Tallie Valverde

April 16, 2019

In celebration of Grand Canyon National Park’s Centennial on Feb. 26, Northern Arizona University’s Cline Library, in partnership with Grand Canyon Conservancy, is hosting a summer lecture series to raise awareness of Grand Canyon National Park’s historical and cultural impact on the state and region in the last 100 years. Funding for this summer lecture series was made possible by a grant from Arizona Humanities.

The lecture series presents a variety of historical and cultural perspectives offering a depth of understanding and insight into the rich connections of our shared human experience in the context of the Grand Canyon. Each month from April through September, a lecture will be held in the Cline Library Assembly Hall. Scheduled lectures may be found at https://nau.edu/library/events/. The events are free and open to the public. No tickets are required.

Author and NAU faculty member Annette McGivney will speak at 7 p.m. April 26. She will speak about her recent book, “Pure Land,” and her journey of discovery and exploration of three lives and three cultures connected to the Grand Canyon.

“The breathtaking and awe-inspiring natural beauty of the canyon draws visitors, but the stories of the people, history and culture of the Grand Canyon inspires deeper connections and understanding,” said Peter Runge, head of Special Collections and Archives.” We hope you will join us for this exciting opportunity to share the unique stories of Grand Canyon and Grand Canyon National Park.”

Cline Library focuses on engaging users in the design of discovery, research and learning experiences that advance NAU’s mission and strengthen its diverse community. The expertise, collections, services and spaces elevate learning, scholarship, creativity and innovation in Arizona and beyond. Cline Library is located at 1001 S. Knoles Drive.

April 10, 2019

Northern Arizona University’s School of Music Percussion Ensemble concert presents a wide variety of contemporary music at 7:30 p.m. April 19 in Ardrey Memorial Auditorium.

Under the direction of music professor Steve Hemphill, the NAU Percussion Ensemble will be joined by two guest performers. University of Arizona doctoral candidate Michael Pratt will perform as marimba soloist on Jeffrey Dennis Smith’s “Tiger Dance,” a showcase of relentless rhythmic drive for percussion quintet. NAU alumna Alison Brightwell-Balot will return to campus to perform Brian Mason’s “Rochambeaux” with the César Chávez High School Percussion Ensemble from Laveen.

“Fanfare for a New Audience,” a brash 2009 quartet by David Skidmore, will open the concert and feature four kick drums, slabs of wood and multiple drums. “Slap Shift” by J. B. Smith will bring playful Afro-Cuban grooves to a dancing intensity, as played by six congeros in synchronized conga drum rhythms. A unique orchestration of George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris,” utilizing five marimbas, xylophone, glockenspiel and orchestral percussion, should offer a throwback to a classical 1928 flavor. A brief drumming fantasy, Joseph Thompkins’s “Blue Burn,” highlights a peculiar choreography of five bass drums (in table-style set-up), five caxixi (Brazilian basket shakers), three tamborins (a small Brazilian hand-held drum) and other assorted drums.

Three students will perform “Principles of Calabash,” written by Hemphill, introducing the rhythmic explorations of the Afro-Cuban shekere and African axatse, gourds covered with beaded netting. The concert will conclude with Emmanuel Séjourné’s “Sosso-Bala,” a theatrical octet commissioned by the Taiwanese Ju Percussion Group.

Tickets are $12.50 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and NAU employees and free for NAU students and youth. Tickets can be purchased at the Central Ticket Office located in the University Union or on the CTO website.

April 9, 2019

A group of apocalypse survivors plays a mythic game of telephone in the Northern Arizona University Department of Theatre’s “Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play,” written by Anne Washburn and music by Michael Friedman.

The play begins shortly after an apocalypse. The electric grid has gone down and nuclear plants are oozing radiation, killing millions of people and destroying the world as we know it. A group of survivors gathers around a campfire to brave their new reality by recounting another remnant of the bygone world—the television show “The Simpsons.”

The survivors focus on “The Simpsons” episode spoofing the movie “Cape Fear.” The familiar tale becomes a historical artifact, but as with the whispering game of telephone, the story morphs over time. It becomes a legend to find meaning in the new world. Characters question what is behind the true reason we tell stories: Are they to entertain, or to teach, or for us to empathize and find truth?

“This is a dark play with lighter moments and intensity in the subtext that gets at the heart of fear and loss,” said theatre director Kathleen McGeever. “As we face our own pressures of potential disasters from global warming, infrastructure failures and more, the play questions the possible new rules of survivor co-existence.”

“Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play” is in three acts and includes a drama, a play with a cappella music and an operetta with a mix of numerous musical genres. McGeever said the production challenged its actors and student designers who had to work around depicting a world with no electricity.

“The actors are learning to find a balance with complicated choreography, singing harmony, and dealing with very tough subject matter as well as lighter entertainment,” she said. “It is a beast of a play with a hopeful ending, and we need that today.”

The cast includes eight actors and three musicians. Two student designers are managing lighting and sound, with two assistant designers working on costumes and choreography. The total crew is about 50 people, including actors Claire Woodard, Julissa Garcia, Kelsey Brown, Je’maya Jackson, Hadley Singer, Emily Wood, Spencer Beck and Krista Garcia.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on April 19-20 and 25-27 and at 2 p.m. on April 21 and 28. Tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and NAU employees and $8 for youth and NAU students. Tickets can be purchased online or in the Central Ticket Office, located inside the University Union.