Greeneville Grad Finale cancelled

The Grad Finale scheduled from 3-6 p.m. in Chalmers Conference Center on the Greeneville a campus has been canceled and will be rescheduled for a later date. Knoxville Grad Finale is still on for Saturday.

Tusculum closed on Thursday

Tusculum College will be closed Thursday, Feb. 26. All classes are cancelled at all sites and administrative offices are closed.

Winter Band Concert rescheduled for Monday, March 2

The Winter Band Concert at Tusculum College scheduled for Tuesday evening has been rescheduled for Monday, March 2.

Snowy weather earlier this week resulted in the change of schedule for the concert, which will begin at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum campus. Admission is free, and the public is invited.

A night at the movies is the theme for the concert, and a variety of movie genres will be represented in the selections to be performed by the Concert Band, Jazz Band and Handbell Choir. The three ensembles are under the direction of David Price, director of music programs at Tusculum.  Audiences will hear music from such movies as “Frozen,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “The Cotton Club” and “Singin’ in the Rain.”

The band program began in 2010 with the formation of a pep band and has grown to include a Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Handbell Choir and various small ensembles.

Theologian-in-Residence lecture cancelled

The Theologian-in-Residence lecture series scheduled for today, Feb. 24, at Tusculum College has been cancelled. Further details about the series will be announced later.

Tusculum closes on Tuesday, Feb. 24

All Tusculum campuses and sites, day and evening classes and administrative offices closed for Tuesday, Feb. 24, due to inclement weather.

Theatre-at-Tusculum to present comedic musical revue ‘How to Eat Like a Child’

Practicing the scene “how to stay home from school” from the upcoming Theatre-at-Tusculum production of “How to Eat Like a Child” are, from left, Emma Beddingfield, Reagan Bunch and Allie Shelton.

Theatre-at-Tusculum and Actors Coming Together will invite audiences to revisit their childhood in the production of the musical comedy, “How Eat Like a Child (And Other Lessons in NOT Being a Grown-Up)” during the weekends of Feb. 27-March 1 and March 5-8.

The musical will be performed at 7 p.m. on Feb. 27-28 and March 5-7 in the Behan Arena Theatre (lower level side entrance) of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building. Sunday matinees are scheduled at 2 p.m. on March 1 and 8.

Director Marilyn duBrisk has assembled a cast of 28 talented young people for a hilarious musical romp through the joys and sorrows of childhood. Lessons in such subjects as how to beg for a dog, how to act after being sent to your room, how to laugh hysterically, and of course, how to eat like a child are presented in a series of fast-paced vignettes that should delight and amuse both the young and the young at heart.

“How to Eat Like a Child” is based on the book of the same by Delia Ephron and has been adapted for the stage with book by Ephron, Judith Kahan and John Forster, who also wrote the music and lyrics. The musical version was originally produced as a NBC prime time television special in 1981 starring Dick Van Dyke.

The stage production has been called a “musical revue for children that can also be enjoyed by adults [with] a charming and witty score” by Backstage magazine. “Applause, applause, applause!” wrote Steve Allen and the Hollywood Reporter called it “delightfully clever.” TV Guide praised the show’s Broadway-style songs and imaginative script.”

Assisting duBrisk in bringing this production to the stage are assistant director Brian Ricker, vocal director Angie Clendenon and choreographer Kim Berry. Costume creation is under the direction of Barbara Holt, and the stage and lighting design is by Frank Mengel. Pianist Christopher Beste will provide musical accompaniment.

Admission for the performance is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 60 and over and $5 for children. For ticket information or reservations, please contact Jennifer Hollowell, Arts Outreach coordinator, at 423-798-1620 or by email at jhollowell@tusculum.edu.

“How to Eat Like a Child” features a series of fast-paced vignettes about the joys and sorrows of childhood including “how to ride in a car,” featuring Dawson Ottinger, Emma Waddell and Jorja Ward, front row from left, and Jade Ward, Victoria Oliver and Dawson McGill, back row from left.

Tusculum closed on Friday, Feb. 20

All Tusculum campuses and sites, day and evening classes and administrative offices closed for Friday, Feb. 20. Info about a make-up schedule will be available soon.

Tusculum closed on Thursday, Feb. 19

All day and evening classes and administrative offices at all campuses of Tusculum College will be closed Thursday, Feb 19. Make up times will be announced as soon as possible.

‘Kaleidoscope of Indian Classical Dance’ to be presented Saturday, Feb. 21, at Tusculum College

Three types of Indian classical dance will be featured during a performance on Saturday, Feb. 21, at Tusculum College.

“Kaleidoscope of Indian Classical Dance” with dancers Sophia Salingaros, Samta Savla and Ranjani Murthy will be presented at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum College campus. The performance is part of Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s Acts, Arts, Academia 2014-15 performance and lecture series.

Bharatha Natym, Kuchipudi and Kathak classical dances will be featured during the performance. 

Salingaros will be performing Bharatha Natym dance, which originated in southern India and started as a temple dance tradition. The name of the dance is a simple derivation from the Sanskrit name for the four most important aspects of the dance – emotion, melody, rhythm and dance. Thus, Bharatha Natym encompasses music, rhythm and expressional dance and strictly adheres to the Natyashastra (the scripture of classical Indian dance). Salingaros is a student in the Kaveri Natya Yoga School in San Antonio, Texas. She was a Young Arts Finalist in Bharatha Natym in Miami.

Murthy will be performing Kuchipudi dance, which is one of the art forms South India. Kuchipudi presents scenes from Hindu epics and mythological tales through dance dramas that combine music, dance and acting. While Kuchipudi, like Bharatha Natym, is compromised of pure dance, mime  and sensors expressions, it is the use of speech that distinguishes its presentation as dance drama. Murthy has given programs and won many competitions across the country. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is pursuing a degree in health information technology and a professional career in Indian classical dances.

Savla will be performing Kathak, one of the nine different classical dance forms of India and one of the most dynamic theater arts in the world. The dance is renowned for its intricate rhythmic footwork, swift and numerous spins, and graceful, delicate expressions. From its early form as a devotional expression devoted to Hindu gods, Kathak gradually moved out of temples and into the courts of the Hindu maharajas and the Mughal kings. Much later, during the mid-1800s, the dance enjoyed a renaissance and gained prominence as a classical art form. It is a continually evolving dance form and has been recently been fused with aspects of contemporary dance. Savla has been training in Kathak since the tender age of five. She has trained at the National Institute of Kathak in New Delhi.

Admission for the performance is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 60 and over and $5 for children. For more information, please contact Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620 or emailjhollowell@tusculum.edu.