Intimate performance experiences that make the creative process visible, ignite the imagination, inspire learning, and promote civic dialogue.
Get monthly highlights straight to your inbox!
Individuals needing disability-related accommodations during events should contact the host department or Disability Support Services (205.665.6250, DSS@montevallo.edu) as early as possible. Efforts will be made to accommodate all access requests regardless of timing, but the University cannot guarantee that requests made with less than one week’s notice can be met.
Performances
Ugly Lies the Bone
Oct. 6 – 8, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 8 – 9, 2 p.m.
Michael and Sue Meadows Black Box Theatre, Center for the Arts
Newly discharged soldier Jess has finally returned to her Florida hometown. She brings with her not only vivid memories of Afghanistan, but painful burns that have left her physically and emotionally scarred. Jess soon realizes that things at home have changed even more than she has. Through the use of virtual reality video game therapy, she builds a breathtaking new world where she can escape her pain. As Jess advances farther in the game, she begins to restore her relationships, her life, and, slowly, herself. Lindsey Ferrentino’s transformative play was inspired by a real video game therapy called “Snow World,” currently being used to treat burn survivor veterans. By Lindsey Ferrentino and presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals. Recommended age: 15+; Content/Trigger Warning: flashing lights, realistically presented injury
Punk Rock Girl
Nov. 17 – 19, 7:30 p.m., Nov. 19 – 20, 2 p.m.
Rebecca J. Luker Stage, DiscoverShelby Theatre, Center for the Arts
16-year-old Angela Quivers is a perfectionist who never takes chances and feels like there’s no place where she belongs… until she meets Proxi, a teenager who pulls her into a world of grungy guitars, shocking secrets, and big, loud, messy emotions. A musical about a young person finding a community and creating her tribe, Punk Rock Girl! is a noisy celebration of all things raw and ragged, trashy and heartfelt, familiar and alien. Book and musical arrangement by Joe Iconis; Orchestrations and musical arrangements by Rob Rokicki; Presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals. Recommended age: All ages; Content Warning: flashing lights
Tartuffe
Mar. 9 – 11, 7:30 p.m., Mar. 11 – 12, 2 p.m.
Rebecca J. Luker Stage, DiscoverShelby Theatre, Center for the Arts
Tartuffe is a scoundrel who is taken into the household of a wealthy man named Orgon. Under the guise of ministering to the family’s spiritual and moral needs, he almost destroys Orgon’s family. This original adaptation of Moliére’s classic comedy of manners and errors looks at the characters through the performance style lenses of commedia dell’arte and melodrama mixed with modern word play, physical comedy, and audience participation. Recommended age: 15+
Rent
Apr. 19 – 22, 7:30 p.m., Apr. 22 – 23, 2 p.m., Apr. 25 – 26, 4 p.m.
Michael and Sue Meadows Black Box Theatre, Center for the Arts
Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. Book, music, and lyrics by Jonathan Larson and presented in special arrangement with Music Theatre International. Adult Content
Senior Showcases
Sept. 29 – Oct. 13, Emerging Curators Exhibition
Opening Reception Sept. 29, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m., The Gallery at Bloch Hall
Students in the Art Department’s Emerging Curators Program work closely with a faculty mentor to organize and manage all aspects of an exhibition of their design, including communication with the artists, production, promotion, curation, and installation. The exhibition not only displays the variety of talent within the department but also allows students the opportunity to develop curatorial and managerial skills. Student Manager: Grace Miller
Oct. 27, Communication Studies Senior Showcase
1 p.m. – 3 p.m., Student Activity Center
Communication Studies seniors will demonstrate their projects and accomplishments, and discuss how their work maps on to their post-graduation career and academic goals. You can RSVP to this event by emailing Dr. Ray Ozley.
Oct. 30 – Dec 1, Senior Art Exhibitions
The Gallery at Bloch Hall
The senior exhibitions showcase the versatility and skill of graduating art majors while simultaneously providing the important educational opportunity to install their work in a gallery. These exhibitions present the scope of the students’ creative research at the conclusion of their final semester. *Information of featured student artists and receptions will be announced on social media and through the Department of Art.
Jan. 12 – Feb. 2, Emerging Curators Exhibition
Opening Reception Jan. 12, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.; The Gallery at Bloch Hall
Students in the Art Department may apply for the Emerging Curators Program, in which a student works closely with a faculty mention to organize and manage all aspects of an exhibition of their design including communication with the artists, production, promotion, curation, and installation. The exhibition not only displays the variety of talent within the department but also allows students the opportunity to develop curatorial and managerial skills. Student Manager: Sophie O’Riley
Feb. 22, Mass Communication Media Day
Student Activity Center
This event provides an opportunity for Mass Communication majors to network with mass media and communication professionals from across the state.
Mar. 16 – 24, B.A./B.S. Group Art Exhibition
The Gallery at Bloch Hall
The B.A. and B.S. senior exhibitions showcase the creative research, versatility and skill while simultaneously providing the important educational opportunity to install one’s own work in a gallery. Information of featured student artists and receptions will be announced on social media and through the Department of Art.
Apr. 2 – May 5, BFA Art Exhibitions
The Gallery at Bloch Hall
BFA senior exhibitions showcase the versatility and skill of graduating Montevallo art students while simultaneously providing the important educational opportunity to install their work in a gallery. These exhibitions present the scope of the students’ creative research at the conclusion of their final semester. *Information of featured student artists and receptions will be announced on social media and through the Department of Art.
Ensembles
Oct. 10, LeBaron Trio
7:30 p.m., LeBaron Recital Hall, Davis Hall
Professors Melanie Williams, Lori Ardovino and Laurie Middaugh, will present a recital of classical and contemporary works for soprano voice, clarinet and piano.
Oct. 20, Wind Ensemble Concert
7:30 p.m., Palmer Auditorium
Directed by Dr. Joseph Ardovino, the Wind Ensemble will perform classic to contemporary works from the concert band repertoire.
Oct. 23, Concert Choir and University Chorus
3 p.m., LeBaron Recital Hall, Davis Hall
This concert by the two university choirs, ensembles comprised of majors and non-majors, features a variety of literature ranging from choral masterworks to spirituals.
Nov. 11 – 12, Opera Scenes
7:30pm, LeBaron Recital Hall, Davis Hall
The Opera Ensemble performs an evening of scenes from operas composed by the world’s greatest composers. A variety of scenes are performed from operas past and present. The scenes are directed by Dr. Charles Wood. Laurie Middaugh is the piano accompanist.
Nov. 15. Jazz Ensemble Concert
7:30 p.m., Palmer Auditorium
Directed by Dr. Joe Ardovino, the Jazz Ensemble will perform Big Band jazz favorites from several eras of jazz.
Nov. 21, Instrumental Chamber Ensembles Concert
7:30 p.m., LeBaron Recital Hall, Davis Hall
Chamber ensembles including the Clarinet Choir, Saxophone Quartet, Percussion Ensemble, Brass Ensemble and others will perform a variety of chamber music literature.
Nov. 29, A Montevallo Choral Christmas
7:30 p.m., American Village
Immerse yourself in the warm sound of sacred and secular Christmas music, performed by the acclaimed University of Montevallo Concert Choir. Set within the austere beauty of a Colonial Chapel, this evening of traditional arrangements is the perfect way to recall the charm and true magic of the holiday season. Tickets required.
Dec. 1, Wind Ensemble Concert
7:30 p.m., Palmer Auditorium
Directed by Dr. Joseph Ardovino, the Wind Ensemble will perform classic to contemporary works from the concert band repertoire.
Apr. 6 – 8, 7:30 p.m., Opera “Elixir of Love”
Rebecca J. Luker Stage, DiscoverShelby Theatre, Center for the Arts
The Department of Music’s Opera Ensemble presents “Elixir of Love” by Gaetano Donizetti. An audience favorite around the world, there is no comic opera more revered than this gem of the bel canto. Sung in English with orchestra.
Apr. 13, Jazz Ensemble Concert
7:30 p.m., Palmer Auditorium
Directed by Dr. Joe Ardovino, the Jazz Ensemble will perform Big Band jazz favorites from several eras of jazz.
Apr. 17, Instrumental Chamber Ensembles Concert
7:30 p.m., LeBaron Recital Hall, Davis Hall
Chamber ensembles including the Clarinet Choir, Saxophone Quartet, Percussion Ensemble, Brass Ensemble and others will perform a variety of chamber music literature.
Apr. 23, Concert Choir and University Chorus
7:30 p.m., LeBaron Recital Hall, Davis Hall
This concert by the two university choirs, an ensemble comprised of majors and non-majors, features a variety of literature ranging from choral masterworks to spirituals.
Apr. 25, Wind Ensemble Concert
7:30 p.m., Palmer Auditorium
Directed by Dr. Joseph Ardovino, the Wind Ensemble will perform classic to contemporary works from the concert band repertoire.
Exhibits
May 6 – Aug. 25, “Neighbor Nature”
Poole Art Gallery, Center for the Arts
A Summer Invitational exhibition featuring works by four Auburn University Professors: Lauren Howard, Lauren Woods, Wendy DesChene, and Chuck Hemard. The drawings, paintings, photographs, and three-dimensional installations displayed utilize various aspects from the natural world to reflect, comment and critique on a range of issues including place, identity, dance, institutional critique, class, and the land itself.
Aug. 25 – Sept. 22, Alumni Artist in Residence
Reception Sept. 1, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.; The Gallery at Bloch Hall
This year marks the first season of the Art Department’s newly formed Artist-in-Residence program. Over the summer of 2022 a series of 3 artists will take up residency on campus. During this period of creative exploration, they will work directly with student assistants to produce their work.
Our first exhibition of the fall semester will showcase the artwork produced and will include a panel discussion including all the artists. This year’s focus will be on printmaking, and this first class of artists will be the Stephens Printmaking Fellows, named after Professor Emeritus Scott Stephens, who served as our Printmaking concentration director for 39 years.
Sept. 8 – Oct. 13, Adrian Rhodes’s “Never Mind All That“
Opening Reception Sept. 8, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.; Poole Art Gallery, Center for the Arts
Adrian Rhodes’s artwork inhabits a space between immersive, site-specific installation and a traditional understanding of individual pieces. As a medium based in the creation of the multiple, printmaking becomes a method for creating structure. This framework, indulging a desire for order, creates space for disruptions. Her process is an anxiety response, reflecting on an obsessive desire to ruminate on past loss while preserving present joys.
Oct. 20 – Dec. 1; Melissa Yes’s “Speciation”
Opening Reception Oct. 20, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.; Poole Art Gallery, Center for the Arts
Melissa Yes’s work is a strategy that uses appropriation, play, and social engagement to (attempt to) understand mainstream American myths and attitudes. Ambitious multimedia projects form the gravitational center of her practice, which also sustains an orbit of smaller experiments in video, painting, and sculpture. She has an affection for glitch and for un-precious materials, which offer both levity and critique of her subjects (and herself).
Jan. 17 – Feb. 11, Alumni Art Auction
Poole Party Feb. 11, 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.; Poole Art Gallery, Center for the Arts
Formerly known as the Bloch Party, the Alumni Art Auction is now known as the Poole Party since moving to the Poole Gallery of Art. This annual fundraising event showcases donated artwork from alumni and faculty and features silent bidding throughout the exhibition. All proceeds from this event go directly to the Art Department to support our programs and provide scholarships to students.
Feb. 9 – Mar. 9, Juried Foundations Art Show
Closing Reception Mar. 9, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.; The Gallery at Bloch Hall
The annual Juried Foundations Show is a competitive opportunity for art students to participate in a juried art exhibition. Off-campus jurors are invited to judge student work from introductory level courses and to give merit-based awards for selected pieces. The resulting exhibition presents the best of the best student work from our Foundations program.
Mar. 2 – Apr. 27, Gregory Martin’s “Signifiers, Dualities, and Dialogs“
Opening Reception Mar. 2, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.; Poole Art Gallery, Center for the Arts
Although Gregory Martin’s paintings are most easily categorized as landscapes, they could also be thought of as contemplative spaces in which to experience dualities and polarities within human nature, the natural world, and the practice of painting.
Guest Series
Oct. 6, Distinguished Alumni Hiram Dollar Concert
7:30 p.m., LeBaron Recital Hall, Davis Hall
The Hiram Dollar Concert is an annual event that showcases musical performance by distinguished alumni in music. This inaugural concert will feature guitarist Michael Patilla (BM in Performance, 1993) with flutist Sophie Kershaw-Patilla. Their program will include works by William Beauvais, Nikita Koshkin, and Andrew York, and also feature the premiere of a new work by Todd and Linda Strange Professor of Music Joseph Landers.
Oct. 25, Joseph Fleetwood, piano
7:30 p.m., LeBaron Recital Hall
Joseph Fleetwood will perform a series of pieces by Rachmaninoff. He was awarded the 2019 Narramore Fellowship at the University of Alabama, allowing him to gain his Doctor of Musical Arts in solo piano performance.
Mar. 16, Department of Communication Studies Speaker Series
3:30pm, Rebecca J. Luker Stage, DiscoverShelby Theatre, Center for the Arts
This speaker series is presented by the Department of Communication. A notable guest is invited to speak with students about their experiences.
Student Enrichment
Sept. 28, Exploring Mass Communication Day
Strong Hall
Dedicated to introduce high school students to careers in radio, television, and film production as well as multimedia journalism for radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, and online. Participants will gather, write, and present news and entertainment stories using state-of-the-art multimedia journalism equipment and computers, along with the professional-quality broadcast production equipment and TV studio.
Sept. 30, Festival of Voices
Concert, 4:30 p.m., Palmer Auditorium
This concert is the capstone event of the Festival of Voices, hosted by the University of Montevallo Department of Music. Students work closely with the festival clinician in rehearsals focusing on musicianship skills, voice building, and ensemble performance. The choir also rehearses and performs side-by-side with University of Montevallo Choirs. Students will experience concerts and masterclasses, and will perform with seasoned professionals on traditional and exciting new choral repertoire. Online Registration is available.
Oct. 15, All-State Choir Workshop
8 a.m. – 3 p.m., Davis Hall
This one-day workshop jump-starts your preparation on the AMEA All-State Choir repertoire. This event has been CANCELLED.
Nov. 5, 7th Annual Single Reed Symposium
Final Concert 5:30 p.m., LeBaron Recital Hall, Davis Hall
A one-day event with recitals, master classes and performances by the invited clarinet and saxophone artists and participants. This event is open to clarinet and saxophone students and enthusiasts of any age.
Feb. 17 – 18, Middle School Honor Band Workshop
Final Concert 5:30 p.m., Palmer Auditorium
Middle School Students from across the State of Alabama come to participate in this two-day event.
Mar. 3 – 5, High School Honor Band Workshop
Final Concert 5:30 p.m., Palmer Auditorium
High School Students from across the State of Alabama come to participate in this two-day event.
Mar. 21, Festival Choral Day
Final Concert 4:30 p.m., Palmer Auditorium
This event is designed to affirm the participation of young singers in the vocal arts. The choirs are comprised of high school and middle school students throughout Alabama. Students work closely with the festival clinician in rehearsals focusing on musicianship skills, voice building, and ensemble performance. The choir also rehearses and performs side-by-side with University of Montevallo Choirs. Students will experience concerts and masterclasses, and will perform with seasoned professionals on traditional and exciting new choral repertoire.