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Class integration

2007-2008 Professional Artist Series

(HISTORY- POLITICS)

Tony Orlando – Saturday, September 15

In 1973, he recorded Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree. The song was number one for the year, became Orlando's theme song and grew into an American anthem of hope and homecoming, reunion and renewal.

The yellow ribbon has welcomed home POWs from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, the hostages from Iran and the troops from Desert Storm. Veterans are honored each Veterans Day, November 11th, in Branson with the Tony Orlando Yellow Ribbon Salute to Veterans. This is a specially produced extravaganza which is free to veterans and their families. As part of this salute to Vets, Tony presents the Yellow Ribbon Medal of Freedom. Past recipients have included Bob Hope, former POW Major Stephen Long, BoxCar Willie and Connie Stevens. In 1999 the Eisenhower family, represented by Mary Eisenhower, granddaughter to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, received the Yellow Ribbon Medal of Freedom.

(History- Racial Integration)

Hairspray - Thursday, October 4

Hairspray is set during a crucial time of integration in America. It is a Tony-winning musical, based on the 1988 John Waters movie Hairspray. The story is of a girl named Tracy Turnblad whose dream is to dance on the Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance program based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She gets a chance on the show and becomes a celebrity overnight. She then launches a campaign to racially integrate the Corny Collins Show.

1964-The Tribute - Saturday, October 6

Rolling Stone called 1964-The Tribute the "Number One Beatles Tribute Show on Earth!"

The group is a tribute to the Fab four. This is an opportunity to look at the impact the Beatles had on the U.S. culture, music and the society in general. Surprisingly Elvis Presley said the band was at the root of problems with young people in the U.S.

The Beatles were an English musical group from Liverpool whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They are one of the most commercially successful and

critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music.

The Beatles are the best-selling musical act of all time in the United States of America, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, which certified them as the highest selling band of all time based on American sales of singles and albums.

The Beatles led the mid-1960s musical "British Invasion" into the United States. Although their initial musical style was rooted in 1950s rock and roll and homegrown skiffle, the group explored genres ranging from Tin Pan Alley to psychedelic rock. Their clothes, styles, and statements made them trend-setters, while their growing social awareness saw their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s. Many people today still see them as the "best band there ever was."

Comments by band member John Lennon about Christianity also put forth a backlash in the U.S. from religious and social conservatives. In an interview with British reporter Maureen Cleave, Lennon had offered his opinion that Christianity was dying and that The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus now."

Afterwards, a radio station in Birmingham, Alabama, ran a story on burning Beatles records, in what was considered to be a joke. However, many people affiliated with rural churches in the American South started taking the suggestion seriously. Towns across the United States and South Africa started to burn Beatles records in protest. Under tremendous pressure from the American media, Lennon apologized for his remarks at a press conference in Chicago on August 11, the eve of the first performance of what turned out to be their final tour.

Elvis Presley disapproved of The Beatles's anti-war activism and open use of drugs, later asking President Nixon to ban all four members of the group from entering the United States. Peter Guralnick writes, "The Beatles, Elvis said, had been a focal point for anti-Americanism. Presley indicated that he is of the opinion that The Beatles laid the groundwork for many of the problems we are having with young people by their filthy unkempt appearances and suggestive music while entertaining in this country during the early and middle 1960s.

Rosie Peres - Monday, October 8 th.

Offers students an opportunity to hear first hand the story of a Latin actress as the Latin and Hispanic community grows in political strength across the U.S.

Rosa Maria Perez is an Academy Award-nominated American actress, dancer, choreographer and director.

She helped nurture the career of another Latina "Fly Girl" who went on to become a superstar in her own right: Jennifer Lopez. Rosie Perez Biography:

Brooklyn-born actress/choreographer Rosie Perez attended Los Angeles City College before making the cattle-call rounds for dancing jobs. She worked a few seasons with the TV variety series Soul Train, then went on to perform at the LA club Funky Reggae. Here she was spotted by director Spike Lee, who cast her in a choice role in his 1989 film Do The Right Thing. As a choreographer, Perez has staged shows for Diana Ross and Bobby Brown, and was Emmy-nominated for her work on the Fox comedy/variety series In Living Color (1990-94).

(Tie-in the Indian Heritage Month)

Kevin Locke Native Dance Ensemble- Monday November 12

You have to see the magnificence of the Kevin Locke Native Dance Ensemble live to really appreciate why this ensemble is so exceptional. With Kevin Locke’s longstanding mastery of traditional Lakota music and dance and the added vitality of dances and songs from the varied traditions of the ensemble performers, there is no other show like it.

Representing the Plains nations of Lakota, Anishinabe and Comanche, the Southeastern tribe Choctaw and the Woodlands Nations of Ojibwe and Oneida, this one-of-a-kind ensemble of American Indian champions and award winners offers a rich variety of American Indian traditions and aesthetics in dance, instrumentals, song, storytelling, sign language and audience interaction. Also available are regionally specific programs with local artists working with the Ensemble to offer a wider variety of tribal representation.

Bob Woodward
Tuesday, November 13

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Bob Woodward achieved legendary journalistic status when he uncovered the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration, and is the author of more national-best selling non-fiction books than any other contemporary American writer. His most recent book, State of Denial: Bush at War Part III, Woodward provides his inside story of a war-torn White House, and how the Bush administration avoided telling the truth about Iraq to the public, to Congress and often to themselves.

In his presentations, Woodward discusses the historic Watergate scandal, his revelations from the infamous Deep-Throat FBI operative Mark Felt and the series of events that led to the unraveling of a presidency.

Evita
Thursday, January 17

Evita brings to the stage the story of one woman’s love affair with her nation. One of the most popular collaborations between Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, this compelling and captivating mega-musical includes such hits as “Oh What a Circus”, “High Flying Adored”, and the ever popular, “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”. Charismatic, dynamic and often larger-than-life, Eva Peron’s meteoric rise to the center of power took her from humble beginnings to sainthood by championing the working classes. This tour of Evita incorporates the staging of Tony award-winning producer/director, Harold Prince.

State SymphonyOrchestra of Mexico
Tuesday, February 12

On August 27, 1971, under the initiative of Enrique Bátiz Campbell and the government of the State of Mexico, the Symphonic Orchestra (OSEM) of this state was founded, with the purpose of spreading music as an art as a means of creating union and identity among the citizens of the state. Located in the city of Toluca, and having as its home hall the Sala Felipe Villanueva, the Orchestra has been characterized since the start by its endeavor to carry its message to all the municipalities of the state, to all corners of the country. It was also the first institution of its kind to visit the 16 political divisions of the Federal District. As the third millennium begins, the Symphonic Orchestra of the State of Mexico and its Director, Enrique Batiz, enjoy well deserved fame as the most important musical group of the country, and the institution holds high the flag of quality, founded in love of its labor and the ceaseless search for excellence.

 

St. Petersburg State Ballet - Swan Lake
Tuesday, March 11

Classical ballet at it’s finest featuring the immortal classic “ Swan Lake” with music by Tchaikovsky. The St. Petersburg State Ballet Theatre was founded as the first Theatre of Ballet in Russia under the management of the People's Artist of Russia, Professor Peter Gusev in 1966. The company constantly extends its sphere of activity. Its creativity has been accumulated over the years, and the mastery of the high traditions of Russian Ballet is being passed on to a younger generation of artists, both Russian and foreign. Yuri Petukhov has received first prize for best choreography and three first prizes as a balletmaster from international competitions throughout Russia and abroad.

 

 

(Social Issues)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Thursday, March 27

MONTANA REPERTORY THEATRE'S production of Tennessee William’s “CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. “ A true American classic, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics’ Award in 1955. Set in the bedroom suite room of a plantation home in the Mississippi Delta, this sizzling story of a Southern family in crisis uncovers the lives of Brick, the alcoholic son, who is tortured by the death of his best friend and guilt about their relationship; Maggie, his wife, who is tormented by her longing for the husband she can’t possess; and Big Daddy, the father, who is unaware that he is dying of cancer. It’s Big Daddy’s 65th birthday, and all of the relatives are in attendance, attempting to present themselves in the best possible light so as to receive the largest share of Big Daddy’s enormous wealth.

Sparks fly as the greed, hidden agendas and half-lies are exposed, but there is humor as well. The New York Times called it, “Mr. Williams’ finest drama. It faces and speaks the truth” and Time Magazine echoed, “stunning…Williams’ most memorable.

RENT-LIVE
Monday, April 21

RENT offers students a look at social issues in America. The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award Winning musical continues to win hearts. Set in the East Village of New York City, RENT is about being young and learning to survive in NYC. It's about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award® for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize, RENT has made a lasting mark on Broadway with songs that rock and a story that really resonates. Whether it's your 1st time or your 100th time, the time is now for RENT!

Updated: Tuesday, March 4, 2008

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