1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Actor Steve Zahn to deliver Transylvania University’s commencement address on Saturday, May 25, at 9:30 a.m.

LEXINGTON Ky.–Actor Steve Zahn will deliver Transylvania University’s commencement address on Saturday, May 25, at 9:30 a.m. on the steps of historic Old Morrison. Zahn had his first big break in the 1994 movie “Reality Bites.” He appeared in several films in the mid-1990s, including Tom Hanks’ “That Thing You Do!” and Nora Ephron’s “You’ve Got Mail.” In 1999, he was offered the starring role in the critically acclaimed film “Happy, Texas,” for which he won an Independent Spirit Award for best supporting male and a Special Dramatic Jury Prize for best comedic performance. Zahn received his strongest critical acclaim for his performance as Drew Barrymore’s husband in “Riding in Cars with Boys.” Roger Ebert, Richard Roeper and the BBC stated that the performance was deserving of an Oscar nomination. Some of Zahn’s popular recent movies include “National Security” (2003), “Daddy Day Care” (2003) and “Sahara” (2005). He also gave dramatic performances in “Rescue Dawn” and the television mini-series “Comanche Moon.” Currently, Zahn plays the character of Davis McAlary in HBO’s “Treme.” Zahn attended the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training founded by the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Read more about Zahn’s Lexington connections here. For more information, contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120. More commencement information can be found here.

World Voices series presents an evening of Indian music and dance May 1 at 7:30 p.m.; open to the public

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s World Voices program presents an evening of Indian music and dance, featuring Lakshmi Sriraman, on Wednesday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. in Old Morrison chapel. Flautist G. S. Rajan, narrator Samuel Themer, cellist Suzanne McIntosh and percussionist Tripp Bratton will also perform. The performance is open to the public. Free tickets are available Monday-Friday, 1-4 p.m., in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center, room 113. There is a limit of two tickets per person. If there are still seats available, tickets will also be available at the door. The program will feature classical Indian dance called Bharatanatyam, Indian music featuring flute and percussion a collaborative piece featuring cello, djembe, spoken word and dance movements based on Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest classical dance forms of India, dating back to 1000 B.C. It is known for its rhythmic and ornate footwork along with narrative storytelling. The dance is accompanied by classical Carnatic music. Traditional Bharatanatyam has been performed predominantly as a form of deep devotion. It moved from royal courts into theaters, then expanded to include more secular stories and poems. Lakshmi Sriraman is an accomplished performer, choreographer and teacher of Bharatanatyam. Her ability to portray complex human emotions in stunningly simple ways is a hallmark of her dance. In 2010, Lakshmi was the recipient of the Art Meets Activism grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. She has also been selected to participate in the Performing

Transylvania’s Shakesweek includes two free public performances April 25 and 26

Cast of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s “Macbeth” LEXINGTON, Ky.—Several Transylvania University student groups are partnering for Shakesweek, a three-day festival of events celebrating the birthday of William Shakespeare. Included in the events are two free public performances, on April 25 and 26. On Thursday, April 25, at 5:30 p.m., the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company will present a post-apocalypse style version of “Macbeth” on the lawn of Old Morrison, Transylvania’s administration building on Third Street. The actors will offer a question and answer session following the performance and there will be blanket space and chairs for audience members. On Friday, April 26, at 5:30 p.m., there will be “A Night of Shakespeare Scenes and Music,” in Old Morrison chapel featuring scenes from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Julius Caesar” and “Henry V” performed by students in The Transylvania Theatre Guild. The student band The Cowgill Tippers and Transylvania’s a cappella group, TBA, will perform pieces based on Shakespeare’s works. “This event initially came about because people from the English and theater departments had been talking about how we should collaborate more often, since we’re often studying the same works from different points of view,” said senior Elizabeth Davis, president of Sigma Tau Delta English honorary and organizer of Shakesweek. “What author could be more interdisciplinary than Shakespeare?” Other activities for students during Shakesweek include a screening of the 1999 film “10 Things I Hate About You,” which is based on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of

Transylvania’s Morlan Gallery presents the senior thesis exhibition “3XD: Design, Displace, Daddy Issues” April 4-19

Work by Katelynn Ralston LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s six graduating art majors will showcase their work in a senior thesis exhibition titled “3XD: Design, Displace, Daddy Issues,” April 4-19 in the Morlan Gallery in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. Artists Paul Michael Brown, Rachel Kimbrough, Meredith Mullican, Katelynn Ralston, Emily Shirley and Amanda Skinner, working in a wide range of media, decided to pair their work according to theme, thus the three exhibition subtitles: design, displace, and daddy issues. Mullican and Skinner created work concerned with design, specifically the process involved in interior design and environmentally and socially sustainable architecture. Kimbrough and Shirley address the social issues of introverted personality and consumption of idealized feminine youth through notions of displacement. Brown and Ralston elaborate on the complexities of queerness, in both the private and the political, while playing with emotional distance or ‘daddy issues.’ The public is invited to celebrate the accomplishments of the six seniors at the opening reception for the artists on Thursday, April 4, from 5-8 p.m. The art majors will give presentations in the Morlan Gallery on Tuesday, April 9, from 12:30-1:20 p.m. The exhibition concludes with the Lexington Gallery Hop on Friday, April 19, from 5-8 p.m. The Morlan Gallery’s regular hours are noon-5 p.m. weekdays. For more information, contact Andrea Fisher, gallery director, at (859) 233-8142, or afisher@transy.edu.

Eric Stoller, higher education thought leader, to present at Transylvania Monday, April 8; free and open to the public

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Eric Stoller, higher education thought leader, consultant and writer will present Monday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Haggin Auditorium in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. The talk is free and open to the public. Titled “Our Shared Future: Digital Identity, Leadership, and Your Career,” his presentation will focus on social media and teaching students about digital identity development. Stoller is a former academic advisor and web coordinator for the College of Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University. He served previously as a marketing specialist for student affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has more than 10 years of experience in higher education and student affairs and has been blogging for more than eight years. For more information about Stoller, visit his blog.