The Cradle Will Rock at Carolina - November, 2005
In 1936, inspired by Bertolt Brecht, Marc Blitzstein set out to create a musical about all kinds of prostitution – of the press, the church, the courts, the arts, the whole system. The result was The Cradle Will Rock, a stage play in the form of opera tinged with the familiar idioms of the American musical. Set in Steeltown, U.S.A, the play examines contemporary feelings about the rising tide of American unionism by tracking dishonesty, fraud, and vice in American institutions from the newspaper to the college university, from big business to the arts. When it was produced, The Cradle Will Rock triggered a political firestorm and changed the face of American theater. This December, Carolina undergraduate performers, under the direction of faculty members Julie Fishell and Terry Rhodes, team up to bring Blitzstein’s master work to life.
The James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence, in collaboration with the departments of Music, Dramatic Art, and History, will celebrate this innovative production of The Cradle Will Rock with a thought provoking series of programs. While especially designed for undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences, all events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.
Events:
Tuesday Nov. 29
"How the 'Cradle' Rocked the Boat: Listing to the Left with Composer Marc Blitzstein, the New Deal, and Unionization in 1930's America"
4:00-6:00 pm
Kresge Foundation Common Room (039)
James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence in Graham Memorial
Join faculty members from History, Dramatic Art, Music, and Communication Studies for a thought provoking interdisciplinary discussion about the political consequences of the American theater. Presenters include: Professor Emeritus William Leuchtenberg (History), and Frey Distinguished Professors Tim Carter (Chair, Music) and Leon Katz (Dramatic Art); moderated by Professor McKay Coble (Chair, Dramatic Art).
Topics:
Leon Katz - "Production History of The Cradle Will Rock and the Federal Theatre Project"
Tim Carter - "The Music of Blitzstein and His Contemporaries"
William Leuchtenburg - "FDR and the New Deal - Political Contexts"
Open Dress Rehearsal
8:15 pm
Historic Playmakers Theater on Cameron Avenue
Featuring a post-show discussion with Dr. Donald Madison (Social Medicine), Thomas Warburton (Music) and undergraduate Sceneographer Christopher Cianci
Wednesday Nov. 30
Screening: Cradle Will Rock (1999)
8:00 pm
Carolina Union Auditorium
The 1999 film by Tom Robbins telescopes events in the art worlds of the 1930s into a vibrant kaleidoscope that tells the true story, with some dramatic license, of composer Marc Blitzstein’s fight to produce the musical The Cradle Will Rock in defiance of federal censors. The film recreates the feisty political milieu of the period, showing how the triumph of Cradle over its corporate and governmental opponents was secured. The screening will be preceded by a special introductory discussion led by Professor Emeritus Kimball King (English).
Thursday December 1
"Cradle to Grave: Songs of Blitzstein, Weill, and Sondheim"
12.00-1.00 pm
John Lindsay Morehead II Lounge
James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence
Performances by students and faculty from the Departments of Music and Dramatic Art. A “Thursdays on the Terrace” performance.
Friday December 2
Opening Night Performance of “The Cradle Will Rock”
8:15 pm
Historic Playmakers Theatre on Cameron Avenue
Presented by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s
Department of Dramatic Art Mainstage and the Department of Music’s UNC Opera
Performances continue:
Saturday, December 3 at 8:15pm
Sunday, December 4 at 8:15pm
Monday, December 5 at 4:00pm
Monday, December 5 at 8:15pm
Tuesday, December 6 at 5:00pm
Location: Historic Playmakers Theatre on Cameron Avenue
Admission: General Admission $5; Free to PRC Subscribers/ Privilege Card Holders and Departments of Music and Dramatic Art Faculty and Staff. Tickets may be purchased at the theatre one hour prior to the performance.
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