Saint Louis University Visual and Performing Arts Department

Student news! Senior Music Minor (voice) Lily Kinnison will be joining the elite Basilica Schola Cantorum, a fully professional 12-voice vocal ensemble dedicated to the Catholic repertoire of the “Golden Age of Church Music”, the 16th and 17th centuries, including polyphony and Gregorian chant. The Schola leads the congregation in sacred music at the weekly 10:00 a.m. Mass each Sunday and at additional special liturgies throughout the choir year. Congratulations, Lily!

Lily is pictured here at the recent Visual and Performing Arts Open House with Music program director Dr. Aaron Johnson and voice coordinator Stephanie Tennill. Photo by Sara Rae Womack.

For more information, visit
https://cathedralstl.org/about-basilica/sacred-music

BIG NEWS! 📢 Local favorite Anita Jackson plays Lena Younger in the SLU Theatre & Dance production of A Raisin in the Sun! ☀️

Set on Chicago’s South Side, Lorraine Hansberry's celebrated play concerns the divergent dreams and conflicts in three generations of the Younger family. This portrait of one family’s struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration. Directed by guest artist Kathryn Bentley.

A Raisin in the Sun runs October 3-5 at The Grandel. One weekend only! Tickets available NOW! https://www.metrotix.com/events/detail/slu-theatre-a-raisin-in-the-sun

Stay tuned to learn the rest of the cast...

Anita Jackson appears in this production through a special agreement with Actors' Equity Association.

“A Raisin in the Sun” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Concert alert! 📢 Kahil El’Zabar’s Ritual Trio performs at SLU on September 21!

In 1974, the celebrated percussionist and bandleader Dr. Kahil El’Zabar began creating music dedicated to fusing Black American musical vernacular, traditional African rhythm and instrumentation, and forward-thinking sonic motifs. Fifty years later, El’Zabar and his ever-evolving ensembles (including Ethnic Heritage Ensemble) are still going strong, regularly serving up some of the most electrifying spiritual jazz across the United States and beyond.

Sonically, Ritual Trio are known for its tight, trance-like rhythmic foundation, innovative harmonics and counterpoint, and deeply-honed group interplay. Their performances are heavy and transportative: pulsating drums and kalimba, blaring brass and sax, interlocking grooves, and El’Zabar’s animated and quasi-shamanic command of the stage all collide.

Presented in partnership with New Music Circle. Tickets available now! https://newmusiccircle.org/2024/08/25/Kahil-ElZabars-Ritual-Trio/

Happy first day of classes, Billikens! We celebrated the start of the semester yesterday with the Department of Visual and Performing Arts Open House. Student, faculty, and staff gathered to catch up, play games, make friendship bracelets, enjoy frozen treats, and decorate t-shirts with our new name. Even Woody the Campus Dog showed up!

Photos by Sara Rae Womack

Happy opening to Associate Professor of Music and Vocal Coordinator Stephanie Tennill and the company of Into the Woods at Union Avenue Opera! Professor Tennill plays Jack's Mother in the company of esteemed musicians and actors.

Join Cinderella, Jack, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and more as they cross paths with a baker and his wife on their quest through the woods. Who will live happily ever after and who will learn that magic comes at a price? But be careful what you wish for, because there’s a witch who’s out to get them, and a giant who’s not too happy about a beanstalk. Don’t miss this witty and whimsical show that will make you laugh, cry, and think twice before venturing into the woods.

Performances are August 16, 17, 23, and 24. Purchase tickets today!
https://unionavenueopera.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/ #/events/a0SKY000000wk9K2AQ

Auditions and technical interviews are next week! 🤩 Have you signed up yet?

SLU students, faculty, and staff are invited to take part in our two fall productions, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun and a new adaptation of Three Sisters by program director Lucy Cashion. ALL St. Louis community members are also invited to audition for A Raisin in the Sun!

Auditions take place August 21 and 22 in Xavier Hall. Click the link below to sign up today!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHWAWjMqEjWz2HcB-J7PHsJNR6q8KXMoBYBxd0CntkkDKohQ/viewform

Pictured, SLU Theatre students Morgan Schindler and Russell Marvel Ho**er Jr. in the Fall 2023 production of Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones. Photo by ProPhotoSTL

Don't miss this free performance from SLU Music faculty member Patrick Rafferty at Saint Louis Art Museum!

Start your Friday evening with a performance of Spanish music by guitarist Patrick Rafferty. Presented by Early Music Missouri, the performance will include Renaissance and Baroque dances and other music complementing Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800. Enjoy drinks from a cash bar, and make sure to visit the exhibition, which is free on Fridays.

https://www.slam.org/event/slam-social-an-evening-of-spanish-guitar/

Thinking back to last year's ice cream social 🥰🍦

Come to the SLU Department of Visual and Performing Arts Open House! Join us for a fun gathering with crafts, music, and free ice cream! Check out what we’re all about, get creative with some hands-on activities, chill with tasty treats, and chat with your fellow artsy students, faculty, and staff. Bring your friends and have a blast!

The VPA Open House takes place on Tuesday, August 20 from 1-3 pm on the Pruellage lawn next to Xavier Annex.

Studio Art Program Director Amy Alton Bautz has been named as a finalist for British Council ELTons Innovation Awards for "Colour Your English!" a book that she co-authored with collaborator Stephanie Hirschman.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in November. Join us in congratulating Amy for this honor!

About the book:
Every language learner dreams of being able to join in with everyday conversations in real-life contexts, but it can be difficult to remember the words you need and use them naturally. Colour Your English! offers a unique way of noticing, recording, and activating useful collocations, the basic building blocks of language, and phrases that really lend colour to the way we speak.

Each of the twelve units is centred around a location in a town, and in each unit, students review and extend more than thirty collocations with common verbs and nouns while practising listening and speaking skills. The central activity—colouring a scene—tests recall and provides an attractive and user-friendly permanent record of target language for revision. The speaking activities have been designed to boost confidence and fluency for B1/B2 students in real-life situations.

To purchase a copy, visit
https://perceptiapress.com/books/colour_your_english/colour_your_english.html

Come to the SLU Department of Visual and Performing Arts Open House! Join us for a fun gathering with crafts, music, and free ice cream! Check out what we’re all about, get creative with some hands-on activities, chill with tasty treats, and chat with your fellow artsy students, faculty, and staff. Bring your friends and have a blast!

The VPA Open House takes place on Tuesday, August 20 from 1-3 pm on the Pruellage lawn next to Xavier Annex.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out ROMANOV FAMILY YARD SALE from ERA. It's a real yard sale and a real theatre play! The cast and production team is filled with SLU Theatre faculty, students, and alumni. Produced and directed by Program Director Lucy Cashion with lighting design by Assistant Professor Denisse Chavez.

This production runs through July 20. Tickets available now!
https://metrotix.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=ERA04JUL24&linkID=metro

Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator Sara Rae Womack recently traveled to Chicago to attend the Theatre Communications Group National Conference. In addition to taking part in valuable sessions, she visited The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and attended the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Hot Wing King at Writers Theatre.

The closing plenary session focused on the long-lasting impact of legendary playwright and activist Lorraine Hansberry. SLU Theatre & Dance will produce Hansberry's celebrated play A Raisin in the Sun October 3-5, 2024 at The Grandel.

Hold up! Have you signed up for auditions yet? Auditions for A RAISIN IN THE SUN and THREE SISTERS take place on August 21 and 22 in Xavier Hall. All SLU community members are invited to audition, including faculty and staff. You don't have to be a major or minor to audition!

Sign up today!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LG9Z4wL0mS-rWgHOvw8Jd7JznQpxnwOaozaAgSiLsh4/viewform?edit_requested=true

A Raisin in the Sun is directed by Kathryn Bentley and runs October 3-5, 2024 at The Grandel.

Three Sisters is adapted and directed by Lucy Cashion and runs November 14-17, 2024 at Xavier Hall, Main Stage Theatre.

Pictured, Jake Santhuff and Lauren Tubbe in Thornton Wilder's OUR TOWN, directed by Gaby Rodriguez in November 2023. Photo by ProPhotoSTL.

It may be summer, but our expert faculty are still hard at work! Vocal Coordinator and Associate Professor of Music Stephanie Tennill recently served on faculty for the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Sing Out vocal camp.

Through daily private lessons, master classes with Opera Theatre’s celebrated music staff and visiting artists, conversations with singers from the Gerdine Young Artists Program, and workshops in acting, auditioning, diction, and movement, students experience what it is like to be a professional performer. The week culminates in a recital and theater scene performance for friends and family!

From Professor Tennill, "What a wonderful time I had last month working with the talented singers and alongside the esteemed faculty at OTSL's SING OUT! Vocal Camp! A heartfelt thank you to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Program Director Marc Schapman for the opportunity to be a part of such an enriching and inspiring program. A huge 🎶CONGRATULATIONS🎶 to the AWESOME students for their incredible work and engaging performances!"

Welcome to the Visual and Performing Arts Department of Saint Louis University (formerly the Department of Fine and Performing Arts) - new name, same creative thinkers and makers. This name change is the result of an intentional process we, the faculty, staff, and students of the department, engaged in to better describe who we are and what we do. It acknowledges that the word "fine", when applied to the arts, carries with it assumptions and exclusions too limiting for ourselves or our work as a department. We find inspiration in materials, movement, music, performance, research, and writing, which is better expressed as "visual and performing" arts. We imagine our artmaking, research, and work with students will continue to expand and want our name to reflect that potential for growth and inclusion. We welcome you to join us as we explore the impact of the arts on the Saint Louis University campus and beyond and continue to broaden the ways we communicate, collaborate, and create.

Photo by Sarah Conroy

Mark your calendars! Music faculty member Patrick Raffery, guitar, will perform with Venezuelan poet and artist Waleska Font at the Sach's Museum, on the campus of the Missouri Botanical Garden. This event will feature Waleska introducing her poetry as a set of companion pieces to "Sacred Crop". This commission by the Sach's Museum is featured in the current exhibit, Kernels of Culture: Maize Around the World. Patrick will be providing a selection of modern guitar pieces before each poem. The entire performance will last about 30 minutes and will be a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a walk through the beautiful gardens and take in a unique performance.

There are two performances, which take place at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturday, June 29. Free with admission to the garden. Seating is limited.

For more information, visit https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/media/news-releases/article/2813/missouri-botanical-garden-announces-latest-museum-exhibition-kernels-of-culture

Directed by Theatre & Dance Program Director Lucy Cashion!

Polite Apocalypse is an experimental film that stitches together three longform music videos into a surreal narrative about a New Year's Eve party during the end of the world. The film features three Sleepy Kitty songs: 'How's the New Job Debbie?' 'Blessing/Curse,' and 'Bigger Picture.' These songs served as the creative impetus for the whole work, which, through months of workshopping with the ensemble, expanded into a loose, cinematic adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Platonov.

Friday, June 14 for one night only. Check it out!

‼️One Night Only‼️

ERA presents
in collaboration with Sleepy Kitty and Blip Blap Video

POLITE APOCALYPSE (a rough-cut screening)
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Join us on June 14 at the 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis (Gallery 2) for this can't miss screening!
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Tickets 🎟️ available on ERA's website
www.eratheatre.org/event-details/polite-apocalypse

Enjoying today's beautiful weather? Head over to Shakespeare Glen to check out As You Like It by St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. Directed by Associate Professor Nancy Bell with lighting design by Assistant Professor Denisse Chavez, with a cast that features faculty member Joel Moses, Theatre alum Greg Cuellar, and our guest director for the upcoming production of A Raisin in the Sun, Kathryn Bentley. Performances run through June 23!

O wonderful, wonderful, and most wonderful wonderful!
And yet again wonderful...

HAPPY OPENING to the company of AS YOU LIKE IT 🌙
On stage now through June 23. Free in Forest Park at 8 PM, Tuesday-Sunday. Directed by Nancy Bell.

Check out recent alum Samanvita and her work with Resilience Dance Company!

Don't miss the 2024 – 2025 KAF Artist in Residence Introductory Showcase, featuring SLU Studio Art faculty member José Garza. Open at The Gallery at Kranzberg Arts Center through June 8, 2024

The 2024 – 2025 Kranzberg Arts Foundation Artist in Residence (KAIR) Showcase is an introduction to our new cohort of talented multidisciplinary artists across a range of disciplines. The showcase is a preview of what to expect by the end of the 18-month residency.

https://kranzbergartsfoundation.org/kair-showcase/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKjCXrdhZrE

2024 - 2025 Kranzberg Artist in Residence Introductory Showcase Eldraco, Mee Jey, Moraa Nyaribo, Norman Spencer, Charlie Cooksey, Drea Vocalz, T-Dubb-O, David Kirkman, Cameron Jamarr, Bobby Bostic, Jose Garza 2024 - 2025 ...

Mark your calendars! As You Like It from St. Louis Shakespeare Festival is right around the corner. Directed by Associate Professor Nancy Bell with lighting design by Assistant Professor Denisse Chavez, with a cast that features faculty member Joel Moses, Theatre alum Greg Cuellar, and our guest director for the upcoming production of A Raisin in the Sun, Kathryn Bentley. Performances are May 29 - June 23.

Last call! The Studio Art Annual Senior Exhibit must close May 17 at McNamee Gallery. Enjoy works by Liz Baker, Cole Davis, Dani Manganello, Nicky Nemcova, Rhia Theccanat, and Aditi Patel in the culminating exhibit of their Studio Art studies at Saint Louis University. Works in ceramics, drawing, fibers and textiles, graphic design, installation, painting, printmaking, and sculpture will be on display in McNamee Gallery, in the lower level of Cupples House on the SLU campus. This exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours this week are Wednesday from noon to 4:00 pm, Thursday from noon to 2:00 pm, and Friday from 1:00-4:00 pm.

Happy Monday! Here's a student spotlight to brighten your day. 🌞

Professor Emma Ferguson and Madeleine Turney, Art History major and Studio Art minor in Madrid, present Madeleine's painting, a still life inspired by the work of Pissarro at the annual student exhibit on the Madrid campus.

Did you know that the SLU Concert Band travels to Washington, MO every May to perform with musicians from East Central College? This year's performance took place on Friday, May 3 and was made up of over 220 musicians performing for 1,200+ audience members. Concert Band is led by Mr. Christopher Sakowski, and this special performance is led in partnership with Mr. Aaron Bounds, who led the SLU Concert Band from 2010 to 2019.

Announcing the '24-'25 SLU Theatre & Dance Main Season!

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
Directed by Kathryn Bentley
October 3 to 5, 2024 at The Grandel

Set on Chicago’s South Side, Lorraine Hansberry's celebrated play concerns the divergent dreams and conflicts in three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis, and matriarch Lena. When her deceased husband’s insurance money comes through, Mama Lena dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school. Hansberry's portrait of one family’s struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration.

“A Raisin in the Sun” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Three Sisters
Adapted and Directed by Lucy Cashion
November 13 to 17, 2024 at Xavier Hall, Main Stage Theatre

Sponsored by Tom and Kathy Day

This original adaption follows the lives of Olga, Masha, and Irina, who yearn to return to Moscow. Set in a small Russian town, the play delves into their struggles with unfulfilling relationships and the passage of time. Despite their dreams, the sisters find themselves stuck, reflecting the broader sense of disillusionment in Russian society at the time. Through rich characters and poignant dialogue, THREE SISTERS offers a timeless exploration of human longing and the quest for purpose.

Secret Order by Bob Clyman
Directed by Gary W. Barker
February 27 to March 2, 2025 at The Kranzberg

Sponsored by Marianne Muellerleile

A young, idealistic cellular biologist with a brilliant new idea for curing cancer is recruited from a relative obscurity to a major cancer research institute by its charismatic director with the offer of his own lab and all the resources he will need to pursue that idea. As the pressure to show publishable results begins to build, his research suddenly hits a snag. He is faced with having to choose between full disclosure of the problem, which would jeopardize the funding he needs, and making the more expedient decision to bend the rules just a little, which will buy him enough additional time to solve the problem.

SECRET ORDER is produced by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC www.broadwayplaypublishing.com

Ride the Cyclone
book, music, & lyrics by Jacob Richmond & Brooke Maxwell
Directed by Nancy Bell
Choreography by Sara Rae Womack
April 24-26, 2025 at The Grandel

In this hilarious and outlandish story, the lives of six teenagers from a Canadian chamber choir are cut short in a freak accident aboard a roller coaster. When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other — the chance to return to life. This popular musical is a funny, moving look at what makes a life well-lived!

RIDE THE CYCLONE is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC. (www.broadwaylicensing.com)

Tickets go on sale in July. Season tickets are only $35. Join our mailing list by emailing [email protected] for more information!

Thanks to everyone who came out to last weekend's dance concert, DREAMSCAPE. Directed by Dance Program Director Holly Seitz Marchant, this concert featured original choreography by the Dance minors of Saint Louis University.

CHOREOGRAPHERS
Professor Holly Seitz Marchant
Luke Busboom
Sara Habermas
Ayshia Holman
Abby Juracek
Samanvita Kasthuri
Sophia Klobe
Grace Lois
Avamarie Via
Caroline Ward

DANCERS
Kaitlyn Ayers
Reagan Gallagher
Sophia Johnson
London Kimble
Sophia Lee
Morgan Maglente
Divine Nwaokorie
Haley Szramek

Up next for SLU Theatre & Dance is Lorraine Hansberry's A RAISIN IN THE SUN. This production runs October 3-5, 2024 at The Grandel and is directed by guest artist Kathryn Bentley. Stay tuned for news about the rest of the 2024-2025 Theatre & Dance Main Stage Season!

Photos by ProPhotoSTL

Tonight! Dance minor Samanvita Kasthuri presents her capstone project, "What Do You Feel?" at Intersect Arts Center. This project is a combination of numerous dance styles and experiments with Indian classical dancing, hip-hop, contemporary, all with the goal of storytelling through movement. The project is overseen by Dance Program Director Holly Seitz Marchant and is funded by an ILEX Grant from the Honors Program. The project involves dancers from Phases of Motion, SLU Shakti, and dancers and musicians from the St. Louis region. The performance takes place on Friday, May 3 at 7:00 pm, doors open at 6:30.