The UNCW Theatre Department is ending their 2022-2023 season with a thought-provoking and unconventional play, “A Murder of Crows,” written by Mac Wellman and directed by Professor Paul Castagno. The show follows Susannah as she learns to understand and deal with family relationships, survival, and life and death.
The North Carolina film industry is now experiencing a period of growth following the COVID-19 pandemic, with film productions returning to Wilmington and bringing the industry back to life. This increase follows a change to the NC budget lowering the requirements to receive help from the North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant. This increase in filming led to a higher demand for background actors, with many people—including UNCW’s own students—in the Wilmington area eager and willing to be part of Wilmington’s film legacy.
Drag is an art form that goes back centuries. Many historians claim it originated with Shakespeare, whose plays were performed entirely by men—and men dressed as women. By the 1970s, following the Stonewall Uprising, the art of drag had cemented itself in American culture. Drag foremothers like Divine and Crystal LaBeija would pave the way for what it is today. Though it has evolved much over time, drag in its many forms is an expression of our creativity and humanity that has persisted throughout history.
Lights, camera – award time! The North Carolina Theatre Conference (NCTC) recently awarded the UNCW Theatre Department with the esteemed NCTC College/University Award, recognizing the program for excellence in theatre and education.
UNCW’s Theatre Department gears up for their debut production of the spring semester. Sophocles’ Greek tragedy “Electra,” directed by Christopher Marino, will be the first of two performances this spring and will kick off this Friday. The show will run on Feb. 16-19 and 23-26 at the Mainstage Theatre in the UNCW Cultural Arts Building.
As students return to class for the spring semester, many may overlook various artworks on display across campus. One such piece is the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which recently left the Cultural Arts Building and Randall Library as part of an annual display from Dec. 1, 2022 to Jan. 31, 2023. Each year the quilts spark local conversation surrounding HIV/AIDS and its impact on history. While only a temporary display, it serves as a reminder of the very real battle so many face against the virus even today.
UNCW’s Studio Art Faculty Biennial opened Thursday, Jan. 12, giving visitors a view into the creative process and creations of some of the university’s studio art faculty. The sixteen exhibiting artists display artworks pondering personal themes as well as global ones in a multitude of different artistic mediums including quilting, metalsmithing, painting, photography and ceramics.
Twelve graduating senior Studio Art majors debuted their artworks at the opening reception for the Senior Art Exhibition on Nov. 18. As a graduation requirement for majors, many of the included artists used this show to ponder themes of personal trauma, forgiveness and capturing moments in time. Multiple exhibiting artists expressed interest in the female body that, in part, relates to recent political events that impact women’s bodily autonomy. This striking show is now on public view at the CAB Gallery until Dec. 14, the end of the semester.
The Honoring Southeastern NC Indigenous Peoples Celebration, held on Thursday, Nov. 3, served to commemorate the lives and culture of Indigenous peoples. The day featured many Indigenous performances in the amphitheater, celebrating both traditional Indigenous practices and modern life. Cheers filled the air of the Clock Tower Longue as three paintings recognizing Southeastern Indigenous cultures were revealed to the public. Artist Jessica Clark focused specifically on contemporary Indigenous peoples when creating her paintings.
UNCW’s Theatre Department prepares to share their final production of the fall semester. This story tells a witty version of the Biblical story of Adam and Eve through a sci-fi lens in their upcoming production “Fight Girl Battle World.” Fans of “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” will enjoy this action-packed tale that indeed takes place in a galaxy far, far away.
Nov. 7, 2022 kicks off the first day of UNCW’s 2022 Writers’ Week. This weeklong event is hosted annually by the Department of Creative Writing and is open to all students, staff and the general public.
Is it that art is meant to last, or that art is meant to have a lasting impression? For Kathryn Baczeski, a visual artist, the latter is at the heart of her artist practice and is exemplified in her ephemeral installation, “Subtropical Wrecks,” now on view at the CAB Gallery until Nov. 11. On Oct. 27, a couple of weeks after the soft opening of the show, Baczeski hosted a public reception and Artist Talk where she discussed the evolution of her artistic practice. In this show, Baczeski transports the natural world into the gallery space using organic, locally sourced material.
UNCW’s theatre department is kicking off the fall season with their first production, “Kindertransport.” Diane Samuel’s 1993 play takes place in three different time periods, following the life of young Eva, a German child who is sent to a foster family in England to escape the Nazi regime.
On April 7, the Cultural Arts Building opened its Senior Art Exhibition, featuring the work of 23 graduating seniors majoring in Studio Art. The exhibit is a capstone requirement for seniors in the major. The exhibition is located in the Art Gallery and in the upstairs Mezzanine Gallery of the Cultural Arts Building. It is now open to the public Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until May 14.
In an ever-growing climate for feminism, UNCW creative writing Assistant Professor Sayantani Dasgupta’s book “Women Who Misbehave” is the perfect read. Dasgupta is an accomplished writer in the department, as she is the author of “Fire Girl: Essays on India, America & the In-Between" as well as “The House of Nails: Memories of a New Delhi Childhood,” along with many other short stories and essays. She will be reading from her book of rebellions at the Cameron Art Museum this Sunday, April 10th, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m, providing an opportunity to enjoy her heartfelt work.