Wesleyan University's Center for the Arts summer series to feature free outdoor concert and street-theater style performance art
New Haven's experimental soul ensemble Phat A$tronaut will perform at Wesleyan on Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at 7pm.
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New Haven's experimental soul ensemble Phat A$tronaut will perform at Wesleyan on Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at 7pm.
Click here to download high resolution version.
Click here to download high resolution version.
Dr. Susan Russell, Associate Professor in the School of Theatre at Penn State, will speak Wesleyan on Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 12:10pm.
Click here to download high resolution version.
Click here to download high resolution version.
All programs, artists, and dates are subject to change. The outdoor events will be moved indoors in the event of rain. All Center for the Arts facilities are air-conditioned. "Summer at the CFA" is co-sponsored by Wesleyan University's Center for Creative Youth and is presented in association with the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance.
Summer at the Center for the Arts (July 2–23, 2019)
Douglas Lyons
Tuesday, July 2, 2019 at 12:10pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall, 287 Washington Terrace, Middletown, Connecticut
FREE!
Actor, writer, and songwriter Douglas Lyons has appeared on Broadway in Beautiful and The Book of Mormon, as well as national tours of Rent and Dreamgirls. His writing credits include Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, and he has written lyrics with composer Ethan Pakchar that have been heard at Lincoln Center, Goodspeed Musicals, and Joe's Pub at The Public Theater. Mr. Lyons studied musical theater at The Hartt School.
Phat A$tronaut
Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at 7pm
CFA Courtyard, 283 Washington Terrace, Middletown, Connecticut
Rain Location: Fayerweather Beckham Hall, 55 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown, Connecticut
FREE!
"Deftly weaving together a tapestry of hip-hop, funk, jazz, R&B, and classic soul, Phat A$tronaut creates music that is experimental in nature and yet downright danceable and party-friendly at its core."
—The Hartford Courant
New Haven's experimental soul ensemble Phat A$tronaut has created meticulously crafted arrangements with pop-sensible songwriting since 2016. The group's influences include D'Angelo, Snarky Puppy, Erykah Badu, Prince, Fela Kuti, and Knower. The band features singer/songwriter Chad Browne-Springer, guitarist/musical director Mark Lyon, vocalist Ruth Onyirimba, bassist Mike Russo, keyboardist Stephen Gritz King, drummer Travis Hall, and Dylan McDonnell on woodwinds.
Christopher Chenier
Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at 12:10pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall, 287 Washington Terrace, Middletown, Connecticut
FREE!
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Art and the College of Integrative Sciences Christopher Chenier teaches art and design and directs Wesleyan's multidisciplinary Digital Design Studio, where students work with digital fabrication tools and creative software. As a maker, researcher, and educator, his interests range from parametric design to critical theory and electronic media. He cares most about using computation and the arts to help people develop creative confidence and critical thinking skills.
Creative Connections
Thursday, July 11, 2019 at 7pm
Fayerweather Beckham Hall, 55 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown, Connecticut
FREE! Please click here for reservations.
Join the Center for Creative Youth and the Center for the Arts for an evening of "Creative Connections," a gathering of students and local creatives. This festive and informal event is designed to foster connections with our local arts community, exchange knowledge, and engage in conversation. The evening will feature a short performance by Hartford-based dancer/choreographer Arien Wilkerson of multidisciplinary art collective Tnmot Aztro. Light refreshments and dessert will be served.
A Conversation with Bread and Puppet Theater
Thursday, July 18, 2019 at 12:10pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall, 287 Washington Terrace, Middletown, Connecticut
FREE!
Bread and Puppet Theater was founded in New York City in 1963 before moving to Vermont in 1970. The company champions a visually rich street-theater brand of performance art filled with music, dance, and slapstick, and their shows are political and spectacular, with huge puppets made of paper mache and cardboard. Following the afternoon conversation, the group will perform The Diagonal Life Circus at 7pm.
Bread and Puppet Theater: The Diagonal Life Circus
Thursday, July 18, 2019 at 7pm
Foss Hill/Andrus Field,55 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown, Connecticut
Rain Location: Fayerweather Beckham Hall, 55 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown, Connecticut
FREE!
"Bread and Puppet has become an icon of our times."
—The New York Times
The Diagonal Life Circus is funny and moving—a colorful, tonally and formally diverse tumult of short acts on the urgent themes of the day, powered by a riotous brass band. Before the evening performance, there will be a free conversation with Bread and Puppet Theater at 12:10pm in Ring Family Performing Arts Hall.
Susan Russell
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 12:10pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall, 287 Washington Terrace, Middletown, Connecticut
FREE!
Dr. Susan Russell is an Associate Professor in the School of Theatre at Penn State, where she teaches literature/criticism, musical theater history, and playwriting. For 25 years she was a professional actor on and off-Broadway. In 2007, she created "Cultural Conversations," which uses music, theater, dance, storytelling, and visual arts to help young people talk about social issues. She is the author of Stop the Violence, Start the Conversation and Body Language: Cultural Conversations—Reaching Out and Reaching In.