Memorial Union Reinvestment Update

What’s new with the Memorial Union Reinvestment project (MUR)?

As you probably know, the Union is preparing for a large building project that will begin with the renovation and preservation of the Theater and Hoofers Wing in the summer of 2012.  This project has a long history and is the product of years of hard work from students, staff, faculty, alumni and the community. 

In 2006 students passed a referendum funding the majority of the cost to build a new Union South and restore and upgrade Memorial Union.  Since that time, thousands of students, staff, faculty and alumni have worked together to envision the future of the Wisconsin Union.  With the success of the Union South project fresh in our minds, we have refocused our vision and efforts to Memorial Union. 

As you might expect, renovating and updating a structure built in the 1920s is quite a challenge.  For over 80 years this building has been the heart and soul of campus and the home of countless memories.  Beyond logistic and construction concerns, we must also carefully preserve the history, character and ambiance of our beloved Memorial Union.  A building this old requires a lot of updates to infrastructure to ensure that it will remain functional, accessible and safe for years to come.  While the MUR project includes upgrading some spaces within the building, it is primarily about preserving what is already great about the Memorial Union.

Key elements of the project include:
•    Enhanced student/program space
•    Improved accessibility
•    Upgraded infrastructure
•    Increased Terrace space
•    Sustainability
•    Modern Technology
           
Since its inception, this project has focused on preserving the past and building for the future.  It is those ideals that continue to shape our planning for the Memorial Union Reinvestment.  We are proud to say that students, staff, alumni and faculty have all been involved in every step of this process.  This level of involvement and input makes us confident that the MUR project has moved forward in a democratic and user-focused way.  The Wisconsin Union prides itself on its transparency and community involvement, and this project is no exception.  Thanks to the hard work of many, the development and design process is in its final stages and we are excited to see the project move forward.  
           
The MUR website, www.unionreinvestment.wisc.edu, contains updates and background information on the project.  We encourage you to stay informed on the project by following @mureinvestment on Twitter and by visiting our Facebook page. 
           
This is an exciting time at the Wisconsin Union and we encourage you to share your knowledge with others.  The Memorial Union has served our campus and community for many, many years, and we look forward to seeing it evolve and grow to meet the needs of students and members in the coming semesters, years and beyond.  

Signature Cocktail for Sweet Honey in the Rock Concert!

This semester, we will be offering special, signature cocktails for purchase during some of our shows. The first one, offered only at the Sweet Honey in the Rock concert on October 7, is Bee Cocktail: Honey, lemon juice, and Dark Jamaican Rum. Yum! 

Cost: is  $6.50

Ah, Fall...and Collaborations: Wisconsin Union Theater Collaborated with University Book Store

By Nina Reynolds

When I find myself in discussions about which season is best, I always end up defending autumn to the death. What’s not to love about autumn? Hot apple cider, scarves, cozy fireplace nights, pumpkin patches, football games, beautiful colors, warm boots for crunching all of those dead leaves on long walks in the crisp air…

I could go on and on. 

The thing I like most about autumn, though, has more to do with a feeling I get riiiight toward the end of summer. Maybe it’s because fall has always heralded in a new school year for me for as long as I can remember, but I tend to associate fall with new beginnings. Fresh starts. A new schedule, perhaps. New goals. New plans. Pristine, untouched school supplies just waiting to be utilized with regained enthusiasm. 

This year at the Wisconsin Union Theater we recognized the enthusiasm and fervor that takes hold of Madison once the streets are teeming with students again and jumped on board. We entered into a collaborative effort with The University Book Store – possibly the most-frequented business in the weeks leading up to the first day of class – to reach students (and parents) when they’re at their most eager and motivated. 

Our beautiful season brochures and flyers are now available to University Book Store customers whether they’re buying The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia Part 1 for their History 474 class in the text department, or a “Bucky" t-shirt for the upcoming Badger football game upstairs. In exchange, University Bookstore flyers and coupons will be available at all of our season events – just check out the Performing Arts Committee table in the lobby! Our hope is that students will value plans to enjoy themselves at a Gaelic Storm or Sweet Honey in the Rock show alongside their plans to have an academically successful semester. After all, all work and no play is no way to live, right? 

So if you find yourself in The University Book Store (711 State Street) this fall– purchasing textbooks for school, buying some red UW-Madison sweatpants for your friend’s birthday, or checking out the art supplies – make sure to look for the Wisconsin Union Theater season flyers. And get into the fall spirit! It’s never too late to add plans to visit the theater into your agenda for the year.

Terence Blanchard, Messenger Alumnus

Ben Ferris
Isthmus Jazz Series Coordinator

Last year you may have caught one of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers trumpet alumni, Brian Lynch, with the Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Band. Coming up on October 21st you have the chance to hear yet another, Terence Blanchard.

The Wisconsin Union Theater has hosted tons of alumni of the notoriously strict drummer and band-leader:

Wynton Marsalis, 1984. Marsalis was the messenger immediately preceding Blanchard, and led Blakey's band back into prominence with neotraditionalist jazz.

Dizzy Gillespie, 1967. Although not a "messenger," Gillespie toured and recorded with Blakey in a group called "Giants of Jazz" which also included Thelonious Monk, Sonny Stitt, Kai Winding and Al McKibbon.

Brandford Marsalis, 1990. Marsalis is further connected to Terence Blanchard in that they both played on Bill Lee's compositions for the first Spike Lee film, Do the Right Thing.

I hope that you are able to come to this concert and witness even more history being made at the Wisconsin Union Theater.

Nellie McKay: Comedienne Turned Sly Songstress with a Conscience

by Alexis Brown

Marketing Intern

My mother loves Norah Jones. My middle school memories of the years before I got a driver's license are tinged with the singer’s somnambulant tunes lazily drifting through my rides home from school. I don’t blame my mother. I get it. Norah Jones is relaxing on a drive home from work. Her voice is earthy, her sound is soft, her lilting blues almost ethereal at points, and—well, kind of boring and banal. 

Fellow singer-songwriter Nellie McKay, who opens for Madeleine Peyroux on Wednesday, October 12, at 8 pm, may have picked up on these sentiments when she named her debut album, “Get Away from Me” in a sly stab at Jones’ 2002 release “Come Away with Me.” Or perhaps McKay was simply sick and tired of being compared to her fellow songstress. Both vocalists came onto the music scene in the early 2000s, and their influences were similar—vocal jazz, cabaret, pre-rock Brill Building pop, and torch singing. Perhaps looming more present in the public eye, however, were the obvious similarities: they were both pretty, personable, and (no one could doubt it) they could sing. 

But Nellie McKay is no Norah. While the latter has a certain lethargic charm, Nellie’s music has a spirited eccentricity that sets her apart from the pack of female singer-songwriters trying to make it with a jazz-infused aesthetic. Not that McKay is by any means only a jazz performer—she refuses to confine herself to any one genre in her music, instead incorporating an impressive stylistic variety from jazz to rap and disco to funk. At times she is touchingly nostalgic; McKay says her 2006 album, Normal as Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day, was inspired by Day’s wholesome persona. “Her music is uncluttered, sensual and free,” McKay said of the Hollywood icon. “[It was] driven by an irrepressible will to live." And yet McKay can also be stubbornly contentious and darkly funny; she aggressively lobbied her label for a double album (rather than the 13 song release in her contract) with bottles of wine, a PowerPoint slideshow, and a mock photo of her threatening her producer Geoff Emerick with a gun.

Nellie isn’t afraid to take a stance, and her political conscience has always had a place in her music.  Most recently, she wrote a song on behalf of Troy Davis, the death row inmate who was executed just this past Wednesday in spite of the mounting evidence of his wrongful conviction. McKay is also a vocal feminist, and wrote a satirical song relating to feminist issues called "Mother of Pearl." She is a proud member of PETA—her song "Columbia Is Bleeding" dealt with the issue of Columbia University's cruelty to animals. She wrote a 2004 song ("John John") about her feelings in favor of political candidate Ralph Nader, and she frequently performs at events for New York's progressive radio station WBAI, Planned Parenthood, Farm Sanctuary, and the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages. In short, not only can she sing, but she has something worth saying.

And this is why Nellie McKay interests me. She combines an eccentric style with a certain nostalgia that never feels maudlin, and she keeps her moral causes without ever losing her sense of humor. She is honest and interesting in a way I wish more contemporary female vocalists were.

I know my mother still likes Norah Jones. And I don’t blame her for it. But next time I’m home, I think I might play her one of Nellie McKay’s new tracks—maybe “Mother of Pearl,” or “John John”—and see if she doesn’t find something Norah’s been missing. 

Passion, Performance, and Revolution: Meet Sweet Honey in the Rock

Erin Bannen

Marketing Intern

On the stage, Sweet Honey in the Rock creates musical, choreographic, and emotional harmony by uniting many different voices. As it turns out, behind each voice there lies a multifaceted, multi-talented individual. Here is just a glimpse of what makes each of these performers unique. Don't miss the group's performance on October 7th, 8 pm in the Wisconsin Union Theater!

Nitanju Bolade

Nitanju Bolade Casel became a member of Sweet Honey In The Rock in 1985, after four years of studying, performing, and cultural organizing in Dakar, Senegal. As a co-founder, with Marie Guinier, of Artistes Des Echanges Africaines, she worked in alliance with local artists, the National Council of Negro Women, the University of Dakar, Television and Radio Orts, the Schomberg Center for Research and Development, and the late Dr. Ewart Guinier of Harvard University. Nitanju is also the former assistant director of the Art of Black Dance &Music, and director of Young Afrique Dance Company, both in Massachusetts. 

Shirley Childress Saxton

Learning how to sign from her Deaf parents, Shirley pioneered the call for more African-American interpreters when she founded the organization BRIDGES to focus attention on Black Deaf consumers and interpreters.  Shirley was also a founding member of the organization Black Deaf Advocates. The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf published a tribute to her, entitled Shirley Childress Johnson, the Mother of Songs Sung in ASL, pointing out the distinction Shirley has brought to the field.

Shirley holds a bachelor’s degree in Deaf Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has authored several articles on her experiences as a CODA and her work as a Sign language interpreter. Shirley’s family, sons Reginald and Deon, and sisters Maxine and Khaula all Sign.

Carol Maillard 

A founding member of Sweet Honey in the Rock, Carol has performed on and off Broadway (Eubie, Don't Get God Started, Comin' Uptown, Home, It's So Nice To Be Civilized, Beehive, Forever My Darling); with the Negro Ensemble Company (Home, Zooman and the Sign, Colored Peoples Time, The Great Mac Daddy); and the New York Shakespeare Festival (Spunk, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Under Fire, A Photograph…) Her powerful rendition of Motherless Child arranged for Sweet Honey, is featured in the motion picture, THE VISIT and the Dorothy Height documentary, WE ARE NOT VANISHING.

Louise Robinson

A graduate of Howard University with a BFA, this native New Yorker's professional career began at Washington, D.C.'s Arena Stage. Louise accepted Robert Hooks’ invitation to become a member of the new, D.C. Black Repertory Company Acting Ensemble. It was out of this theater company that Louise, along with Carol Maillard. Bernice Johnson Reagon, and Mie, formed the a cappella quartet, Sweet Honey In The Rock.  One of her unique roles in the group is combining her experience in theater and music to offer a workshop that explores the creative freedom in us all. 

Ysaye M. Barnwell

Barnwell has written two children’s book: No Mirrors In My Nana’s House, and We Are One, both published by Harcourt, Inc. She also created an instructional boxed set: Singing in the African American Tradition. She created the Community Sing which she conducts monthly in Washington, D.C., and the workshop Building a Vocal Community® - Singing In the African American Tradition, which she has conducted on three continents, utilizing an African world view, and African American history, values, cultural and vocal traditions to work with and build community among singers and non-singers alike. She has a Ph.D. in Speech Pathology, and her pedagogy is highly respected among musicians, educators, health workers, activists, organizers, and in corporate and non-profit sectors.

Aisha Kahlil

A master teacher in voice and dance, Aisha has taught at the Institute for Contemporary Dance, The Joy of Motion, the Boston Center for the Arts, Leslie College, the Dance Place, and the D.C. Black Repertory Theatre, as well as teaching and lecturing at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and at Maharishi International University. Aisha was voted Best Soloist by the Contemporary A Cappella Society, for her work on her composition Fulani Chant, and also for her rendition of See See Rider.

The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble - a truly dedicated group of musicians

By Lindsay Hanson

Concert Series Coordinator, WUD Performing Arts Committee

Here at the Union Theater, we are counting down the days until the opening concert of the 2011-12 Concert Series on September 30 at 7:30pm with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble. The legendary London-based ensemble appears at the Union Theater as the third stop on its 13-day Fall 2011 North American tour, which includes stops in California, Ontario and New York.

Founded in 1958 by Sir Neville Marriner, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields has always been and remains committed to high-quality music making.  They tour internationally and have recorded numerous albums. They are, perhaps, the most-recorded chamber orchestra in the world, having produced over 500 recordings in their 53 years of existence.

This is at least the third fall in a row that the Chamber Ensemble has toured North America, each year presenting eight to ten concerts. We are so fortunate to get the chance, in Madison, Wisconsin, to be able to hear such fine musicians! 

At the theater, the Chamber Ensemble performs the Brahms G Major Sextet, Shostakovich's Prelude and Scherzo for String Octet, and Mendelssohn's E-flat Major Octet. Tickets are still available through Campus Arts Ticketing by calling (608) 265-ARTS, on our website, or in person at our Box Offices on Park Street or at Vilas Hall. Please see http://www.uniontheater.wisc.edu/location.html for details. I hope to see you there!

Read Jacob Stockinger's interview with  violinist Martin Burgess of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Ensemble here.

What did you Think of the Madison World Music Festival?

Please share your thoughts about the festival: what did you love and why? Did you use the Greyhound shuttle? How was that experience? Should we try to offer it again next year? What do you think of our collaboration with the Willy Street Fair? Or anything else you'd care to share. We're all ears!

The Best Party in Town--and Greyhound Takes You There for Free!

By Alexis Brown

Marketing Intern

For the past eight years, the Wisconsin Union Theater has brought some of the world's preeminent musicians to town for the Madison World Music Festival. This year is no exception, with great music for three days and a film on Wednesday and Thursday. As in recent years, the festival  is on campus Wednesday-Friday. It moves on Saturday to the Willy Street Fair's large Stage.

For downtown denizens unsure of how to get to Willy Street, Greyhound and the festival have collaborated to provide free transportation this year. On Saturday, 9/17, a Greyhound shuttle departs from Memorial Union to Willy St at 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, and 7pm. The shuttle returns to Memorial Union at 3:30 pm, 4:30 pm, 5:30 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:30 pm, and 9:30 pm.

While you are at Willy Street, enjoy also the fabulous food, colorful arts and crafts, ground parade and much more. 

 Here's the world-class line-up:


Wednesday, 9/14/11:
7 pm, Screening: “Cultures of Resistance” film, exploring how art and creativity are used in the struggle for peace and justice on five continents, with an introduction and Q &A with Dr. Jonathan Overby, host of Wisconsin Public Radio’s world music broadcast, Higher Ground. Marquee, Union South.


Thursday 9/15:
6:30, Chai Found Music Workshop, Taiwan, Wisconsin Union Theater
7 pm, Film: “Cultures of Resistance,” Play Circle
8:30 pm, Nawal, Comoros Islands, Sufi music, Wisconsin Union Theater
9 pm, Film: “Cultures of Resistance,” Play Circle
9 pm, Frigg, Finland, Memorial Union Terrace (Rain: Rathskeller)


Friday, 9/16:
5 pm, Dragon Knights, Terrace

5:30 pm, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Italy, Memorial Union Terrace

7:20 pm, Dragon Knights, Wisconsin Union Theater and Terrace

7:30 pm, Chai Found Music Workshop, Taiwan, Terrace

8 pm Kutumba, Nepal, Wisconsin Union Theater

9:30 pm, Blitz the Ambassador, Ghana/US, Memorial Union Terrace

Friday, 9/16 Rain Schedule, Wisconsin Union Theater:
5 pm, Dragon Knights

5:30 pm, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Italy
7 pm, Chai Found Music Workshop, Taiwan
8 pm, Dragon Knights
8:30 pm Kutumba, Nepal
10 pm, Blitz the Ambassador, Ghana/US

Saturday, Sept. 17:

Noon: workshop: “Puppetry—Big and Small” with Dragon Knights, Wisconsin Union Stage

1:45, Luisa Maita, Brazil, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair

3 pm, Dragon Knights, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair

3:30, Marco Calliari, Italy/Canada, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair

5 pm, Dragon Knights, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair

5:30, Sergent Garcia, France, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair

7:30, Bomba Estereo, Colombia, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair
9:30 pm, Sergent Garcia, France, Memorial Union Terrace (Rain: Rathskeller)

Ralph Russo: Letter to Faculty, Staff and Union Members

Greetings,

The 73rd Season of the Wisconsin Union Theater is fast approaching and with it another 10 months full of great artists, beautiful music, and spectacular dance, all at very reasonable ticket prices! We invite you, our valued patrons and associates on the UW campus, to join us again this year for what we know will be another fantastic journey. Please check out this short video to get a taste of what’s coming!

For decades, the Wisconsin Union Theater has served as the vibrant innovator and purveyor of fine performing arts in the heart of campus and Madison.

 

Our Concert Series, in its 93rd year, is the longest, continuous-running in the Midwest, and this year our Travel Adventure Series celebrates its 53rd year. Some of the finest performers and speakers in the world have graced our historical stage, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Martha Graham, Robert Frost, Yo-Yo Ma, Uta Hagen and Louis Armstrong. This year, the Grammy-award winning trumpet player Terence Blanchard, the amazing Sweet Honey in the Rock, the “world’s best tap dancer,” Savion Glover, and the world-renowned Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble  among many other exciting performers, will add to that prestigious history. As always, our stage is here for you. We not only welcome, but encourage you to share your ideas and suggestions about programming with us.

Yes, we do provide excellent programming to the campus and community-at-large, and we keep ticket prices eminently affordable! Our tickets are consistently less expensive than those in other local venues. UW students almost always pay $10 or less, and UW faculty and staff and Union members always receive additional discounts on top of our already inexpensive ticket prices. We are dedicated to providing these discounts to you year after year and we hope that you will pass on this knowledge to your students, colleagues, and friends.

Come and celebrate the Wisconsin Union Theater’s great history and bright future with us. . . and do it affordably!

See you in the theater,

Ralph Russo, Director

World Musicians Come to the Madison Stage for Free--and Greyhound Provides Free Shuttle!

by Alexis Brown
Marketing Intern

For the past eight years, the Wisconsin Union Theater has brought some of the world's preeminent musicians to Dane County for the Madison World Music Festival. This year's line-up has proven to be especially impressive, including artists such as Brazil's Luisa Maita, Italy's Marco Calliari, France's Sergent Garcia, and Colombia's Bomba Estereo, all of whom perform on Saturday at the Willy Street Fair on the Madison World Music Festival Stage.

For students unsure of how to get to Willy Street from campus, Greyhound and the Wisconsin Union

Theater have collaborated to provide free transportation this year. On Saturday, 9/17, a Greyhound shuttle departs from Memorial Union to Willy St at 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, and 7pm. The shuttle returns to Memorial Union at 3:30 pm, 4:30 pm, 5:30 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:30 pm, 9:30 pm.

While you are at Willy Street, enjoy also the fabulous food, colorful arts and crafts, ground parade and much more. The Madison World Music Festival is presented on the Large stage while an Electronic Music/DJ stage operates from 2-9 pm too. Headlining this year's stage is East Coast West Coast legend Dr. Dunks who'll be mixing in old with the new, with plenty of disco and funk stylin'.

The all-free Madison World Music Festival starts on Saturday the 10th, with Vieux Farka Toure's warm-up concert. See the world-class line-up below:

Saturday, 9/10/11:

10 pm, Vieux Farka Toure, MWMF warm-up concert. Memorial Union Terrace. Free.

Wednesday, 9/14/11:

7 pm, Screening: “Cultures of Resistance” film, exploring how art and creativity are used in the struggle for peace and justice on five continents, with an introduction and Q & A with Dr. Jonathan Overby, host of Wisconsin Public Radio’s world music broadcast, Higher Ground. Marquee, Union South

Thursday 9/15:

6:30, Chai Found Music Workshop, Taiwan, Wisconsin Union Theater

7 pm, Film: “Cultures of Resistance,” Play Circle

8:30 pm, Nawal, Comoros Islands, Sufi music, Wisconsin Union Theater

9 pm, Film: “Cultures of Resistance,” Play Circle

9 pm, Frigg, Finland, Memorial Union Terrace (Rain: Rathskeller)

Friday, 9/16:

5 pm, Dragon Knights, Terrace

5:30 pm, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Italy, Memorial Union Terrace

7:20 pm, Dragon Knights, Wisconsin Union Theater and Terrace

7:30 pm, Chai Found Music Workshop, Taiwan, Terrace

8 pm Kutumba, Nepal, Wisconsin Union Theater

9:30 pm, Blitz the Ambassador, Ghana/US, Memorial Union Terrace

Friday, 9/16 Rain Schedule, Wisconsin Union Theater:

5 pm, Dragon Knights

5:30 pm, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Italy

7 pm, Chai Found Music Workshop, Taiwan

8 pm, Dragon Knights

8:30 pm Kutumba, Nepal

10 pm, Blitz the Ambassador, Ghana/US

Saturday, Sept. 17:

Noon: workshop: “Puppetry—Big and Small” with Dragon Knights, Wisconsin Union Stage

1:45, Luisa Maita, Brazil, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair

3 pm, Dragon Knights, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair

3:30, Marco Calliari, Italy/Canada, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair

5 pm, Dragon Knights, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair

5:30, Sergent Garcia, France, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair

7:30, Bomba Estereo, Colombia, Madison World Music Festival at Willy St. Fair

9:30 pm, Sergent Garcia, France, Memorial Union Terrace (Rain: Rathskeller)

An Introduction of Sorts

by Shawn Werner

Director | WUD Performing Arts Committee

Hello!

I would like to make an introduction of sorts!

My name is Shawn Werner, and I am the new Director of the WUD Performing Arts Committee at the Wisconsin Union Theater. I'm a Colorado born-and-raised senior here at the University of Wisconsin, majoring in music. I suppose my interest in music performance led to my interest in arts administration, thus I'm in this position. I've always thought I would go into performance as a career, but I'm fairly certain I want to go into arts administration (music business, so to speak) now. I suppose I should mention that I have been playing the piano for a good 16 years, and I wouldn't change it for the world. I'll save you the sentimental and cliche statements as to how music frees me and is a part of who I am, even though it's true.

I wasn't the typical artsy type in high school. I never participated in choirs, musicals, or anything of that sort. However, I did perform at my high school graduation. Debussy's Sunken Cathedral Prelude, I think the piece was--it's been a while so my memory is a little fuzzy. It was cool, though, because my graduation was streamed online for those deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan; Colorado Springs is a heavily military city and so, naturally, a lot of the students in my high school were from military families. So, high school's done and over with -- why Madison?

I've always wanted to come here for a couple of reasons. I wanted to get out of Colorado to experience something new. The other part of my answer is a bit more serious and academically driven. When I became serious about university and pursuing music as a major, Madison was the first place I searched; it turned out that UW had (and still has!) one of the top music schools in the United States. The stars must have aligned when I auditioned to get into the UW School of Music because I was accepted.

But enough of classical music (since that's what I play). I do have other interests, you know.

I'm a huge sports guy, and, when it comes to professional sports, I root for mainly Colorado-based teams and one non-Coloradan team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yes, I know, the Packers beat them in the Super Bowl. Go ahead and rub it in, it's fine. It doesn't make me less of a fan. My favorite sport, however, is baseball. The Colorado Rockies are my team of choice, and I'll forever love them. I can talk my head off about baseball, but I won't; consider yourself lucky. What else can I tell you? Oh yes, music!

Outside of classical music, I listen to tons of other genres. I grew up listening to rap, hip-hop, and R&B, but my taste has since then expanded to every other genre except dub-step and house music. I really hate house and dub-step music. Yuck. The world would be a much better place without them. If you, the reader, is a fan of these types of music, then please don't be offended. We're all entitled to our opinions. But yes, rap, hip-hop, and R&B are near and dear to my heart, though I can jam to (almost) anything else. Now that internal interests are out of the way, I guess it would be important to mention what I'd like to do and/or go to when I graduate.

This is a question I always get: what are you going to do with your degree? Well, like I said before, I plan on going into arts administration, maybe something like an agent or theater director. Having said that, I don't plan on staying in WI for much longer after I graduate. My dream is to live in New York City, but we'll see. Until then, I want/need to move to a midsize to large city such as Denver (maybe), Chicago, Philly, Atlanta, or somewhere like that -- cultural hot spots. Logistically, I don't exactly know how to get to these places, but I'm determined to make it work. I don't quit too easily. I hate failing.

I try to stay up-to-date on cultural trends and current events and then make my own assessments of them. It's important to be open-minded but still retain your own core beliefs and convictions because these are what define you as a person and sets you apart from others (preaching to the choir much?).

So far, I've mentioned those things that relate to what I do, but not so much about who I am. It would only seem appropriate to provide this second half.

All my life, I've said (and was told) that I am very opinionated, but it wasn't until recently that I started to believe it. All too often, I hear people speak with a sense of hesitation ("I think x", "I believe y", "I feel that z"), which irritates the living you-know-what out of me. Speak with conviction, and speak as if what you're about to say is truth! Now that I got that off my chest, I would also like to say that I am, as people say, an introverted extrovert. I'm happy to be out in public among the hustle and bustle of life but at the end of the day, I have to retreat to my own place by myself to unwind. I intentionally don't have too many friends, but that doesn't mean you can't be my friend! I just don't actively seek out new people, though I probably should. Subsequently, I care deeply for those who are my friends.

There's so much more I can tell you, but I'll end it here. So, enough about me. Tell me about yourself! If you're a student and you'd like to meet me or talk about the WUD Performing Arts Committee and see how you can join, then go ahead and ask me! You can email me at werner719@gmail.com. I'd be more than happy to assist!