University of Lynchburg celebrates Broadway this fall with an exhibition at the Daura Gallery and several events featuring Broadway music.
“Broadway Revealed: Behind the Theater Curtain” offers viewers a behind-the-scenes-look at world-class theater productions like “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” “American Idiot,” and “Chicago.” The exhibition features artist Stephen Joseph’s panoramic photographs of individuals involved in the production of some of Broadway’s most critically acclaimed shows. Hung alongside props such as a starfish guitar used in “The Little Mermaid” and a dress worn by Elphaba in “Wicked,” the 360-degree photographs showcase the complex support network of design, lighting, directing, and staging that comes together to create the magic world of the theater.
Dr. Barbara Rothermel, director of the Daura Gallery, selected the exhibition because of its interdisciplinary approach and the way it helps viewers think about more than theatre’s final product. “They don’t see the rehearsals, the lighting designers, the costumers, the wigmakers,” she said. “The idea of showing the behind-the-scenes process had great appeal.”
The exhibition will open at a reception on August 31 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Daura Gallery. The LC theatre and music departments also are sponsoring events to enrich the exhibition. These events include:
An Evening of Broadway Music
Friday, September 18
Instrumental Concert at 7 p.m. in Sydnor Performance Hall
Choral Concert at 8:15 p.m. in Snidow Chapel
Behind the Scenes of Broadway
Sunday, September 20, 2 p.m., Daura Gallery
Spencer and Niki White, local theatre educators, will share stories from their own experiences working on Broadway. LC musical theatre students will perform several Broadway musical pieces.
“You Can’t Take it With You”
October 1-3 at 7:30 p.m., October 4 at 2 p.m., Dillard Theatre
The LC Theatre department presents the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy about the eccentric Vanderhof family. Bill Bodine, a graduate of University of Lynchburg, will portray Grandpa Vanderhof, the humorous and wise patriarch. The Daura Gallery will be open one hour before each performance through the intermission.
Theatre professor Jeff Wittman appreciates the opportunity for his students to lend their talents to an interdisciplinary exhibition. He is thrilled to have the panoramic photographs on campus to help people think about the work that goes into a theatre production. “What Stephen Joseph has done is take us behind the stage to the process,” he said. “Theatre happens in collaboration with lots of other people.”
“Broadway Revealed” will be on view at the Daura Gallery until mid-October.
“Broadway Revealed: Behind the Theater Curtain” was organized by Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California. All photographs by the artist, Stephen Joseph. Props courtesy of Suzy Benzinger, costume designer, New York; John Kristiansen, costume shop, New York; Werner Kulovits, Euroco Costumes, New York; Suri at Eclectic/Encore Props, New York; Don Holder, Lighting Designer, “Spider-Man,” New York; and “American Idiot,” World Premiere, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Berkeley, California.
