2018–2019
UNIVERSIT Y OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
A Message from Michael Quick Dear Friend of USC, I am pleased to announce the 2018–2019 season of USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Created thirteen years ago, this annual series of performances, lectures, exhibitions, and discussions has become a centerpiece of campus life and a hallmark of a USC education. USC’s utmost responsibility is to serve the global public good. Our students and faculty answer this calling by bringing a wide array of perspectives to solve the most difficult problems of our time. The arts and humanities play a critical role. They shape our understanding of the human condition, give expression to the full range and diversity of human experiences, and, as a result, are integral to addressing the wicked problems faced by people all over the world. Just as USC’s commitment to the arts and humanities permeates our curriculum, you will find that Visions and Voices extends that commitment beyond the classroom, providing abundant opportunities for students in any major to engage, reflect, and design a better world. Trojans have a distinct opportunity here—one that cannot be found with such scope, scale, or depth at any other major university. Take advantage of this enormous privilege. This year’s signature events feature a diverse array of performances and speakers. We kick off the year with movement artists Lil Buck and Jon Boogz and spoken word poet Robin Sanders in Love Heals All Wounds, a performance combining dance and verse to explore issues like climate change, mass incarceration, and immigration. In October, the famed Complexions Contemporary Ballet will grace the stage at Bovard with their groundbreaking, boundary-crossing approach to dance. Founded in 1994, Complexions embodies the beauty of difference through a mix of methods, styles, and cultures and brilliantly reflects our world as an interrelated whole. In November, USC, in partnership with the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, will host the second annual residency in which a distinguished artist from Mexico spends a week at USC, sharing work and interacting with students and the broader community. This year’s residency features Sebastián, creator of monumental urban sculptures that combine the vivid colors of pop art with the abstract forms of minimalism—at maximal scale. In January, join us for an evening with Isabella Rossellini as the iconic actor, model, filmmaker, philanthropist, and web-based educator joins USC Dean of Dramatic Arts David Bridel in a conversation on life, art, animals, age, and more, with her inimitable sparkling intelligence and natural grace. In February, as part of the Provost’s Series on Wicked Problems, join us for a very special evening with best-selling author Roxane Gay, whose book Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body deals head-on with life after sexual assault, and Amanda Nguyen, a young activist and survivor of sexual violence who is leading an international movement to enact Survivors Bills of Rights through the organization she founded, Rise. Taking the stage together for the first time, Gay and Nguyen will lead an important conversation about power, survival, and the ways we can work to create a world free of violence. These are just a few of our many outstanding Visions and Voices offerings and opportunities. Please read through this brochure and consider attending the events that spark your interest as well as those that will expose you to ideas, genres, or cultures you’ve never explored before. I plan to attend several Visions and Voices events this year, and I encourage you to do the same. Sincerely,
Michael Quick Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
CONTENTS
2 About Visions and Voices 3 Events
3 SPARK! 13th Annual Visions and Voices Kickoff 4 Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde 5 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 6 CONTRA-TIEMPO’s joyUS justUS 7 Making Data More Human with Jer Thorp 8 Building DTLA with Wayne Thom 9 Stories of Hope, Healing, and Advocacy 10 Marina Gregory on the Grotowski Legacy 11 Complexions Contemporary Ballet 12 Calligraffiti Artist eL Seed 13 Trojan Family Weekend 14 An Evening with Enrique Martínez Celaya 15 The Metropolitan Opera in HD 16 Dorothy’s Friends Theatre Company: Fun Home 17 Sankofa Danzafro’s The City of Others 18 An Evening with Xiuhtezcatl Martinez 19 USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 4 20 An Evening with Kamila Shamsie 21 Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly 22 Virtual Reality—Dreaming with Eyes Open 23 Cátedra México with Sebastián 24 USC Thornton Opera 25 Bunraku Ningyo Awakenings
26 RAP LESSONS—Pedagogy, Art, and Activism 27 The Last of the Polish Jews 28 40 Years of Alien 29 An Evening with Isabella Rossellini 30 Sam Quinones on America’s Opiate Epidemic 31 The Power and Pleasure of Podcasting 32 That was then. This is now: PostNatural Nature 33 RACE RELAY® 34 Roxane Gay and Amanda Nguyen in Conversation 35 South Korean Sci-Fi and Transnational Technocultures 36 Enchanting Aging with Anne Basting 37 PHILADANCO 38 Headspace: Music and Mindfulness 39 Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Re-animated 40 FOSTER 41 Alice Smith: The Sound of Freedom 42 USC Kaufman’s Spring BFA Dance Performance 43 Swimming Pool Party
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Experience L.A.: Events around Los Angeles At a Glance: Events by Date Important Information Contact Information Visions and Voices: Who We Are
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About Visions and Voices Visions and Voices, USC’s dynamic and unparalleled arts and humanities initiative, was established in 2006 to enrich the academic experience of USC students through a deep engagement in the arts and humanities. Tying into USC’s central mission of developing “human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit,” the initiative encourages USC students to expand their horizons and discover the transformative power of the arts and humanities in our lives. Highlighting the university’s commitment to interdisciplinary approaches, the initiative features a spectacular array of events conceived and organized by faculty and schools throughout the university. Every Visions and Voices event includes an interactive or reflective component, providing students and the community with a stimulating experience and an opportunity to explore USC’s core values, including freedom of inquiry, respect for diversity, commitment to service, entrepreneurial spirit, informed risk taking, ethical conduct, and the search for truth. This approach to the arts and humanities is intended to help USC students become engaged world citizens, making every future scientist a better scientist, every future lawyer a better lawyer, every future business professional a better business professional, and every future artist a better artist, contributing to a better society as a whole.
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SPARK!
13TH ANNUAL VISIONS AND VOICES KICKOFF
Featuring Love Heals All Wounds by Movement Art Is, with Robin Sanders and Guest Movement Artists
Photo: Tim Salaz
Thursday, August 16, at 8 p.m. Bovard Auditorium Kick off the 2018–19 academic year and the 13th season of Visions and Voices at SPARK! The evening will open with a performance by National Poetry Slam champion Javon Johnson. Then, dancer/choreographers Lil Buck and Jon Boogz—together known as MAI (Movement Art Is)—will take you on a powerful and moving journey to explore issues such as climate change, mass incarceration, and immigration through street dance and spoken word by Robin Sanders. Love Heals All Wounds sheds light on the challenges we face as a global community while inspiring us to create change. After the show, stick around for a dance party and reception featuring DJs Urban Assault (aka Faust and Shortee). The event will also include a welcome by Provost Michael Quick. Plus, attendees will receive free Visions and Voices T-shirts and bags.
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Narrative, Creativity, and Collaboration An Evening with Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde Thursday, August 30, at 7 p.m. Wallis Annenberg Hall Auditorium Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde has decades of experience making the magical real. He led the creative team that designed the Animal Kingdom theme park in Florida and transformed the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror into Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! at Disney California Adventure. With diagrams and stories that inspire new ways of thinking about education, collaboration, and sustainability, the man the L.A. Times calls “Disney’s philosopher king” will illuminate his novel system for team-building rooted in storytelling, describing a practical course to create futures that match our most inspired imaginations. Organized by Sasha Anawalt (Communication and Journalism) and Lucy V. Lee (Business). Co-sponsored by the USC School of Architecture.
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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Saturday, September 8, at 7 p.m. Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre 2018 marks the twentieth anniversary of the release of Terry Gilliam’s mind-bending film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s hallucinogenic tour de force, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In conjunction with the Hunter S. Thompson Estate, the USC School of Cinematic Arts will host a screening of this anarchic masterpiece starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro, followed by a panel discussion with cast and crew, and an after-party at the USC Cinematic Arts Complex. An exhibit highlighting the production of the film as well as materials from the Hunter S. Thompson archives will be in the Hugh M. Hefner Exhibition Hall in the George Lucas Building throughout the Fall 2018 semester. Organized by the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
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joyUS justUS A World-Premiere Performance by CONTRA-TIEMPO A VISIONS AND VOICES SIGNATURE EVENT Thursday, September 13, at 7:30 p.m. Bovard Auditorium Visions and Voices proudly presents the world premiere of joyUS justUS, the newest dance-theatre experience by CONTRA-TIEMPO and its co-founder/choreographer Ana Maria Alvarez. With technical rigor and transformative vision, CONTRA-TIEMPO has collaborated with Las Cafeteras, d. Sabela grimes, Charlese Antoinette, and Tuce Yasak to translate the real experiences of South L.A. communities of color into a jubilant and healing performance. Exuberantly counteracting dominant narratives of people of color, joyUS justUS is a knowing celebration of the beauty and power of people who have survived immense hardship and injustice with their humanity—and joy—intact. Photo: Eric Wolfe
Co-sponsored by the USC Kaufman School of Dance, USC El Centro Chicano, and the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs.
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Making Data More Human An Evening with Jer Thorp Tuesday, September 18, at 7 p.m. Friends of the USC Libraries Lecture Hall Doheny Memorial Library 240 From graphing an entire year’s news cycle, to mapping the way people share articles online, to the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan, the cutting-edge visualizations of data artist Jer Thorp help us learn about the ways we use digital technologies, can become more empathetic in the data age, and, ultimately, tell the story of our lives. In a talk interweaved with beautiful and moving data-visualization projects, Thorp will illuminate how adding meaning and narrative to data can help people take control of the information that surrounds them, and transform the way we use data.
Image: Jer Thorp
Organized by Curtis Fletcher (Ahmanson Lab and Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study) and Tara McPherson (Cinematic Arts and Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study).
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Building DTLA: An Architectural Tour with Wayne Thom Sunday, September 23 Depart USC at 10 a.m.; return at 2 p.m. Downtown Los Angeles Join us for a guided bus and walking tour of six landmark buildings in downtown Los Angeles’s Bunker Hill area, led by preeminent architectural photographer Wayne Thom. Learn how Thom worked with natural light to create iconic images of the concrete and mirrored-glass skyscrapers of downtown L.A., while taking your own photographs of sites such as the Bonaventure and ARCO Tower. Thom will be joined by Woodbury University professor and urbanist Emily Bills, who will shed light on the successive building booms of downtown L.A.’s complex social and architectural history.
Related Event: Architectural Photography Workshop with Wayne Thom
Wayne Thom will share his exceptional techniques for shooting large buildings—and show structures on the USC campus in a new light—in this hands-on workshop. Organized by the USC Libraries.
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Photos: Wayne Thom
Friday, October 5, at 1 p.m. Friends of the USC Libraries Lecture Hall Doheny Memorial Library 240
Stories of Hope, Healing, and Advocacy The Medical Humanities, Arts, and Ethics Series BALL & Other Funny Stories About Cancer A Performance by Brian Lobel and Gia Jones Thursday, September 27, at 4 p.m. Mayer Auditorium, Health Sciences Campus Brian Lobel and Gia Jones come together in a quirky, provocative, and entirely unexpected performance about illness, the body, and change. Drawn from Lobel’s work about his own experiences with cancer, BALL and Other Funny Stories About Cancer is a bold, humorous, and profoundly honest look at the realities of cancer and the limitations of a conventional “cancer story.”
The Radical Redesign of Healthcare: Changing the Balance of Power A Lecture by Donald Berwick
Photo (Brian Lobel): Christa Holka Photo (Donald Berwick): Laurie Swope
Thursday, April 4, at 4 p.m. Mayer Auditorium, Health Sciences Campus While many commentators have described the problems of our current healthcare system, Dr. Donald Berwick, president emeritus and senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, is one of very few who have shown the steps we can take to create something better. Blending clinical science, systems theory, psychology, statistics, and stories, Berwick faces the problems of healthcare today and asks how we can create a patient-centered, team-based system focused on value, efficiency, and equity. Organized by Pamela Schaff (Family Medicine and Pediatrics), Alexander Capron (Law and Medicine), Lyn Boyd-Judson (Levan Institute for Humanities and Ethics), Ron Ben-Ari (Internal Medicine), and Lynn Kysh (USC Libraries). Co-sponsored by the USC Keck School of Medicine’s HEAL Program (Humanities, Ethics/Economics, Art, and the Law), the USC Pacific Center for Health Policy and Ethics, and the USC Levan Institute for Humanities and Ethics.
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Lineage and Transgression: The Grotowski Legacy with Marina Gregory Artist and director Marina Gregory celebrates Jerzy Grotowski, a legend of twentieth-century avant-garde theatre. Grotowski wrote the groundbreaking Towards a Poor Theatre, putting forth ideas about audience involvement that continue to influence theatrical creation today. Join us for a screening of the documentary With Jerzy Grotowski, Nienadówka, 1980, by Mercedes Gregory (Marina’s mother), which follows Grotowski’s journey to the small village of Nienadówka, Poland, where he hid during the Nazi occupation. The film and a post-screening panel with Marina Gregory will explore artistic lineage as well as the roles of transgression in art and history. Organized by the USC School of Dramatic Arts.
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Photo: Mick Cantarella
Thursday, September 27, at 7 p.m. Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall
Complexions Contemporary Ballet A VISIONS AND VOICES SIGNATURE EVENT
Photo: Steve Vaccariello
Tuesday, October 2, at 7:30 p.m. Bovard Auditorium Join us for a celebration of the movement of our world—and all of its cultures—in a spectacular performance by the famed Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Moving with virtuosic grace from classical to metal, ballet to the most innovative contemporary dance forms, Complexions embodies the beauty of difference. The renowned company was founded in 1994 by choreographer Dwight Rhoden and dancer Desmond Richardson with an aim to reinvent dance through a mix of methods, styles, and cultures. Complexions will thrill you with their groundbreaking, boundary-crossing approach to dance that brilliantly reflects our world as an interrelated whole. Co-sponsored by the USC Kaufman School of Dance and the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs.
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An Evening with Calligraffiti Artist eL Seed Tuesday, October 9, at 7 p.m. Bovard Auditorium
The French-Tunisian artist eL Seed made international headlines in 2017 when he installed a piece of art at the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, and the year before when he painted an homage to garbage collectors across more than 50 buildings in Cairo. Blending the traditional art of calligraphy and the contemporary language of graffiti, eL Seed has placed large-scale works throughout the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. In a dynamic lecture interweaved with images, eL Seed will take you on a visual and philosophical journey through the complex political, social, and cultural landscapes in which we live. Linda Komaroff, curator of Islamic art at LACMA, will moderate a post-talk Q&A. Organized by Sherin Guirguis (Art and Design), Renee Almassizadeh (Middle East Studies), and the USC Roski School of Art and Design.
Zaraeeb in Cairo, Egypt, 2016
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Photo: Mahdi Khmili
Photo: David Sprague
Trojan Family Weekend Thursday, October 11, through Sunday, October 14 University Park Campus Trojan Family Weekend is an annual celebration that gives USC families the opportunity to visit their student and experience life as a Trojan. This dynamic weekend will be packed with enriching lectures, campus tours, engaging workshops, and social activities, and culminate with a USC football game. The exciting programming will also include a special concert presented by Visions and Voices.
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An Evening with Enrique Martínez Celaya Wednesday, October 17, at 7 p.m. Mudd Hall of Philosophy, Room 203 Join us for an evening with the first Provost Professor of Humanities and Arts at USC, Enrique Martínez Celaya. An internationally exhibited painter and small-press publisher, an artist who initially pursued a PhD in physics, and a writer informed by poetry as well as philosophy, Martínez Celaya has collaborated with scientists and artists from the Cowboy Junkies to Nobel Prize–winning chemist Roald Hoffmann. His art is in the permanent collections of the Met, LACMA, the Whitney, and Moderna Museet, among other institutions. In an expansive discussion, he will reflect on the creative process; the intersections between the arts, the humanities, and the sciences; and building an artistic practice and studio that encompasses painting, publishing, writing, supporting the education of young artists, and much more. Organized by the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the USC Roski School of Art and Design. Co-sponsored by USC El Centro Chicano.
Detail of The Cascade installed at SITE Santa Fe, 2013. Bronze sculpture, five steel beds, fiberglass, and pine needles. Dimensions variable. Collection of the Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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The Metropolitan Opera in HD The USC School of Cinematic Arts will host a series of satellite broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera presented in spectacular HD digital projection and 5.1 surround sound. Ken Cazan, chair of vocal arts and opera and resident stage director at the USC Thornton School of Music, will host discussions prior to the operas listed below.
Photo: Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera
Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida Saturday, October 20 12 p.m.: Pre-Opera Discussion 1 p.m.: HD Opera Broadcast Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre The grandest of grand operas, with magnificent choruses, complex ensembles, and elaborate ballets, Aida features an epic backdrop for an intimate love story. Few operas have matched Aida in its exploration of the conflict between private emotion and public duty. Soprano Anna Netrebko sings her first Met Aida, going toe-to-toe with mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili as Amneris.
Georges Bizet’s Carmen
Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera
Saturday, February 2 12 p.m.: Pre-Opera Discussion 1 p.m.: HD Opera Broadcast Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre With melodies as irresistible as the iconic title character, Carmen was a scandal at its premiere but soon became a triumphal success and is now one of the most frequently staged operas in the world. Mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine reprises her remarkable portrayal of opera’s ultimate seductress, with impassioned tenors Yonghoon Lee and, as Don José, Roberto Alagna. Organized by the USC School of Cinematic Arts in conjunction with the USC Thornton School of Music and the Metropolitan Opera.
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Fun Home Produced by Dorothy’s Friends Theatre Company Music by Jeanine Tesori Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron Based on the Graphic Novel by Alison Bechdel Sunday, October 21, at 7 p.m. Bovard Auditorium Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, Fun Home is a musical by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori about the journey to accepting one’s own queer identity. This production of Fun Home by Dorothy’s Friends Theatre Company is a fully student-produced and -performed theatrical event that will provide a space for the entire USC community to connect with LGBTQ+ experiences. The performance will be followed by a discussion about the importance of representation in popular media, and what today’s queer communities can learn from the past. Organized by Dorothy’s Friends Theatre Company and Takeshi Kata (Dramatic Arts). Fun Home is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.
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The City of Others A Performance by Sankofa Danzafro Wednesday, October 24, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center Founded by Rafael Palacios in Colombia in 1997, Sankofa Danzafro seeks to build a bridge between Afro-Colombian peoples and the African continent. La Ciudad de los Otros (The City of Others) explores the contemporary city—a place where people of different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives coexist in a limited space. Through powerful Afro-Colombian and Afrocontemporary dance, live drumming, and singing, The City of Others demands that the city be a site not of discrimination and marginalization but of positive coexistence and a place for everyone.
Photo: Darial Sneed
Organized by the USC Kaufman School of Dance. Co-sponsored by USC El Centro Chicano.
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Xiuhtezcatl Martinez: At the Forefront of Climate Change Thursday, October 25, at 7 p.m. Bovard Auditorium Join us for an evening with Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, an indigenous climate activist, hip hop artist, and voice from the front lines of a global youth-led environmental movement. Currently the youth director of Earth Guardians, Martinez won a Community Service Award from President Obama and is a plaintiff in a youthled lawsuit against the federal government for failing to protect the environment for future generations. In conjunction with the USC Fisher Museum exhibition Earthworks: Mapping the Anthropocene, Martinez will perform activist hip hop with his sister, Isa Roske, and talk with Manuel Pastor of the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) about youth movements to—quite literally—save the world. Organized by the USC Fisher Museum of Art. Co-sponsored by USC El Centro Chicano and USC Environmental Student Assembly.
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USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 4: Comedy Rx—All-Natural and Gluten-Free Friday, November 2 through Sunday, November 4 Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre The Ray Stark Family Theatre, School of Cinematic Arts 108 Following upon the enormous success of three prior comedy festivals, this event will explore comedy’s role in contemporary culture in an incisive—and hilarious—three-day festival. What is the role of comedy in our fractured and polarized society? And how does comedy connect to movements for social justice and human rights? Affiliated with the comedy track at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Foundation, the festival will honor comedy legends, introduce emerging artists, and include high-profile USC alumni working in comedy, with film, television, and webisode screenings; panel discussions; and opportunities for students to interact with comedy artists and industry leaders. Organized by the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
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Home Fire: An Evening with Kamila Shamsie
A VISIONS AND VOICES SIGNATURE EVENT Monday, November 5, at 7 p.m. Town and Gown Kamila Shamsie is the internationally acclaimed author of Home Fire, winner of the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction. This powerful and utterly immersive new novel has been called “a haunting and arrestingly current portrait” by Kirkus Reviews. An ingenious contemporary retelling of Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, Home Fire is a heartbreaking story of love, family, and loyalty that explores the complexities of nationalism, religious extremism, and bigotry, ultimately asking: What motivates an individual to leave home and family? What does national identity look like when you are perceived as a dangerous minority? What sacrifices will we make in the name of love? Join us for a discussion of Home Fire with its award-winning author, named one of Granta’s “Best of Young British Novelists” and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
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Photo: Zain Mustafa
Co-sponsored by the USC Department of Classics, USC Department of English, USC Department of Middle East Studies, and USC Office of Religious Life.
Subverting Power: Cartoons, Comics, and Culture An Evening with Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly Thursday, November 8, at 7 p.m. Bovard Auditorium Listen in as literati power couple Françoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman talk with their dear friend and NPR radio host Michael Silverblatt about the subversive responsibilities of artists and media makers. Françoise Mouly is an artist, author, and the art editor of The New Yorker. Art Spiegelman is a fabled cartoonist and the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning graphic novel Maus. Michael Silverblatt, host of NPR’s Bookworm, will moderate a dynamic discussion exploring Mouly’s iconic task as the person who selects New Yorker covers each week, Spiegelman’s expansion of the possibilities of comics, and how the couple responds, individually and together, to timely political issues through culture and creativity.
Photo: Sarah Shatz
Organized by Keith Mayerson (Art and Design).
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Dreaming with Eyes Open: The Art, Histories, Philosophies, and Practices of Virtual Reality Tuesday, November 13, from 3 to 8 p.m. Friends of the USC Libraries Lecture Hall Doheny Memorial Library 240 Dreaming with Eyes Open will bring together leading VR artists, philosophers, theorists, and technologists. Hear from Academy Award–winning visual effects artist Kevin Mack of Shape Space; groundbreaking artist Asad J. Malik, whose 1RIC Studio focuses on underrepresented voices; Janet H. Murray (Hamlet on the Holodeck); Amelia Winger-Bearskin, who is co-directing a 360 video story about Native American monsters; USC Dornsife philosophy professor Kadri Vihvelin; and Donald Hoffman, who wrote the widely circulated article “The Case Against Reality.”
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Image: Kevin Mack
Co-presented by the USC Libraries, USC Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study, the Ahmanson Lab, USC MxR Lab, USC Mobile and Environmental Media Lab (MEML), and USC Game Innovation Lab. Organized by Melissa L. Miller (USC Libraries), Perry Hoberman (MA+P, Cinematic Arts), and Richard Lemarchand (USC Games, Interactive Media and Games, Cinematic Arts).
Cátedra México with Sebastián
A VISIONS AND VOICES SIGNATURE EVENT PRESENTED WITH THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF MEXICO IN LOS ANGELES Wednesday, November 14, at 7 p.m. Town and Gown Meet Sebastián, creator of monumental urban sculptures that combine the vivid colors of pop art with the abstract forms of minimalism—at maximal scale. Active since the 1960s, Sebastián has made more than 200 steel and concrete sculptures, including colossal Gates (Puertas) in his home country of Mexico; city symbols in Sakai and Kadoma, Japan; and the famous Caballito in Mexico City. In a lecture and conversation facilitated by Selma Holo, director of the USC Fisher Museum of Art, Sebastián will discuss his decades-long career and how mathematical and scientific concepts inform his artistic practice. Co-sponsored by the USC Fisher Museum of Art, USC Price School of Public Policy, USC Roski School of Art and Design, USC School of Architecture, and USC El Centro Chicano.
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USC Thornton Opera Presents Le Rossignol and L’Enfant et les sortilèges Wednesday, November 14, at 8 p.m. Friday, November 16, at 8 p.m. Sunday, November 18, at 2 p.m. Bing Theatre The USC Thornton Opera program and USC Thornton Symphony present a rare double bill featuring two iconic one-act operas: Igor Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol, with libretto by Stepan Mitussov, and Maurice Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges, with libretto by the incomparable Colette. Sung in French and performed by the young artists of the USC Thornton vocal arts and orchestra programs, this charming, moving evening of musical modernism will remind people from the ages of five to forever of the transcendent value of love. Organized by the USC Thornton School of Music.
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Bunraku Ningyo Awakenings A Performance by Kanroku and Mokugu-sha Friday, January 11, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall Experience traditional Japanese puppet theatre in a rare performance outside of Japan by renowned bunraku ningyo performer Kanroku and his company, Mokugu-sha. Taking inspiration from antique bunraku puppets from the USC Libraries’ East Asian Library, Kanroku and Mokugu-sha will create a special piece for the USC community. The performance will explore the tension between social obligations and personal desire—a conflict at the heart of the bunraku repertoire—and highlight the expressive possibilities for storytelling with non-human puppets and creative experimentation by bunraku ningyo practitioners past, present, and future. Organized by Rebecca Corbett (USC Libraries), Velina Hasu Houston (Dramatic Arts), Oliver Mayer (Dramatic Arts), Satoko Shimazaki (East Asian Languages and Cultures), and Maki Aizawa (Sonoma Cultural Exchange).
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RAP LESSONS: Reshaping Pedagogy through Art and Activism Wednesday, January 16 6 to 7 p.m.: Reception 7 to 9 p.m.: Panel Discussion Wallis Annenberg Hall Forum
Join us for the opening reception and discussion of RAP LESSONS, a month-long installation that will activate the links between art, pedagogy, and social change. The installation is inspired by Question Bridge: Black Males, an innovative transmedia project that uses video to facilitate a conversation among black men from diverse backgrounds. Question Bridge will be reinvented for the USC community through RAP LESSONS, which encourages USC faculty and students to create their own “Question Bridges� by exploring issues of race and identity in public spaces on campus. An exhibition featuring student work will launch with a reception and conversation with Question Bridge creators Chris Johnson and Hank Willis Thomas, and USC professor Robeson Taj Frazier.
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Image: Chris Johnson
Organized by Suzanne Lacy (Art and Design), Robeson Taj Frazier (Communication and Journalism), the USC Roski School of Art and Design, and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Co-sponsored by RAP (Race, Arts, and Placemaking), the Institute for Diversity and Empowerment at Annenberg (IDEA), SLAB (Spatial Analysis Lab), the Faculty Arts Mentoring Alliance (FAMA), the Institute for Theater and Social Change, and For Freedoms.
The Last of the Polish Jews Thursday, January 17, at 7 p.m. The Ray Stark Family Theatre School of Cinematic Arts 108 Los Angeles filmmaker/poet/writer/musician Fred Engelberg made the documentary The Last of the Polish Jews (1971) in the wake of a 1968 campaign to force all Jews out of Poland. Lost for decades, the previously unseen film follows the Danish organization REFUGEE HELP, which facilitated the assimilation of Jews who fled Poland to Copenhagen via an off-season hotel boat. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion about today’s global refugee crises, with USC professor Roberto Suro, who has written extensively about migration and refugee issues, and Arthur Alexander, one of the exiled Polish Jews. Organized by Dino Everett (USC Hugh M. Hefner Moving Image Archive), Steve Ross (Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American Life), and Diane Winston (Knight Program on Media and Religion).
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40 Years of Alien: 40th-Anniversary Exhibit and Film Screenings Monday, January 21 to Sunday, May 12 The Hugh M. Hefner Exhibition Hall, George Lucas Building Lobby USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex In celebration of the 40th anniversary of 20th Century Fox’s Alien (1979), the USC School of Cinematic Arts will host an exhibit of props, costumes, models, artwork, designs, merchandise, comics, and ephemera from the Alien franchise. The Alien saga, based on characters and a screenplay created by USC Cinematic Arts graduate Dan O’Bannon, was brought to cinematic life by visionary, idiosyncratic directors Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. In conjunction with the exhibition, Alien films will be screened throughout the Spring 2019 semester. Organized by the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
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VISIONS AND VOICES
An Evening with Isabella Rossellini A VISIONS AND VOICES SIGNATURE EVENT Thursday, January 24, at 7 p.m. Bovard Auditorium Actor. Model. Filmmaker. Philanthropist. Educational-web-series creator. The legendary Isabella Rossellini has been the face of Lancôme; acted in landmark roles (Blue Velvet); created Green Porno, a wacky and wonderful web series about animal behavior; and authored a book about raising chickens on her Long Island farm—among many other experiences and achievements. Rossellini grew up in Paris and Rome and made her cinematic debut as an actor in 1979. She has appeared in numerous films and worked with directors including Robert Zemeckis, David O. Russell, David Lynch, Robert Wilson, Taylor Hackford, Marjane Satrapi, and Guy Maddin. In conversation with David Bridel, dean of the USC School of Dramatic Arts, Rossellini will reflect on life, art, animals, age, and more, with her inimitable sparkling intelligence and natural grace.
Related Event: Blue Velvet Tuesday, January 22, at 7 p.m. The Ray Stark Family Theatre, School of Cinematic Arts 108 Join us for a screening of Blue Velvet (1986), a neo-noir mystery film written and directed by David Lynch. Now recognized as one of Lynch’s masterpieces, the cult film blends psychological horror with film noir and stars Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, and Laura Dern. Co-sponsored by the USC School of Dramatic Arts, USC School of Cinematic Arts, and USC Environmental Student Assembly.
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Addiction in Dreamland A Conversation with Sam Quinones Monday, January 28, at 7 p.m. Friends of the USC Libraries Lecture Hall Doheny Memorial Library 240 The misuse of and addiction to opioids is a national crisis. Why is the opioid epidemic so widespread and so fatal, and what is the antidote? And what has happened to the “American Dream”? Is there more pain and loneliness than ever before in America? Explore these topics and more in a conversation with Sam Quinones, author of the National Book Critics Circle Award–winning Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic. The conversation will be moderated by Melissa Durham, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at USC. Organized by the USC School of Pharmacy.
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The Power and Pleasure of Podcasting Thursday, January 31, and Friday, February 1 Wallis Annenberg Hall Forum Podcasters are reinventing the personal essay, the talk-radio show, investigative journalism, and the historical documentary, and revitalizing the long-latent art of radio drama and comedy. A two-day event explores this rapidly evolving format, which especially resonates with audiences underserved by traditional media. An evening performance and discussion with a diverse group of influential podcast producers will be followed by a day-long, hands-on workshop offering practical tips and tools on the production and business of podcasting.
Photo: John Davis
Organized by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Co-sponsored by the USC School of Dramatic Arts.
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That was then. This is now: PostNatural Nature Exhibition: February 7 through April 28 Exhibition Preview and Discussion: Thursday, February 7, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Natural History Museum, Exposition Park Alcoholic rats, ribless mice, and genetically modified mosquitoes are among the specimens that will be presented by artist Richard Pell in the upcoming exhibition That was then. This is now. Explore 10,000 years of human-guided evolution in a fascinating view of items from the collections of the Center for PostNatural History and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Each object in the show is simultaneously a piece of natural history and a postnatural artifact of human culture. View the exhibition and attend a dynamic discussion exploring the profound questions raised by the interplay between culture, nature, biotechnology, art, and science. Organized by Karen Liebowitz (Art and Design), with contributions from Matt Dean (Biological Sciences), in partnership with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Center for PostNatural History. Co-sponsored by the USC Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study and The Bridge Art + Science Alliance (BASA).
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RACE RELAYÂŽ A Multimedia Production about Race Relations Friday, February 8 through Sunday, February 10 California African American Museum, Exposition Park Explore the way race shapes our lives and our world with RACE RELAY, an interactive theatrical production. Combining recollections of real personal experiences and projected images from various media, writer-director Denise Hamilton, movement specialist Fred Sugerman, master percussionist Christo Pellani, and a cast of actors will create a dynamic performance based on stories from the USC community. Follow-up community dialogues will offer a space for open reflection on identities, attitudes, and feelings about race. RACE RELAY is a vulnerable, humorous, and real look at one of the defining aspects of our society and our individual lives.
Related Events: Community Dialogues As a follow-up to the theatrical production, two community dialogues will offer a space for open reflection on identities, attitudes, and feelings about race.
Friday, February 22, at 7 p.m. California African American Museum, Exposition Park Saturday, March 2, at 12 p.m. USC McClintock Building 108 Organized by Anita Dashiell-Sparks (Dramatic Arts), LaVonna B. Lewis (Public Policy), and Helaine Head (Cinematic Arts). Co-sponsored by CAAM.
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Survivors Rise: Roxane Gay and Amanda Nguyen in Conversation A VISIONS AND VOICES SIGNATURE EVENT PRESENTED AS PART OF THE PROVOST’S SERIES ON WICKED PROBLEMS In the aftermath of #MeToo, the voices of sexual-assault survivors are resounding in all sectors of society. But survival is a process, not a moment. What happens after an assault? And then after the silence is broken? Join us for a very special evening with best-selling author Roxane Gay, whose book Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body deals head-on with life after sexual assault, and Amanda Nguyen, a young activist and survivor of sexual violence who is leading an international movement to enact Survivors Bills of Rights through the organization she founded, Rise. USC cinematic arts professor Tara McPherson will join these two profoundly honest and visionary thinkers for an important conversation about power, survival, and the ways we can work to create a world free of violence. Co-sponsored by Asian Pacific American Students Services, the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs, and the USC Speakers Committee.
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Photo (Roxane Gay): Eva Blue
Wednesday, February 13, at 7 p.m. Bovard Auditorium
Readymade Bodhisattvas: South Korean Sci-Fi and Transnational Technocultures Wednesday, February 20, at 5 p.m. Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall Neo-Seoul looms in the futuristic sky of Hollywood sci-fi films, teeming with glitzy superheroes and cyborgs. But do South Koreans also dream of electric sheep? In conjunction with the publication of Readymade Bodhisattva: The Kaya Anthology of South Korean Science Fiction, hear the legendary American writer Ted Chiang and three prominent figures of the South Korean SF world—writer Soyeon Jeong, writer Gord Sellar, and the director of the Seoul SF Archive, Sang Joon Park. USC professor Sunyoung Park will moderate a discussion about culture, technology, and the transnational migration of a global genre.
Image: Lee Jaemin
Organized by Sunyoung Park (East Asian Languages and Cultures, Gender Studies).
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Enchanting Aging: Inspiring Awe and Meaning in Late Life An Evening with Anne Basting Wednesday, February 27, at 7 p.m. Gerontology 124 Award-winning theatre artist and educator Anne Basting is working toward a moment when the arts are integral to the entire life cycle. Through the nonprofit TimeSlips Creative Storytelling and books including Forget Memory: Creating Better Lives for People with Dementia and The Penelope Project: An Arts-Based Odyssey to Change Elder Care, Basting has put forth an alternative concept of aging, one that focuses on possibilities as well as challenges, and that understands art and emotional connection as critical to our well-being as we age. Join us for an interactive workshop and a presentation that will inspire you to age—and think about aging—in a new way.
Related Event: TimeSlips: Creative Engagement in Dementia Care A Workshop with Anne Basting Saturday, February 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PRB Multipurpose Room Organized by the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Co-sponsored by the USC School of Gerontology.
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PHILADANCO
A VISIONS AND VOICES SIGNATURE EVENT Thursday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m. Bovard Auditorium The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) has produced alumni who have toured with BeyoncÊ, choreographed for Mariah Carey, and performed with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. For almost half a century, the company has been renowned for innovation, creativity, and preservation of African American dance forms. Embodying a legacy of nurturing new generations of dance artists and building bridges across cultural divides, PHILADANCO’s exquisite dancers will grace the Bovard Auditorium stage with an electrifying celebration of African American dance. Co-sponsored by the USC Kaufman School of Dance and the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs.
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Headspace: Celebrating Music and Mindfulness Monday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m. Bovard Auditorium
Organized by Kristy Morrell and Veronika Krausas (Music). Co-sponsored by the USC Thornton School of Music, Mindful USC, the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
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Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu
Witness and experience music-driven mindfulness in a concert of meditative music performed by the USC Thornton Percussion Group. The concert will open with a group meditation led by Mark Miller of Mindful USC. This transcendent event will encourage mindful listening and living, and will be followed by a discussion and Q&A on meditation, music, sound, and being present to the world around us. In the week leading up to the concert, a series of pop-up performances around campus will feature Thornton musicians performing a musical walking meditation developed collaboratively by USC professors Veronika Krausas, Molly Bendall, and Matthew Gilpin. The musicians will play and move within individual pods, like floating sculptural sound objects.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Re-animated Thursday, April 4, at 8 p.m. Alumni Park In her groundbreaking novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explored themes of modern life and human alienation through a critical, feminist lens. In honor of the book’s 200th anniversary, USC Alumni Park will come “alive” with a multimedia metamorphosis of the park you know into a Frankenstein-themed extravaganza. Students working in animation, film, interactive media, theatre, dance, music, and architecture will create a monster of a celebration of the classic novel, under the direction of digital artists Akiko Yamashita and Yo-Yo Lin. Experience Frankenstein re-animated through original art and live music and dance performances inspired by rare books and artworks from the USC Libraries. Realtime, interactive animation will turn attendees into Frankenstein-inspired creatures as the lines between the monstrous and the human, the natural and the technological, become fantastically blurred. Organized by Marje Schuetze-Coburn, Anne-Marie Maxwell, and Tim Stanton (USC Libraries), Lisa Mann (Cinematic Arts), and Amy Murphy (Architecture).
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FOSTER Friday, April 5, at 7 p.m. Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Oscar-winning filmmakers Mark Jonathan Harris and Deborah Oppenheimer go beyond the sensational headlines to take an unprecedented look at America’s child-welfare system in the documentary FOSTER, filmed over a year and a half in Los Angeles, home to the largest county foster-care system in the nation. Following a screening of FOSTER, the filmmakers will speak with a social worker who grew up in foster care and faculty from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and Keck School of Medicine of USC in a thoughtful discussion about the problems and possibilities of the foster-care system today. Organized by Mark Jonathan Harris (Cinematic Arts) and Vandana Jerath (Clinical Pediatrics).
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VISIONS AND VOICES
Alice Smith: The Sound of Freedom In honor of the generations of women who have fought for humanity, equity, and justice, join us for an intimate performance by GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Alice Smith. Held in honor of the 80th anniversary of Marian Anderson’s historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a.k.a. “The Concert that Sparked the Civil Rights Movement”—Smith’s performance will take you on a journey through sound and history. With commanding presence and a scale-defying voice, Smith offers a “rock-star update on girl-group pop and ’70s soul” (InStyle). And she powerfully sings within the legacy of women who have lent their voices to social movements for freedom. Organized by Robeson Taj Frazier (Communication and Journalism). Cosponsored by the Institute for Diversity & Empowerment at Annenberg (IDEA) and the Popular Music Project.
Photo (Alice Smith): Alex Elena
Thurday, April 11, at 7 p.m. Bovard Auditorium
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Moving History/Dancing Cultures: Spring BFA Dance Performance Thursday, April 25 and Friday, April 26 6:45 p.m.: Pre-Performance Conversation 7:30 p.m.: Performance Bing Theatre Marking the much-anticipated graduation of USC Kaufman’s inaugural class, all four USC Kaufman classes will take to the stage in celebration of the “New Movement”—movement that connects cultures through a diversity of movement practices and challenges the hierarchies of codified dance traditions. Newly commissioned works will reflect the extraordinary skills of dancers who move between contemporary movement, hip hop groove, and classical ballet. A pre-show discussion will explore the unique histories and cultures embodied in different dance forms, while building bridges from hip hop to ballet.
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VISIONS AND VOICES
Photo: Rose Eichenbaum
Organized by the USC Kaufman School of Dance.
Swimming Pool Party An Immersive-Theatre Game Thursday, April 25, at 7 p.m. Physical Education Building It’s 2080. The world is divided between those who can swim (Floaters) and those who can’t (Rocks). You enter the Clandestine School of Rocks, where rebellious rocks learn to swim. Part interactive game, part immersive theatre, and part comedic storytelling from the mind of performer Robert Farid Karimi, Swimming Pool Party explores racial disparities in swimming ability, and the intergenerational trauma at the root of them. Swimming Pool Party will educate, entertain, and surprise you, with prizes for those who solve the Clandestine School’s mysteries and a dance party featuring guest DJs.
Related Event: Creating Swimming Pool Party Friday, April 26, at 4 p.m. Physical Education Building Karimi, his collaborators, and USC professors will discuss the process of creating Swimming Pool Party, the issues at the heart of the show, and the power and pitfalls of transdisciplinary collaboration. Organized by Robert Farid Karimi and Nao Bustamante (Art and Design). Co-sponsored by the USC Roski School of Art and Design and the USC Physical Education Department.
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EXPERIENCE L.A. USC Visions and Voices is proud to present a variety of stimulating opportunities for USC students to experience Los Angeles’s worldclass cultural landscape. YOU MUST BE A USC STUDENT AND USE THE PROVIDED TRANSPORTATION TO PARTICIPATE. SPACE IS LIMITED AND ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. For more information or to RSVP, please visit our website at visionsandvoices.usc.edu.
Sweat by Lynn Nottage
Photo: Joan Marcus
Friday, September 7 Depart USC at 7 p.m.; return at 11:30 p.m. Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Sweat “throbs with heartfelt life” (New York Times). When layoffs begin to erode the trust among a group of friends in the industrial town of Reading, Pennsylvania, they find themselves pitted against each other in a heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat. Based on Nottage’s interviews with residents of Reading, Sweat is a searing reflection of America’s economic decline.
Ceremonies and Celebrations: Textile Treasures from the USC Pacific Asia Museum Collection Friday, September 28 Depart USC at 12:45 p.m.; return at 5:45 p.m. USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena Enjoy a guided tour and hands-on workshop in conjunction with the special exhibition Ceremonies and Celebrations: Textile Treasures from the USC Pacific Asia Museum Collection, drawn from an extraordinary collection of over 2,700 costumes and textiles from China, Korea, Japan, India, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia.
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Los Angeles Philharmonic: Romeo & Juliet with Gustavo Dudamel and Benjamin Millepied Thursday, October 18 Depart USC at 6:30 p.m.; return at 11:30 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles L.A. Dance Project’s innovative artistic director, Benjamin Millepied, joins Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil to bring to vivid life the famous balcony scene from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet—one of dance’s most evocative and vibrant scores—in collaboration with American Ballet Theatre and L.A. Dance Project.
Artists at Play: Two Mile Hollow by Leah Nanako Winkler Thursday, November 1 Depart USC at 7 p.m.; return at 11 p.m. The Lounge Theatre, Hollywood Two Mile Hollow, by rising-star playwright Leah Nanako Winkler, is a satirical takedown of the popular “White People by the Water” genre—in which affluent white people discover secrets and fight in a big house by the water. A non-white cast plays the very white Donnelly family with both compassion and brutality as Charlotte, a POC playing a POC, comes of age.
Dear Evan Hansen
Photo: Margot Schulman
Sunday, November 18 Depart USC at 11:45 a.m.; return at 4:15 p.m. Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, Dear Evan Hansen is a musical about life and the way we live it, featuring a Tony Award–winning book by Steven Levenson; a score by GRAMMY, Tony, and Academy Award–winning songwriting team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land); and direction by Michael Greif (Rent).
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Photo: Alexander Iziliaev
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® by Miami City Ballet Friday, November 30 Depart USC at 6 p.m.; return at 10:30 p.m. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center brings back the best holiday tradition with George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker by Miami City Ballet. Balanchine’s iconic choreography and Tchaikovsky’s timeless score are paired with whimsical sets and costumes by Isabel and Ruben Toledo. More than 100 dancers and cast members and a live orchestra will bring to life the magic and spectacle that have delighted audiences for generations.
Link Link Circus by Isabella Rossellini
Photo: Brigitte Leconbe
Saturday, January 26 Depart USC at 6:45 p.m.; return at 10 p.m. The Broad Stage, Santa Monica Link Link Circus, a new “theatricalized lecture” by the legendary Isabella Rossellini, is a comedic and scientifically informed look at the links between humans and animals, via Darwin’s theory of evolution. Rossellini transforms herself into Aristotle, Descartes, a medieval theologian, and other helpful thinkers of the past, while her dog Pan plays various animals, assisted by puppeteer and animal handler Schuyler Beeman.
Untitled Mapplethorpe Project Tuesday, March 5 Depart USC at 6:30 p.m.; return at 10:30 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles Experience the world-premiere performance of Untitled Mapplethorpe Project, a major collaboration between composer Bryce Dessner, director Daniel Fish, librettist Robert O’Hara, choral group Roomful of Teeth, and the LA Phil New Music Group. Through music, largescale projection of Robert Mapplethorpe’s images, and creative lighting techniques, Untitled Mapplethorpe Project will take you inside the iconic artist’s beautiful, bold, voracious view.
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Black Super Hero Magic Mama by Inda Craig-Galván Thursday, March 28 Depart USC at 6:45 p.m.; return at 11:15 p.m. Geffen Playhouse, Westwood When Sabrina’s fourteen-year-old son dies in a police shooting, she retreats into the fantasy world of superheroes and archvillains that inhabit the comic book created by her son before his death. Both heartbreaking and highly imaginative, this stunning world premiere marks the professional debut of Los Angeles–based playwright (and USC MFA playwriting alumnus) Inda Craig-Galván and signals the arrival of an exciting new voice in American theatre.
Othello Sunday, April 7 Depart USC at 1 p.m.; return at 5:45 p.m. A Noise Within, Pasadena The Bard’s most intimate family tragedy follows the breakdown of a man who has everything— power, position, and love—but finds his world decimated through malicious mind games. Prescient in its searing social commentary on prejudice, betrayal, and thwarted ambition, Shakespeare’s thunderous drama examines how we choose whom to trust, and the price we pay for making the wrong choice.
Lackawanna Blues Wednesday, April 17 Depart USC at 7 p.m.; return at 10:30 p.m. Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles Lackawanna Blues is a magical, musical, and deeply personal work written and performed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Santiago-Hudson takes on more than 20 colorful characters—from would-be philosophers and petty hustlers to lost souls and abandoned lovers—in a brilliant celebration of the eccentric boardinghouse he grew up in.
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At a Glance: Events by Date
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2018
AUGUST 8/16 SPARK! 13th Annual Visions and Voices Kickoff, p. 3 8/30 Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde, p. 4
9/7 9/8 9/13 9/18 9/23 9/27 9/27 9/28
10/2 10/5 10/9 10/11–10/14 10/17 10/18 10/20 10/21 10/24 10/25
VISIONS AND VOICES
SEPTEMBER Sweat by Lynn Nottage, Mark Taper Forum, p. 44 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, p. 5 CONTRA-TIEMPO Performs joyUS justUS, p. 6 Data Artist Jer Thorp, p. 7 DTLA Architectural Tour with Wayne Thom, p. 8 A Performance by Brian Lobel and Gia Jones, p. 9 Marina Gregory on the Grotowski Legacy, p. 10 Textile Treasures, USC Pacific Asia Museum, p. 44
OCTOBER Complexions Contemporary Ballet, p. 11 Architectural Photography Workshop with Wayne Thom, p. 8 Calligraffiti Artist eL Seed, p. 12 Trojan Family Weekend, p. 13 An Evening with Enrique Martínez Celaya, p. 14 LA Phil: Romeo & Juliet, Walt Disney Concert Hall, p. 45 The Met in HD: Verdi’s Aida, p. 15 Fun Home, p. 16 Sankofa Danzafro Performs The City of Others, p. 17 Hip Hop, Climate Change, and Activism with Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, p. 18
11/1 11/2–11/4 11/5 11/8 11/13 11/14 11/14 11/16 11/18 11/18 11/30 2019
1/11 1/16 1/17 1/21–5/12 1/22 1/24 1/26 1/28 1/31–2/1
NOVEMBER Two Mile Hollow by Leah Nanako Winkler, The Lounge Theatre, p. 45 USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 4, p. 19 An Evening with Kamila Shamsie, p. 20 Subverting Power with Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly, p. 21 Dreaming with Eyes Open—Virtual Reality, p. 22 Cátedra México with Sebastián, p. 23 USC Thornton Opera, p. 24 USC Thornton Opera, p. 24 USC Thornton Opera, p. 24 Dear Evan Hansen, Ahmanson Theatre, p. 45 George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, Miami City Ballet, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, p. 46
JANUARY Kanroku and Mokugu-sha Perform Bunraku Ningyo, p. 25 RAP LESSONS—Pedagogy, Art, and Activism, p. 26 The Last of the Polish Jews, p. 27 40 Years of Alien, p. 28 Blue Velvet Film Screening, p. 29 An Evening with Isabella Rossellini, p. 29 Link Link Circus by Isabella Rossellini, The Broad Stage, p. 46 Addiction in Dreamland: Sam Quinones, p. 30 The Power and Pleasure of Podcasting, p. 31
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FEBRUARY 2/2 The Met in HD: Bizet’s Carmen, p. 15 2/7–4/28 Exhibition: That was then. This is now: PostNatural Nature, p. 32 2/8–2/10 RACE RELAY®: A Multimedia Production, p. 33 2/13 Survivors Rise: Roxane Gay and Amanda Nguyen, p. 34 2/20 South Korean Sci-Fi and Transnational Technocultures, p. 35 2/22 RACE RELAY® Community Dialogue, p. 33 2/23 Creative Dementia Care: A Workshop with Anne Basting, p. 36 2/27 Enchanting Aging with Anne Basting, p. 36
3/2 3/5 3/21 3/28
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VISIONS AND VOICES
MARCH RACE RELAY® Community Dialogue, p. 33 Untitled Mapplethorpe Project, Walt Disney Concert Hall, p. 46 PHILADANCO, p. 37 Black Super Hero Magic Mama, Geffen Playhouse, p. 47
APRIL 4/1 Headspace: Music and Mindfulness, p. 38 4/4 Donald Berwick on Redesigning Healthcare, p. 9 4/4 Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Re-animated, p. 39 4/5 FOSTER Film Screening and Discussion, p. 40 4/7 Othello, A Noise Within, p. 47 4/11 Alice Smith: The Sound of Freedom, p. 41 4/17 Lackawanna Blues, Mark Taper Forum, p. 47 4/25–4/26 USC Kaufman’s Spring BFA Dance Performance, p. 42 4/25 Swimming Pool Party—An Immersive-Theatre Game, p. 43 4/26 Creating Swimming Pool Party, p. 43
Important Information
Contact Information
Admission, Reservations, and Tickets
USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative visionsandvoices@usc.edu (213) 740-0483
Most Visions and Voices events are open to the public. However, attendance at some events is limited to USC students or the USC community only. All events are FREE for USC students. Admission prices vary for non-USC students. Reservations are accepted online at visionsandvoices.usc.edu.
837 Downey Way Stonier Hall, Suite 203 Los Angeles, CA 90089-1142
Visions and Voices E-Mail List Visit our website to sign up for the e-mail list and receive updated event information, RSVP reminders, and other special announcements.
#visionsandvoices
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VISIONS AND VOICES
Visions and Voices: Who We Are
Leadership
Robin Romans, Associate Vice Provost Daria Yudacufski, Executive Director, Visions and Voices Robert Cutietta, Chair, Visions and Voices Deans’ Council Tara McPherson, Chair, Visions and Voices Faculty Committee
Deans’ Council
Chaired by Robert Cutietta, Dean, USC Thornton School of Music and USC Kaufman School of Dance Willow Bay, Dean, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism David Bridel, Dean, USC School of Dramatic Arts Milton Curry, Dean, USC School of Architecture Elizabeth Daley, Dean, USC School of Cinematic Arts Selma Holo, Director, USC Fisher Museum of Art Haven Lin-Kirk, Dean, USC Roski School of Art and Design Erica Muhl, Dean, USC Iovine and Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation Catherine Quinlan, Dean, USC Libraries Ex-Officio: Adam Rosen, Assistant Vice President, Cultural Relations and University Events
Faculty Committee
Chaired by Tara McPherson, Cinematic Arts Sasha Anawalt, Communication and Journalism Paula Cizmar, Dramatic Arts Kenneth Foster, Arts Leadership Alice Gambrell, English
Brenda Goodman, Cinematic Arts d. Sabela grimes, Dance Dana Johnson, Creative Writing Annette Kim, Public Policy Josh Kun, Communication and American Studies and Ethnicity Pamela Schaff, Family Medicine and Pediatrics Jody Aguis Vallejo, Sociology Jennifer West, Art and Design Diane Winston, Communication and Journalism Ex-Officio: Adam Rosen, Assistant Vice President, Cultural Relations and University Events USC Students: Catherine Griffiths, Graduate Representative Caitlin Tran, Undergraduate Representative
Art Department
Eve NaRanong, Art Director Hector M. Catalan, Graphic Designer
Staff
Mary Megowan, Production and Marketing Specialist Marie-Reine Velez, Production and Marketing Specialist Steve Lin, Web and Systems Administrator
Student Assistants
Katherine Guo, Student Coordinator Ivy Hong, Student Coordinator
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USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative 837 Downey Way Stonier Hall, Suite 203 Los Angeles, CA 90089-1142
visionsandvoices.usc.edu