Theater | Music | Film | Lectures | Dance | Poetry | Exhibits

Sueño by Jose Rivera
Adapted from Calderón de la Barca’s 17th-century classic Life Is a Dream, Jose Rivera’s Sueño is a theatrical fairy tale: A prince, exiled by his superstitious father for two decades because he was born during a total eclipse (portending disaster), returns and becomes king for one anarchic day. Award-winning playwright Jose Rivera was co-creator and producer of the television series “Eerie, Indiana.” Directed by Paul Backer and performed by the junior BFA class. (213-740-2167)
Nov. 10-12, Scene Dock Theatre, $10 general, $7 seniors and children under 12.

On the Razzle by Tom Stoppard
Three comic plots twist, turn and collide. When a rich provincial merchant jaunts off to Vienna to woo his new mistress, his ward elopes with her penniless suitor and his two clerks cut loose to paint the town red. Where are they all headed? The same place, of course. Directed by Michael Keenan. Performed by USC’s BA theater students. (213-740-2167)
Nov. 16-19, Bing Theater, $10 general, $7 seniors and children under 12.

George Bernard Shaw’s Getting Married
The junior BFA class performs Shaw’s timeless comedy about commitment. On the day Edith Bridgenorth is to marry Cecil Sykes, she happens to read a pamphlet describing the legal rights she loses by marrying. Similarly, Sykes reads a description explaining the legal responsibilities he must assume when tying the knot. Now each wants to call off the wedding. (213-740-2167)
Nov. 30-Dec. 3, Scene Dock Theatre, $10 general, $7 seniors and children under 12.

An Evening With Spalding Gray
A wide-ranging moderated discussion with the author/performer of Swimming to Cambodia, Monster in a Box and Gray’s Anatomy. Also on the program: Three scenes from Gray’s work, performed by USC School of Theatre students, and a question-and-answer period with the audience.
Jan. 17, 7 p.m., Bing Theater, $15 general, $8 seniors.

The Innocent Mistress by Mary Pix
Performed by the senior BFA class of the USC School of Theater, this 17th-century comedy was originally staged at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in 1697. Just the year before, the play’s author – dramatist and novelist Pix (1666-1709), was herself satirized – in Female Wits, by an anonymous Mr. W.M. (213-740-2167)
Feb. 8-11, Bing Theater, $10 general, $7 seniors and children under 12.


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USC Spectrum Chamber Music Series: Eliot Fisk
With intricate fingerwork that rivals the skills of violinists, guitarist Eliot Fisk has been called, by his mentor Andrés Segovia, “one of the most brilliant, intelligent and gifted young musical artists of our time, not only among guitarists but in all the general field of instrumentalists.” Fisk’s commissions of such contemporary composers as George Rochberg and his transcriptions of works by Bach, D. Scarlatti, Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Granados, Albéniz and others regularly receive both critical and popular acclaim. (213-740-2167)
Nov. 10, 7 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, $20 general, $10 seniors.

Music Masters Series Faculty Recitals
USC Thornton School faculty member Ronald Leonard, recently retired as principal cellist with the Los Angeles Philhar-monic. (213-740-2584)
Nov. 12, 3 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, $7 general, $4 seniors and students.

Bassist Dennis Trembly. (213-740-2584)
Nov. 21, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall. $7 general, $4 seniors and students.

Violinist Michelle Kim. (213-740-2584)
Dec. 2, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, $7 general, $4 seniors and students.

Thornton Symphony
The symphony is joined by Thornton student soloists Carrie Kennedy, violinist, and Amy Bower, trombonist, performing Glazunov’s Violin Concerto and Grondahl’s Trombone Concerto, respectively. Sergiu Comissiona conducts. (213-740-2584)
Nov. 17, 8 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $10 general, $5 seniors and students.

USC Thornton School of Music Studio/Jazz Guitar Department Recital
(213-740-2584)
Nov. 19, 4 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, free.

USC Thornton Young Artists in Chamber Music
Two music marathons featuring the best in chamber music from the USC Thornton School of Music. Peter Marsh directs. (213-740-2584)
Nov. 28 and Nov. 30, noon to midnight, Alfred Newman Recital Hall, free.

Thornton Early Music Ensemble
“Baroque Music for the Opera, Ballet and Salon.” The ensemble plays on period instruments under the direction of James Tyler. (213-740-2584)
Nov. 29, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, $7 general, $4 seniors and students.

The Upbeat Goes On
“Big Band Night,” featuring the Thornton Jazz Orchestra, directed by Shelly Berg, and the Thornton Concert Jazz Ensemble, directed by Bruce Eskovitz. (213-740-2584)
Nov. 30, 8 p.m., Ground Zero Coffee House, free.

The Thornton Vocal Jazz Ensemble, directed by Glenn Carlos. (213-740-2584)
December 7, 8 p.m., Ground Zero Coffee House, free.

USC Thornton Opera
In Così fan tutte or “Women are all the same” – an opera buffa by Mozart, with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte – a cynical Don Alfonso wagers two young soldiers that their lovers will stray if tempted. An elaborate game of disguise and seduction ensues. (213-740-2589)
Dec. 1-3, 8 p.m., Bing Theater, $10 general, $5 students and seniors.

University Chorus
Granville Oldham conducts. (213-740-7418)
December 4, 4 p.m., United University Church, free.

Thornton Contemporary Music Ensemble
Featuring West Coast premieres of works by guest composer Elena Kats-Chernin as well as new work by Gerald Levinson and Thornton doctoral student Naomi Sekiya. The CME has been directed by Donald Crockett since 1984. (213-740-2584)
December 5, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, $7 general, $4 seniors and students.

USC Thornton School of Music Classical Guitar Department Fall Recital
Solos and ensembles presented by outstanding students of James Smith, William Kannengiser, Scott Tennant and Brian Head. Featured works include the L.A. premiere of Edward Green’s Chamber Symphony for eight guitars and three flutes and Benjamin Verdery’s Ellis Island. With guest artists from the Thornton studio guitar department. (213-740-2584)
December 7, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, $7 general, $4 seniors and students.

USC Spectrum Chamber Music Series: The Hilliard Ensemble
The British a cappella quartet – tenor Rogers Covey-Crump, baritone Gordon Jones, countertenor David James and tenor John Potter – brings medieval and modern composers together in one program. “Correspondences: From Five Cen-turies and Nine Countries” features music by Dufay, Nussbichler, Dowland, Pousseur, di Lasso, Sharman, Byrd, Desprez and others. Note: The USC Spectrum Chamber Music Series continues in February with pianist Ursula Oppens. (213-740-2167)
Jan. 13, 7 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, $20 general, $10 seniors.

Bán Rrarra
“Bán” means band or group of people organized with a definite goal. “Rrarra” signifies people dressed in costumes or dancing the characteristic dance of the Cuban Carnival. Together, “Bán Rrarra” stands for the six dancers and seven musicians – descended from 19th-century refugees of the Haitian Revolution – who comprise a renowned Cuban folkloric group. (213-740-2167)
Jan. 30, 7 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $15 general, $8 seniors.

President’s Distinguished Artist Series: Isaac Stern
During the year 2000, violinist Isaac Stern celebrated two major milestones: his 80th birthday and his 40th anniversary as president of Carnegie Hall. Stern, who helped save Carnegie Hall from the wrecking ball in 1960, is not only one of the world’s best-loved violin virtuosos but also one of the world’s most formidable social activists. He recalled the fight for Carnegie in his memoir, My First 79 Years: “[It] taught me things about myself I hadn’t known before: I could sway influential people through speech; I had the ability to stir crowds not only with music but also with words…” If the audience is lucky, Stern will stir the hall with both when he joins the Thornton Symphony at USC for the first President’s Distinguished Artist concert of the 21st century. (213-740-2167)
Feb. 9, 7 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $50 general, $30 seniors.


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Hitch 101
The USC School of Cinema-Television and the USC Arts Initiative celebrate the master of suspense and father of the thriller – the inimitable Alfred Hitchcock – on the 101st anniversary of his birth with a retrospective festival, showcasing his oeuvre and running concurrent with a Hitchcock class taught by Drew Casper, holder of the Alma and Alfred Hitchcock Chair of American Film. (213-740-2167)
Now through Dec. 6, call for specific screening times, Norris Cinema Theatre and Lucas 108.


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Responsible Capitalism: Adele Simmons
“Responsible Capitalism: How to Laugh All the Way to the Bank Without Becom-ing Morally Bankrupt,” a lecture series
co-sponsored by USC Spectrum and the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, continues with Adele Simmons, former presi-dent of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. (213-740-2167)
Nov. 8, 7 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $10 general, $7 seniors.

Responsible Capitalism: Bill Brock
Bill Brock was U.S. senator from Tennessee and head of the Republican National Committee. During the Reagan administration, he served as U.S. trade representative and secretary of labor. (213-740-2167)
Nov. 14, 7 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $10 general, $7 seniors.

Do Art Schools Rule?
“Do Art Schools Rule? Past, Present and Future of the California Art World” – presented by the USC School of Fine Arts and LACMA Institute for Art and Cultures in conjunction with LACMA’s exhibit “Made in California” – explores the unique position of California art schools. Whether private or public, stand-alone or part of a university, art schools have had a determining effect on the movements and shape of the California art world, and their prominent role stands in stark contrast to the one played by art schools in New York. Howard Singerman, whose most recent book Art Subjects: Making Artists in the American University focuses on this issue, delivers the keynote address. (213-740-6261)
Nov. 15 and Nov. 16, USC School of Fine Arts and LACMA, respectively, call for admission.


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USC School of Theatre Dance Performance
The students of Margo Apostolos, director of dance in the USC School of Theatre, present a semester’s worth of dancing and choreography. (213-740-2167)
Dec. 7, 7 p.m., Bing Theater, $10 general, $7 seniors and children under 12.


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The Spirit of Poetry at USC
A Favorite Poem Project event featuring administrators, faculty, staff and students as guests. Among the readers: USC President Steven B. Sample; Student Senate president Dana Parker; and Sarah Pratt, dean
of academic programs at the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Reception to follow. (213-740-6110 or 213-740-9030)
Nov. 14, 4-5:30 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, free.

The Watts Prophets
Performance poets Richard Dedeaux, Father Amde Hamilton and Otis Solomon – representing “hope,” “fire” and “love,” respectively – first met each other in their 20s at the Watts Writers Workshop, started by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Budd Schulberg after the riots of 1965. Today, the trio is still local and still uses rhythm and rhyme to reach people, raise consciousness and probe the realities of racism, poverty and violence in America.
Feb. 15, 7 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $15 general, $8 seniors.


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Alumni Art and Accomplishments Spanning 80 Years
USC School of Architecture exhibition. (213-740-2097).
Through Nov. 11, Verle Annis Gallery, Harris Hall, free.

People Live Here: Every Place Within Hoover-Jefferson-Vermont-Adams (Part of Census Tracts 2218 and 2219)
Featuring photographs by Fernando Samayoa, USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development Class of 2000, of homes, businesses, churches and some alleys in the area around USC. Totaling more than 600 images, the project documents a dynamic neighborhood and will be archived by the USC libraries. There are plans to take another community “snapshot” in a decade or so. (213-740-0350)
Through Nov. 15, Planners and Developers Gallery, Lewis Hall, free.


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November 2000 - February 2001