Princeton Poetry Festival

This year's Poetry 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), 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 and are available at the door. The New Jersey State Finals of Poetry Out Loud is free. Festival tickets are available through University Ticketing at 609.258.9220. and also at the door. Visit the festival site for further details.

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." The final performance will be held on Friday, March 15 at 8:00 p.m. at the Berlind Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center. 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. To listen to WPRB Radio's interview with the director, click here. Tickets are $15 general admission; $10 for students and seniors and are available at the door. 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 Tim Vasen, Director of the Program in Theater, and features senior theater certificate students Carolyn Vasko in the role of Woman and C.C. Kellogg as Scarecrow. The final performance will be held on Friday, March 15 at 8:00 p.m. in the Marie and Edward Matthews '53 Acting Studio at 185 Nassau Street. Tickets are $12 general admission; $10 for students and seniors and are available at the door.

Prosthetic Gods: An Exhibition of Photography and Prints by John O'Neill and Leana Hirschfeld-Kroen

Prosthetic Gods, an exhibition of prints, photography and assemblage works created by Leana Hirschfeld-Kroen and John O'Neill, seniors in the Program in Visual Arts, is currently on view in the Lucas Gallery at 185 Nassau Street. O'Neill's body of work includes assemblages of photographs, sketches and objects that reveal his interest in the intersection of technology and art. Hirschfeld-Kroen creates linoleum and woodblock prints which explore the figure and portraiture, particularly from unusual angles and in interesting shapes. Their combined exhibition runs through Tuesday, March 19 and is free and open to the public. Hours at the Lucas Gallery are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

An Exhibition of Paintings and Photography by Megan Karande and Eliot Gee: March 25-31, 2013

The Program in Visual Arts will present an exhibition of paintings and photography created by senior certificate students Megan Karande and Eliot Gee. Karande's large scale paintings explore portraiture and self-portraiture while Gee's photographs document his visits to rural China, where he has taught. Their work will be on view from Monday, March 25 through Friday, March 29 in the Lucas Gallery at 185 Nassau Street. An opening reception will be held on March 28 from 7-9:00 p.m. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

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

The Lewis Center for the Arts' Performance Central series will present the musical theater improvisational ensemble 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 and witty jaw-dropping comedy. The ensemble will present a workshop for Princeton students from the University's two theater improvisational groups, Fuzzy Dice and Quipfire, and some of those students will take part in Wednesday evening's show. 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.

It Takes a Village: A New Musical
March 28-30, 2013

The Lewis Center for the Arts' Program in Theater will present a workshop production of It Takes a Village, a new musical written by senior certificate students Sandra Fong '13 and Emi Nakamura '13 about a traditional community questioning its beliefs regarding gender roles, sexuality and identity after a father and his son, raised gender-neutral, enter their midst. Fong is the librettist and director of the production while Nakamura provides musical direction and composition. This is a senior thesis project for both Fong and Nakamura, who co-wrote lyrics for the production. Performances will take place on March 28, 29, and 30 at 8:00 p.m. in the Marie and Edward Matthews '53 Acting Studio at 185 Nassau Street with a reception following the performance on Thursday, March 28. The performances are free and open to the public; no tickets or advance reservations are required.

Transmission, an evening of new choreography by Sarah Simon and AJ Brannum: March 29-30, 2013

The Program in Dance will hold a showing of new choreography created by senior certificate students Sarah Simon and AJ Brannum on Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30. In her new piece, Simon tests the limits of expressing ideas through movement and the ways of creating narrative in dance. Brannum combines his approach of "expressive hybridity" with his love for popular music in his piece Greatest Hits. The performances will begin at 8:00 p.m. on both evenings in the Patricia and Ward Hagan '48 Dance Studio at 185 Nassau Street. The performances are free and open to the public; no tickets or advance reservations are required.

Steven Mackey and Rinde Eckert to Perform at Ecstatic Music Festival ^®

Music Department Chair Steven Mackey will perform along with Rinde Eckert, Lecturer in Theater at the Lewis Center during the Ecstatic Music Festival ^® in New York on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. Mackey and Eckert are longtime collaborators in the band Big Farm and will present songs from their debut album in addition to a newly commissioned work by Eckert. The JACK Quartet will also perform an acclaimed piece by Mackey. To learn more about the festival or to order tickets, click here.

R.N. Sandberg's Comedy Roundelay at Passage Theater

Roundelay: A Comedy, written by Lecturer in Theater R.N. Sandberg and directed by Adam Immerwahr, is a wild, multi-character, globe-hopping tale of people trying to make love happen. Roundelay will run at Passage Theater's Mill Hill Playhouse at 205 East Front Street in Trenton, New Jersey from March 21 through April 7, 2013. Performances will be held Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. as well as on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. For more information or to reserve tickets, click here.

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.