Monmouth University Center for the Arts Spring 2022 Brochure

The time has come to welcome you back to our campus with a whole new line-up of events in 2022! We’ve come through an unprecendented time of darkened stages, and now we celebrate the return of live events to our stages and screens in the Pollak Theatre! Plan now to be at the Center for the Arts for the moment you can reconnect with your favorite plays, ballets, operas and concerts - or discover something new!

As you return to our theatres and galleries, please know that YOUR safety remains our top priority. Please check our website to review our COVID-19 Safety Measures and Policies before you attend to see what we have done to ensure the ongoing health and safety of our patrons! We are thrilled to gather again as a community to enjoy first-class entertainment. Your seat is waiting!

PERFORMING ARTS SERIES

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN

Sat. March 5 ● 8 PM

POLLAK THEATRE | Tickets: $65 - $110

Michael Feinstein, the multi-platinum-selling, five-time GRAMMY®nominated entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” is one of the premier interpreters of American standards. Through his live performances, recordings, film and television appearances, and his songwriting, Feinstein is an all-star force in American music.

COLIN HAY

Thurs. April 10 ● 8 PM

POLLAK THEATRE | Tickets: $48 - $60

Singer-songwriter Colin Hay is most beloved for his intimate, confessional live shows but most widely known for being an influential and celebrated frontman of Men at Work, responsible for penning several pop hits of the early ’80s including (The Land) Down Under and Who Can it Be Now. After Men At Work, Hay embarked on a solo career, debuting in 1987 with Looking For Jack and continued to release critically acclaimed solo material throughout the 2000’s.

MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY!

Fri. May 6 ● 8 PM

POLLAK THEATRE | Tickets: $50 - $60

“Steve is Alan King, Billy Crystal, a smidgen of Don Rickles and George Carlin all thrown in” -Variety

Broadway star STEVE SOLOMON’s smash hit is inspired by his own hilarious family and all the people in his life whose sole purpose is to drive him into therapy …. and who succeeded! One part lasagna, one part kreplach, & two parts Prozac, you don’t have to be Italian or Jewish to love this show. All you need is to know what it feels like to leave a family dinner with heartburn & a headache!

LIVE IN HD

The talents of the world’s premier performers and visionary directors from New York’s Metropolitan Opera are presented in Hi Def video and surround sound with easy to read subtitles on a 30’ State-of-the-Art screen.

VERDI’S RIGOLETTO

Sat. January 29 ● 1 PM

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 206 minutes

Tony Award–winning director Bartlett Sher creates a bold new take on Verdi’s timeless tragedy, resetting the opera’s action in 1920s Europe. Baritone Quinn Kelsey brings his searing portrayal of the title role to the Met for the first time, starring alongside soprano Rosa Feola as Gilda and tenor Piotr Beczała as the Duke of Mantua, with Maestro Daniele Rustioni on the podium.

TERENCE BLANCHARD’S

FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES

Sat. FEBRUARY 12 ● 1 PM

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 175 minutes

The second opera from Grammy Award–winning and Oscar-nominated trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard, weaves together jazz, gospel, and classical styles to tell a powerful story of resilience and self-discovery. The landmark production—hailed as “a watershed moment for American opera” by The Washington Post features choreography by Camille A. Brown and stars an exceptional cast including baritone Will Liverman and sopranos Angel Blue & Latonia Moore.

STRAUSS’S

ARIADNE AUF NAXOS

Sat. March 12 ● 1 PM

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 184 minutes

Soprano Lise Davidsen makes her Live in HD debut as the mythological Greek heroine of Strauss’s enchanting masterpiece. The cast also features mezzosoprano Isabel Leonard as the Composer of the operawithin-an-opera around which the plot revolves, with soprano Brenda Rae as the spirited Zerbinetta and tenor Brandon Jovanovich as Ariadne’s lover, Bacchus.

VERDI’S DON CARLOS

Sat. MARCH 26 ● 12 PM

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 314 minutes

For the first time, the Met presents the original five-act French version of Verdi’s epic opera of doomed love among royalty, set against the

The Met: Live in HD series is supported by

The Met: Live in HD series is made possible by a generous grant from its founding sponsor

backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads a starry cast, including tenor Matthew Polenzani in the title role, soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Élisabeth de Valois, and mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as Eboli.

PUCCINI’S TURANDOT

Sat. MAY 7 ● 1 PM

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 206 minutes

Soprano Anna Netrebko makes her long-awaited Met role debut as Puccini’s icy princess. Tenor Yonghoon Lee is the bold prince determined to win Turandot’s love, alongside soprano Ermonela Jaho as the devoted servant Liù and legendary bass Ferruccio Furlanetto as the blind king Timur.

DONIZETTI’S LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR

Sat. May 21 ● 1 PM

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 224 minutes

Soprano Nadine Sierra takes on one of the repertory’s most formidable and storied roles, the haunted heroine of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, in an electrifying new staging by Australian theater and film director Simon Stone, conducted by Riccardo Frizza.

BRETT DEAN’S HAMLET

Sat. June 4 ● 1 PM

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 214 minutes

Australian composer Brett Dean’s riveting contemporary masterpiece, which had it’s world premiere at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2017, comes to the Met. Starring original cast members including tenor Allan Clayton in the title role, as well as soprano Brenda Rae as Ophelia, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly as Gertrude, baritone Rod Gilfry as Claudius, and legendary bass John Tomlinson as the ghost of Hamlet’s father.

ALL BROADCASTS AT THE POLLAK THEATRE

Large print programs are available at each performance

Presentations of the Met: Live in HD series at Monmouth University are made possible by a generous gift from University Trustee Robert Sculthorpe, as well as gifts from the Fairleigh S. Dickinson, Jr. Foundation Inc. and the Nicola Musso Charitable Foundation.

Global corporate sponsorship of The Met: Live in HD is provided by

HD Broadcasts are supported by

With state-of-the-art filming techniques, the British theatre behind the Tony Award winning War Horse & One Man, Two Guvnors brings thrilling HD broadcasts to Pollak Theatre. From close-ups that capture every flicker of emotion, to sweeping wide shots of the stage you are guaranteed the best seats in the house.

Thurs. April 21 ● 7:30 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 180 minutes

Set twelve years before the epic His Dark Materials trilogy, this gripping adaptation revisits Philip Pullman’s fantastical world in which waters are rising and storms are brewing. Two young people and their dæmons, with everything at stake, find themselves at the centre of a terrifying manhunt. In their care is a tiny child called Lyra Belacqua, and in that child lies the fate of the future. And as the waters rise around them, powerful adversaries conspire for mastery of Dust: salvation to some, the source of infinite corruption to others. Eighteen years after his ground breaking production of His Dark Materials at the National Theatre, director Nicholas Hytner returns to Pullman’s parallel universe. Broadcast live from London’s Bridge Theatre.

HEX

Thurs. May 19 at 7:30 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 180 minutes

A vividly original retelling of Sleeping Beauty,

sleep, her dream turns into a nightmare and her blessing becomes a curse. Soon, she is plunged into a frantic, hundred-year quest to somehow make everything right. Rufus Norris directs Rosalie Craig (The Ferryman, Company) in this new musical filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, with music by Jim Fortune, book by Tanya Ronder.

HENRY V

Thurs. June 30 at 7:30 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 180 minutes

Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) plays the title role in Shakespeare’s thrilling study of nationalism, war and the psychology of power. Fresh to the throne, King Henry V launches England into a bloody war with France. When his campaign encounters resistance, this inexperienced new ruler must prove he is fit to guide a country into war. Captured live from the Donmar Warehouse in London, this exciting modern production directed by Max Webster (Life of Pi) explores what it means to be English and our relationship to Europe, asking: do we ever get the leaders we deserve?

Proudly supported by

JEWELS

Sun. February 13 ● 1 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 140 minutes

Three sparkling scenes accompanied by the music of three essential composers, feature the styles of the three dance schools that have contributed to making George Balanchine a legend of modern ballet. This glamorous triptych was inspired by Balanchine’s visit to the famous jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels on New York’s Fifth Avenue, and created as an homage to the cities and dance schools of Paris, New York and St. Petersburg that made a vital impact on the revered choreographer’s career.

SWAN LAKE

Sun. March 20 ● 1 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23| Run Time: 155 minutes

The legend of the enigmatic swan-woman set to Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece of a score is ballet’s most beloved production in the classical canon.

The Bolshoi Ballet’s Swan Lake exemplifies the dramatic tension and heartstopping beauty of motion with prima ballerina Olga Smirnova leading the cast, as sensational as the black swan as she is poignant as white swan of the Bolshoi to life.

THE PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER

Sun. May 15 ● 1 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 170 minutes

French choreographer Pierre Lacotte brilliantly resurrected a forgotten masterpiece exclusively for the Bolshoi Ballet nearly twenty years ago – Marius Petipa’s The Pharaoh’s Daughter. With its exotic setting, spectacular dancing and scenes choreographed for nearly the entire Bolshoi troupe, this stunning Egyptian fresco is one of the most remarkable productions in the company’s repertoire.

Great Art On Screen

MAVERICK MODIGLIANI

Fri. February 18 ● 7:30 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 90 min.

Maverick Modigliani features the story of Amedeo Modigliani, a remarkable talent that transcended stereotypes. From his origins in Livorno, Italy to the Paris of Picasso and Brancusi that became the center of modernity, to his love for his wife and frequent subject of his portraits Jeanne Hébuterne, the film depicts the life and work of an avant-garde artist who has become a contemporary classic.

NAPOLEON:

IN THE NAME OF ART

Fri. March 25 ● 7:30 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23 | Run Time: 90 min.

Marking the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s death, this documentary explores the complex relationship between Napoleon, culture and art. Host Jeremy Irons brings audiences on a tour from Milan to Paris for a look at Napoleon’s imperial iconography and architectural style and to reflect on the relationship between power and art.

TUTANKHAMUN:

THE LAST EXHIBITION

Fri. April 8 ● 7:30 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23| Run Time: 90 min.

To mark the centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, this film offers audiences an extraordinary opportunity to meet the Pharaoh, with exclusive coverage of how 150 of his treasures were moved to become part of the biggest international exhibition ever dedicated to him.

RAPHAEL: THE YOUNG PRODIGY

Fri. May 13 ● 7:30 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23| Run Time: 80 min.

Raphael: The Young Prodigy tells the story of the Italian Renaissance artist from Urbino. From portraits of his mother to the female admirers who helped him on his road to success, Raphael was able to portray an ideal of celestial beauty, and to focus his gaze more on the psychology of his subjects than on their physical form, so that their personalities emerge in a striking manner.

POMPEII: SIN CITY

Fri. June 24 ● 7:30 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23| Run Time: 90 minutes

Famously known for the catastrophic eruption which buried Pompeii along with its inhabitants over 2000 years ago, Pompeii: Sin City hosted by Isabella Rossellini offers audiences an extraordinary snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment of burial, showing how its citizens lived their lives, spent their free time, experienced pleasure, passion, religion and ultimately, their fate.

BOTTICELLI: FLORENCE AND THE MEDICI

Fri. July 15 ● 7:30 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23| Run Time: 90 minutes

Florence in the era of the powerhouse Italian statesman, politician and patron Lorenzo de’ Medici, was the heart of Renaissance art and culture. One artist, above all others, was able to evoke the lights and shadows of this unforgettable era: Sandro Botticelli. Through this documentary, we re-live Florence through Botticelli’s life, his collaborations, his challenges and successes.

VENICE: INFINITELY AVANT GARDE

Fri. Aug 5 ● 7:30 PM

POLLAK THEATRE

Tickets: $23| Run Time: 90 min.

A tour of the magical city, this film showcases masterpieces by Tiepolo, Canaletto, Rosalba Carriera and the intellectuals who fell in love with Venice: from Canova to Goethe, Lord Byron to Walter Scott. Venice continues to be unique for its urban landscape and for its rich history, but above all, the city is unique for its identity, which combines the charm of decadence with the excitement of being on the cutting edge.

Experience a global revolution of world class art, history and biography through the works of the greatest masters of our time

ADULT EDUCATION SERIES

Join Monmouth University faculty and friends as they host virtual courses exploring topics that blend leisure and learning.

THE MUSIC OF STEVIE WONDER

Class Schedule: Thursdays - Jan. 27, Feb. 3 & 10 | 7:30 - 9 PM

HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA SOUL taught by Kit O'Toole

SEPT. 9 - SEPT. 23

This three-session virtual course traces the history of “Philly” Soul, which greatly impacted not only the sound of 70s soul, but the development of disco.

This three-session virtual course taught by KIT O’TOOLE, traces the artistic development from his earliest days through his 1970s “classic period” and beyond. In addition, the class explores the chief influences on his distinctive style such as Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, and Tonto’s Exploding Head Band. Finally, Wonder’s vast impact on music will be studied through his influence on other artists.

HISTORY OF SLAVERY IN NEW JERSEY

Class Schedule: Thursdays - Feb. 17 & 24, Mar. 3 | 7:30 - 9 PM

This three-session virtual course taught by RICK GEFFKEN will cover the period of historic New Jersey slavery starting in the 1620s to the passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865. Attendees will learn that New Jersey was the last northern state to agree to abolish slavery once and for all, after many furtive attempts. Attendees will be introduced to the work of many scholars who have studied and published books on slavery in New Jersey.

WRITING MEMOIR (ADVANCED)

Class Schedule: Thursdays - Mar. 10, 17 & 24 | 7:30 - 9 PM

This three-session virtual course taught by MIKE FARRAGHER (88) builds on the wildly popular Intro to Memoir Writing workshops with an emphasis on character development, dialogue, and scene setting that will make any story a page turner. Practical lessons are interspersed with writing prompts to get the creativity going during this 3 week course. No prior writing experience needed and all levels welcome!

WHAT’S IN A SONG?

Class Schedule: Thursdays - Mar. 31, Apr. 7 & 14 | 7:30 - 9 PM

This three session virtual course, taught by AARON FURGASON, will explore why we love the songs that we do and dismiss so many others. The class will explore the production and elements of a hit song, the influence of record labels on the production of hit songs, and the methods record labels use to promote and market hit songs.

WRITING HISTORY FOR THE PUBLIC

Class Schedule: Thursdays - Apr. 21 & 28, May 5 | 7:30 - 9 PM

This three session virtual course, taught by HETTIE WILLIAMS, focuses on using the historical method to write about various topics in history for the public. In this class, we will work through the process of research, writing, fact-checking and pitching while developing a publishable article for public consumption.