ANITA O’DAY: THE LIFE OF A JAZZ SINGER

A strong andwitty woman comes irresistibly to life in this musical documentary about a jazz legend. Anita O’Day worked with some of the best (Stan Kenton, Gene Krupa), and this adroit melange of stories, interviews, and performance clips captures the tumultuous life of a genuine American original. New England Premiere.

Directed by: Terry Tamm ‘08

Meet Prudence. She has a job at People Magazine, a therapist who wants to sleep with her (again) and a fear of vanilla ice cream.

Meet Bruce. He has a constant tendency to burst out crying, a therapist who barks like a dog (for encouragement) and a male lover named Bob.

Could it be love?

The director would like to inform patrons that this is NOT A SHOW FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES

A socially conscientious

Broadway show tune striptease

indictment of the right wing

Fast, funny and furious, Tim Miller's newset show, "us" ricochets between Miller's love affair since childhood with Broadway musicals to an exploration of home, exile and homophobia in the good USA. "Us" is a hilarious and pissed-off exploration of these most American contradictions as the piece careens from the little boy who did stripteases with the musical GYPSY on the record player, to memories of a 10-year-old's plan to flee to Canada to escape the war in Viet Nam, to a surreal gay wedding day tug-of-war at the edge of America as the Niagara Falls rushes between his legs.

"South Pacific showed me you could fight bigotry while being surrounded by hunky, half-naked sailors and drag queens".

"Applause gave me my very first glimpse of a gay bar, chock-a-block with queer boys dancing with Lauren Bacall singing "Alive!" and it showed me that my future as an Outsder-in-America would include silk scarves knotted at the neck and festive leather fringe vests."

"Hair taught me we could confront the government, take drugs and be in theatre projects wherein the attractive young cast takes their clothes off. As a 10-year-old boy, I wasn't allowed to have the Broadway cast album, but a friends older brother brought the record home from University and we secretly listened to it over the headphones, each of us with just one headphone pressed to a single ear. "Sodomy" was my favorite song in the show. I wasn't sure what sodomy was exactly, but I knew it was for me".

"Broadway shows were a crucial finishing school for my nascent gay identity - they offered me a rich tonic of diva agency and general fabulousness. Forget Marx and Engels. I had Rogers and Hammerstein!"

"Fiddler on the Roof made me want a Jewish communist boyfriend like Perchik when I grew up and it prepared me for exile, whether from Cossacks, storm troopers or George W. Bush".

"The power of Tim Miller's performances lies in his sharp mind and gentle heart, his capacity for being angry and funny and self-critical all at once. One senses immediately that he can be trusted, even when he leads us into unknown territory. His passion is utterly contagious."—Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City

Critic Charles Isherwood called Tim Miller is "a frisky and charismatic performer. and found in Us "a sweet-spirited, honest, and seriously funny commentary on the power of popular art to shape people's moral, social, and sexual development."

Experience the rich and adventurous life of a seaman, from the mouth of a master storyteller: Williams-Mystic historian Glenn Gordinier becomes Josiah Gardner, telling true tales of daring deeds, raging storms, hardship, danger, and rolicking fun. Full of high spirits, vigor, and salty wit, the weather-beaten sailor's colorful career at sea is brought to life in this dazzling portrayal.

Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s most recent solo performance, El Mexorist 2: Amerca’s most Wanted Inner Demon, navigates the contested terrain known as the US/Mexican border. By telling a story of realities and surrealities; he acts as a warrior in transnational identity and immigration issues. As El Mexorcist Gómez-Peña assaults the construction of the US/Mexican border that is lined with Minute Men, rising nativism, three ply fences, globalization, and transnational identities.

Performance artist and writer, he was born in Mexico and arrived in the US in 1978. Since then he has investigated border culture and trans-cultural identity. Through journalism, performance, radio, video, poetry and installations he has explored the relationship between Latinos and the US. From 1984 to 1990 he founded and participated in the "Border Arts Workshop", and contributed to the national radio programme Crossroads. He is one of the editors of High Performance magazine and of the Drama Review. He has received the Prix de la Parole at the International Theatre Festival of the Americas (1989), the Bessie prize in New York (1989) and a MacArthur Fellowship (1991), among other awards. Author of the book Warrior for Gringostroika published by Graywolf Press in 1993. In 1997, his book The New World Border received the American Book Award.

Directed by: Jesse Gordon ‘10

A 4th grade collage of theatre inspired by the likes of Shakespeare, Beckett, and the guys who brought you American Pie, it’s an evening Beckett, Shakespeare, and Stoppard wish they could be alive for.

Jhumpa Lahiri received the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for Interpreter of Maladies, her debut story collection that explores issues of love and identity among immigrants and cultural transplants. With a compelling, universal fluency, Lahiri portrays the practical and emotional adversities of her diverse characters in elegant and direct prose. Whether describing hardships of a lonely Indian wife adapting to life in the United States or illuminating the secret pain of a young couple as they discuss their betrayals during a series of electrical blackouts, Lahiri's bittersweet stories avoid sentimentality without abandoning compassion. Her novel The Namesake was published in the fall of 2003 also to great acclaim.

Born in London, Lahiri moved to Rhode Island as a young child with her Bengali parents. Although they have lived in the United States for more than thirty years, Lahiri observes that her parents retain "a sense of emotional exile" and Lahiri herself grew up with "conflicting expectations…to be Indian by Indians and American by Americans." Lahiri's abilities to convey the oldest cultural conflicts in the most immediate fashion and to achieve the voices of many different characters are among the unique qualities that have captured the attention of a wide audience. Jhumpa Lahiri's novel, The Namesake, expands on the perplexities of the immigrant experience and the search for identity. The narrative follows the Gangulis, an Indian couple united in an arranged marriage, as they build their lives together in America. Unlike her husband, Mrs. Ganguli defies assimilation, while their son, Gogol, burdened with the seemingly absurd name of the long-dead Russian writer, awkwardly struggles to define himself. A film version of The Namesake (directed by Mira Nair) will be released in 2007. Lahiri is currently working on a new book of short stories, entitled Unaccustomed Earth, which will be published in 2008.

Alongside the Pulitzer Prize, Jhumpa Lahiri also won the PEN/Hemingway Award, the O. Henry Award (for the short story “Interpreter of Maladies”), and the Addison Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, among others. Lahiri was also granted a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2002 and an NEA Fellowship in 2006.

Sponsored by the Lecture Committee.

Daily Kos, the most-read political blog in the world, has struck a nerve with millions of Americans and revitalized political awareness in this country. In record numbers, previously disillusioned voters are once again engaged in and excited about the political process. Daily Kos has, quite literally, changed the rules of the game in American political life.

By mining the democratic potential of the internet and fusing it to a grassroots activism, Markos Moulitsas, the man behind Daily Kos, has single-handedly changed political discourse in America: Rather than the usual spin-doctoring, deceit and corruption put forth by politicians, he emphasizes the voice of the individual, and the power of that voice, when joined by others, to be heard and to usher in real change. America's most provocative political website, Daily Kos attracts a staggering one million unique visitors a month and is one of the top five most linked blogs on the web.

Moulitsas' brash, probing and accessible writing takes us behind the scenes of the modern political machine in a way few others have attempted. Tackling vital political topics by tracking key races, exposing corruption, and holding politicians accountable, he brings an unprecedented level of political awareness to the general public. And politicians are also listening: the site is regularly visited by congressmen, senators, governors, and other political luminaries, and many have pointed to the transformative effect Moulitsas and Daily Kos have had on the resurgent Democratic Party, especially their recent return to power in both the House and The Senate.

Born on September 11, 1971, in Chicago, Markos Moulitsas was raised in El Salvador, where he lived until 1980 when civil war forced his family back to America. At the age of 17, he enrolled in the US Army, serving as an artilleryman. Daily Kos (rhymes with "dose," his army nickname) was launched in 2002. Moulitsas' critically acclaimed book, Crashing The Gate, co-authored with Jerome Armstrong, which examines the movement toward a more authentic and populist democracy, was released to great acclaim in 2006.

Daily Kos: The State of the Nation

With a renewed sense of purpose, and using the latest technologies, a new generation of activists has emerged. They are revitalizing the democratic process and re-engaging in political advocacy. Markos Moulitsas's live presentations are infused with the kinetic energy and political acumen of this movement, drawing listeners into a conversation about what democracy is, and how they can be a part of it. His unprecedented role as the online voice of liberal America gives his analysis depth, sophistication and clarity.

Even if they disagree with his political stance, listeners will still emerge with a greater understanding of the current state of American political life, and where it is going. With an unmatched passion, he talks about holding party and government officials to account and how to get out the vote. In person, audiences will see what makes Daily Kos the highest-trafficked blog in the world, and one of the finest examples, in our information age, of bringing the voice of the people to those in power.

His visit is sponsored by the W. Ford Schumann '50 Program in Democratic Studies. Daily Kos is the Most-Read Political Blog in the world and January is the start of the primary season.

I'm Not Getting On Until Jim Crow Gets Off!

Teen & Women Activists in the Montgomery Bus Boycott

I'm Not Getting On Until Jim Crow Gets Off is an interactive performance and dialog on a watershed moment in U.S. History, the Montgomery Bus Boycott and its significance in advancing democracy in the United States. The oral histories on the women in the Montgomery movement are presented through a talking timeline that lets the audience reclaim this herstory in collective memory.

Different historical players' voices and stories weave the historical narrative. By interacting with the audience, Awele deconstructs (and the audience explores) the complexities of this layered her/ history and together they link it to contemporary themes and issues.

Audiences are given opportunities to collaboratively build working definitions of key concepts presented in the performance, to discuss content with their peers and with the researcher/writer/storyteller, and to interview characters about their motivations. The program concludes with the creation of a human sculpture / image theatre (by volunteers from the audience) to celebrate the role of women as leaders and foot soldiers in the freedom struggle.

Historical Links:
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments; Reconstruction Black Codes and Laws; Plessy v. Ferguson; Brown v. Board of Education; Gandhian Nonviolent Resistance; Direct Action; Some Core Values of Democracy; The African American Freedom Struggle; The Beloved Community. Resources at http://www.awele.com

“Awele Makeba walks the invisible bridge between storytelling and art."
Pat Holt, former Book Review Editor, San Francisco Chronicle

STORYTELLER • ACTOR • VOICEOVER ARTIST

Awele (ah WAY lay) Makeba is an award winning and internationally known actor, emerging playwright, storyteller, recording artist and educator. She is a "truth-teller" and an artist for social change. She researches, writes, and performs hidden African American history. She invites audiences to wrestle with complex and emotionally laden issues that teach us about our common humanity, potential, and our purpose for “being” in the world. She provides opportunities for audiences to grapple with the meaning of their own lives as they make meaning of past lives.

The 90 minute show is sponsored by the Williams College Multicultural Center.

Bill T. Jones (Artistic Director of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company), recipient of a 2007 Tony Award; 2007 Obie Award; and the 1994 MacArthur “Genius” Award, will discuss his new work Chapel/Chapter. “Rarely has [Mr. Jones] been better able to sublimate his wide-ranging political, social and moral concerns into art. Rarely has the strength of that art made his vision express itself more purely,” states John Rockwell of the New York Times.

Mr. Jones will be speaking about Chapel/Chapter, its creation process, where it came from, and where it’s going. He will also speak about site-specific work, how Chapel/Chapter was created in a site specific space, and the process of adaptation to "conventional" theaters. Additionally, he may also touch on the just completed A Quarreling Pair.

The intimate CenterStage is the ideal setting for an up-close and person conversation with one of world’s leading dance artists.

Mr. Jones has created more than 100 works for his own company and has also choreographed for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Axis Dance Company, Boston Ballet, Lyon Opera Ballet, Berlin Opera Ballet, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and Diversions Dance Company, among others. In 1995, Mr. Jones directed and performed in a collaborative work with Toni Morrison and Max Roach, Degga, at Alice Tully Hall, commissioned by Lincoln Center’s Serious Fun Festival. His collaboration with Jessye Norman, How! Do! We! Do! premiered at New York’s City Center in 1999.

Mr. Jones’ theater involvement includes co-directing Perfect Courage with Rhodessa Jones for Festival 2000, in 1990. In 1994, he directed Derek Walcott’s Dream on Monkey Mountain for The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN. In June 2006, Mr. Jones choreographed Spring Awakening, A New Musical with music by Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik, directed by Michael Mayer.

Television credits include PBS’s “Great Performances” Series (Fever Swamp and Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin/The Promised Land) and “Alive from Off Center” (Untitled). Still/Here was co-directed for television by Bill T. Jones and Gretchen Bender. A PBS documentary on the making of Still/Here, by Bill Moyers and David Grubin, “Bill T. Jones: Still/Here with Bill Moyers”, premiered in 1997. The 1999 Blackside documentary “I’ll Make Me a World: A Century of African-American Arts”, profiled Mr. Jones’ work. D-Man in the Waters is included in “Free to Dance”, a 2001 Emmy winning documentary that chronicles modern dance’s African-American roots. In 2004, ARTE France and Bel Air Media produced Bill T. Jones’—Solos, directed by Don Kent.

In 1995, Pantheon Books published Mr. Jones’ memoirs, Last Night on Earth. In 1989, Station Hill Press published an in-depth look at the work of Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane, Body Against Body: The Dance and Other Collaborations of Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane. Hyperion Books published Dance, a children’s book written by Bill T. Jones and photographer Susan Kuklin, in 1998. Mr. Jones is proud to have contributed to Continuous Replay: The Photographs of Arnie Zane, published by MIT Press in 1999.

Bill T. Jones’s interest in new media and digital technology has resulted in two collaborations with the team of Paul Kaiser, Shelley Eshkar and Mark Downey. The first, Ghostcatching - A Virtual Dance Installation, (1999) was produced by and premiered at the Cooper Union in NY. The second, 22 (2004) was the result of a three year development under the auspices of Arizona State University's Institute for Studies In The Arts and Technology in Tempe, AZ, where it premiered.

Lyrical Blue, a unique concert bringing together opera and the blues, will take place at the Williams College ‘62 Center for Theater and Dance on Friday, February 1, at 7:30 PM. Distinguished artists from the concert stages of North and South America, the Metropolitan and Glimmerglass Operas, and performance halls across the countrywill perform a variety of musical selections that have in common the evocation of love, pain, and longing.

The concert is presented as a benefit for Greylock ABC in honor of the late Dana Danforth, former longtime resident director of the ABC (A Better Chance) program in Williamstown. The Lehman Community Service Council is the on-campus sponsor of the concert.

Carl Westerdahl, a Board member of ABC and one of the organizers of the concert said, “This concert will be like no other we’ve seen in Williamstown. There will be some real surprises as these great artists blend performances from different musical traditions. It will be creative, innovative, fun, and a great way to get rid of the winter blues.”

Albert Cummings, Williamstown native son and nationally known blues singer and guitarist, will join opera singers Craig Phillips, Alan Schneider, and Beverley O’Regan Thiele; conductor and pianist Lanfranco Marcelletti, Jr.; violinist Ann Marie Schwartz; and Cellist Petia Kassarova on the ’62 Center stage for the two-hour program. All of the artists are donating their performances.

Williamstown’s Own

Albert Cummings, who grew up in Williamstown and represents the 4th generation of his family to work in the building trade, has developed a nationwide reputation in a relatively new career as a blues musician. He tours extensively and has created three well-received CDs since 2003: From the Heat, True to Yourself, and Working Man. He will perform on acoustic guitar in the February 1 concert.

Stars of Metropolitan Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Other Major Companies and Orchestras

Beverly O'Regan Thiele made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Sylviane in The Merry Widow and has appeared in War and Peace, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Die Frau Ohne Schatten, and Sly. She is an alumna of the Lyric Opera Center of American Artists where she performed numerous roles including Musetta in La Boheme, a role she has also sung with New York City Opera and Orlando Opera. Other roles include Magda in Menotti's Consul with Washington Opera and Berkshire Opera, where she recorded the role on Newport Classics. She has sung Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Glimmerglass Opera and Mississippi Opera; Cosi fan Tutte's Fiordiligi with the Lyric Opera Center, Fort Worth Opera, Orlando Opera and Lake George Opera; First Lady in The Magic Flute with New York City Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago; and Miss Jessel in Turn of the Screw with England's Broomhill Festival. She recently was signed by the Washington National Opera Director Placido Domingo to play Blanche in their production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Tenor Alan Schneider, who took part last summer in the Glimmerglass Opera Young America Program, has performed opera, operetta, and musical theater throughout his native New England. Last season he made his Boston Lyric Opera debut as the Second Jew in Salome and returned in September to sing the Comte de Lerme in Don Carlos. He has performed roles in La Rondine, Ariadne auf Naxos , and Street Scene with the Chautauqua Opera, and was chosen by that company to receive a Shoshana Foundation Richard F. Gold Career Grant.

Baritone Craig Phillips has appeared with Glimmerglass Opera for six consecutive seasons in a wide range of roles, including Count Oscar in Offenbach’s Bluebeard, Raymond in Lucia de Lammermoor, The English Clerk in Britten’s Death in Venice, and, most recently, the Police Sergeant in The Pirates of Penzance. As a concert soloist, Mr. Phillips has appeared with prominent orchestras, chamber ensembles, and choirs around the country. The New York Times, reviewing his portrayal of Argenio in Handel’s Imeneo, described him as an “appealing, sturdy, bass-baritone among a cast of fresh voiced and impressive artists."

Lanfranco Marcelletti currently is the Conductor and Director of Instrumental Music at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and the principal conductor of the Cumberland Valley Chamber Players, Pennsylvania. First Prize Winner of the 1998 Selection of Latin-American Conductors in Santiago, Chile, Mr. Marcelletti made his debut with the Chilean National Orchestra last November. In 1996, the São Paulo Association of Critics of Art named him Debut Artist Conductor of the Year, after his debut with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra in the fall that year.

Violinist Ann Marie Schwartz currently performs with the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra and is director and violinist of Musicians of Ma'alwyck, a chamber ensemble in residence at the Schuyler Mansion New York State historic site and at the University at Albany. Co-founder and director of the St. Cecilia Chamber Orchestra from 1987 to1998, Schwartz now runs the Siena College Music Series, where she founded the Franciscan Chamber Orchestra. She teaches violin and viola at the University at Albany and Schenectady County Community College.

Cellist Petia Kassarova, a native of Bulgaria, has been a member of the Albany Symphony Orchestra and Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra since 1998. Prior to joining these orchestras, she was principal cellist of Orquestra Sinfonica de Ribeirao Preto, Brazil and was also professor of cello at the Music Academy of Ribeirao Preto. She has been a member of Musicians of Ma'alwyck since its founding.

Greylock ABC

Greylock ABC, a chapter of the national A Better Chance, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization that enables students from inner cities to attend Mt. Greylock Regional High School and live in a group house in Williamstown, under the guidance of resident directors, tutors, high school teachers, counselors, local host families, and the ABC Board of Directors. All proceeds will be used to support the ABC program.

Dana Danforth, Concert Honoree

Dana Danforth died at the age of 63 on December 21 in Belfast, Maine. In 1966, he and his family moved to Williamstown, where he began a long career as teacher of French at Mount Greylock Regional High School. He and his wife Judith served as resident directors for the Williamstown chapter of A Better Chance from 1981 to 2004 and in this capacity helped steer dozens of young adults into maturity. He retired from teaching in 2002, and his family returned to Maine in 2004.

Williams Symphonic Winds presents

New Morning for the World

a concert by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Joseph Schwantner,

with speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.

performed by Omar Sangare.

©Nick Wiebe 2006

For more informaiton

Shorts

Mama Put (confirmed)

Seke Somolu, Nigeria, 2006, 30m.

The power of food to transform, rescue and wreak revenge is eloquently demonstrated in this Nigerian film. A single woman, who makes and sells street food, is struggling to bring up her family. Rent and school fees are months in arrears, and her young son desperately needs kidney treatment.

Just when it seems things can get no worse, a gang of armed youths break in to the house. They demand food and threaten to kill the family if the meal is not tasty. The food is delicious, and the gang, mollified, leaves. They return regularly, giving the family money and household items in return for the woman’s delicious cooking.

But when a robbery goes wrong, they kill the young boy’s kidney specialist, and the cozy relationship gives way to a dangerous atmosphere. The mother decides that the gang must go, and prepares a meal to send them on their way.

MEOKGO AND THE STICK FIGHTER (confirmed)

Teboho Malatshi, South Africa/Lesotho, 2006, 19m.

(Sotho with English subtitles)

A haunting tale spiced with magical realism, Meokogo & the Stick Fighter is the story of Kgotso, a recluse stickfighter who lives a solitary life high up in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho. Whilst tending sheep and playing his concertina, he sees a beautiful and mysterious woman staring at him dreamily from the water. This story of unrequited love and sacrifice captures both the cruelty and the beauty of African magical beliefs.

MENGED (confirmed)

Daniel Taye Workou, Ethiopia, 2006, 32m.

(Amharic & Italian with English subtitles)

A lot can happen in the Ethiopian countryside on the long way to the market. A father and his son follow everybody’s good advice…and come back to their senses. Adapted from a traditional Ethiopian Folk Tale, Menged is very much a parable for Ethiopia today: A country in transition between modernism and traditional belief.

GROWING STRONGER (confirmed)

Tsitsi Dangarembga, Zimbabwe, 2005, 30m.

(English & Shona with English subtitles)

This film features two remarkable examples of how living with the virus has changed over time: After living a high profile life as a model and wife to the then coach of the Zimbabwe national football team, Tendayi Westerhof stunned the nation in 2002 by becoming the first high-profile person to go public about her HIV-positive status. This beautiful woman went on to become a public figure in a very different way, as an elegant and glamorous AIDS activist in the world of modeling and the public media. Pamela Kanjenzana, living a very different life with her HIV infection in one of Zimbabwe's high density suburbs, is also an effective AIDS activist. She survives by living positively.

FEATURES

LES SAIGNETTES (confirmed)

Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Cameroon, 2005, 92m.

(French with English subtitles)

After an eight-year absence, maverick director Jean-Pierre Bekolo (Quartier Mozart, Aristotle’s Plot) returns with his magnum opus, Les Saignantes, a superbly photographed, stylishly edited, and tastefully scored film about two young femmes fatales who set out to rid a futuristic country of its corrupt and sex obsessed powerful men. In this sci-fi-action-horror hybrid, Majolie and Chouchou, exquisitely played by Adèle Ado and Dorylia Calmel, navigate a sordid world where sex, money, politics and death are perniciously imbricated. Young, attractive, fashionable and lethal, they are on a mission to change the destiny of their country. Reveling in its display of excess, committed to aesthetics of cool, Les Saignantes is one of the first science fiction films to come out of Africa.

JUJU FACTORY (confirmed)

Balufu Bakupu-Kanyinda, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2006, 97m.

(French with English subtitles)

Kongo lives in Brussels, in the Matonge district, on which he is writing a book. His editor wants a kind of traveler’s book spiced with ethnic ingredients. However, the writer is inspired by the vision of complex and tormented souls that he meets at all crossings. Kongo Congo follows invisible ways connected to the Congolese history and its ghosts. How is it possible to stand upright in this chaotic history? – By having the “juju”, self confidence, and Beatrice’s love.

A LOVE DURING THE WAR (confirmed)

Osvalde Lewat-Hallade, Cameroon, 2005, 63m.

(French, Swahili and Lingala with English subtitles)

What are the consequences when rape is used as a weapon of war? This moving documentary explores this question from the perspective of women in Africa, where this tragedy is witnessed again and again.

Aziza and her husband were separated when the Congo-Kinshasa war broke out in 1996. Six years later, they reunite in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). They are now rebuilding their family life with their four children. However, the souvenirs of the horrors suffered by other women in eastern DRC during the war still haunt journalist Aziza. She wonders what happened to Feza, the little girl for which she used to care. Soon, she feels obliged to return to this part of the country where women have started denouncing the abuses they suffered during the war.

CLOUDS OVER CONAKRY (confirmed)

Cheick F. Camara, Guinea, 2007, 115m.

(French & Malinke with English subtitles)

At the age of 25, the artist-caricaturist BB finds himself faced with an impossible choice. Son of the inflexible imam Karamo, the guardian of his village's ancestral traditions, BB is chosen to be his father's worthy successor. But he refuses to accept his destiny, preferring to work independently and live life to the fullest with his love, the beautiful young computer scientist Kesso. A very impressive film that finds a new approach to capturing the tradition-versus-modernity theme so frequently seen in African cinema.

MOVEMENT (R)EVOLUTION AFRICA (6)

A documentary film about contemporary African dance, featuring Urban Bush Women & Compagnie Jant-Bi.

A new series of poetry readings and critique sponsored by the English Department.

For more informaiton

Shorts

Mama Put (confirmed)

Seke Somolu, Nigeria, 2006, 30m.

The power of food to transform, rescue and wreak revenge is eloquently demonstrated in this Nigerian film. A single woman, who makes and sells street food, is struggling to bring up her family. Rent and school fees are months in arrears, and her young son desperately needs kidney treatment.

Just when it seems things can get no worse, a gang of armed youths break in to the house. They demand food and threaten to kill the family if the meal is not tasty. The food is delicious, and the gang, mollified, leaves. They return regularly, giving the family money and household items in return for the woman’s delicious cooking.

But when a robbery goes wrong, they kill the young boy’s kidney specialist, and the cozy relationship gives way to a dangerous atmosphere. The mother decides that the gang must go, and prepares a meal to send them on their way.

MEOKGO AND THE STICK FIGHTER (confirmed)

Teboho Malatshi, South Africa/Lesotho, 2006, 19m.

(Sotho with English subtitles)

A haunting tale spiced with magical realism, Meokogo & the Stick Fighter is the story of Kgotso, a recluse stickfighter who lives a solitary life high up in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho. Whilst tending sheep and playing his concertina, he sees a beautiful and mysterious woman staring at him dreamily from the water. This story of unrequited love and sacrifice captures both the cruelty and the beauty of African magical beliefs.

MENGED (confirmed)

Daniel Taye Workou, Ethiopia, 2006, 32m.

(Amharic & Italian with English subtitles)

A lot can happen in the Ethiopian countryside on the long way to the market. A father and his son follow everybody’s good advice…and come back to their senses. Adapted from a traditional Ethiopian Folk Tale, Menged is very much a parable for Ethiopia today: A country in transition between modernism and traditional belief.

GROWING STRONGER (confirmed)

Tsitsi Dangarembga, Zimbabwe, 2005, 30m.

(English & Shona with English subtitles)

This film features two remarkable examples of how living with the virus has changed over time: After living a high profile life as a model and wife to the then coach of the Zimbabwe national football team, Tendayi Westerhof stunned the nation in 2002 by becoming the first high-profile person to go public about her HIV-positive status. This beautiful woman went on to become a public figure in a very different way, as an elegant and glamorous AIDS activist in the world of modeling and the public media. Pamela Kanjenzana, living a very different life with her HIV infection in one of Zimbabwe's high density suburbs, is also an effective AIDS activist. She survives by living positively.

FEATURES

LES SAIGNETTES (confirmed)

Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Cameroon, 2005, 92m.

(French with English subtitles)

After an eight-year absence, maverick director Jean-Pierre Bekolo (Quartier Mozart, Aristotle’s Plot) returns with his magnum opus, Les Saignantes, a superbly photographed, stylishly edited, and tastefully scored film about two young femmes fatales who set out to rid a futuristic country of its corrupt and sex obsessed powerful men. In this sci-fi-action-horror hybrid, Majolie and Chouchou, exquisitely played by Adèle Ado and Dorylia Calmel, navigate a sordid world where sex, money, politics and death are perniciously imbricated. Young, attractive, fashionable and lethal, they are on a mission to change the destiny of their country. Reveling in its display of excess, committed to aesthetics of cool, Les Saignantes is one of the first science fiction films to come out of Africa.

JUJU FACTORY (confirmed)

Balufu Bakupu-Kanyinda, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2006, 97m.

(French with English subtitles)

Kongo lives in Brussels, in the Matonge district, on which he is writing a book. His editor wants a kind of traveler’s book spiced with ethnic ingredients. However, the writer is inspired by the vision of complex and tormented souls that he meets at all crossings. Kongo Congo follows invisible ways connected to the Congolese history and its ghosts. How is it possible to stand upright in this chaotic history? – By having the “juju”, self confidence, and Beatrice’s love.

A LOVE DURING THE WAR (confirmed)

Osvalde Lewat-Hallade, Cameroon, 2005, 63m.

(French, Swahili and Lingala with English subtitles)

What are the consequences when rape is used as a weapon of war? This moving documentary explores this question from the perspective of women in Africa, where this tragedy is witnessed again and again.

Aziza and her husband were separated when the Congo-Kinshasa war broke out in 1996. Six years later, they reunite in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). They are now rebuilding their family life with their four children. However, the souvenirs of the horrors suffered by other women in eastern DRC during the war still haunt journalist Aziza. She wonders what happened to Feza, the little girl for which she used to care. Soon, she feels obliged to return to this part of the country where women have started denouncing the abuses they suffered during the war.

CLOUDS OVER CONAKRY (confirmed)

Cheick F. Camara, Guinea, 2007, 115m.

(French & Malinke with English subtitles)

At the age of 25, the artist-caricaturist BB finds himself faced with an impossible choice. Son of the inflexible imam Karamo, the guardian of his village's ancestral traditions, BB is chosen to be his father's worthy successor. But he refuses to accept his destiny, preferring to work independently and live life to the fullest with his love, the beautiful young computer scientist Kesso. A very impressive film that finds a new approach to capturing the tradition-versus-modernity theme so frequently seen in African cinema.

MOVEMENT (R)EVOLUTION AFRICA (6)

A documentary film about contemporary African dance, featuring Urban Bush Women & Compagnie Jant-Bi.

For more informaiton

Shorts

Mama Put (confirmed)

Seke Somolu, Nigeria, 2006, 30m.

The power of food to transform, rescue and wreak revenge is eloquently demonstrated in this Nigerian film. A single woman, who makes and sells street food, is struggling to bring up her family. Rent and school fees are months in arrears, and her young son desperately needs kidney treatment.

Just when it seems things can get no worse, a gang of armed youths break in to the house. They demand food and threaten to kill the family if the meal is not tasty. The food is delicious, and the gang, mollified, leaves. They return regularly, giving the family money and household items in return for the woman’s delicious cooking.

But when a robbery goes wrong, they kill the young boy’s kidney specialist, and the cozy relationship gives way to a dangerous atmosphere. The mother decides that the gang must go, and prepares a meal to send them on their way.

MEOKGO AND THE STICK FIGHTER (confirmed)

Teboho Malatshi, South Africa/Lesotho, 2006, 19m.

(Sotho with English subtitles)

A haunting tale spiced with magical realism, Meokogo & the Stick Fighter is the story of Kgotso, a recluse stickfighter who lives a solitary life high up in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho. Whilst tending sheep and playing his concertina, he sees a beautiful and mysterious woman staring at him dreamily from the water. This story of unrequited love and sacrifice captures both the cruelty and the beauty of African magical beliefs.

MENGED (confirmed)

Daniel Taye Workou, Ethiopia, 2006, 32m.

(Amharic & Italian with English subtitles)

A lot can happen in the Ethiopian countryside on the long way to the market. A father and his son follow everybody’s good advice…and come back to their senses. Adapted from a traditional Ethiopian Folk Tale, Menged is very much a parable for Ethiopia today: A country in transition between modernism and traditional belief.

GROWING STRONGER (confirmed)

Tsitsi Dangarembga, Zimbabwe, 2005, 30m.

(English & Shona with English subtitles)

This film features two remarkable examples of how living with the virus has changed over time: After living a high profile life as a model and wife to the then coach of the Zimbabwe national football team, Tendayi Westerhof stunned the nation in 2002 by becoming the first high-profile person to go public about her HIV-positive status. This beautiful woman went on to become a public figure in a very different way, as an elegant and glamorous AIDS activist in the world of modeling and the public media. Pamela Kanjenzana, living a very different life with her HIV infection in one of Zimbabwe's high density suburbs, is also an effective AIDS activist. She survives by living positively.

FEATURES

LES SAIGNETTES (confirmed)

Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Cameroon, 2005, 92m.

(French with English subtitles)

After an eight-year absence, maverick director Jean-Pierre Bekolo (Quartier Mozart, Aristotle’s Plot) returns with his magnum opus, Les Saignantes, a superbly photographed, stylishly edited, and tastefully scored film about two young femmes fatales who set out to rid a futuristic country of its corrupt and sex obsessed powerful men. In this sci-fi-action-horror hybrid, Majolie and Chouchou, exquisitely played by Adèle Ado and Dorylia Calmel, navigate a sordid world where sex, money, politics and death are perniciously imbricated. Young, attractive, fashionable and lethal, they are on a mission to change the destiny of their country. Reveling in its display of excess, committed to aesthetics of cool, Les Saignantes is one of the first science fiction films to come out of Africa.

JUJU FACTORY (confirmed)

Balufu Bakupu-Kanyinda, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2006, 97m.

(French with English subtitles)

Kongo lives in Brussels, in the Matonge district, on which he is writing a book. His editor wants a kind of traveler’s book spiced with ethnic ingredients. However, the writer is inspired by the vision of complex and tormented souls that he meets at all crossings. Kongo Congo follows invisible ways connected to the Congolese history and its ghosts. How is it possible to stand upright in this chaotic history? – By having the “juju”, self confidence, and Beatrice’s love.

A LOVE DURING THE WAR (confirmed)

Osvalde Lewat-Hallade, Cameroon, 2005, 63m.

(French, Swahili and Lingala with English subtitles)

What are the consequences when rape is used as a weapon of war? This moving documentary explores this question from the perspective of women in Africa, where this tragedy is witnessed again and again.

Aziza and her husband were separated when the Congo-Kinshasa war broke out in 1996. Six years later, they reunite in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). They are now rebuilding their family life with their four children. However, the souvenirs of the horrors suffered by other women in eastern DRC during the war still haunt journalist Aziza. She wonders what happened to Feza, the little girl for which she used to care. Soon, she feels obliged to return to this part of the country where women have started denouncing the abuses they suffered during the war.

CLOUDS OVER CONAKRY (confirmed)

Cheick F. Camara, Guinea, 2007, 115m.

(French & Malinke with English subtitles)

At the age of 25, the artist-caricaturist BB finds himself faced with an impossible choice. Son of the inflexible imam Karamo, the guardian of his village's ancestral traditions, BB is chosen to be his father's worthy successor. But he refuses to accept his destiny, preferring to work independently and live life to the fullest with his love, the beautiful young computer scientist Kesso. A very impressive film that finds a new approach to capturing the tradition-versus-modernity theme so frequently seen in African cinema.

MOVEMENT (R)EVOLUTION AFRICA (6)

A documentary film about contemporary African dance, featuring Urban Bush Women & Compagnie Jant-Bi.

"Third time's the charm" holds true for Steady Steppin'

Experience why Step has taken hold on campuses and in communities throughout the US.

This conference is brought to us by the Economics Department, the Center for Development Economics, and the Environmental Studies program.

Photographer Donn Young explores the impact of
Katrina on the Jazz Community. His photography exhibition 40 days/40 nights will be on display at the '62 Center.

Brought to us by the Williamstown Jazz Festival

National jazz band competition

National jazz band competition

The Optimists, a comedy of horrors

Written and Directed by Julian Mesri


Writer/director Julian Mesri (Green, Blue) presents the world-premiere of his new-play, produced by Cap 'n Bells.


Join a cast of crazy characters including two well-meaning murderous fops, a diva with bad dreams, a cross-dressing waiter who is in love with a revolutionary maid, two clowns, a violinist without a violin and a bum who might be God, in a play about war and those who are too busy caring, crying or arguing about it to do anything about it.


Starring: Alan Arias '10, Paloma Diaz '11, Christopher Fox '11, Nat Hewett '11, Aron Holewinski '11, Maddie Jacobs '11, Aspen Lee Jordan '11, Muhammad Asad Liaqat '11, Elizabeth Twaits '11

George Carstocea '10

Courtesy of Rachel Ko '09

Dance Dhamaka is Williams College's Indian Dance troupe and is over 30 people strong. Over the last four years the group has performed in the opening ceremonies of the '62 Center for Theater and Dance, Eid and Diwali celebrations, fundraisers for Tsunami and Hurricane Relief, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day festivities. Beginning in 2006, the group presented annual full length shows modeled on traditional Bollywood movies. This year's show, Legally Brown, promises to follow in the footsteps of Bombay in My Soul and Brokeback Bollywood to surprise audiences with spectacular choreography, vibrant costumes, and lots of melodrama.

The Optimists, a comedy of horrors

Written and Directed by Julian Mesri


Writer/director Julian Mesri (Green, Blue) presents the world-premiere of his new-play, produced by Cap 'n Bells.


Join a cast of crazy characters including two well-meaning murderous fops, a diva with bad dreams, a cross-dressing waiter who is in love with a revolutionary maid, two clowns, a violinist without a violin and a bum who might be God, in a play about war and those who are too busy caring, crying or arguing about it to do anything about it.


Starring: Alan Arias '10, Paloma Diaz '11, Christopher Fox '11, Nat Hewett '11, Aron Holewinski '11, Maddie Jacobs '11, Aspen Lee Jordan '11, Muhammad Asad Liaqat '11, Elizabeth Twaits '11

George Carstocea '10

Courtesy of Rachel Ko '09

Dance Dhamaka is Williams College's Indian Dance troupe and is over 30 people strong. Over the last four years the group has performed in the opening ceremonies of the '62 Center for Theater and Dance, Eid and Diwali celebrations, fundraisers for Tsunami and Hurricane Relief, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day festivities. Beginning in 2006, the group presented annual full length shows modeled on traditional Bollywood movies. This year's show, Legally Brown, promises to follow in the footsteps of Bombay in My Soul and Brokeback Bollywood to surprise audiences with spectacular choreography, vibrant costumes, and lots of melodrama.

The Optimists, a comedy of horrors

Written and Directed by Julian Mesri


Writer/director Julian Mesri (Green, Blue) presents the world-premiere of his new-play, produced by Cap 'n Bells.


Join a cast of crazy characters including two well-meaning murderous fops, a diva with bad dreams, a cross-dressing waiter who is in love with a revolutionary maid, two clowns, a violinist without a violin and a bum who might be God, in a play about war and those who are too busy caring, crying or arguing about it to do anything about it.


Starring: Alan Arias '10, Paloma Diaz '11, Christopher Fox '11, Nat Hewett '11, Aron Holewinski '11, Maddie Jacobs '11, Aspen Lee Jordan '11, Muhammad Asad Liaqat '11, Elizabeth Twaits '11

George Carstocea '10

Hip-Hop Dance

Aguavá New Music Studio will perform as a part of “The Box - Music by living composers” series sponsored by the Williams College Department of Music. This free event is open to the public however tickets will be issued as seating is limited. For tickets, call the '62 Center Box Office: 413-597-2425.

The program entitled "Of Love and Courage" selects from compositions by Louis Andriessen, Cary Boyce, George Crumb, Geoffrey Gordon, Larry Polansky, Eric Richards, Kaija Saariaho, and Carmen-Helena Téllez.

The concert also features a new work especially composed for the group by faculty member Ileana Pérez-Velázquez, which Aguavá also has scheduled for their concert at the prestigious Latin American Music Festival of Caracas, Venezuela in May 2008.

For more information: http://music.williams.edu/node/781

Formed by conductor Carmen Helena Téllez, composer Cary Boyce and flutist/producer Alain Barker, Aguavá New Music Studio has established a reputation internationally for their expressive and innovative presentations of music of our time, reviewed by The Washington Post as “fully immersing and thrilling…”. Working in the manner of a production studio, Aguavá establishes collaborations with musicians, presenters and interdisciplinary artists to design unique projects exploring a specific idea. These programs often emphasize the human voice, alone or in vocal-instrumental ensembles, but always displaying the full range of color and virtuosity available to the musicians of our time.

The Williams Immediate Theatre Company presents THE LAST FIVE YEARS, a musical by Jason Robert Brown.

Join us for a beautiful, transcendent, heartwrenching journey through a wonderful and doomed marriage. Following one character from the beginning to the end of the five year relationship and one from the end to the beginning, you'll laugh, cry, feel dirty, and possibly feel somehow cleansed.

Seating is limited! To reserve a seat, email LastFiveYearsWilliams@gmail.com. Admission is FREE and the show runs under 90 minutes.

The Company:
Nathaniel Basch-Gould (Director)
Eric Kang (Musical Director)
Eben Hoffer (Jamie)
Casey York (Cathy)
Alicia Choi (Violin)
Mimi Lou (Cello)
Adam Lee (Cello)
Isaac Bernstein (Bass Guitar)
Kate Foster (Electrics)
(Designed by the Company)

Questions? Email 10cey@williams.edu

In nearly 400 years of performance, The Tempest continues to intrigue and enchant audiences with its exuberant examination of revenge, love, folly, and the struggle to forgive. In a production that encompasses the expansive history of the work, as well as its modern resonance, a cast of eighteen Williams students takes on Shakespeare’s final work with a renewed interest in its search for identity and self-definition.

The Williams Immediate Theatre Company presents THE LAST FIVE YEARS, a musical by Jason Robert Brown.

Join us for a beautiful, transcendent, heartwrenching journey through a wonderful and doomed marriage. Following one character from the beginning to the end of the five year relationship and one from the end to the beginning, you'll laugh, cry, feel dirty, and possibly feel somehow cleansed.

Seating is limited! To reserve a seat, email LastFiveYearsWilliams@gmail.com. Admission is FREE and the show runs under 90 minutes.

The Company:
Nathaniel Basch-Gould (Director)
Eric Kang (Musical Director)
Eben Hoffer (Jamie)
Casey York (Cathy)
Alicia Choi (Violin)
Mimi Lou (Cello)
Adam Lee (Cello)
Isaac Bernstein (Bass Guitar)
Kate Foster (Electrics)
(Designed by the Company)

Questions? Email 10cey@williams.edu

In nearly 400 years of performance, The Tempest continues to intrigue and enchant audiences with its exuberant examination of revenge, love, folly, and the struggle to forgive. In a production that encompasses the expansive history of the work, as well as its modern resonance, a cast of eighteen Williams students takes on Shakespeare’s final work with a renewed interest in its search for identity and self-definition.