OSU Urban Arts Space Opening

photo of the week

The OSU Urban Arts Space, in the former Lazarus building in the heart of downtown Columbus, is opening soon! Faculty, staff and students are invited to take a sneak peek at the brand new space from 6 to 8 pm Thursday, Jan 3, at an open house hosted by Dean Karen Bell. Though the grand opening isn't scheduled until Feb 8, please stop by and take a walk through our new 10,000-square-foot facility before an exhibition is installed. The OSU Urban Arts Space is located at 50 W. Town St. Click for a map and parking information (or take COTA Bus Route #2).

Notable News

The Columbus Dispatch published a 2007 "Year in Review" feature in its arts section late last month. Top events in various arts disciplines were spotlighted . . . and OSU College of the Arts events popped up several times. Specifically, "best events" in classical music included The Elixir of Love, directed by Peter Kozma, conducted by Marshall Haddock, by OSU Opera. Best events in theatre incuded Mary Stuart, directed by John Kuhn, by OSU Theatre and Actors' Theatre; and The Trojan Women 2.0, directed by Maureen Ryan and Jeanine Thompson, OSU Theatre.

Meanwhile, Columbus Alive looked back on the arts in 2007. Mary Stuart was picked as one of the best plays of the year, while The Trojan Women 2.0 was chosen as one of the best musicals. The paper named three "best female performances" for the year. . . and they were all from OSU Theatre! They include Ashlee Mundy as Cassandra in The Trojan Women 2.0, and Julie Ann McMillan as Queen Elizabeth and Eleni Papaleonardos as the title character in Mary Stuart. For "best male performance" the paper cited OSU alum Glenn Peters for his role in Our Town. In dance, Columbus Alive included as highlights of the year: OSU Dance, From Ginsberg to Strauss ("especially Jenai Cutcher's Just the Beguine, Sarah Lehman's Ramble on Avenues and Kathryn Enright's Core"); OSU Dance Downtown last May; OSU Dance's Assorted Impulses; and last fall's OSU Dance's Small Dances for Small Spaces ("especially Tania Isaac's Stuporwoman and Bala Sarasvati's NO/ON"). Congratulations to all!

A revolutionary voice laboratory at the School of Music officially opens on Friday, Jan 18. The new Helen Swank Voice Teaching and Research Lab – named in honor of Helen Swank, emeritus professor of music – is housed in newly renovated space on the third floor of Mershon Auditorium. Culminating over three years of planning, this new state-of-the-art facility will be the permanent home for the voice pedagogy program of the School of Music, as well as the new graduate interdisciplinary specialization in Singing Health. The Singing Health Specialization is a collaborative enterprise developed by Karen Peeler (Music), Arick Forrest (Otolaryngology), Mike Trudeau (Speech and Hearing Science), and Kerrie Obert (Swallowing and Voice Disorders Clinic). It is the first of its kind in the nation, and will prepare vocalists and speech-language pathology students to collaborate in a clinical setting with otolaryngologists to rehabilitate the professional voice. For more information about the lab, contact Karen Peeler in the School of Music at (614) 292-9638.

Sidney Chafetz, professor emeritus in Art, will exhibit a selected group of prints at the Faculty Club in Profs, Pols, Poets, Et Al opening Jan 9 and continuting until Feb 22. An opening reception will be held in honor of Chafetz Jan 18, 6-8 pm, at the Faculty Club. If you're interested in attending the reception, call 292-2262.

Design alumnus Tom Rehder (BSID, 1993) has become the first and only interior designer in Georgia to be certified by the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers. Rehder is a project manager and interior designer for 2KM Architects Inc in Augusta, an architectural firm specializing in government, educational and healthcare design.

Damian Bowerman (Theatre) has been offered an Equity contract for the role of "Donnie" in the Columbus premiere of The Foursome at CATCO. The play focuses on four former buddies, who reconnect at their college reunion and decide to catch up over a game of golf. Bowerman says he's been cast as the "nerdy guy who doesn't know how to golf." The play will be staged May 30-June 22.

The New York Post has published a "Best of 2007" feature on the "5 top trips (and why you should plan them now)". Somewhat surprisingly, the article touts Budapest, Ontario, Venice, New Orleans. . . and Columbus. The article spotlights the "atmospheric old-city neighborhood" of German Village, and also boasts about a trip up High Street, from the edgy Short North area past the boisterous university district and into the sedate suburb of Worthington."

Want to be a star? Two opportunities are coming up to volunteer as a performer at the Wexner Center. Theatre director Romeo Castellucci is looking for male volunteers of any age to perform in a short section of Hey Girl, to be presented in January. And New York-based Nature Theatre of Oklahoma is looking for both men and women to perform in Poetics: a ballet brut in February. No experience is necessary. Click here for details.

Voice alum Ryan Ratliff (BFA and BME, 2004) has been performing in the starring role of Mark in Altar Boyz on the New York Broadway stage since last summer. Before that, he starred in the same show on a national Broadway tour, after performing in Forever Plaid in New York to great reviews.