Events series at West campus features diverse artists

The spring 2013 arts events season at ASU’s West campus features concerts, plays for both adult and young audiences, an electronic music festival, stars of the PBS show “History Detectives,” art installations and more. The wide variety of artistic events is designed to reflect the rich artistic and cultural life on the West Valley campus, anchored by the Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance (IAP) program in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.

“We have planned a diverse selection of events and activities to entertain and enlighten ASU students, faculty and staff as well as members of our surrounding communities,” said Jeff Kennedy, campus artistic director.

Most of the events and exhibits are free of charge; there is a modest admission fee for “The Soul of Broadway.” Visitor parking on the West campus, at 4701 W. Thunderbird Road, costs $2 per hour during the week and is free on weekends (after 5 p.m. on Friday).

The schedule includes:

Musical revue: “The Soul of Broadway”

This exciting musical revue celebrates songs performed by African-American characters in Broadway musicals, beginning with classics from “Porgy and Bess” to showstoppers from “Dreamgirls” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and the most recent hits from shows like “The Color Purple” and “The Scottsboro Boys.” The cast’s seven talented performers make this an evening you won’t want to miss. Feb 14 & 15, 7:30 p.m., Second Stage West. Tickets are $10 general admission; $7 seniors; $5 students. Tickets available online at brownpapertickets.com.

One-woman show: “Juliet Must Die”

Storyteller and writer Fatimah Halim (this year’s winner of the ASU West Black History Month Pioneer Award) sees women as complex and fascinating beings, juggling personal beliefs of what is expected of them with who they truly want to be in the world. This conflict is at the crux of this one-woman show about a woman who lives in her own archetypal world. 7:30 p.m., Feb. 21-22, Second Stage West. Admission is free.

Metro Local Live concert featuring Austin Carthell

This is the first in a new series of concerts at ASU’s West campus featuring top local talent from the Metro Phoenix area. One of the acts in this first concert will be singer/guitarist/songwriter Austin Carthell, an ASU grad (and former ASU West student) who is one of the most popular performers in local clubs right now. 7:30 p.m., Feb. 28, La Sala Ballroom. Admission is free.

“Peacemaker,” a play for young audiences

Phoenix Theatre’s award-winning Cookie Company presents this fun play for young audiences. The Blues and the Reds have lived on either side of the Wall for decades and interaction is forbidden, resulting in both communities living in an atmosphere of fear, suspicion and mistrust. But when circumstances allow Simp, a curious young Red, to meet Bluey, they learn they have a great deal to offer one another and that their similarities far outweigh their differences. Full of clowning, juggling and physical storytelling, this theatre for young audiences production promotes acceptance, empathy and friendship. Two performances – noon and 2:00 p.m., March 2, Second Stage West. Admission is free.

Desert Overtures concert

Desert Overtures presents “Flashback,” an instrumental concert of music tracing the songs from the decades of the 20th century until today. Members of this 40-piece ensemble hold firmly to their mission to enrich people’s lives through the universal language of music and are proud to be cultural ambassadors of the LGBT community. 7:30 p.m., March 22, La Sala Ballroom. Admission is free.

Meet the cast of “History Detectives”

The cast of this popular PBS show, which including New College professor Eduardo Pagan, appears together for this one-of-kind event. “History Detectives” is a program devoted to exploring the complexities of historical mysteries, searching out the facts, myths and conundrums that connect local folklore, family legends and interesting objects. The show’s hosts will show clips from their investigations and tell behind-the-scenes stories about researching and filming their segments for the show, as well as take questions from the audience. 7:30 p.m., April 4, La Sala Ballroom. Admission is free.

Electronic Music Festival

The Southwest Electronic Music Events (SEME) Festival will be hosted at ASU West and will feature live performances, installations, screenings, and discussions on the history and current trends in electronic and computer music. The festival will feature sound artists Garth Paine, Barry Moon, Patti Cudd, and Crossing 32nd Street. Various times and locations, April 8-12. For specific events, dates and times, visit http://campus.asu.edu/west/events.

Phoenix Theatre New Works Festival

Staged readings of two new plays by up-and-coming playwrights that were part of the Phoenix Theatre New Works Festival get second readings at ASU West with revised drafts. First, “The Wilds” by Scott McCarrey is a play that portrays the strife that surfaces between two brothers as they inherit family property. The second is a fascinating new play by Pasha Yamotahari, “I am Van Gogh,” about a young artist entranced by the immortal painter who shares with him the destiny he held and the fate that awaits. 7:30 p.m., April 19-20, Second Stage West. Admission is free.

Arlie Hochschild – “The Outsourced Self: Intimate Life in Market Times”

This author and famed sociologist from UC Berkeley will speak to us from the ideas in her latest book, which is the same title as her topic and was chosen by Publisher’s Weekly as one of the “Best Books of 2012.”  In awarding Hochschild the Jesse Bernard Award, the American Sociological Association citation observed her “creative genius for framing questions and lines of insight, often condensed into memorable, paradigm-shifting words and phrases.” 7 p.m., April 23, La Sala Ballroom. Admission is free.

Visual arts in ArtSpace West

“DogHead” by Chris Danowski

A series of encounters with false historical relics of an imaginary rock band, DogHead, that asks the viewer to remember their own place in the history of revolutions in the world. This installation is currently on display through Feb. 14.

“Oscillations” by Garth Paine

Six Tibetan singing bowl robots, each carrying two singing bowls that produce pure sustained tones, will fill the room with an omnipresent series of harmonics. In contrast, oscillating cymbals produce an earthy, gritty and urgent intervention, marking out the sound field in a dynamic manner. Opening reception on 6 p.m., Feb. 19, continues until March 8.

“Walkings” by Arthur Sabatini

This music/video installation features texts by Sabatini, videos by Robert Kilman, and music by William Duckworth. Drawn from Sabatini’s theater works, “Certain Explanations: Magical Walking” and “Who Walks,” “The Walkings,” for which “every walk is time itself,” is a meditation and exploration of time, cities, trees, death and voices from lost worlds to our own. Opening reception: 6 p.m., March 20, continues until April 5.

ArtSpace West is located in room 228 of the University Center Building and is open from noon to 5 p.m., Mondays-Fridays. Admission is free.

More information about the season can be found online at http://campus.asu.edu/west/events, on Facebook at asuwestevents, or by calling the arts information line at 602-543-2787.