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Alumni Association to host Golden Silence Memorial today
The Southeastern Alumni Association will host its annual Golden Silence, a ceremony
that honors deceased Southeastern alumni, students, faculty and staff or their family
members, today, Monday, March 7.
The annual event will be held at 6 p.m. in the Pottle Performance Circle on Ned
McGehee Drive in Friendship Circle.
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Southeastern welcomes students to Literary Rally
Southeastern physics instructor David Feldbaum (right) demonstrates the Tesla Coil
for Reid Armstrong of Silliman Institute in Clinton. More than 2,900 area high school
students visited Southeastern Louisiana University on Saturday (March 5) for the Regional
Literary Rally and the university’s annual Rock ‘n Roar celebration sponsored by the
Southeastern Alumni Association.
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Cast chosen for Southeastern Opera Workshop’s The Mikado
Southeastern’s Opera/Music Theatre Workshop will present Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado on Thursday and Friday, March 17 and 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Columbia Theatre for
the Performing Arts in downtown Hammond.
According to Charles Effler, director of the Opera/Music Theatre Workshop, The Mikado remains the most frequently performed of the 14 comic operas written by W.S. Gilbert
and Arthur Sullivan. The opera has been translated into numerous languages and is
one of the most frequently played musical theatre pieces in history.
“Gilbert, who wrote the words, created fanciful ‘topsy-turvy’ worlds for these
operas, where each absurdity is taken to its logical conclusion – fairies rub elbows
with British lords, flirting is a capital offense (The Mikado), gondoliers ascend
to the monarchy, and pirates turn out to be noblemen who have gone wrong,” Effler
said. “He also made fun of British Victorian social mores, military officers, the
British Empire, politicians, and governmental bureaucracy along the way.”
Opera Workshop welcomes back guest stage director Rachel M. Harris, who has directed
Opera Workshop productions Opera by the Slice, La Perichole, Fairy Tales: Hansel & Gretel and Cendrillon, Street Scene, Puccini: Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicci, Die Fledermaus, and The Marriage of Figaro.
Effler said Harris is adding colorful references to Louisiana and U.S. political
figures, past and present, to the dialog and lyrics of The Mikado.
“Audiences may remember Opera Workshop’s production of The Pirates of Penzance in the fall of 2011, also a Gilbert and Sullivan show, and also directed to great
acclaim by Ms. Harris,” Effler said.
The Mikado is set in the mythical Japanese town of Titipu. The Mikado, Emperor of Japan, has
declared that flirting – outside of marriage – will be punished by death. The people
of Titipu get around this decree by appointing Ko-Ko, who was condemned to die for
flirting, as the Lord High Executioner. As Ko-Ko was the next prisoner scheduled to
be decapitated, the town authorities reasoned that he could “not cut off another’s
head until he cut his own off,” and since Ko-Ko was not likely to try to execute himself,
no executions could take place.
Add to this nonsense the character of Nanki-Poo, who is secretly the Mikado’s
son and heir, but has fled the palace because his father has approved his marriage
to an old and ugly woman. Of course, Nanki-Poo is in love with Yum-Yum, Ko-Ko’s ward,
whom Ko-Ko plans to marry. The plot thickens even further, but all ends well for everyone.
Former students Damian Faul of Amite and Brent Goodrich of Sulphur will join
the cast of current students and sing the roles of Ko-Ko and Pooh Bah, and student
Katie Walker will serve as stage manager.
The cast includes Robert Roy (Lacombe) as The Mikado of Japan, Benjamin Vollentine
(Covington) as Nanki-Poo, Terelle Bibbins (Slidell) as Pish-Tush, Michelle Guillot
(Slidell) and Bethany Putnam (Covington) as Yum-Yum, Mindy Guidroz (Houma) as Pitti-Sing,
Morgan Curole (Larose) and Lauren Gibson (Walker) as Peep-Bo, and Sarah Kennemer (Mandeville)
as Katisha.
Chorus members include Sara Cage (Baton Rouge), Rachel Davis (Mandeville), Rachel
Denton (Houma), Catherine Duensing (LaPlace), Faith Entrekin (Luling), Alfred Harper
(New Orleans), Jeremy Guillot and Anne Labranch (Denham Springs), Wesley Newton (Bourg),
Brennan Simmons (Walker), and Cody Sires (Chalmette).
Effler will serve as musical director and conductor. Department of Fine and Performing
Arts faculty member Alissa Mercurio Rowe will serve as chorus master. David Sevedie
will design the set and lights, and student Brie-linn Golchuk of Barataria will serve
as costume coordinator.
Advance tickets are available at the Columbia Theatre box office Monday through
Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will also be available one hour prior to each performance.
Ticket prices are $21 for adults; $16 for seniors, Southeastern faculty/staff and
non-Southeastern students. Current Southeastern students are admitted free of charge
with their ID.
For more information about the Opera/Music Theatre Workshop, contact Effler at
ceffler@southeastern.edu.
MIKADO REHEARSAL - Cast members of The Mikado rehearse a scene for the upcoming production.
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Southeastern celebrates Women’s History Month
The Southeastern Department of History and Political Science will coordinate Women’s
History Month throughout March with a series of free lectures and presentations.
“As in the past, we will present a variety of interesting and intriguing topics
through lectures, films and other presentations that focus on an interdisciplinary
approach to women’s history,” said William Robison, head of the Department of History
and Political Science. “We are pleased that colleagues with the Sims Memorial Library
and the Department of Languages and Communication are joining us in providing a diverse
program throughout the month.”
Most of the programs will be held on campus or at area Tangipahoa Parish library
branches. A special “Lafayette Lagniappe” is scheduled at the end of the month in
Lafayette.
The schedule for Women’s History Month includes:
March 9, 2 p.m., Student Union Theatre, Professor of History and Political Science
Margaret Gonzalez-Perez presents “Hidden Women.” A specialist in the area of female
terrorism, she will look at women of other countries who live as men, not out of sexual
preference but because women in these societies suffer economic, political and societal
discrimination.
March 14, 5 p.m., Tangipahoa Parish Library, 380 N. Fifth St. in Ponchatoula,
“Julie and Julia.” Southeastern graduate Karen Williams of the LSU Department of English
will host a viewing of the movie “Julie and Julia” and discuss its significance to
women’s history. The 2009 historical comedy-drama illuminates the history of post-World
War II women as it depicts the life of famed author and chef Julia Child and modern
New York office worker Julie Powell, who sets out to cook all of Child’s 254 recipes
from “The Art of French Cooking.”
March 16, 12:30 p.m., Sims Memorial Library, Library Director Eric Johnson offers
another lecture in a series of presentations in the library’s Latino-American History
Series. “Latinas on Broadway” will review Latina stars who have made important contributions
to America Theatre and will look at the collective impact they have had in both drama
and musical theater. Videos will be featured along with excerpts from original cast
records of shows.
March 16, 6:30 p.m., Tangipahoa Parish Library, 314 E. Thomas St. in Hammond,
Robison will discuss “Women in Civil War Films.” The presentation will include discussion
of film clips from the Silent Era to the present, ranging from the early sound films
“Only the Brave” and “Gone with the Wind” to more modern films such as “The Conspirator”
and “Lincoln.”
March 21, 12:30 p.m., Student Union Theatre, independent musician and photographer
Natasha Sanchez of New Orleans will present “Louisiana: The State of My World,” an
adventurous tour of the state through songs, stories and photographs covering her
journeys from Algiers to Zwolle and parts in between.
March 21, 5 p.m., Tangipahoa Parish Library, 204 NE Central Avenue, Amite. The
film “Suffragette” will be presented in its entirety, followed by a discussion led
by Robison. The 2015 drama sets a fictional story within the pre-world War I campaign
for women’s suffrage in Great Britain.
March 23, 12:30 p.m., Student Union Theatre. Professor Carol Madere of the Department
of Languages and Communication will present “How Depictions of Careers for Women Have
Evolved on Television.” She will explore how representations of women on television
have progressed from the wise matriarch of “The Donna Reed Show” to the conflicted
FBI-agent-in- training of “Quantico” and consider whether reality TV shows like “The
Bachelor” are setting women back.
March 23, 7 p.m., Lafayette Lagniappe: South Regional Library, 6101 Johnston
St. in Lafayette. Professor Robison presents “Mary Magdalene, the Da Vinci Code, and
History.” The lecture will compare the scriptural Mary Magdalene and her many artistic,
fiction, and mythological manifestations.
For additional information about Southeastern’s Women’s History Month, contact
the Department of History and Political Science at 549-2413 or wrobison@southeastern.edu.
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Retiree reception scheduled
There will be a reception honoring the 2015-2016 retirees on Tuesday, March 15, at
2 p.m. in the Alumni Center.
Those being honored are: Hunter Alessi, John Baker, Clarice Blades, Mary Louise
Bostic, Don Elbers, Harvey German, Gloria Hargrove, Mary Lou Imbraguglio, Tannie Isaac,
Sandra Jenkins, Mary Jo Johnson, Keith Kennedy, Annette King, Fred Lavigne, Cynthia
Lynch, Charlotte Martin, Camille Moniotte, Scott Morrow, Linda Munchausen, Amy Oberschmidt,
Norma Perricone, Cathy Picone, Kimberly Pinion, Kathy Pittman, Marc Riedel, Donald
Sanders, Lori Smith, Paul Stoetzner, James Stringer, Kathy Sullivan, Cynthia Vernon
and Glenda White.
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Columbia Theatre presents folk artist Sierra Hull
Southeastern’s Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts will present folk artist
Sierra Hull in one performance only on March 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the downtown Hammond
theatre.
Columbia Theatre/Fanfare Director Roy Blackwood said there aren’t many 23-year-old
musicians that can say they have had a career that’s already spanned more than a decade.
“Sierra Hull was given her first mandolin at age eight. By the age of 11, Alison
Krauss had called with an invitation to the Opry stage,” he said. “By 12, Rounder
Records was expressing interest.”
Hull has also performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center,
traveled around the world sharing her music, and released three albums.
“She plays the mandolin with a degree of refined elegance and freedom that few
have achieved,” said Bela Fleck, the banjo master who produced “Weighted Mind.” “And
now her vocals and songwriting have matured to the level of her virtuosity.”
General admission tickets for the concert are $15 and are available at the Columbia
Theatre box office Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. or by phone at 543-4371.
Patrons may also get tickets online at www.columbiatheatre.org.
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Columbia Theatre to launch “Silver Screen” series
Columbia Theatre is launching its “Silver Screen” series today and tomorrow (March
7 & 8) with Sundance film festival’s documentary winner Meru. Show time is 7:30 p.m. each night, and the film is rated ‘R.’
Meru is the story of three close friends battling the elements of their lives and Mother
Nature during the harsh journey up the Shark Fin on Mount Meru, the most technically
complicated and dangerous peak in the Himalayas. The Shark Fin has never been scaled
to completion. Can these friends accomplish their feat?
Tickets are $9 adults, $7 seniors and students. Rated R.
For more information, call the box office at 543-4371.
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Southeastern Theatre to present Encore, Encore
Southeastern’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts will present Encore, Encore, a play about the life of American poet and writer Dorothy Parker. Scheduled March
8 – 11 at 7:30 p.m. each evening, the production will take place in Southeastern’s
Vonnie Borden Theatre.
The production recreates the life of Parker, a short story writer, critic, and
satirist, as written by playwright Colin Crowley. This marks the first production
of the play, winner of the 2015 Inkslinger competition. Due to mature content and
language, there is an advisory for the play.
“Southeastern Theater has done an excellent job in recent years bringing new
plays to the stage,” said Director Jeff Polito. “We are so excited to keep that tradition
going with Encore, Encore. As a Southeastern alumnus, I have enjoyed being back on my home stage directing
such a talented group of actors and working with such a professional production team.”
In the play, the audience first meets Parker as she begins her journey to literary
fame. A lowly caption writer for Vogue Magazine, she manages to amuse her way to a job as drama critic for Vanity Fair, where she quickly becomes established as a famous wit of the age.
Back home she is not a critic or a wit, but the wife of a man addicted to alcohol
and morphine as a result of his service in World War I.
“The man in question, Eddie Parker, wasn’t always a shadow of a man, but that’s
what he becomes, and Dorothy resultantly learns the hard lesson that a shadow is difficult
to embrace… always and forever slipping out of your fingers,” said Crowley.
“As Dorothy’s career surges, her personal life collapses,” he added, “her husband
becomes mired in hopelessness, but who is there to know? Dorothy is always playing
the part of the critic – a steel woman dealing in laughs, not tears, and made of barbs,
not emotions – a constant actor on a stage, maintaining a smile through encore after
encore, even when her heart is breaking, her husband is dying, and her life is collapsing.”
Southeastern students cast in the production include: Angela Griffitt of Mandeville
as Dorothy Parker; William Hyde of Loranger as Frank Crowninshield; Taylor Sinclair
of LaPlace as Robert Benchley; Matthew Dale Carona of Independence as Eddie Pond Parker
III; Bennett Cockerham of Hammond as Actor; Shelly Sneed of Minden as Actress; Neal
Eli of Luling as Robert Sherwood; and Duncan Martin of French Settlement as Charles
Macarthur.
Madison Paulus of Springfield will serve as stage manager, and Kelsey Hymel of
Biloxi will handle sound.
General admission tickets are $10; $5 for seniors and non-Southeastern students;
and free for Southeastern students with University ID. Tickets are available 30 minutes
prior to show time in the Vonnie Borden Theatre Box Office, located in the main lobby
of D Vickers Hall.
For more information, contact the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at 549-2184.
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Sociology honors society to raise awareness on plight of homeless
Southeastern’s Sociology Honors Society, Alpha Kappa Delta, will conduct tabling
events on Tuesday, March 8, to raise awareness about Florida laws that forbid feeding
the homeless.
The awareness event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the East Lobby of
the Student Union. Students will also have an opportunity to make donations and bring
cleaning supplies to benefit the House of Serenity, a local homeless shelter located
in Ponchatoula.
The group is asking students to stop by, become educated on the issues, and support
a local shelter in the process.
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Southeastern Department of Fine and Performing Arts presents Daniel Pate
Southeastern’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts will present percussionst Daniel
Pate in a recital Monday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pottle Auditorium. The event
is free and open to the public.
Pate is an active performer in New York City and the surrounding areas, including
performances in the Ojai Music Festival, the Mondavi Center, Symphony Space, and the
Abrons Center. Additionally, he has performed in the Green Umbrella Series held at
Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles.
“As an advocate of contemporary music, he has presented premiers by Paula Matthusen
and Adam Beard and has been a guest performer with the contemporary ensemble ‘Red
Fish, Blue Fish,’” according to Logan Place, instructor of trumpet and undergraduate
coordinator for Southeastern.
Along with pursuing a doctorate in contemporary music performance at Stony Brook
University in New York, Pate is a faculty member at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in
Michigan where he performs as a soloist and Chamber musician. He also serves as a
percussionist and a member of the steering committee for the New York Electroacoustic
Music Festival.
The works he will perform include pieces by composers Erik Lund, Philippe Hurel,
David Lang, Kevin Volans, James Stephenson, and Alejandro Viñao.
For more information, contact Place at 549-2184.
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Register for Emergency Alert System
Students, faculty and staff at Southeastern will be encouraged to sign up for the
university’s emergency alert system this week (March 7-11) during the Greek Week celebration.
Tables with laptop computers and staffed by Student Government Association and
representatives of student organizations will be set up in the Student Union to allow
individuals to sign up for the system immediately.
The alert system allows the university to send out messages for any emergency
on campus or in the region, including weather alerts, campus closures and other messages.
The alerts are sent via voice mail, cell phone test messages or additional e-mail
addresses.
The Southeastern Emergency Alert System allows the university to send notices
for emergencies impacting the campus or region, including weather alerts and/or campus
closures. Text messages will be sent only in true emergencies and occasionally to
test the system. Registrants will not receive notices about registration, athletics
or other events through this system. The alerts are sent via voice mail, cell phone
test messages or additional e-mail addresses. All student, faculty and staff email
accounts are preregistered with the system, but you must sign up to receive emergency
alert text messages and voice calls on your cell phone.
“It is critical that our campus community be informed whenever there is an emergency
that could possibly impact the campus,” said Erin Cowser, executive director of public
and governmental affairs. “We strongly encourage new and returning students to be
sure they are signed up for the service. Faculty and staff should also take a moment
to ensure that their information is up to date.”
Besides signing up in the union, individuals can also register on the SLU website
at southeastern.edu/about/safe_campus/index.html.
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