Theatre production presents 100 years of RU's greatest hits
Dance student LeeAnn Walker rehearses a scene from 'Timeless.'
Showcasing some of the most popular performances at Radford University in the past 100 years, the School of Dance and Theatre this week presents "Timeless: Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Future."
The production's original pieces will mix performance disciplines including acting, contemporary dance and voice. In one arrangement, a dancer choreographed a routine set to a choral ode, exposing acting students to the dance process. Students will also perform classic monologues from plays previously produced at the university, including "Our Town," "The Glass Menagerie" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
"This is going to be about Radford's past, present and future," said Associate Professor Wesley Young, performance faculty head of the Department of Theatre. "Timeless" opens on Friday, Feb. 8, for three performances. "There's a little something for everyone."
The separate dance and theatre departments at Radford came together in 2009 as the School of Dance and Theatre. Since then, there has been greater collaboration between the two programs, and faculty and students were eager for a chance to share their work with the community, Young said.
In partnership with the School of Dance and Theatre, the Radford University Art Museum is sponsoring an exhibit titled, "Timeless: Costume Illustrations from the Paris Music Hall Collection." The exhibit features designs from the world of Parisian nightlife as well as works by internationally renowned artists. The works are dated from 1920 through 1938, around the time when Radford was establishing itself as a college.
"There weren't many similarities between Paris and Radford in early 20th century, but the renderings are a wonderful look at another world from around the time RU was taking shape," Young said.
Performances of "Timeless: Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Future" will be in the Pridemore Playhouse at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8; and at 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9. Free tickets are available at the Pridemore box office this week. For more information, call the Pridemore Playhouse Box Office at (540) 831- 5289.
"Timeless: Costume Illustrations from the Paris Music Hall Collection" is on exhibition in the Student Gallery at the Bondurant Center for the Arts through Saturday, Feb. 9, with a closing reception at 4 p.m. featuring a discussion led by University of Georgia Professor Emerita Sylvia Hillyard Pannell.