UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Larry Larsen

Mock’s Crest Productions Presents “The Yeoman of the Guard”

This 30th anniversary season of the University’s Mock’s Crest Productions will present Gilbert and Sullivan classic operetta The Yeomen of the Guard on June 8-9, 14-16, and 20-23. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. (2 p.m. on Sundays) in Mago Hunt Center Theater. Tickets are $34 for general admission, $29 for seniors/non-UP students, and $27 for groups of ten or more. University of Portland faculty and staff are offered $20 tickets and UP students are $15.

The Yeomen of the Guard was an attempt by Arthur Sullivan to move John Gilbert’s topsy-turvy world into more serious opera. It is a tale of a nobleman wrongfully accused of sorcery who has been locked up in the Tower of London and scheduled for execution. However, Mr. Gilbert puts his comic spin on this tale where bravery, comic disguise, and a lovelorn jailer and jester make a tragic tale end with true love overcoming all obstacles. It is one of Sullivan’s best musical scores with classic numbers like “The Merryman and his Maid.”

Mock’s Crest is a semi-professional company devoted to a yearly summer production of comic light opera, primarily the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan. It combines professional singers and musicians with students, faculty, and staff in the Department of Performing and Fine Arts. The production company was originally created under the guidance of the late Roger O. Doyle in 1990 with UP theater faculty support as his production team. This year marks the last year that Larry Larsen, performing and fine arts, will serve as producer after 26 years. Next year, David De Lyser and Nicole Hanig will be stepping in to assume leadership with a production of  HMS Pinafore.

For more information or to purchase tickets contact the Mago Hunt Center box office at x7287.

2018-2019 Faculty Awards Announced

The University of Portland 2018-2019 Faculty Awards were presented on Tuesday, May 7, at the Faculty Awards Dinner, with the following results:

  • The James Culligan Award, established in 1953 in memory of a dedicated servant of the University and presented annually to a faculty member in recognition of distinguished service, was presented to Sr. Angela Hoffman, OSB, chemistry. Winners of the Culligan Award wear the medal with their academic regalia, as a sign of the University’s highest faculty honor. Sr. Hoffman’s citation includes “With deep respect and great admiration, we recognize a professor whose tireless efforts to lessen the suffering of people stricken with cancer are nothing short of heroic. A research chemist, distinguished teacher and mentor, and consecrated religious, this professor has long exemplified the ideals and mission and holy work of our University.”
  • The Deans’ Award for Faculty Leadership, presented annually to a tenured faculty member who exemplifies, in an extraordinary way, the qualities of teaching and scholarship described in the University’s Articles of Administration for appointment, advancement in rank, and tenure, was presented to Lisa Reed, Pamplin School of Business.
  • The Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching, presented annually by the University’s Committee on Teaching and Scholarship to a faculty member who is a particular exemplar of the University’s commitment to superb teaching, was presented to Christin Hancock, history.
  • The Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship, presented annually by the University’s Committee on Teaching and Scholarship to a faculty member who presents unusually significant and meritorious achievement in professional scholarship during the past two academic years, and whose work substantively enhances the effectiveness of his or her classroom teaching, was presented to Aaron Wootton, mathematics.
  • The Faculty Award for Outstanding Service, presented annually by the University’s Committee on Teaching and Scholarship to a faculty member who is an exemplar of the University’s commitment to service, was presented to Bill Barnes, Pamplin School of Business.

Sr. Carol Dempsey, OP, theology; Larry Larsen, performing and fine arts; and Norah Martin, philosophy, each received the Christie Award as well.

For more information contact the provost’s office at x7105 or staten@up.edu.

 

 

Faculty & Staff Discount for “The Light in the Piazza,” June 21

The performing and fine arts department is offering a discounted performance of Mock’s Crest Productions’ “The Light in the Piazza” on Thursday, June 21. Faculty and staff members can buy tickets for $16 by presenting a UP ID at the box office, which is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., M–F, or call x7287 to reserve.

“The Light in the Piazza” is a contemporary musical operetta with a book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. The story is based on a 1962 film about a mother and daughter on a journey of self-discovery and finding true love in the streets of Florence. The music broke with the standard Broadway pop tradition and ventured into neoromantic classical music for which it won a Tony Award in 2005.

For more information contact Larry Larsen, PFA, at larsen@up.edu.

Clark Library Gallery: “From Page to Production” Opening Reception, March 23

Join us at the opening reception for From Page to Production on Friday, March 23, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., in the Clark Library Gallery. See how a play script is brought to life from theatrical design sketches and scaled models to finished costumes and sets. The exhibit features the work of scenic designer Larry Larsen, performing and fine arts, and costume designer Gregory Pulver, performing and fine arts. They will give a brief talk about their work at the reception. Refreshments will be provided.

For more information contact the Clark Library at x7111 or library@up.edu.

“Die Fledermaus” Set To Open

Mock's Crest Die Fledermaus @ University of Portland. Summer 201The University of Portland will host Johann Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus,” produced by Mock’s Crest Productions, a summer professional theater company supported by the University. Performances will take place on June 7-9, 14-16, 20-23, and 27-30 in Mago Hunt Center Theater. All performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. except for Sunday matinees, which begin at 2 p.m. Theater fans are invited to join Mock’s Crest for an evening of white lies, mistaken identities, and revenge set in the roaring 20s of New York City.

Tickets are available through the Hunt Center box office at 7287 or magohuntboxoffice@up.edu. Adult tickets are $30; seniors, students, and groups of 10 or more are $25. Dinners are available starting 90 minutes before evening shows for $14.50 and include farm fresh green salad, local vegetables, grilled chicken breast, fingerling potatoes, and a dessert station with fresh berries. Brunch is served 90 minutes before Sunday matinees for $13.50 and includes local vegetable frittata, ham and smoked salmon, fingerling potatoes, fresh fruit, and pastries. Company members will be in attendance to provide introductory remarks at the dinners and brunches.

Nationally recognized Kristine McIntyre, formerly of the Metropolitan Opera in New York as well as opera companies in Kentucky, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Portland Opera, will direct. McIntyre also directed “The Mikado” at the University of Portland in 2010 and 2002. Resident UP faculty member Larry Larsen designed the sets and lighting and Darrin Pufall designed the costumes. Returning cast members include Catherine Olsen and Brian Tierney, both last seen in the 2011 Mock’s Crest production of “The Yeoman of the Guard,” and Stacey Murdock, who was in the 2009 production of “A Little Night Music.”

Mock’s Crest Productions theater company was created in 1990 to produce high quality comic opera, employing some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest actors, singers, directors, and designers. It was founded to enhance the cultural fabric of the North Portland community and to perpetuate the University’s long tradition of support for the arts.

For more information contact the performing and arts department at 503-943-7228 or pfa@up.edu.

Oregon Book Award For Stolowitz

University of Portland adjunct drama instructor Andrea Stolowitz, performing and fine arts, won the 2013 Angus L. Bowmer Award for Drama as part of the 2013 Oregon Book Awards for her play, Antarktikos, according to PFA department chair Larry Larsen. Stolowitz is the first University of Portland faculty member to win an Oregon Book Award.

Stolowitz’s screenwriting work includes Jonathan’s War, a feature-length action film, the treatment for Code Name: Pelicano, which was sold to independent producers, and the upcoming six episode web-series Crackerjacks. A Walter E. Dakin Fellow at The Sewanee Writers Conference, Stolowitz has also been awarded residencies at Ledig House, Soapstone, and Hedgebrook, as well as arts grants from North Carolina, Oregon, and private foundations. Her plays include Bad Family, Seascapes, Playing the Course, Berlin Circles, Hotel Traumbad, and Geological Disturbances. Her latest play, Ithaka, premiers at Artist’s Repertory Theater in Portland on May 28, and runs through June 30.

For more information contact Larry Larsen, performing and fine arts, at 503-943-7228 or larsen@up.edu. See more about Antarktikos at http://tinyurl.com/c2ab38y.