The Dean Performing Arts Series

Each semester, the University Honors Center provides opportunities for students to attend local and visiting performances complete with a special academic pre-performance seminar or lecture. Past events have included the Austin Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Holst’s The Planets, the Department of Theatre and Dance’s production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Broadway Across America’s presentation of Wicked.

Availability of tickets is announced via email to the honors community, and tickets are available on a first come, first served basis (unless noted otherwise). The Dean Performing Arts Series is made possible through the generous support of the L.L. and Ethel E. Dean Endowment.

Next Performance

The Duchess of Malfi
The American Shakespeare Center
Hogg Auditorium
Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Please join us for a performance of the American Shakespeare Center’s production of The Duchess of Malfi. Reduced price tickets will be available to those students who attend Frank Whigham’s lecture, “Sexual and Social Mobility in The Duchess of Malfi” on Thursday, February 7th in the Joynes Reading Room.

John Webster’s brutal and astonishing play tells the story of one of the stage’s greatest women and two of its greatest villains. The widowed Duchess of Malfi tragically defies her two powerful brothers by secretly marrying her household steward. When they uncover her deception, the brothers plot a series of horrific events that leads them all to destruction in this dark tapestry of sibling rivalry, forbidden love, unquenchable ambition, and ensuing madness.

Professor Whigham is one of the world’s experts on The Duchess of Malfi. His article on the play is one of the most important works of recent criticism on John Webster’s tragedy, which is also discussed in his book, Seizures of the Will in Early Modern English Drama (Cambridge University Press, 1996). Professor Whigham will introduce some of the play’s key ideas and answer questions from the audience.

Through the sponsorship of the and The L.L. and Ethel E. Dean Endowment your cost for this event is just $5. To make your reservation, check in with University Honors Center staff at the February 7th lecture, collect a ticket application and return your completed application and $5 to the University Honors Center (the north entrance of Carothers Residence Hall) by 5 pm on Monday, February 11, 2013.

Tickets are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. One ticket per student.

Recent Performances

Disney’s The Lion King
Broadway Across America
Bass Concert Hall

The University Honors Center sponsored attendance at Disney’s The Lion King. Students marveled at the breathtaking spectacle of animals brought to life by award-winning director Julie Taymor, at the Tony Award-winning Broadway sensation Newsweek calls “a landmark event in entertainment.” The New York Times says, “There is simply nothing else like it.

Prior to the show, the University Honors Center hosted a seminar led by Lyn Koenning from UT’s College of Fine Arts, Department of Theatre and Dance. Lyn Koenning has over twenty years teaching, conducting and performing experience. Lyn was named “Best Musical Director” for the third time by the Austin Critics’ Table Awards for UT Austin’s 2010 production of The Difficulty of Crossing a Field.

The Nutcracker
Ballet Austin
The Long Center

The L.L. and Ethel E. Dean Performing Arts Series commemorated the 50th Anniversary production of Austin’s premier holiday classic. As the longest-running production of The Nutcracker in the state of Texas, Austin’s holiday tradition enthralled fans of all ages.

Our special pre-performance seminar was presented by Holly Williams, UT’s Department of Theatre & Dance MFA Dance Program Head. Ms. Williams presented alternative visions of this traditional ballet, including one entitled The Hard Nut choreographed by Mark Morris.

Plan II Chamber Music Recital

The Plan II Chamber Music Society hosted an evening of beautiful chamber music, performing works by Mozart, Shostakovich, Brahms, Prokofiev, songs from Wicked, and more! This event was sponsored by the L.L. and Ethel E. Dean Endowment.

Paliacci
Austin Lyric Opera
The Long Center

This famously tragic play-within-a-play told the heartbreaking story of betrayal and jealousy in an Italian commedia dell’arte troupe. There was a special pre-performance talk entitled “When Art Mirrors Reality” by Joshua T. Miller. Mr. Miller is currently in his second year of graduate studies in the Butler Opera Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to moving to Texas, Miller was the Director of Vocal Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at Concord University where he taught studio voice and directed the university’s opera program. His most recent stage directing credits include The Pagliacci Project, a guerilla street opera for Austin Lyric Opera.