By Jennifer Roush
FAIRMONT — If you can’t find something fun or stimulating to do lately, you can look at the upcoming year’s fine arts events scheduled by Fairmont State University and remember why it is great to live in a college town.
The FSU Fine Arts calendar was just announced and brings together, once again, a melting pot of theater, art and music.
Marian Hollinger, FSU fine arts advocate, is the architect of the calendar and said her selections are based on exposing people to a variety.
“We try to have a varied array of events and within each of the arts — visual art, music and theater,” she said. “We also try to have something that might appeal to a wide variety of audiences.”
The events are open to the campus and the community, including FSU’s 13-county service area.
“We want to have appropriate selections for the academic community and the students,” Hollinger said. “That is events that make the students have to stretch in their particular area and expand their repertoire, so a part of our yearly calendar is to satisfy the academic requirements of our three programs (visual art, music and theater). At the same time, you want to have things that appeal to a broader audience.”
As for theater, the School of Fine Arts will produce Caryl Churchill’s “Top Girls” in October, “Once Upon a Mattress” in late November, “Wiley and the Hairy Man” in February 2008 and “Equus” in April 2008. These will be performed by the FSU Masquers — except the FSU Town & Gown Theatre will partner with Masquers in “Mattress,” which they normally do for the holiday performance.
“The plays present examples of human emotion, human condition — sort of the existential conditions some times,” Hollinger said. “And it’s a literary form that is performed so sometimes that gives people a chance to examine their lives and the lives of the people around them a little more objectively.”
Part of the selection process for theater has to do with the favorite plays of the different directors. Dr. John O’Connor, who is directing “Top Girls,” is interested in feminism theater, like the kind presented by playwright Churchill.
“She (Churchill) is not your typical playwright, and her plays are not typical and not presented in the typical fashion,” Hollinger said. “So that will really be an exploration for the students and audiences as well.”
The American Shakespeare Center and the Montana Repertory Theatre have become a staple of the lineup as they are back for their third year.
“They (ASC) are adding a classic playwright, but the productions are anything but classical,” Hollinger said. “So it shows us here on the campus and the community that very standard repertoire can be handled very differently and updated, so it remains current. We don’t have to think of Shakespeare as back then.”
In the realm of music, much of the local talent come out to perform. FSU’s Collegiate Singers will present October, December and April 2008 concerts; the Fairmont State University Community Orchestra performs in November and April 2008; and there will be concerts by the Jazz Ensemble in November and April 2008. The Wind Ensemble will perform in December and March 2008.
“They’re training ground for future teachers and performers and the opportunity for students to solo with the FSU community orchestra,” Hollinger said. “It gives them the chance to add to their resume and add to their experience in a more professionally way then doing only recitals.”
And September and January 2008 will see the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra return with guest soloists and Conductor Grant Cooper.
The James David Brooks Memorial Gallery will feature photographic exhibitions by John Piscitelli in August and Beth Nardella in September; “Mystical and Ethereal — The Work of Noel W. Tenney,” a mixed media exhibition, in October; a Day of the Dead exhibition in late October, which will be a collaborative effort among area artists and FSU students; the Drawings of Stephen Pavlovic in January 2008; and an installation exhibition by Karen Gergely in March 2008. The Juried Student Exhibition will be held in April 2008.
“We select examples of media. For example photography ... there are photography classes, but you can’t get a major in photography. The photography exhibitions are kind of a supplement to the offerings here on campus. Much of the other media are those we do teach, but we try to get some that are a different approach, a different subject matter. ... They are professional artists who work in the media they are studying but offer new opportunities and students can consider different ways to see their disciplines.
For music, professional events are ticketed and campus talent is free. All of the theater events are ticketed. The art exhibits and openings are also free. All are open to the public.
Check the Fine Arts web calendar at www.fairmontstate.edu/calendars/finearts_calendar.asp for a complete listing of all events.
For tickets, call the FSU Box Office at 367-4240. The Fine Arts Hotline at 367-4125, which will be updated by Aug. 2, will also offer details on FSU events.
For more information, call Susan Bailey at 367-4203.
E-mail Jennifer Roush at jroush@timeswv.com.
