The Lewis Center marked the fifth anniversary of the naming of the Center at a gala reception held on February 22 at the Berlind Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center. Over 200 guests attended, including members of the Lewis Center's Advisory Council, University faculty, staff, students, alumni, and members of the local community. In 2007 the University named its new arts center the Peter B. Lewis Center for the Arts in recognition of a $101 million gift Lewis pledged to support the University's major arts initiative. At that time University President Shirley M. Tilghman noted, "By naming this center for Peter, we recognize both his extraordinary gift and his conviction that the arts belong at the center of any great university, where students in all fields have opportunities not only to study art, but to create it." The anniversary celebration followed the opening night of the annual Spring Dance Festival.

Photo: Guest choreographer Raja Kelly (center) talks with guests at the Lewis Center for the Arts' fifth anniversary reception following the Spring Dance Festival.

not me you but it is me too
A Senior Thesis exhibition by Polly Korbel

The Spring season of Visual Arts senior thesis exhibitions has begun with a number of artworks performed by senior certificate student Polly Korbel. This week she will present the final three performance artworks: on March 3 at 1:00 p.m., Sledgehammer; March 6 at 5:00 p.m., Wrap; and March 8 at 12:30 p.m., Come. Korbel will continue to be present in the Lucas gallery at 185 Nassau Street until the conclusion of her show on March 8. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Conversation with Award-winning Playwright Amy Herzog

Amy Herzog, award-winning playwright of 4,000 Miles, After the Revolution and Belleville will be in conversation with Professor Jill Dolan on her career, focusing on her training, her process, and the cultural and historical aspects of her work. She will also address her most recent play, The Great God Pan, which mixes inquiry into American history with issues of family cohesion, memory, and the future. Herzog is the recipient of both the Whiting Writers Award and the Helen Merrill Award, and her family history-inspired drama 4,000 Miles won the 2012 Obie Award for Best New American Play. Jill Dolan is Annan Professor of English and Professor of Theatre in the Lewis Center, as well as Director of the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies and author of the award-winning blog, The Feminist Spectator. The conversation will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5 in 106 McCormick Hall. This event, co-sponsored by the Lewis Center, the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies and the Department of History, is free and open to the public.

Photo by Zack DeZon

Su Friedrich's Film Gut Renovation at Film Forum

Gut Renovation, a new film written, directed and shot by Su Friedrich, Professor of Visual Arts in the Lewis Center, will begin its week-long run at Film Forum on Wednesday, March 6. The film will also receive its international premiere later this year as part of the Berlin Film Festival's Panorama programme. In Gut Renovation, Friedrich and co-writer Cathy Quinlan record how Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood has changed from when they arrived in 1989 to the "rich-hipster haven" it has become. Film Forum is located at 209 West Houston Street in New York City. For show times or to view the trailer, visit the website.

Fintan O'Toole to present Robert Fagles Memorial Lecture on "Three Irish Heresies"

Irish theater critic, scholar and Leonard L. Milberg '53 Visiting Lecturer in Irish Letters Fintan O'Toole will present the 2013 Robert Fagles Memorial Lecture on Friday, March 8. In the lecture entitled "Three Irish Heresies," O'Toole will discuss how the true legacy of Irish Catholic thought lies in three profound ideas, each of which was declared a heresy by the official Church. The lecture, part of a series presented by Princeton University's Fund for Irish Studies, will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the James M. Stewart '32 Theater at 185 Nassau Street. The event is free and open to the public.

In the Next Room, or the vibrator play

The Lewis Center for the Arts Program in Theater will present a senior thesis production of Sarah Ruhl's 2009 play, In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, set in the late Victorian era at the dawn of the electrical age when a new medical device was invented to treat female "hysteria." Performances will begin this Friday and Saturday, March 8 and 9 at 8:00 p.m. and will continue March 13-15 at the Berlind Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center. A talk-back with Jill Dolan, Professor of English and Theater in the Lewis Center and Director of the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, will be held immediately following the performance on Wednesday, March 13. The production is directed by senior theater student Sarah Hedgecock and features senior theater students Taylor Mallory in the role of Catherine Givings and Sarah Paton as Mrs. Daldry. Tickets are $15 general admission; $10 for students and seniors. NOTE: In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, deals with mature themes of sexuality and may not be suitable for everyone.

Woman and Scarecrow

The Lewis Center for the Arts Program in Theater will present a senior thesis production of Irish playwright Marina Carr's 2006 drama, Woman and Scarecrow, which mixes bitter humor and brutal honesty while probing a dying woman's attitudes to life and death. The production is directed by the Director of the Program in Theater, Tim Vasen, and features senior theater certificate students Carolyn Vasko in the role of Woman and CC Kellogg as Scarecrow. Performances will begin this Friday and Saturday, March 8 and 9 at 8:00 p.m. and will continue March 13-15 at the Marie and Edward Matthews '53 Acting Studio at 185 Nassau Street. Tickets are $12 general admission; $10 for students and seniors.

Reading by Azar Nafisi and Nikky Finney:
March 13, 2013

On Wednesday, March 13, best-selling author of Reading Lolita in Tehran Azar Nafisi and National Book Award-winning poet Nikky Finney will read from their works as part of the Althea Ward Clark W'21 Reading Series of the Program in Creative Writing at the Lewis Center for the Arts. Princeton student Richard Gadsden will also read from his recent fiction work. The reading, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Berlind Theatre at the McCarter Theatre Center, is free and open to the public.

Princeton Poetry Festival: March 15-16, 2013

Princeton's biennial Poetry Festival is back! This year's Festival features an international line-up of poets including Gabeba Baderoon (South Africa), Bei Dao (China), Stephen Dunn (U.S.), Sheriff Ghale (Ghana), Jorie Graham (U.S.), Lizzie Hutton '95 (U.S.), Amit Majmudar (U.S.), Bejan Matur (Turkey), Don Paterson (Scotland), Gary Whitehead (U.S.), Xi Chuan (China), and Monica Youn '93 (U.S.). The New Jersey State Finals of the national Poetry Out Loud program will kick-off the Festival at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, March 15, followed by a gala opening reading at 2:00 p.m. The second day of the festival will begin with a reading at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 16. Tickets are $15 per day; $25 for a two-day festival pass; $10 per day for students. The New Jersey State Finals of Poetry Out Loud is free, however advance tickets are required and can be reserved through University Ticketing. Visit the Lewis Center website for further details.

Musical Theater Improv Troupe Baby Wants Candy: March 26-27, 2013

The Lewis Center for the Arts' Performance Central series will present the musical theater improvisational troupe Baby Wants Candy, whom the New York Times describes as a "Critics' Pick! Truly Amazing!" Each performance is its own opening and closing night, and by design every show is completely unique. The cast begins by asking the audience for a suggestion of a musical title that has never been performed before. Accompanied by a piano, the first title that the group hears becomes the title and theme for that evening's show. It's a roller coaster ride of off-the-cuff choreographed dance numbers, rhyming verses, and witty jaw-dropping comedy. The performances will take place on Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27 at 8:00 p.m. in the Berlind Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center. Tickets are $15 reserved seating; $10 students and seniors.

The Lewis Center for the Arts encompasses Princeton University's academic programs in creative writing, dance, theater, and visual arts, as well as the interdisciplinary Princeton Atelier. The Center represents a major initiative of President Shirley M. Tilghman to fully embrace the arts as an essential part of the educational experience for all who study and teach at Princeton. Over 100 diverse public performances, exhibitions, readings, and lectures are offered each year, most of them free. For more information about the Lewis Center for the Arts visit princeton.edu/arts.