News
Georgia Southern to present classic ‘Hamlet’ with a modern twist
By: Matt Sowell
Security footage, Snapchats and live news teams will take over the Center for Art & Theatre this week in the Shakespearian classic, “Hamlet.”
The crew has been working on the play for over a year and the theatre staff has spent months adapting the staging and script to take place in the modern world.
“We’ve been in the pre-planning stage since April,” said Lisa Abbott, the director of the show. “I’ve been working with the script all summer. We casted the first week of school, our cast has been with us since August. We started shooting most of the film stuff in fall, and we hit rehearsal in the spring.”
Hamlet will run from April 2-9 in the Black Box Theatre located inside the Center for Arts & Theatre. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for staff and community. All performances start at 7:30 p.m. and there will be matinee on Sunday that begins at 2 p.m.
“Hamlet” is the first ever collaboration between the theatre program and multimedia film production program at Georgia Southern University.
“We have an amazing cast. Our Hamlet is Tsiambow Akuchu. Our Ophelia is a transfer student, along with our Claudius,” Abbott said. “There’s around thirty in the cast, it’s a big crew. I have one of my most seasoned stage managers and a really solid crew.”
The story itself is filled with twists and turns, and the Georgia Southern theatre department has added an entirely new element by taking characters and throwing them into the modern era.
“I think it’s about trust. That’s the theme we’ve been playing on. Hamlet doesn’t know who to trust, or what to trust, he has to make a decision based on that. We’ve set him in an environment where he’s being spied on all the time, he realizes he’s being videotaped but he doesn’t realize who’s seeing it. A lot of people think Hamlet is ‘The Lion King’, and in a way it is, we’ve just intensified,” Abbott said.
For those of us who don’t spend our time studying Shakespearean literature, here’s a guide to “Hamlet”:
(This play is over 400 years old, so yes there are spoilers. Do better.)
- Be Prepared: This play is not for the faint of heart. Unlike “The Lion King,” “Hamlet” has no epic happy ending, nor does a baby lion get raised in the air by a talking primate. Grab some tissues, because your childhood is about to be ruined.
- Summary: “Hamlet” tells the tragic tale of Prince Hamlet a.k.a. Simba, a prince with major trust issues. His mother has married his uncle Claudius a.k.a. Scar after his father, the king a.k.a. Mufasa, is murdered. He doesn’t know who or what to trust. Chaos ensues and, spoiler alert, everyone dies.
- He’s no Simba: Hamlet is kind of a jerk: He spurns his girlfriend and tells her to go to a nunnery, then (accidently) stabs and kills her father, which causes her to go crazy and commit suicide.
- Ghost Whisperer:
Mufasa’sI mean, the king’s ghost continues to make regular appearances, guiding young Hamlet to the truth in his quest for vengeance.
- Hamlet Underwood: Between a tortured prince and a scheming king, there is enough sleazy corruption in this play to put “House of Cards” to shame.
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Aren’t Dead: Despite the play’s macabre plot, the basis for Timon and Pumbaa’s characters are present to provide the occasional comic relief…although it is definitely not the “Hakuna Matata”–singing, bug-eating friendship we remember.
Hamlet opens this Wednesday and will run from April 2-9 in the Black Box Theatre located inside the Center for Arts & Theatre. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for staff and community. All performances start at 7:30 p.m. and there will be matinee on Sunday that begins at 2 p.m. Audience members are encouraged to arrive early.
This story was taken from the April 1, 2014 edition of The George-Anne (http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/arts_and_entertainment/article_2aebd5b8-aa59-5a65-8389-e69b078b6046.html)
Suarez Looks at the Bigger Picture
By: Chinyere Ikedionwu
After working with pastels for many years, Suarez has found a new passion with oil paintings. With her upcoming exhibition, Reflections on Our Time, Suarez explores how light and color is distorted through commercially produced plastic objects. By doing so, she provides a new lens in which to view objects from.
Janet Suarez in her studio. See her exhibition, Reflections on Our Time, in the Center for Art & Theatre from March 17-28th
Not only does Suarez aspire to captivate viewers with her artwork, she also wants to start a conversation about sustainability. To her, it is the small changes that
people can make that will positively effect our environment. “My goal is to draw the viewer into my art so they question what they see, encouraging them to think of how they interact with the natural world and the environmental footprint they leave behind, “ Suarez said. “Thus creating an awareness of even how small changes can create big effects.”
A native of South Florida, Suarez’s background with nature and water is reflected in each painting she creates. By utilizing an array of technical skills, as well as the use of luscious and complex colors, Suarez captivates viewers with her dynamic paintings. “My pieces are fairly contemporary, vibrant, organic, colorful, and they show pattern, movement and spatial play,“ says Suarez.
After receiving her Bachelors of Fine Art from the University of Florida and a degree in Art Education from Kennesaw State University, Suarez taught both elementary and high school art. Suarez now spends the bulk of her days working in her studio on campus, as well as teaching Georgia Southern courses as a graduate teaching assistant. She loves to teach and plans to continue teaching as a professor after completing her MFA program.
As her time winds down at Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, Suarez remembers all the great times she’s had with her classmates, faculty, and staff. “I love the camaraderie we share in the art department. The faculty is very giving with the knowledge they have accumulated. The interaction we have in this department simply can not be replaced,” said Suarez.
Reflections on our Times will be displayed in the Center for Art and Theatre from March 17-28th. To learn more about Janet Suarez, check out her blog for more information (http://janetsuarez.wordpress.com).
Rebel Finds Home with Mixed Media
By: Chinyere Ikedionwu
Max Rebel in his studio. See his exhibition, Fragmented, in the Center for Art & Theatre from March 17-28
Max Rebel is no stranger to moving around. After relocating from Germany to Georgia in 1998, Rebel eventually landed at Georgia Southern University. In 2010, Rebel received his Bachelor of Fine Art in graphic design from Georgia Southern and enrolled into the Master of Fine Art (MFA) program to study graphic design. Three semesters after his acceptance, Rebel realized that graphic design no longer held his interest. “A lot of graphic design work is client based. I wanted to do something different and develop my own content, ideas, and techniques and not just follow instructions,” Rebel said.
Rebel applied and was accepted into the MFA program for 2-Dimensional studio art. During his early semesters in the program, Rebel experimented with a wide range of 2- dimensional techniques until he arrived at his mixed media focus.
His current exhibition, Fragmented, was inspired by a journey in the community where he started to notice that certain objects stood out to him. “ During my explorations, I came across these two metal wooden door panels that were hanging in a back alley and although they were not traditionally considered art, I looked at them as these beautiful art forms on the wall that were constructed out of burnt wood and used metal that I never considered mixed media before,” said Rebel.
To inform the artwork in Fragmented, Rebel would explore various rural and urban communities in search of neglected back alleys and collapsed warehouses. Rebel’s goal was to find abandoned pieces of industrial material and manipulate the items into artwork. It was important to Rebel that each material maintains many of the same characteristics they possessed when he found it. In addition to reflecting on the impact of time and how natural phenomena changes everyday objects, Rebel also wants to highlight that humans are effected everyday as their environment alters.
Rebel now embraces change and is thankful he found his niche with mixed media. “The department always supported me through my many changes and they allowed me to just become myself,” said Rebel. The artist suggested that people should try new things and to escape their comfort zone. “If you’re not making mistakes than you’re not learning,” Rebel advised.
Fragmented will be displayed in the Contemporary Gallery, which is located within the Center for Art and Theatre. The exhibition will run from from March 17-28th with a reception being held on Friday, March 28th.
19 renowed faculty share creative works
The Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art (BFSDoArt) presents the 2013 Faculty Exhibition from November 15 through December 13 in the Contemporary Gallery at Georgia Southern University’s Center for Art & Theatre. The exhibition includes an artist lecture by new faculty member Sarah Bielski, on Wednesday, November 20, at 5 p.m. in the Visual Arts Building, Room 2071. A reception for this exhibition will be held on Thursday, December 5, at 5 p.m. in the Center for Art & Theatre. At this time, visitors will have the opportunity to meet and discuss art with faculty of the Department.
This exhibition will feature the work of 19 renowned faculty in all disciplines and reflects each artist’s academic specialty as well as their individual endeavors. “Many of these artists are unique because they spend a great deal of time and energy with their students. Yet, they still manage to continue their own studio practice and produce great work,” said Gallery Director Marc Mitchell. “Many of our faculty members are known both locally and nationally. Having an exhibition such as this allows us to highlight their artistic achievements. In addition, it is a fantastic way for both students and the local community to see all of their works in one space.”
This year the BFSDoArt welcomes two new faculty members, Sarah Bielski and Kimberly Riner, who will be exhibiting alongside Donald Armel, Jessica Burke, Patricia Carter, Elsie Taliaferro Hill, Jessica Hines, Derek Larson, Christina Lemon, Santanu Majumdar, Julie McGuire, Marc Mitchell, Hans Mortensen, Marc Moulton, Onyile B. Onyile, Ed Rushton, Jeff Schmuki, Tiffanie Townsend and Pat Walker.
Comic book superheroes tackle race, identity
The Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art (BFSDoArt) presents Narrowing the Margin, the 2013 Fall Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) thesis exhibition of Julian Strayhorn II, from November 15 through December 13 in the University Gallery at Georgia Southern University’s Center for Art & Theatre. The Department will host a reception on Thursday, December 5, at 5 p.m. in the Center for Art & Theatre. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the M.F.A. candidate, as well as discuss the ideas and imagery that shaped his work.
Narrowing the Margin investigates aspects of race and identity through comic-book imagery. Often inserting African-American figures within traditional comics, Strayhorn challenges socialized concepts of black identity. By installing large-scale African-American comic characters on facades of buildings, Strayhorn poses questions to the community regarding how history informs the present commentary on what society recognizes and what it overlooks.
“Like many within the graphic-design industry, Julian has become interested in utilizing public space to present information and elicit a response,” said Ed Rushton, BFSDoArt associate professor of graphic design. “This exhibition is a wonderful example of a student who is exploring all of the facets and possibilities of graphic design, from traditional print to installation and social awareness and even digital media.”
Dedicated to serving the public of southeast Georgia and the University community, the BFSDoArt is geared toward an interdisciplinary interpretation of art and culture.
“The Department’s Master of Fine Art graduate program is extremely diverse and offers degree specialization in two- and three-dimensional art, as well as graphic design,” said Marc Moulton, the director of the Department’s M.F.A. program. “Courses are specifically tailored to develop the professional practices necessary for contemporary artists. Our graduate-student body is dynamic, energetic and passionately focused on creating work that reflects its broad interests.”