Ford Center, UM Theatre Offer Variety of Performances for Spring

Trio ConcertDance with Alessandra Ferri, Herman Cornejo and Bruce Levingston

The spring semester bring numerous theatrical performances to the University of Mississippi, at both the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts and the Ole Miss Department of Theatre Arts.

Tickets for all theatrical events can be purchased at the UM Box Office in the Ole Miss Student Union or online at http://fordcenter.org or http://olemissboxoffice.com.

Here’s a calendar of events for the spring:

“Romeo and Juliet,” 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15, Ford Center

The Aquila Theatre brings to life the story of one of theater’s most iconic couples. William Shakespeare’s tale of tragic young lovers adapted by Aquila brings an innovative style to the heart-breaking tragedy. The New Yorker has raved that Aquila Theatre productions are “Beautifully spoken, dramatically revealing and crystalline in effect.”

Anton Webern Chamber Choir, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16, Ford Center

This free event features the Webern Chamber Choir, composed of students at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, who came together to pursue choral singing across many styles, including pop, jazz, baroque oratorios and a cappella. In this series, the Webern Chamber Choir collaborates with choirs from universities all over the world, including the University of Mississippi Concert Singers.

“Anton in Show Business,” 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17-21 and 23-27 and 2 p.m. Feb. 20-21 and 27-28, Meek Hall Auditorium

This comedy, directed by Dex Edwards, follows three actresses into a strangely familiar Wonderland. As these women pursue their dream of performing Chekhov in Texas, they’re whisked through a maelstrom of “good ideas” that offer unique solutions to their desire to have their life’s purpose revealed. “Anton in Show Business” conveys the joys, pains and absurdities of “putting on a play” at the turn of the century.

Trio ConcertDance with Alessandra Ferri, Herman Cornejo and Bruce Levingston, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23, Ford Center

This performance features Alessandra Ferri, Italy’s prima ballerina assoluta, and Herman Cornejo, virtuoso Argentinan dancer and star principal of American Ballet Theatre, performing with Bruce Levingston, an acclaimed concert pianist and artist-in-residence at the university’s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. These three artists come together for an evening of music and dance that previews the Trio ConcertDance, which will run the following week in New York City.

“Gravedigger’s Tale,” 7:30 p.m. March 9, Meek Auditorium

Folger Theatre at Folger Shakespeare Library and Ole Miss Theatre present a free performance of “Gravedigger’s Tale.” In Hamlet, the Gravedigger appears briefly in Act V to present Hamlet with the jester Yorick’s skull. Our Gravedigger arrives with his trunk and a book to retell “Hamlet” from his unique perspective with a little help from the audience. Conceived and directed by Robert Richmond and performed by Louis Butelli, this 40-minute interactive experience combines Shakespeare’s moving words with original and traditional music.

UM Cinema Festival, 7 p.m. March 30-31, Overby Center for Southern Politics and Journalism

The theatre department presents student-written and student-produced short films and the winning entries of the fifth annual UM Cinema Competition.

The Midtown Men, 7:30 p.m. April 8, Ford Center

This production reunites four stars from the original cast of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys.” Tony Award winner Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and Tony Award nominee J. Robert Spencer star in this one-of-a-kind concert experience celebrating the music that defined the ’60s. As The Midtown Men, they have performed on stages and for television audiences across North America.

First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, April 11-May 1, Ford Center

A traveling exhibition from the Folger Shakespeare Library, in partnership with the Cincinnati Museum Center and the American Library Association, will offer the First Folio for viewing, in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. The First Folio is the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays, of which only 233 copies are to exist. The Ford Center is the selected site for display in Mississippi. Admission is free.

“Tina Packer’s Women of Will,” 7:30 p.m. April 14, Ford Center

This performance is considered a bonus to Shakespeare’s plays. It explores themes of love, loss and freedom and traces the evolution of female characters in Shakespeare’s works. Master Shakespearean actor Tina Packer deconstructs the Bard’s most famous female characters in a production The New York Times calls “Marvelous!”

“Peter Rabbit Tales,” 2 p.m. April 16, Ford Center

The Enchantment Theatre Company brings to life the beloved tales of Beatrix Potter. Enjoy the performance of Peter Rabbit’s adventures in this production for the whole family.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” 7:30 p.m. April 15-16 and 21-23 and 2 p.m. April 16-17 and 24, Fulton Chapel

The Ole Miss theatre department performs what is perhaps the most popular of all of Shakespeare’s comedies. Follow the student cast through that wedding festivities of Theseus, Duke of Athens and his bride, Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons.

Courtesy of Christina Steube and Ole Miss News Desk