UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 20, Page 5
February 20, 1992
Up and coming
Lectures, exhibits during campus Brecht symposium
A series of performances, exhibitions and lectures celebrating
the works of German playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht will be held
on campus from Feb. 27-March 1.
"Brecht Unbound," an international symposium, will bring
together the world's foremost Brecht authorities. In addition to
various lectures, the event will feature the Delaware premier of
Brecht-collaborator Kurt Weill's The Little Three Penny Suite and
a performance of Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle, directed by
Heinz-Uwe Haus, one of the world's foremost interpreters of Brecht.
Concurrently, an exhibit of German Expressionist prints and
photo montages of American Brecht productions and Brecht-inspired
art work will be on view in the University Gallery from Feb.
20-March 6. A book exhibit focusing on Brecht's life and works is
on display in the Morris Library now through April 3.
Films related to Brecht, his work and the Germany of his time
also are scheduled. They include Triumph of the Will and Kuhle
Wampe on Monday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m.; The Threepenny Opera on
Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m.; and Mephisto on Wednesday, Feb. 26,
at 7:30 p.m. All screenings take place in 140 Smith Hall.
With the exception of the play, all events related to the
symposium are free and open to the public.
Brecht (1898-1956) was the innovator of the revolutionary epic
theatre and a committed Marxist. His most well-known works in
English translation are Mother Courage and The Threepenny Opera.
The purpose of the Delaware symposium is to "reassess Brecht's
contributions in light of new political realities in Germany," Hans
Peter Breuer, professor of English at the University and
coordinator of the symposium, said.
"Brecht was one of the most influential of all playwrights,
and his contributions are a part of anti-illusionist theatre in
America. His contributions were, of course, the property of now
discredited East Germany, where he had his own theatre to showcase
his artistry," Breuer said. "Because his plays propagandize
communist socialism, we need to ask where they stand now. Can we
disentangle the politics from the artist or does he remain the
darling of the left?"
Addressing these and other concerns will be such Brecht
authorities as Carl Weber from Stanford University, who was
Brecht's assistant in East Berlin in the early 1950s; Martha
Coigney, director of the International Theatre Institute (USA); Guy
Stern, distinguished professor at Wayne State University, and a
friend and collaborator of Lotte Lenya's, who created the lead
Polly Peachum in Brecht's Threepenny Opera; Andrew Tsubaki, a noted
dancer and director of the International Theatre Studies Center at
the University of Kansas; Reinhold Grimm, professor of German and
comparative literature at the University of California and a Brecht
scholar; James K. Lyon, provost of Fifth College at the University
of California at San Diego; and Peter McCarthy, principal lecturer
in painting at Coventry Polytechnic in England, whose painted
images are derived predominantly from theatrical productions.
Examples of his work are included in the exhibit that accompanies
the symposium.
Symposium events open to the public include the concert of
Weill's The Little Three Penny Suite, at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday,
Feb. 27 in the Loudis Recital Hall of the Amy E. duPont Music
Building. Two new settings of the text Mahagonny Songspiel also
will be offered. The concert is conducted by Harvey Price,
instructor in music at the University. A reception follows at 10
p.m. in the foyer.
All symposium sessions will be held in Room 119 of John M.
Clayton Hall on the University's Laird campus in Newark.
Brecht's theatre and politics will be discussed on Friday,
Feb. 28, from 9-11:30 a.m. The discussion will be moderated by
Dwight Steward, president of the Brecht Society of America.
Panelists include Weber on "Brecht and Communism"; Audie Olson from
the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on "Kinderkrankheiten:
Curative Plays for Boys and Girls"; Michelle Mattson from Columbia
University on "Brecht and the Status of the Political Subject";
Ralph B. Culp and Ted D. Starnes, both of the University of North
Texas on "Education Through Alienation"; and Reinhard Mayer of
Bennington College on "The Theoretical Character of Brecht's
Kalendergeschichten."
A second session, "Brecht in Four Germanys" will be offered
from 1:45-4:30 p.m., Feb. 28, moderated by Richard Zipser,
chairperson of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
at the U.of D. Participants include: Karl-Heinz Schoeps of the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on "Brecht in the Weimar
Republic: Rebel With a Cause"; Klaus M. Schmidt of Bowling Green
State University on "The Roles of the Bourgeois and Petit-Bourgeois
in Brecht's Concept of Naziism"; Lyon on "Brecht in Post-War
Germany: Literary Dictator, Dissident Conformist, Cultural Icon";
and Haus, visiting professor and artist-in-residence with the
University's Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP), on
"Brecht in Post-Wall Germany."
Friday evening symposium participants may attend a performance
of Caucasian Chalk Circle, presented by PTTP in Hartshorn
Gymnasium, followed by a cabaret performed by PTTP students in
Aetna Fire Hall.
The symposium resumes on Saturday, Feb. 29, with a discussion
of "Brecht and Musical Aesthetics," from 9-11:45 a.m. Willy Riemer,
assistant professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures at the
University, will moderate the session. Participants include Stern
on "Lotte Lenya's Perception of Brecht and His Works"; Vera
Stegmann of Lehigh University on "An Opera for 3 Pennies, a Violin
for 10 Francs: Brecht's and Stravinsky's Approaches to Epic Music
Theatre"; Thomas R. Nadar of Auburn University on "Brecht's Impact
on Film Music"; and William Grange of Marquette University on
"Brecht's Collaboration with Eisler and Dessau."
From 1:45-4 p.m. , Feb. 29, Lois Potter, Ned B. Allen
Professor of English at the University, will moderate a discussion
of "Brecht and Theatrical Traditions." Participants include Tsubaki
on "Brechtian Connections with Theatre Practices in China and
Japan"; James Christy of Villanova University on "Brecht and the
American Avant-Garde"; and Art Borreca of the University of Iowa on
"Brechtian Fetishization and the British History Play after 1956."
From 4:15-6 p.m., Feb. 29, an open discussion of the
performance of Caucasian Chalk Circle will be held. Moderator will
be Carl Dawson, chairperson of the Department of English at the
University. Participants will include Haus, Jay Halio and Kevin
Kerrane, both professors of English at the University; John
Bernstein, professor of history at the University; Weber and
McCarthy.
Saturday's evening events include "Brecht as Literary Figure,
from 8:15-9:45 p.m., moderated by Richard Davison, professor of
English at the University. Participants include Grimm on "Luther's
Bible in Brecht's Poetry"; Peter Werres of George Washington
University on "The Brecht-Hasek Connection"; and Bela Kiralyfalvi
of Wichita State University on "Classical Heritage: The
Brecht-Lukacs Disagreement."
The final session, on "Brecht and Women," will be moderated by
Monika Shafi, associate professor of foreign languages and
literatures at the University. The session, scheduled from 10
a.m.-12:45 p.m. on Sunday, March 1, includes Gudrun Tabbert-Jones
of Santa Clara University on "Brecht's Female Characters"; Beverley
Driver Eddy of Dickinson College on "Brecht in Dialogue with Karin
Michaelis"; John Fuegi of the University of Maryland on "How To
Make Women Writers Disappear: The Case of Brecht"; and Lauren
Nussbaum of Portland University on "Brecht's Revision of Genesis 1
and 2."
The symposium is sponsored by the Delaware State Arts Council,
the Delaware Humanities Forum, the University of Delaware Faculty
Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs and Public Events, the
University's College of Arts and Science and the University of
Delaware Humanities Council.
It was organized by the University's departments of English,
Foreign Languages and Literatures, Music, History, Art History and
the Professional Theatre Training Program, with assistance from the
International Theatre Institute, Center USA; the University of
Delaware Press; "Gestus"-the Brecht Society of America and
"Communications"-the International Brecht Society.
For more information on any aspect of the symposium, contact
Hans Peter Breuer at 831-2150.
PTTP to present Brecht's masterpiece
Bertolt Brecht's masterpiece, Caucasian Chalk Circle, will be
presented by the University of Delaware's Professional Theatre
Training Program on weekends from Feb. 21-March 1.
The production, staged by guest director and noted Brecht
scholar Heinz-Uwe Haus, calls for actors to wear oversized masks as
they perform.
With a child's life held in the balance between opposing
forces, "Caucasian Chalk Circle" explores the essence of
motherhood, ownership, human motivations and justice.
It is the story of Michael, abandoned by his own mother and
saved by a kitchen maid. A judge must decide which woman truly
loves the boy and would be the better mother.
Brecht wrote the play during 1944-45 in California while
living in exile from Nazi Germany. A second theme of the play
dramatically portrays the conflicts and contradictions between
people caught up in history at a specific moment in time.
Performance dates and times are Friday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m.;
Saturday, Feb. 22, at 12:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 28, at 7:30
p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 29, at 12:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, March
1, at 12:30 p.m.
General public tickets are $10 for weekend evenings, $9 for
weeknights and $8 for matinee and Sunday evening performances.
Tickets for University faculty and staff and all senior citizens
are $7 for weekend evenings, $6 for weeknights and $5 for matinees
and Sunday evenings. Student tickets are $4 for weekend evenings,
$3 for weeknights and $2 for matinee and Sunday evening
performances. All performances take place in Hartshorn Gymnasium.
For tickets or more information, call the Mitchell Hall box
office at 831-2204.
Welcoming gala for Olympians Feb. 28
University of Delaware Olympic figure skaters and National
Pairs Champions Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval will be welcomed
home to Delaware with two special events in their honor-a gala
public reception on Friday, Feb. 28, and an ice skating exhibition
on Saturday, Feb. 29.
Ice skating fans from Delaware and the region can show their
support for the state's Olympians at the public reception on Feb.
28, scheduled at 7:30 p.m. at Penney's Court of Christiana Mall.
Delaware Gov. Michael Castle, U.S. Sens. William Roth and Joseph
Biden and U.S. Rep. Thomas Carper have been invited to participate
in this special ceremony, along with University officials and local
dignitaries.
Attending will be Calla and Rocky, who placed 10th in the
Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, as well as Olympic
alternates Todd Reynolds and Karen Courtland. The athletes will
receive special recognition and medals at the reception, which is
coordinated with the Delaware State Olympic Committee. The event is
part of the first Christiana-Newark Winter Festival, being held at
the Christiana Mall from Feb. 22-March 1.
On Saturday, Feb. 29, "An Olympic Welcome Home," an ice show
featuring Rocky and Calla-along with other University ice skaters,
will be held at 6 p.m. in the University's Blue Arena.
Tickets are now on sale at $7 for adults and $4 for children
10 and under.
In addition, a benefit reception will be held at 5 p.m.
Benefit tickets, which include reserved seating for the ice show,
are $30 per person and $50 per couple. Proceeds of these event will
benefit the Delaware Amateur Skating Foundation and the Delaware
Skating Program.
For more information on the ice show and benefit, call the
University's Ice Skating Science Development Center at 831-2788.
For additional details on the Winter Festival, call 454-1000
for sporting information or 798-8460 for entertainment information.
Women's History Month film series
Two films about a multiracial all women's jazz band from the
1940s will kick off the sixth annual Women's History Month film
series, "Women's History/Women's Lives," at the University.
All films in the free public series are scheduled at 7 p.m.,
Tuesdays, in 100 Kirkbride Lecture Hall. Each program in the series
will include a discussion led by a speaker with expertise in the
film's subject matter.
International Sweethearts of Rhythm and Tiny and Ruby: Hell
Divin' Women will be screened on Feb. 25. The two 30-minute films
present an affectionate portrait of the International Sweethearts
of Rhythm and of Tiny Davis, the band's fabulous trumpeter, and her
partner, Ruby Lucas. Leading discussion after the films will be
performer, singer and writer Alfie Moss.
On March 3, the film will be Maria's Story, a portrait of a
poor rural woman transformed by war into a guerilla fighter in El
Salvador. Speaking will be Lydia Garner, assistant professor of
history at the University.
Hearts and Minds, an examination of quiltmaking as a means of
creative expression for American women, will be screened on March
10. Through photographs, songs and dozens of rare historic quilts,
the film explores the importance of quilting to women's history.
Contemporary quilt artist Alison Goss will lead the discussion.
On March 17, Through the Wire, three harrowing stories of
women incarcerated in a special underground cellblock, will be
shown on March 17. The film examines whether these women in a
federal prison in Lexington, Ky., are political prisoners subjected
to a brutal experiment in sensory deprivation or dangerous radicals
placed in the cellblock for security reasons. Speaker for this
program will be announced later.
Concluding the series on March 24 will be Rate It X, which
looks at censorship, advertising, pornorgraphy and violence against
women. With humor and compassion, the film shows how sexism becomes
rationalized through commerce, religion and social values. Kathleen
Turkel, assistant professor of women's studies, will lead the
discussion.
The series is sponsored by the Black American Studies Program,
the Faculty Senate Comittee on Cultural Affairs and Public Events,
the departments of History and Sociology, the Office of Women's
Affairs and the Women's Studies Interdisciplinary Program.
For more information on the series, call 831-8474 or 831-8063.