Cirque Le Masque to bring ultimate theatrical experience to UW-Platteville

PLATTEVILLE-The Center for the Arts Performing Arts Series at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville presents Cirque Le Masque, November 21st at 2pm & 8pm.

Cirque Le Masque is company that pays tribute to the time-honored traditions of European Cirque troupes and unveils its artistry through sophisticated entertainment acts from around the world. Its gravity-defying performances and spellbinding special effects create the ultimate theatrical experience, perfect for audiences of all ages.

Cirque Le Masque has recently won the following awards at the International Circus Festival in Bucharest this past June: the Silver Medal Award, Best Modern Show Award, Best Stage Direction Award, and the Choice Award for Children’s Entertainment.

The performers of Cirque Le Masque bring an entirely new dimension to circus arts. In this sophisticated animal free European-style circus, brilliantly costumed jugglers, acrobats, comics, and aerialists perform gasp-inducing acts of balance, grace, strength and detailed teamwork, set to mesmerizing special effects and creatively inventive lighting, choreography and music. Carnivale is filled with energy, color and an original storyline.

The performers have been able to thrill audiences worldwide in such places as Paris, Athens, Dubai, Caracas, and cities in the U.S. ranging from Las Vegas to Atlantic City.

Tickets for this event are $28 for General Admission $26 for Faculty and Senior Citizens $20 for Kids Under 18 and $12 for UWP Students (with current ID).

Tickets are available through the University Box Office located in the lower level of Ullsvik Hall at Hickory and Main streets in Platteville. The University Box Office is open Monday 8am-5pm, Tuesday 8am-8pm, Wednesday through Friday 8am-5pm and Saturday 10am-2pm. Phone orders can be made by calling (608)-342-1298. Tickets are also available online 24/7 at http://tickets.uwplatt.edu.

The next event in the series is Natalie MacMaster. Her UW-Platteville performance will mark the U.S. debut of her annual Christmas shows that have played to packed houses across her native Canada each year. More information on the Performing Arts Series and other performance events can be found at http://uwplatt.edu/arts/cfa.

Former NFL Star Bo Eason in one man show at CFA

PLATTEVILLE-The Center for the Arts Performing Arts Series at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville presents Runt of the Litter, November 12th and 13th both at 7:30pm.

Bo Eason, former NFL star player turned star of his own one-man show, "Runt of the Litter," inspires audience to make their dreams a reality. His unforgettable story is living proof that with enough determination, nothing can prevail over the human spirit.

At nine years old, Bo Eason took a crayon and paper and made a plan. The plan was to play professional football in the NFL and become the best in the league at his position. His lifelong plan endured a few obstacles along the way. Coming out of high school, Bo was told he was too small to play and was passed over by every college in the country. He decided to try out for a small Division II college, but after two days of practice he was sent home. Instead of packing his bags, Bo decided to stay. He showed up at practice day after day, and with his desire and perseverance he eventually earned a spot on the team. Four years and seven knee surgeries later he was the first safety chosen in the 1984 NFL Draft. He went on to play five years for the Houston Oilers. His determination and killer instincts on the playing field remain the stuff of legend. His brother, Tony Eason, was the quarterback who led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl in 1986.

After retiring from football, Bo brought the same zeal to his career as a writer and performer. He appeared in television and movies before writing his one-man play, "Runt of the Litter," in which he also stars. "Runt" is based on Eason’s own life and takes place within the last hour of accomplishing his 20-Year Plan. "Runt" opened in New York to rave reviews. The New York Times named it, "One of the most powerful plays in the last decade."

Though resolutely American in its themes (the competitiveness and violence of sports, sibling rivalry, underdog makes good), it also contains elements of ritual theater and blood sacrifice that give the material a mythic resonance and power. This is a superb and substantive one-man show by Eason, who gives a sexy, tough, charismatic performance of size and scope. The show cuts across all demographics and has an across-the-board appeal for everyone, from sports enthusiasts to hardcore theater lovers.

Soon to be a major motion picture, Bo is adapting "Runt" for the big screen. Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption," "The Green Mile") is producing. After seeing a performance of "Runt," Leonardo DiCaprio hired Bo to write a screenplay for his company based on the 1924 Olympic Rugby Team. Eason continues to perform "Runt of the Litter" for audiences across the country, traveling to college campuses, corporations, pro sports teams and inner-city schools.

Tickets for this event are $30 for General Admission $28 for Faculty and Senior Citizens $20 for Kids Under 18 and $10 for UWP Students (with current ID). Runt of the Litter containts mature themes and is reccomended for adult audiences.

Tickets are available through the University Box Office located in the lower level of Ullsvik Hall at Hickory and Main streets in Platteville. The University Box Office is open Monday 8am-5pm, Tuesday 8am-8pm, Wednesday through Friday 8am-5pm and Saturday 10am-2pm. Phone orders can be made by calling (608)-342-1298. Tickets are also available online 24/7 at http://tickets.uwplatt.edu.

The next event in the series is Cirque le Masque with two shows on November 21st at 2pm and 8 pm. The show has captured audiences worldwide with its blend of live theatrical entertainment and cutting edge special effects, enjoying a history of productions ranging from NBC Live to Atlantic City, Foxwoods Casino, Las Vegas and many more. More information on the Performing Arts Series and other performance events can be found at http://uwplatt.edu/arts/cfa.

White Ghost Shivers: Best Band in the World?

PLATTEVILLE-The Center for the Arts Performing Arts Series at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville presents White Ghost Shivers, October 21st at 7:30pm.

If Tim Burton had collaborated with the Cohen Brothers in creating the musical characters in O' Brother Where Art Thou? they might resemble something similar to the White Ghost Shivers.

A joyous mixture of the absurd and sublime, the eight-piece ensemble gracefully creates a musical amalgam of Hokum Blues, Hillbilly Swing, Country and Hot Jazz. Simultaneously paying respects to their deft musical influences and irreverently destroying any notion of musical purism, they work hard at making it seem easy.

In just a few years, the band's unique and consistently exuberant live show has earned them an ever-expanding loyal fan base. Imagine a smorgasbord of Cab Calloway, circus sideshow, KISS, cabaret, Hee Haw and Robert Johnson served up at Andy Kaufman's bat-mitzvah. Like the great entertainers before them, the band's true gift is their ability to take their eclectic influences and combine them into something they can call their own.

Featuring a 7 foot tall banjo player whose instruments include: tenor banjo, ukulele, guitar, mandolin toe-tappin', mouth rappin' and nose flute, Shorty Stump (oh the irony) is one of those people that you don’t see every day, unless you were looking up, that is. Other band members include: Cella Blue (vocals, slide whistle, kazoo), Duchess Doyle (clarinet, tenor sax, ukulele), Hot Thomas (vocal, violin, tenor banjo), Poppiticus (string bass), and Smokebreak Slemenda (vocals, lead guitar).

Winners of best “Novelty” band at the 2007 Austin Music Awards, they placed in six other categories, including best Jazz, Bluegrass, Experimental, None of the Above, Female Vocals, and Horns.

Tickets for this event are $18 for General Admission $16 for Faculty and Senior Citizens $12 for Kids Under 18 and $5 for UWP Students (with current ID).

Tickets are available through the University Box Office located in the lower level of Ullsvik Hall at Hickory and Main streets in Platteville. The University Box Office is open Monday 8am-5pm, Tuesday 8am-8pm, Wednesday through Friday 8am-5pm and Saturday 10am-2pm. Phone orders can be made by calling (608)-342-1298. Tickets are also available online 24/7 at http://tickets.uwplatt.edu.

The next event in the series is Runt of the Litter on November 12th and 13th and features Bo Eason, a former defensive back for the Houston Oilers in the 1980s. More information on the Performing Arts Series and other performance events can be found at http://uwplatt.edu/arts/cfa.

virsky ukrainian national dance co.

Virsky Ukrainian National Dance co.
Telegraph Herald Article

UWP's Singing Pioneers hold 85th reunion concert

PLATTEVILLE-The Singing Pioneers men's choir of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will hold their reunion concert on Sunday, Nov. 15 at the Center for the Arts on the UWP campus. The concert will bring current members and alumni of the Singing Pioneers together to help celebrate the history of men's choir on campus. The concert will begin at 3 p.m. and will be free for all who wish to attend. The event is sponsored by the UWP Office of Performing and Visual Arts and the Segregated University Fee Allocation Commission.

"We have documentation of a men's choir on campus since 1901," said Robert Demaree, director of choral activities and the Singing Pioneers since 1997. "With our best estimate, this will be 100 years of UWP having a men's choir."

The Singing Pioneers are the longest tenured choral group here on campus. "There wasn't a mixed choir on campus until the middle of the 20th century," said Demaree. "Having such a long-running men's group is deeply related to UWP's history as a mining school, just like the brewery in the Pioneer Student Center. It's a very special connection that we have with our past."

The concert will include performances from the women's and men's choirs, as well as a collaboration between the Singing Pioneers alumni and current members. They will sing eight to 10 pieces that will represent the past 30 years.

Some pieces will specifically represent the years James Hershberger directed the Singing Pioneers. "He was the most charismatic and iconic director the Singing Pioneers ever had," said Demaree. "He was like a pied piper to the men's choir." After serving for several decades as the director of Singing Pioneers, Hershberger passed away in 1992 after suffering a heart attack.

Demaree would like to formally invite any former member of the Singing Pioneers to come and participate at the concert. Anyone interested or who knows of anyone who was a Singing Pioneer is asked to contact Demaree by e-mail.

"These guys are a really special group. Choir has never had a curricular purpose here on campus. Students can get credit for participating, but it fulfills no requirements," said Demaree. "I liken these guys to the men that play football for a Division III team. They'll never get a scholarship and nearly all of them will never go pro, but they do it anyway because they love the game. That's why these men sing: they just love singing, and when you get 150 to 200 men together, they can make a phenomenal sound."

For more information about the concert or Singing Pioneers, contact Demaree at (608) 342-1446 or demaree@uwplatt.edu.

Renowned Ukrainian folk dance ensemble coming to CFA.

PLATTEVILLE-The Center for the Arts Performing Arts Series at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville presents Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company, October 12th at 7:30pm.

The renowned folk dance ensemble named after Pavlo Virsky is famous for its bright colors, the unity of content and form and the vivid embodiment of its stage concept. This magnificent artistic group of 70 features a live orchestra and has embraced the beauty of its native Ukraine, the wisdom of its people as well as the folk tradition of humor and optimism. The tour is the Official Tour of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Ukraine.

The ensemble’s diverse concert programs presenting the exquisite charm of Ukrainian folk dancing and the wealth of its traditions have been warmly received by audiences all over the world. The history of the ensemble goes back to 1937 when Pavlo Virsky and Mykola Bolotov, well-known Ukrainian ballet-masters, brought together a group of folk dancers.

From 1955 to 1975, Pavlo Virsky headed the ensemble, and his outstanding talent was magnificently implemented in the performances of the company. It was under his guidance that the ensemble matured into a highly professional dance company whose art has won the hearts of countlesss reviewers and the general public around the world. Myroslav Vantukh, Pavlo Virsky’s disciple and great expert in folk traditions and ethnography has been in charge of the ensemble since 1980. His main objective and continuing creative quest is the careful preservation and development of folk choreographic art.

The ensemble has toured many different lands quite far from its native Ukraine. Among the viewers who have welcomed the leading company have been people of Austria, England, Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil. Belgium. Venezuela, Greece, Ecuador, Italy, India, Spain, Canada, Columbia, China, Cuba, Korea, Mexico, Mongolia, Germany, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, the United States of America, Hungary, France, France, Czech Republic, Chile and Switzerland.

Tickets for this event are $28 for General Admission $26 for Faculty and Senior Citizens $20 for Kids Under 18 and $10 for UWP Students (with current ID).

Tickets are available through the University Box Office located in the lower level of Ullsvik Hall at Hickory and Main streets in Platteville. The University Box Office is open Monday 8am-5pm, Tuesday 8am-8pm, Wednesday through Friday 8am-5pm and Saturday 10am-2pm. Phone orders can be made by calling (608)-342-1298. Tickets are also available online 24/7 at http://tickets.uwplatt.edu.

The next event in the series is on October 21 and features the White Ghost Shivers from Austin Texas. More information on the Performing Arts Series and other performance events can be found at http://uwplatt.edu/arts/cfa.