There’s been a lot of talk lately about not having much to do on campus at night. Just don’t tell that to the Meadows School of the Arts. This weekend alone, Meadows is offering a number of options for your entertainment.
Meadows Theatre presents “Trouble in Mind,” a play written by Alice Childress that revolves around Wiletta Mayer, an African-American actress of a certain age who has spent her career playing stereotypes. According to Meadows’ description, “The curtain rises on the first day of rehearsal for ‘Chaos in Belleville,’ a Broadway-bound play that tackles the harsh truths of racism in America.”
“Trouble in Mind” became a smash hit off-Broadway in 1955. But when Childress refused to accommodate the producers’ request to brighten the ending of the play for a commercial audience, the move to Broadway was cancelled.
Directed by Stan Wojewodski, distinguished professor of directing, the show will run in the Greer Garson Theatre through March 2 at 8 p.m. on Friday, and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $7 for students, faculty and staff.
The fine arts department has a lot to offer this weekend as well. The Meadows Museum exhibits entitled “Jerry Bywaters: Interpreter of the Southwest” and “Jerry Bywaters: Lone Star Printmaker” continue at the museum through March 2. Bywaters was a long-time SMU faculty member and a director of the Dallas Museum of Fine Art as well as a writer and critic. Together, the two exhibits form the most comprehensive retrospective ever undertaken of his work. The Meadows Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free for students, faculty and staff.
The Hawn Gallery Exhibit, “Leonard Stokes: Collages,” runs through March 15 in the Hamon Arts Library in the Owen Arts Center during regular library hours. The exhibition features a survey of collages by New York artist Leonard Stokes in conjunction with his participation as a visiting artist in the Division of Art. Admission is free.
The Pollock Gallery exhibit, “The Sarah-Ann and Werner H. Kramarsky Gift of Contemporary Drawings,” showcases the Kramarsky family gift to the Pollock Works on Paper Study Collection of 36 rarely-seen contemporary drawings by American artists. The exhibit runs through March 22 at the Pollock Gallery in Hughes-Trigg. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free.
Meadows is also offering musical fare. On Saturday at 8 p.m., the Meadows Distinguished Artist Recital Series will present pianist Alessio Bax, first prize winner of both the renowned Leeds and Hamamatsu international competitions. The concert will feature Bach’s “Air” from the Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major and “Siciliano” from his Sonata for Flute and Harpsichord, Beethoven’s Sonata in F minor, Opus 57 “Appassionata,” and Brahms’ Four Ballades, Op. 10 and Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 35, Book 1. The concert will be held in Caruth Auditorium. Tickets are $7 for students, faculty and staff.
On Sunday at 3 p.m., the Meadows Chorale presents an afternoon of choral music that is said to reflect many of life’s searches – the search for self, the search for home, the search for love – composed by Leonard Bernstein, Benjamin Britten, Maurice Ravel, Michael McGlynn and Halsey Stevens. This performance will be in Caruth Auditorium. Tickets are $7 for students, faculty and staff.
