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Utah Shakespearean Festival

Brian Vaughn and Melinda Pfundstein cast in Cyrano de Bergerac

One of the Utah Shakespearean Festival’s favorite couples (on stage and in real life) will be returning this summer in the lead roles of Cyrano de Bergerac. Brian Vaughn, and his wife, Melinda Pfundstein, Theatre & Dance (00), will be performing the roles of Cyrano and his timeless love, Roxane. (Photo: Brian Vaughn & Melinda Pfundstein in USF production of Henry IV, Part One, 2004 courtesy of the Utah Shakespearean Festival)

“We are excited for them to be returning to Cedar City,” said R. Scott Phillips, USF Executive Director. “They both have performed here many times over the years and have become a favorite of our patrons. The fact that as a married couple they are deeply in love will add another layer to this romantic and beautiful play.”

Both Vaughn and Pfundstein attended Southern Utah University in Cedar City, and both have acted in numerous roles at the Festival (Vaughn in over forty roles since 1991, and Pfundstein in over twenty roles since 1996).

For tickets and more information about the outstanding 2008 season, visit the USF Website.

Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery

Two Special Exhibits Featured this Summer

The SUU College of Performing and Visual Arts, in conjunction with the Utah Shakespearean Festival, presents The Tempest: Anatomy of a Production, an exhibit of the material culture that creates the visual essence – costumes, props, and scenery - of last year’s USF production. The exhibit was developed by Ben Hohman, Properties Director for USF, and is on view from June 19 through August 30. The public is invited to an opening reception to be held on June 25 at 5:00 p.m. in the Gallery. (Photo: John Pribyl & Michael Brusasco in 2007 production of The Tempest by the Utah Shakespearean Festival photo by Karl Hugh)

The 65th Annual Cedar City Art Committee Exhibit will be on view from June 26 to August 30.  The exhibit is a juried show that features two-dimensional works in a variety of media from regional and national artists.  The exhibit showcases a spectrum of visual art styles, including southern Utah landscapes, portraits, still life, and other representational works.  The public is invited to an opening reception to be held on June 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Gallery. (Photo: Patch & Repair: Yellow (2007) by Sunny Belliston)

The Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and is located on the ground floor in the Braithwaite Liberal Arts Center on the east end of SUU campus. Admission to the Gallery is free.  For more information, call 435-586-5432 or go to the Gallery website.

The Braithwaite Gallery receives support from SUU, The Friends of the Braithwaite, and the Utah Arts Council.

Ballroom Dance

Company Caps Year by Going on the Road

The SUU Ballroom Dance Company wrapped up a successful year under the capable leadership of Mark Baker, Arts Administration (08). The company left campus following commencement and headed off to New York City and the Northeast for a week of performances and workshops. Their first stop after New York was a performance in Providence, Rhode Island at Brown University. The next day they did two performances at a Providence city school and a third show at the UN Naval Base in Newport. The retired naval officers and their families even joined in the fun by dancing with the company.

They journeyed on to Rockland, Maine where they performed in the Strand Theatre to a standing ovation. The next day they performed to another standing ovation at the Mahaiwe Theatre in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Mark reports that the enthusiastic audience stayed after the performance for more than an hour to chat with our students.

Next year the SUU Ballroom Dance Company has performances planned for November, February, and April. For more information, continue to check the SUU Arts Calendar.