mpagado's blog

This blog post is by Emily Schweich, a sophomore Broadcast Journalism major.

Spring Awakening photo by Blinkofaneye/BrightestYoungThings

Spring Awakening proves that the tumultuous experience of adolescence transcends place and time. Based on a 19th century play by Frank Wedekind, the rock musical follows a group of adolescents in a provincial village, balancing angst with optimism, and naiveté with curiosity, struggling to reconcile society’s agenda with nature’s desires. The UMD School of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies’ production, directed by five-time Tony Award-winner Brian MacDevitt and acclaimed choreographers Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig, explores this dichotomy between institution and nature.

Dressed in neutral-colored, flowing, loose dresses and tunics, their hair swept up into disheveled hairstyles, the Elementals were more than conventional backup dancers; they told the undercurrents of the story.

This blog post is by Emily Schweich, a sophomore Broadcast Journalism major.

The lights dimmed, and I settled into my seat – front and center in the Dekelboum Concert Hall. Executive director Marty Wollesen took the stage to welcome guests to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. A curly-haired man in jeans and a hooded jacket walked down the aisle next to me. He’s late, I thought. Who would be late to a big-name concert like this? A second glance — He looks like Chick Corea. The man crossed in front of the stage and casually took a seat at the piano next to Bobby McFerrin. Wait. He IS Chick Corea.

Musicians this virtuosic don’t need to put on a show to engage an audience. When done right, the music speaks for itself.

David Rousseve/REALITY wlil be presenting the world premiere performances of Stardust here on January 31 and February 1. Choreographed, written and directed by David Rousseve, Stardust follows a gay African American teen as he navigates a difficult adolescence. Never seen onstage, he is present only by the unanswered, emotion-laden text messages he sends to a random number.

Stardust's sound score juxtaposes the intimate romanticism of Nat King Cole standards with the rough-edged, hip-hop inflected original music of d. Sabela Grimes. Because they have such great taste in music, we've asked David, REALITY and their collaborators to put together a playlist of their current musical obsessions. (You're welcome!)