, Democrat, Republican, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, parent, grandparent, teacher, friend.
When I came out I would never have imagined Hancher would be doing a show directed at exactly the issues that had kept me quiet all that time growing up. At least now there is public support. It still isn't easy. Everyone needs to do their part. It is as simple as accepting someone just as they are.
Never say never.
—Ron
Okay, so this is a weird day.
I am doing the usual here. The usual graphic design for Hancher events. I started on a new series of ads for a campaign for an upcoming event. Created a Photoshop file for the size, pulled in the images and the boilerplate logos and text. Then I opened the text. BLAM. It hit me right between the eyes. Or more accurately right in the heart. It's not often I get teary doing a newspaper ad.
Shari wrote: "Bullying and isolating others for loving is a cowardly act." She talks about "a kinder future." Alex: "This project has the power to give people the happiness and hope they deserve." Wow.
Shari and Alex? They are two UI students who intern here at Hancher. There are more and there will be more messages like this. The project? It is the upcoming Hancher event It Gets Better. Rob described it this way: A multi-media response to bullying featuring exceptional music, a choir of local voices, and a new song commissioned by Hancher and written by Avenue Q creator Jeff Marx.
I got lucky. There wasn't such support around back when. But I made it through to happiness. Not everyone is so lucky and so many need to know there is hope. This project is part of that support and source of great hope. Shari and Alex and Han-Yi and Whitney and Lani have done their part. We hope our event will do a little bit more. And everything together it will make a difference.It has to.
This morning while I was eating breakfast, a mean-spirited, political, Iowa ad on tv was directed precisely at who I am. It left me feeling (once again) somewhat dispirited. But what is really getting through to me are the words of the students here. Therein lies real hope. Thanks guys. It means more than maybe you know.
—Ron
After the Box Office moved to the Old Capitol mall, we had a chance to get the wall space across from them to publicize our events. So we have 5 large posters and a four-screen monitor.
UI student Sally Chai has been an intern with me here at Hancher for several semesters. Two years ago she did a couple of covers for the playbill (above) and now she is designing the graphics for the mall screens. All design projects have certain things that must be done to make them print or display properly. The interesting thing about the screens is that the image is in four pieces that know out some of the image between them. So when doing a piece for them , you have to make sure you don't run the missing part right through someone's face or make type not complete. I have to say the Sally does a better job at that than I do when I do them. Guess I need to learn from my students, once again.
See Sally's most recent ones below. Check them out at the Mall wall. They will a lot better there!
—Ron
Jay over at the Business School put me onto Hype, a great little piece of software the easily makes animated graphics. I put my student Anna here on the project of doing some short pieces for the Hancher homepage for the events this season. As always she did an amazing job. They are just the right amount of movement without being annoying. The one for Sonny Rollins is up now.
—Ron
The new Arts Iowa webpage is now up and running. This is a really good thing for the arts at Iowa. The group that put it together included someone from all the areas at the University that have something to do with the arts. There is a wealth of riches here when it comes to the arts. On any given day you might have to choose which event to see; this new website will ease finding out all the information.
You can find a button on the top right of the Hancher webpage that will take you to the new site. I remember coming here as a freshman and being thrilled with the possilities of things to see. That list is many times longer now and this will make it easy to find just what you want.
Use it.
—Ron
It’s finally here.
I’ve been looking forward to Mayberry for a long time. Sean Lewis came to Hancher with the idea for a new play about Iowa City in 2010. He was inspired by the controversial conversations on news outlets about “people from Chicago” and wanted to explore the deeper story behind the dramatic postings on newspaper comment boards. The play that he’s developed, Mayberry, focuses on hot-button topics including the migration of African-Americans to Iowa City and how a college town adjusts to a new group of people in the community.
Since that initial meeting with Hancher, I’ve been working consistently with Sean and his company, Working Group Theatre, throughout the past eighteen months. Sean’s been a part of many educational activities at Hancher, including co-leading a faculty institute with a focus on the arts and being a guest speaker at many university classes. He’s been busy researching this play, writing the script, and directing the production.
I’m lucky because I’ve had an insiders’ view of Mayberry over the course of its development. I’ve been to readings, open rehearsals, seen script and set revisions. Our production staff has been even more involved—building sets, painting materials, stage managing the show. It’s normal to see Sean at our offices once a week. We’ve been integrally involved with the development and production of this play, which is something that we don’t often get to do with touring artists. Our partnership with Working Group Theatre has been an important part of our programming this year, allowing us to be more deeply involved in our local arts scene.
I can’t wait to see the completed production today. This play will make you laugh. It might make you cry. It will probably make you feel uncomfortable. But I am sure of one thing—it will get you to think about your community.
—Erin Donohue
Sometimes things come together that just make sense. Often they are unrelated but find their way to combine into a powerful force. Such is theater this week here in Iowa City.
You can see (tonight, Hancher, at the Englert) a play about Lincoln. Appropriate for President's Day week. And you can also see (Thursday-Sunday, Working Group Theatre, at Riverside Theatre) a play about Bosnia. Appropriate to remember the 20th year after the genocide there.
The RIvalry is part of this year's Hancher season and is by the L.A. Theatre Works, a group we have had here before and have never been disappointed. This group is nationally known for quality theater. Based on the Lincoln-Douglas debates in the 1858 Senate race. Our brochure describes it this way: "L.A. Theatre Works breathes new life into America's past via the Lincoln-Douglas debates' conflict and compromise. Arguably, The Rivalry also offers a shrewd commentary on the messy partisan politics of the present." Tickets here.
And then The Toymaker's War is a look at a devastating time 20 years ago when the Bosnian war began through the story of a journalist going for a story and finding much more. A special talkback event will be held after the Friday performance.
"Audiences are invited to join us for a post show discussion to explore the themes of the play with journalist, Stephen J. Berry, and Bosnian War survivor, Amir Hadzic, on Friday February 24. Stephen J. Berry is a Pulitzer Prize winning former reporter who specializes in investigative reporting. He is co-founder and the interim executive director-editor of The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism and currently teaches at the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Amir Hadzic, Coordinator of International Student Services and Men's Head Soccer Coach at Mt. Mercy College, was a Sarajevo native who lived through and fled the siege of that city, escaping through a mile long tunnel under the airport. After living as a refugee in Croatia for a year, he emigrated to the U.S. and settled in Iowa."
Somehow all of these events based on history seem cutting edge current. Hmmm. Love theater.
—Ron
Oh man, how disappointing is this. We are basking in the mildest winter we remember for awhile (remember this day last year?) and the weather has forced us to cancel tonight's show with Stew and the Negro problem. Bummer. Stew was on his way but his flight last night and all today were cancelled because the Eastern Iowa Airport was fogged in. It cleared up here but the airport was still closed because the fog lingered there until it was too late to for Stew and Heidi to leave Minneapolis in time to make the show here.
The box office has let everyone know what to do if you had tickets and that information is right here. We hope we can present it at some future date and really regret the inconvenience.
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