Join Michigan Tech Art tonight (Dec. 2) in the Rozsa Art Galleries from 5-7 p.m. for a student artist reception for “Thick as Thieves.” This end-of-semester showcase features works of art by students in sculpture and design classes. The showcase features the artwork of students from diverse majors including mechanical engineering, applied ecology, biomedical engineering, theatre entertainment and technology, cybersecurity and physics!
Featured artists include:
Gibryn Arney | Lily Atton-Doornbos | Mykaela Cayemberg | Jack Colwell | Nikki Donley | Tara Estrada | Ferran Delgado Garcia | Faith D. Gaertner | Abby Jurewicz | Cas Mankowski | John Mazur | Riley Nelson | Seth M. Olson | Audrey Schulte | Casey Smith | Josie M. Stalmack | Madalyn R. Tudor-Duncan | Frida A. Visser
The event is coordinated by Rozsa Art Gallery Director Terry Frew and Associate Chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts Lisa Gordillo.
What to Expect:
Enjoy refreshments. Meet the student artists in a relaxed environment. See fantastic, student-made art.
Details:
Who: The studio talk is free and open to the public, faculty, staff and students.
When: Friday, Dec. 2, from 5-7 p.m.
Where: Rozsa Art Galleries (located on the lower level of the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts)
Can’t make it tonight? Come see the exhibit today (Dec. 2) through Tuesday (Dec. 6) in the Rozsa Art Galleries.
After your wood-stacking and sauna, please join the Superior Wind Symphony under the baton of Mike Christianson, director of bands at Michigan Tech, for an evening of music from the most upper of peninsula: Scandinavia! Rest in warm assurance that the composers will be Scandinavian, and at least some of the music will represent events/feelings that happen in winter.
The lineup for “Hygge – Music of Scandinavian Composers” will include a sneak peek into the Michigan Tech Theatre’s spring musical — “Chess,” written by two members of the Swedish supergroup ABBA — and pieces by Finnish, Danish and Norwegian composers. Christianson also snuck in a cozy holiday song or two to fill out that hygge feeling!
The Superior Wind Symphony is an auditioned ensemble of winds and percussion that performs the music of composers spanning five centuries, living and not, from all genders, ethnicities and genres. Members come from disciplines across campus, with this concert’s performers representing the College of Engineering, College of Sciences and Arts, and College of Computing.
Get Tickets
Get tickets online, by calling 906-487-1906, at the Rozsa Box Office from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, or for one hour before shows in the McArdle Box Office. Michigan Tech students can reserve free Experience Tech tickets online and Student Rush will be available at the door.
Details:
What: “Hygge – Music of Scandinavian Composers” performed by the Superior Wind Symphony
When: Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: McArdle Theatre (located on the second floor of the Walker Arts and Humanities Center)
Cost: $15 Adults | $5 Youth Under 18 | Free Student Rush
After a heartwarming opening night, you have three more chances to see “A Christmas Carol,” written by Charles Dickens, adapted to the stage by Romulus Linney and presented by Michigan Tech Theatre this weekend.
The beloved holiday classic, directed by Trish Helsel, boasts a Tech Theatre Company cast of nearly 40 local youth, Keweenaw community members, and Michigan Tech faculty, staff and students. “A Christmas Carol” will lift holiday spirits at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Dec. 2) and tomorrow (Dec. 3), with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday (Dec. 4).
From the first “Bah, Humbug!” to the final, “God bless us, everyone,” this performance will delight audiences of all ages as they join Ebenezer Scrooge on his journey of transformation and redemption.
“The Charles Dickens classic has long been a Christmas favorite; the story is much more universal in its message,” says Helsel, professor of theatre at Michigan Tech. “I chose this stage adaptation because it does not paint Ebenezer Scrooge as a villain, but rather someone broken by a series of devastating life events. Our production focuses on Scrooge’s ability to accept his past and embrace the present.”
The strength of the Keweenaw community, its overwhelming artistic talent and phenomenal young people were at the forefront of Helsel’s mind as she chose this year’s holiday show. “The show was chosen as a community-centered production with a cast of Michigan Tech students, faculty and community members,” says Helsel. “It has been a pleasure to work with this lot of youngsters, who range in age from 4 to 17 years. It is exciting to be a part of their induction into a professional theatre setting. Children are such fast learners! They have picked up the British dialects with ease, and they memorize quickly. Most importantly, they bring a sense of joy to the process.”
Get Tickets
Get tickets online, by calling 906-487-1906, at the Rozsa Box Office from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, or for one hour before shows. Michigan Tech students can reserve free Experience Tech tickets online, and Student Rush will be available at the door.
Details:
What: “A Christmas Carol,” written by Charles Dickens, adapted to the stage by Romulus Linney
When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2 and 3, and 2 p.m. Dec. 4
Where: Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
Cost: $20 Adults | $5 Youth Under 18 | Free Student Rush
Join us this Halloween season at the Quincy Mine for a haunted experience that you won’t forget! Tram will run about every 20 minutes from 6-10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.quincymine.com, and it is HIGHLY recommended to do so, as the tours sell out quickly! Youth under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult.
Content Considerations // jumpscares, flickering and strobing lights, loud sounds, and fog, appropriate clothing and comfortable footwear that can handle some dirt is strongly suggested.
ABOUT
Michigan Tech Theatre creates entertainment events for the Keweenaw, sharing the creative and scholarly work of students and faculty from the Department of Visual and Performing Arts.
Kent A. Cyr, Associate Professor, is the Technical Director at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI. He teaches courses in Technical Construction, Stagecraft, Rigging, Stage Mechanics, and Properties Artisanship. He is the director of the B.S. in Theatre and Entertainment Technology program. He is a member of the USITT Tech Expo committee and active in the Technical Production commission, Education commission, and the Emerging Creatives Showcase. In KCACTF region III, he is the Festival Technical Director, and a respondent to the technical load-in process. He has worked at Spoleto Festival USA, Bard Summerscape, The La Jolla Playhouse, Cyco Scenic, and continues to work professionally with Technical Theatre Solutions.
What are you doing this Monday night 10/24 at 6 ET? Grab a bite with Mike Christianson, Associate Professor, Visual and Performing Arts and Director of Bands at Michigan Tech. Joining in will be two members of the Huskies Pep Band and Superior Wind Symphony, Matt Bettwy (mechanical engineering) and Laura Bufanda (theatre and entertainment technology), both who will be graduating with their bachelor’s degrees in December. They are the featured guests on Husky Bites, Tech’s free, interactive webinar series. Learn something new in just 30 minutes or so, with time after for Q&A! Get the full scoop and register at mtu.edu/huskybites.
Read more about Mike, Laura, Matt and Husky Bites on the College of Engineering blog.
The Rozsa Galleries open their fall exhibit, “Arabesque: The Art of Clement Yeh and Tomas Co,” this Friday, September 23. Focused on dance and movement, “Arabesque” brings the works of Canadian artist Clement Yeh and local artist and Michigan Tech Professor Emeritus Tomas Co.
Yeh’s piece, “Movement in Time and Space,” is an immersive drawing environment stretching 56 feet long and six feet tall. A member of the Visual Arts faculty at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada, Yeh’s practice focuses on drawing, sculpture and drafting. He is a passionate advocate for the supporting the role that art plays in personal growth, confronting social issues and uplifting the quality of life in society.
Co is a contemporary local artist whose work began as watercolor and sumi-e ink paintings and later expanded into sculptural and digital art. Although his primary career was as a chemical engineering professor at Michigan Tech, Co has kept an active parallel artistic endeavor. His work has appeared in local solo exhibits and a few juried shows nationally. His artistic motivation is to satisfy a need for personal expression and a need to make sense of the confusing, exciting, yet sometimes depressing current events and human conditions. His metal sculptures, featured in “Arabesque,” are symbolic representations of the fluidity of dance.
Inspired by ballet and dance, you can meet Yeh and Co during an artist reception that will precede the October 28 performance of American Ballet Theatre at the Rozsa Center. Plan to enjoy refreshments, meet the artists in a relaxed environment and learn about how they go from inspiration to the final pieces you see.
Details:
- Exhibit: “Arabesque: The Art of Clement Yeh and Tomas Co”
- Dates: Friday, Sept. 23, through Friday, Nov. 4
- Location: Rozsa Galleries A-Space, lower level of the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
- Artist Reception: 5-7 p.m. Friday, Oct 28, in the Rozsa Galleries
This program/lecture is partially funded/sponsored by the Visiting Professor Program, which is funded by a grant to the Office of the Provost from the state of Michigan’s King-Chávez-Parks Initiative.
Audition announcement for Tech Theatre’s, A Christmas Carol.
Audition details:
Students and Adult Community Members:
Monday or Tuesday, September 26-27, 6:30-8:00 or 8:00-9:30 pm
Walker 207 (McArdle Theatre)
Please do the following before you audition:
Sign up for a 90-minute slot on Monday or Tuesday
Fill out an audition form
You will be notified by email which audition time slot you are confirmed for by Sunday evening.
We will do introductions and a short warm-up, then we will have everyone read scenes from the play. A copy of the script can be found here: A Christmas Carol Script
Children:
Wednesday, September 28
Walker 210
4-6 years old – 5:00-5:45 pm
7-12 years old – 5:45-6:45 pm
13-17 years old – 7:00-8:00 pm
Parents – Please fill out an Audition Form and Release Form before your child auditions.
Production Details:
Production dates/times:
December 1-3, 7:30 pm, Rozsa Center
December 4, 2:00 pm, Rozsa Center
Rehearsals:
Rehearsal may begin as soon as Thursday, September 29
Rehearsals will generally be Sunday – Thursday evenings, 6:30-9:30, but that is subject to change depending on the responses to this audition form, and we may accommodate an earlier rehearsal for scenes with children.
We expect to release children as early as possible, except for the final dress rehearsals.
Once the production goes into technical rehearsal (beginning November 14th) rehearsals will take place every day beginning as early as 5:00pm and ending as late as 11:00pm. There may be rehearsals on the 18th and 27th of November (Friday, of the beginning of Thanksgiving Break and Sunday, the end of Break).
Following the final performance on December 4th, actors are expected to remain to help with striking the set, putting away costumes, cleaning the dressing rooms, and other tasks.
Roles:
A Christmas Carol has a seemingly large cast with “named” roles. However, we plan to have some actors play more than one role, and all will be part of the ensemble. Some roles may be cast against the assumed gender in the script.
Roles for Adults:
Ebenezer Scrooge
Bob Cratchit
Fred (Scrooge’s nephew)
Marley (Ghost of . . . )
Julia (Fred’s wife)
Lucy (Julia’s sister)
“Gentleman”
Caroline
Caroline’s Husband
The Ghost of Christmas Past
The Ghost of Christmas Present
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Fan
Mr. Fezziwig
Mrs. Fezziwig
Belle
Fezziwig Daughters
Suitors
Mrs. Cratchet
Peter (Cratchet’s son)
Belinda (Cratchet’s daughter)
Old man and woman in Park
Mr. Topper
Ignorance
Want
“Businessmen”
Old Joe
Charwoman
Undertaker’s Woman
Laundress
Roles expected to be filled by children (although youthful adults may be considered!):
Young Scrooge (12-14)
Boy Scrooge (8-10)
Boys at the Crossroads (8-12)
Fezziwig Daughters
Cratchet Children
Gillian
Miranda
Martha
Tiny Tim
For questions regarding the audition schedule and times, please contact the stage manager, Laurel Schmidt laurels@mtu.edu
For questions regarding the play, please contact the director, Trish Helsel helsel@mtu.edu
Visual and Performing Arts welcomes Terri Jo Frew as an Assistant Teaching Professor of Art.
Terri is a practicing contemporary artist and professor. Originally from Canada, she holds a Master of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Fiber Arts from Concordia University (Montréal), and exhibits her art internationally. Always working conceptually, her favorite methods of expression include (but aren’t limited to) embroidery and drawing.
Terri Frew
Through her art, Terri is interested in contributing to the contemporary dialogue concerned with breaking down boundaries between art and craft. By utilizing materials and processes from Fiber Arts (textiles) and Illustration- media commonly considered to be from the realm of craft- in concert with conceptual content, she hopes to confront and challenge antiquated notions of art media hierarchy.
We are thrilled to welcome Terri Frew as full-time art faculty and our new gallery director. Terri is an exceptional teacher and a dedicated artist. Her drawings, paintings, and embroideries are dynamic and thought-provoking. She brings a fresh new perspective to our program.
Visual and Performing Arts announces two new sound faculty that have joined the department. Jeff Sherwood, Assistant Professor of Sound, and Michael Maxwell, Assistant Teaching Professor.
Jeff Sherwood (he/him) is a professional theatre artist and educator specializing in sound design, music composition, and audio engineering. He strives to bring original and innovative ideas in collaboration with creative teams in the art of storytelling. He has worked in New York City at Off-Broadway theatres including The Public Theater, The New Group, Signature Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theatre Company, and others. During the past few summers, he has worked as Audio Supervisor at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, where his affinity for sound design for new puppetry, music theatre, and play development continues to grow, and where he will be returning this year as the Resident Sound Designer for the National Playwrights Conference.
He is thrilled to be joining the sound program at Michigan Technological University as an Assistant Professor of Sound in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts and is eager to collaborate with colleagues and students on future projects. He enjoys mentoring and fueling the passion of the rising generation of sound artists and engineers, and is regularly invited to teach sound design masterclasses and workshops at the National Theater Institute. He previously held the faculty position of Teacher-Scholar Postgraduate Fellow in Sound Design at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. He received his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Theatre Sound from Purdue University, and his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theatre Design and Production from Oklahoma City University.
Recent awards include the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Robert E. Cohen Sound Achievement Award for Young Designers, Managers, and Technicians in the Performing Arts, as well as the Purdue University Excellence in Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching Assistants in 2020. He was also a national finalist for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in 2012 and 2014. He is an active member of the USITT Sound Commission, Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA), Audio Engineering Society (AES), and is an Associated Crafts and Technicians (ACT) member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). His Korean American heritage inspires his interests in traveling, exploring new cultures, and keeping local restaurants in business. View and hear his work at www.sherwoodsound.com.
We are excited that Jeff Sherwood is bringing his expertise in composing with virtual instruments as well as in depth experience with New York City theatrical production to Michigan Tech. We are extremely lucky to have attracted new faculty with this level of creative and technical skill and experience.
Michael Maxwell, MFA
Michael Maxwell is a sound/media artist, audio engineer, and educator with an interest in audio/visual synthesis, music and sound effects recording, mixing, and media art installation. Maxwell received his Master of Fine Arts in Mass Communication & Media Arts from Southern Illinois University and is an Academic Leadership Fellow through University of Central Oklahoma’s Educators’ Leadership Academy.
Maxwell has worked in post production audio for SyFy Channel, Historia Pictures, and various independent filmmakers with works shown in dozens of film festivals internationally. Recently, Maxwell has been a live sound mixer for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, John DaVersa & His Small Band, Emily Rhyne & The Oklahoma Legacy Band, and AdaFest Music Festival. Current media art pieces include Aggregate Voices, an audio installation series shown in the Pogue Gallery in Ada, OK and After Hunts Spiral, which was installed in the Over the Structures Exhibition at Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea. Portfolio Link https://www.mgmaxwell.net/
Mike Maxwell brings experience in synthesizers, art installations, and video broadcast to the VPA department. This will provide our students with more creative opportunities and expand on numerous cross campus collaborations.
The Department of Visual and Performing Arts has announced its student award and scholarship recipients. Each year, a nomination and selection process is conducted by VPA faculty and staff with input from department students to identify outstanding student achievement. Below is a list of recognized students.
Department Scholar: Madison Wentela
Madi Wentela is a Theatre and Entertainment Technology major/Art minor scheduled to graduate in April 2023. She is an active, engaged member of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, whose scholarship, artistry, and leadership is a model for other students. Her interests span theatre, visual art, art history, and museum studies. In our department, Madi frequently serves in a leadership role. Most recently, she served as the Stage Manager for the theatre production of The Arsonists, and as a Student Gallery Assistant for the Rozsa Galleries. There, she has led the installation of more than twelve exhibits over the past three years, including the exhibit Hero City: Portraits of Modern Mongolia, which took place in five different venues on campus. Madi is an inquisitive, thoughtful student, and a leader both in class and out.
Student of Promise, and Theatre Award: Laurel Schmidt
Laurel is a 3rd year Theatre and Entertainment Technology major from Saline, Michigan. Her recent projects have included co-assistant stage managing “The Arsonists”, directing one of the one act plays, “Shaped By You” and acting as Lilith in “She Kills Monsters”. Outside of the theatre department, she is vice president of Mu Beta Psi National Honorary Musical Fraternity along with enjoying hiking and exploring waterfalls around the Keweenaw.
All Arts: Bebe Villanueva
Bebe is from Bangor, Michigan, and is in his fourth year of Theatre and Entertainment Technology with emphasis in Media and Crafts. He is a multimedia artist creating work in multiple mediums, focusing on digital media. His work consists of personal endeavors such as 2D animation, photography, video production, editing, directing, music, and crocheting. He has contributed to many media projects held by Michigan Tech such as, camera operation for Miasma, content creation for projections for She Kills Monsters, animations and special effects for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, and being Video Lead for Talking With. He wants to continue his work combining multiple art forms and create future works of art, music, and media. Currently he is venturing into 3D animation with Unreal Engine and Blender to create landscapes suitable for live productions and projections.
Arts: Maisie Whitaker
Maisie is from Hart, Michigan and is a third year Theatre and Entertainment Technology major with an Art minor. She has emphasis areas in mechanical and crafts. She’s had the opportunity lead installations and work with many artists as a gallery assistant in the Rozsa gallery. She also assists in the scene shop on special projects. She has found a lot of joy working on many productions with our department, most recently as the head of props for “She Kills Monsters”.
Sound: Matthew Anderson
Matt is a 4th year Audio Production Technology major from Midland, MI. Over the last two semesters he has been doing loudspeaker research as well as being a TA for several courses. During his time as a TA he was able to help other students reach there creative goals by giving them the tools necessary for the job and pushing people to use everything they have access to. Over the past several summers he has honed his live sound skills by working full time as a Systems and Mix engineer.
Milton Olsson Music Award: Jordan Zais
Jordan is a 3rd year Biomedical Engineering student from Excelsior, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. She has been a part of the conScience Chamber Choir at Tech since Fall 2019 and has greatly enjoyed it and plans to continue participating until she graduates next spring. Outside of choir, Jordan participates in student organizations like Keweenaw Pride and Tau Beta Pi. After graduation, Jordan is planning to attend nursing school to become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and hopes to make reproductive healthcare and education more inclusive and accessible to everyone.
Music: Sarah Kempin
Sarah is a chemical engineering senior from Midland, Michigan, and is graduating with her bachelors this spring. She has always had a love for music, and has been playing the flute since the 4th grade. During her time at Michigan Tech she has played flute in the Superior Wind Symphony, the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, and the Pit Orchestra. She has also started and conducted a local handbell choir. In addition to her musical endeavors, Sarah has been involved with Concordia Student Ministries, Circle K International, and Residence Education. Upon graduation Sarah will be entering industry to work as a process engineer.
Marian and John Irish Award for Environmental Art: Madalyn Tudor-Duncan
Madalyn Tudor-Duncan is an Applied Ecology major and an art minor. Her work frequentlyconnects arts and environmental issues. As a member of the 2022 Advanced Sculpture class, she developed large-scale sculptures that focused on inclusivity and touch, showcased in the student Rozsa gallery exhibit, Perpetual Motion Machine. In 2022-23, Madalyn will develop new works of art that bring together her studies in ecology and painting as part of the course, Art and Nature.
The Jazz Award recipients can be viewed here.
Congratulations to the award recipients and best wishes to all of our graduating seniors.