Theatre, lectures, music and art kick off Southeastern's Fanfare
Thursday, September 21, 2017
by: Tonya Lowentritt
HAMMOND – Music, lectures, a theatre production and an art exhibit are just some of
the events providing the opening flourish for the 32nd season of Fanfare, Southeastern
Louisiana University’s annual fall arts festival.
“With over three decades of Fanfare, we are excited to continue the celebration
of arts and culture that were at the heart of Fanfare’s beginning. Through this festival,
our community has had access to many life-enriching events,” said Roy Blackwood, director
of Fanfare and the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts and Fanfare.
Kicking off with the lecture series “Generations of Struggle: Perspectives on
Race and Justice from Reconstruction to the Present,” the tradition of excellence
will continue this year with everything from favorite events generated on campus to
nationally known acts, Blackwood said.
Upcoming lectures of the four-week series, “Generations of Struggle,” are scheduled
Sept. 28 and Oct. 5. All lectures in the series are free and scheduled at 6:30 p.m.
in the Hammond Library.
Also on Sept. 28 is a concert by Southeastern’s Wind Symphony. “There’s a First
Time for Everything” is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. in the Columbia Theatre in downtown
Hammond. The concert features a variety of music from Gustav Holst, Samuel Barber,
and American composer Andrew Boss, all linked by a common theme.
Tickets are general admission $10 adults; $5 faculty, staff, seniors and non-Southeastern
students. Southeastern students are admitted free with university ID.
Southeastern Theatre will present “for colored girls who have considered suicide
when the rainbow is enuf” Oct. 3 – 6. Scheduled at 7:30 p.m. each night, this award-winning
and shockingly honest portrayal of the inner and outer life of an American black woman
will come to Southeastern’s Vonnie Borden Theatre.
Tickets can be purchased one hour before performance time from the Vonnie Borden
Theatre box office located in the lobby of D Vickers Hall. General admission tickets
are $15; $10 for seniors and non-Southeastern students; Southeastern students are
admitted free with university ID.
On Oct. 4, the Department of History and Political Science’s free “Then and Now
Lecture Series” officially kicks off its 17th presentation of free lectures. This
year’s series features Louisiana and its role in World War II.
The lecture series is sponsored by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social
Sciences, the Department of History and Political Science and the Center for Southeast
Louisiana Studies.
First up is a lecture by James Linn, curator of the National World War II Museum in
New Orleans. “The Pelican State Goes to War – Louisiana during World War II: The Special
Exhibit at the National World War II Museum 2017-18,” will be presented at 1 p.m.
in Pottle Auditorium.
Southeastern’s Opera/Music Theatre Workshop will present “A Night on Broadway”
on Oct. 5. Scheduled at 7:30 p.m. in Columbia Theatre, the production will feature
Southeastern’s finest for one night only performing Broadway solos and ensembles with
an on-stage orchestra.
General admission tickets are $21 adults; $18 faculty, staff seniors and non-Southeastern
students; and $8 for children 12 and under. Southeastern students are admitted free
with university ID.
Rounding out the week is free art exhibit opening at the Hammond Regional Art
Center, located at 217 E. Thomas Street in downtown Hammond. Scheduled Oct. 6 at 5
p.m., the opening will highlight the fifth installment of the exhibit “Seldom Seen,”
which showcases artwork from private collections in the Florida Parishes. Curated
by Pat Macaluso and Denise Tullier-Holly, the exhibit will include works from several
significant Louisiana artists.
Fanfare tickets are on sale at the Columbia/Fanfare box office, 220 E. Thomas
Street, 985-543-4371. The box office is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
and one hour prior to Columbia performances. For a complete schedule, contact the
Columbia/Fanfare office at 985-543-4366 or visit columbiatheatre.org.
