{"id":35830,"date":"2021-03-09T14:24:10","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T19:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=35830"},"modified":"2021-03-26T14:53:09","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T18:53:09","slug":"utc-theatre-company-vaudevillia-productions-bring-famous-works-of-art-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2021\/03\/utc-theatre-company-vaudevillia-productions-bring-famous-works-of-art-to-life\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC Theatre Company Vaudevillia productions bring famous works of art to life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vaudevillia Yellow<\/h3>\n

When: <\/strong>Viewable online now<\/p>\n

Where: <\/strong>utc.edu\/vaudevillia-yellow\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Vaudevillia Yellow<\/em><\/strong> teaser:<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=q65Wj4XfLYk<\/a><\/p>\n

See more:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vaudevillia Red<\/em> and Vaudevillia Black and White<\/em> will be available at utc.edu\/theatre<\/a> later this spring.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What does it look like to act out Gustav Klimt\u2019s painting The Kiss<\/em>?<\/p>\n

UTC Theatre Company was up for the challenge of answering that question and more for its three spring Vaudevillia <\/em>productions.<\/p>\n

Steve Ray, director and associate head of the Department of Performing Arts, said the company had \u201cseveral ideas\u201d for bringing Klimt\u2019s famous embrace<\/a> to life through Vaudevillia Yellow<\/em>\u2014the first in their three spring productions, all named with colors.<\/p>\n

The company ultimately decided on tying together performances of Shakespearean sonnets, a dramatization of the Song of Solomon from the Bible as well as vaudeville songs about love and an original piece written by UTC Theatre Professor Gaye Jeffers.<\/p>\n

\u201cProfessor Jeffers wrote a piece for us that turns the painting into a boutique caf\u00e9 that has been closed due to COVID.\u00a0The owner is being interviewed about the difficulty the pandemic has caused her and we see how much she misses the community of costumers,\u201d Ray explained.<\/p>\n

The Vaudevillia<\/em> series is spread across three distinct performances to be shared throughout the semester. All shows are pre-recorded on video. Each is inspired by famous works of art\u2014painted or written\u2014found within the public domain and named after the most dominant color found within the art.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe soon realized that, because of the wide variety of pieces that we were doing, that we were reflecting a vaudeville approach, which was a forerunner of today\u2019s variety shows. This gave us the freedom to explore any theatrical style, as long as the piece was inspired by the painting in some way,\u201d Ray added.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Malvin Gray Johnson\u2019s “Over the Harlem Rooftops” is the inspiration for “Vaudevillia Red,” coming later this spring.<\/p><\/div>\n

Following Vaudevillia Yellow<\/em> will be Vaudevillia Red,<\/em> inspired by Malvin Gray Johnson\u2019s Over the Harlem Rooftops<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> then Vaudevillia Black and White,<\/em> inspired by James Abbott McNeill Whistler\u2019s \u201cArrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1,” more commonly known as \u201cWhistler\u2019s Mother.\u201d Stay tuned for those releases later this spring.<\/p>\n

All works were chosen because they could provide diversity in casting and content. Four original pieces are included in the three productions, all written by Jeffers and Ray.<\/p>\n

These productions differ from previous UTC Theatre Company work in many ways, providing new opportunities for students and faculty.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the fall, we shot a video production of\u00a0Antigone<\/em>\u00a0using students\u2019 mobile phones and in their own homes,\u201d Ray said. \u201cThis semester, we have taken the video production to another level by shooting in a more traditional way.<\/p>\n

\u201cUTC\u2019s videographers Jacob Cagle and Mike Andrews have graciously agreed to shoot the productions for us.\u00a0We also hired a sound engineer for the entire project.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents have had the opportunity to practice film-acting techniques such as hitting their marks, reducing their gestures and voices for the camera and having the option of several takes to get it right.<\/p>\n

\u201cBehind the scenes, our students have worked in traditional film roles such as production assistants, script supervisors, and production designers.”<\/p>\n

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