Interdisciplinary Symposium Based on Play Pentecost to Address Issues Facing Emerging Democracies
October 30, 2007
In conjunction with the Penn State School of Theatre’s production of Pentecost, the School and the Penn State Institute for the Arts and Humanities will host an interdisciplinary symposium, “Issues Facing Emerging Democracies: Politics, Language and Art,” November 4–15, 2007. The symposium, which will address the themes portrayed in the play, kicks off with a keynote address by the Honorable Cynthia Baldwin, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice and immediate past chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees, at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4, in the Playhouse Theatre on the University Park campus. In her address, “Bad Things Happen When Good People Do Nothing,” Justice Baldwin will discuss the Republic of Zimbabwe’s decline from one of the strongest nations in Africa to one of the weakest.
Pentecost, by David Edgar, is about an art historian who discovers an ancient fresco in an abandoned Romanesque structure in an unnamed Eastern European country. The painting sparks controversies about national identity, ownership and community. People from a multitude of cultures must communicate to achieve asylum in the country.
In addition to Justice Baldwin’s keynote address, the symposium will feature pre-show talks at 7 p.m. Nov. 6–10 and Nov. 12–15. All talks take place in the Arts Building (room numbers and lecture topics indicated below).
November 6: Dan Carter, School of Theatre, 128 Arts, “Directing Pentecost”
November 7: Dr. Catherine Wanner, Department of History, 234 Arts, “Religion and Nationalism in Eastern Europe”
November 8: Charmian Hoare, School of Theatre, 128 Arts, “Dialects and Actors”
November 9: Dr. Brian Curran, Department of Art History, 234 Arts, “Giotto’s Lamentation”
November 10: Dr. Adrian Wanner and Irina Mikaelian, Department of German Slavic Languages and Literatures, 234 Arts, “Tower of Babel: Languages and Meaning in Pentecost”
November 12: Curtis Craig, School of Theatre, 234 Arts, “Designing Sound for Pentecost”
November 13: Zachary Keller, School of Theatre, 128 Arts, “Designing Scenery for Pentecost”
November 14: Evan Pugh Professor Anthony Cutler, Department of Art History, 234 Arts, “The Byzantine Context ”
November 15: Maggie Starr, School of Theatre, 128 Arts, “Designing Costumes for Pentecost”
All lectures are free and open to the public. Pentecost will be performed at 8 p.m. in the Playhouse Theatre Nov. 6–9 (previews), Nov. 10 and Nov. 12–15. For tickets ($10 previews/$14 others), call 814-863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX.
Contact: Amy Milgrub Marshall, alm157@psu.edu, 814.863.2104