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Show --·--~~--THE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL• SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY· TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1998 New college is melting pot of arts "positation ," which he claimed would inspire young artists studying at SUU. Students ch oosing to major in one of the liberal arts w ill find support unique to this college. While most unjversitics allow graduate A significant change has ta.ken place this year within students to teach • 101" classes, SUU has full time the College of Arts and Humanities which had formerly professors imparting their expertise to new consisted of seven departments. Four of these, the art, theatre arts/ dance aod m usic departments and the Utah students. Shakespearean Festival area, have branched out to form "I e nvy the students who will be under your the College of Performing and Visual Ans. guidance and mentoring," Metten said to his At a recent faculty and staff meeting, Richard Bugg, 26 faculty members. This new collaboratio n of departments new chairman of the theatre arts and dance department said, ~Why music and theatre haven 't been together affects SUU's interaction with the Utah before, I don't know." Shakespearean Festival. Originally founded Many faculty expressed that there is n ow a sense of in 1962, the festival has gone through unity between the depanmems w hich had been changes of its own , h aving become lacking. 111c fact that each department is located in a more commercial. •As it moved away different corner of the campus contributes to a divided from the university, the theatre arts working relationship. Brandon Bouck, a senior art department lost money to the festival," said fom1er department major with :m illustration emphasis from Milford, Utah. chair Mac McIntyre. "While the new said, "It would help if there was a central building for the new college where the four departments could be college respects the festival's desire integrated.· Bouck said that he secs the need for an to hecome fiscally disco11nccted," expanded computer generated graphic arts program, McIntyre continued, "it is perhaps developing into its own department. He stated working toward a rekindled that as the demand for a computer graphic ans relationship." When students program int.:reases, the college will be required to keep arc involved with the festival up w ith new compuler technologies. and festival staff help the Since the college's forn1ation, a bonding of the liberal college, both will benefit. "If we can be a team, arts has taken place. "We arc creating the future. \Vic arc not fluff. We are the foundation of humanity," nothing is going to stop us." said Fred Adams, stated Carol Ann Modesitt, acting chair of the musk department. Charles Mcuen, interim dean of the executive producer of the College of Performing and Visual Arts, also said, "It's Utah Shakespearean CIJor1, our job to show the campus and community that we Festival. ~l arc very much alive and perfonning." Adams explained that there arc Modesitt said sh e felt that during the past few years several programs being initiated in the college has seen not only an increase in numerical conjunction w ith the public schools at every growth, but more significantly in overall quality. The level. Adams said he hoped that as children become faculty and staff seem to be committed to continuing involved with these programs, their desire to continue that trend. During the meeting, Mettcn spoke of the education in the arts at SUU will be sparked. In fact, a faculty's professionalism and positive attitude, or $90,000 subsidy has alre.1dy been granted by the Utah By MARIAM ARTIIUR JOURNAL STAH WRITER State Department of Education to be distributed over three years. Efforts are being made to secure funcls and participation from Nevada as well. Future plans include developing a film department. Traditionally film and theatre have been separated, but the faculty at SUU hopes this, too, will change. "Crosspollination" of th cat re and film, according to McIntyre, is :1lrcady occurring in the "real w orld." Actors such as Robert Redford, Patrick Stewart and ~tel Gibson have roots in theatre. They became stars when they enten.:d the film industry, he said. Mdnryrc al!\O spoke of how such a background enriches the artist's performance w hether on the stage or the screen. Many years ago. fonncr SUU President Gerald R. Sherratt had a vision that SUSC could be transformed into a university. I !is dream came true. Meucn also has a vision for the College of Performing :md Visual Arts here. "We'll work together," Menen said, "toward something enduring and artistically fulfilling for students, audiences, the university, the commun ity and the entire state." Theatre ,student~ Stage II offers opportunity for students spread · Rumors OF By ANNA TURPIN Students in Stage have opportu nities to participate JOURNAL STAFF in all the productions through out the year including 11 By ERIN COSSLETT JOURNAL STAFF WRITER What happens when nobody remembers who has been told w hat about whom? SUU theatre department's production of Neil Simon's Rumors will answer this hypothe tical question and promises an entertaining evening in the process. The play opens the 1998-99 season with evening performances Sept. 17-19 and 23-26. Four couples gather at the townhouse of a deputy New Yo rk City Mayor and his wife to help celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. The party never begins because the h ost has shot himself in the head (it's only a minor wound to the car) and his wife is missing. His lawyer decides on a cover-up, w h ich gets progressively more difficult to sustain as the other guests arrive and nobody can remember who has been to ld what about w ho m. The ensemble cast started rehearsing Aug. 10 with the enormous challenge of finding an area to hold rehearsals. With the Utah Shakespearean Festival using most of the available theatre space, the cast has had to hold rehearsals in various homes and the Cedar High School auditorium, as well as holding rehearsals at midnight and other seemingly odd times. While many of the actors are theatre majors, it wasn 't a requirement . This p lay was cast using an ·open audition" in which the only requirement was that those auditioning were SUU students. Tickets are available at the Auditorium Box Office. L THE One step for SUU's performing students; one giant leap for SUU. A new p rogram was instituted last spring that will, it's ho ped, alleviate the "lack of communication," said Richard Bugg, chair of the theatre arts and dance department. ln April, a new College of the Performing and Visual Arts was established. Bugg said he hopes the new entity will "create a new air of cooperation and a desire for technical suppo rt between the departments." In the past, the perfom1ing arts departments have been separate and lacked support of each other. Bugg said students with multiple interests, such as singing and acting. o ften get pulled between the music and theatre activities, stretching them so thin that they've flunked out of c lasses. "There have not been enough st:1ff and students in the theatre to accomplish all that we want to do," he said, "and when more is asked, we cannot deliver." SUU is o ne of the few colleges and universities across the United States where undergraduates have the opportunity to work every aspect of the theatre. Stage Il is one program inside the theatre arts and dance department. It consists of students who plan , direct, design, create, and perform e:ich of their shows which make up half of the perfomting season. An1anda Hughes, a junior theatre major from Roosevelt, Utah, and the productio n board manager of Stage II, said she cannot chink of any drawbacks w ith · the the new colkge. "I think it will give us more support from the campus. A lot of p eople don't even know what Stage Il is and that they can be involved," she said. Mainstage l's pcrfonnances and dance concerts. According tO Bugg, SUU has some of the best teachers of da nce in the country. Faculty members have worked with professional companies all over the United States and have earned numerous awards and honors, but have chosen this school at which to work. "It's a great resource for dancers because of the incredible quality of program and instructors," he said. An opportunity such as Stage II helps students get the edge on life after college, Bugg included. "\Vie want students to leave here with such skills so they can go anywhe re- professional, technical or community-and succeed." Bugg and Hughes said they hope that with the development of the new college working relationships w ill improve with the other departments on campus so more opportunities will open up for student involvement in all the pcrfom1ing arts. "We're looking forward to joint projeccs as a college,· said Dugg. As the first joint project of the n ew college, the students and faculty plan co produce a ·college Extravagam.a" in the spring, where the music, visu:il arts, theatre and dance departments all will participacc. Also, as dance faculty member Shauna Mendini said, ·we are in great need of facilities. This is a great stride toward the new center of perforn1ing arts, which we have been striving toward. Though it won't be here as soon as we'd like, it's on its way. · Students may find infonnation about any ac1ivities regarding Stage II or any of the sh ows to participate in on the bulletin boards in the breezeway of the Auditorium, b etween the classroom and the dance studio. "Everyone's welcome," said Hughes. |