Posts by Robert D.
Stanford Repertory Theater presents the wide range of Noël Coward
Rush Rehm, theater professor and artistic director of Stanford Repertory Theater, admits to being something of a Noël Coward neophyte before organizing this summer’s SRT festival, Noël Coward: Art, Style, and Decadence. In Rehm’s thorough reading, listening and seeing all things Coward to prepare for the festival, he discovered to his great delight and amazement…
Read More Award-winning authors discuss writing about war at Stanford Live event
This year marks both the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and the 14th year that U.S. troops have been engaged in conflict since 9/11. How have American writers portrayed the face of battle? What lessons have they learned from their writings about how humans remember or forget the past, and how…
Read More Stanford University Board of Trustees elects four new members
The new trustees will begin their five-year terms on Sept. 1.
The Stanford University Board of Trustees recently elected four new members: Mary Barra, chief executive officer of General Motors Co.; Dipanjan “DJ” Deb, chief executive officer of Francisco Partners FP; Bradley A. Geier, co-managing partner of Merlone Geier Partners; and Christy MacLear, executive director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. The new trustees – whose five-year…
Read MoreSpark! Grants: A Year in Photos 2014-15
From a rock band record release to Steve Reich, from Much Ado About Nothing to original, student-written musical theater, this year’s Spark! grant supported creative diversity across Stanford campus. These student groups, individuals, undergraduates, and graduates enliven the campus with their artistic endeavors. 2014-2015 Projects: SImps Workshops The Long Way Around The Benevolent Institution Proof…
Read More Stanford art and art history faculty, staff making plans for the McMurtry Building
Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the new interdisciplinary arts hub is expected to house a hive of activity.
Stanford’s art and art history faculty and staff are spending the summer moving to the arts district. The McMurtry Building, the new home for the Department of Art & Art History, will welcome students the first day of the fall term and be formally dedicated Oct. 6. The Art & Architecture Library opens in early…
Read MoreCongratulations 2014-15 graduates!
Go forward and remember the words of your Baccalaureate speaker and civil rights leader Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. who said that the world was calling out for you to realize your talents – not just for your own gain – but also to lift up those in whose shoes, but for the grace of God,…
Read More Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center acquires an early Edward Hopper painting
"New York Corner," 1913, finds a new home at Stanford University.The Cantor Arts Center has announced the major new acquisition of a painting by Edward Hopper, New York Corner (Corner Saloon), 1913. One of Hopper’s early paintings, the oil on canvas was created when Hopper was just 31 and still struggling to establish himself, but it heralds the artist’s influential career and prominence as one…
Read More Stanford student group reshapes music-making hierarchy
Twenty-four musicians experiment with collaborative leadership in their new conductorless ensemble, SCOr.The goal was to create an opportunity for students to develop their skills and become better communicators, listeners and facilitators who will apply what they’ve learned to future personal and professional settings. These are not business school students, but they are entrepreneurial, and they are experimenting with an alternative organizational model, albeit in the music…
Read More Latin American authors reshaping world literature, Stanford literary scholar says
Héctor Hoyos' research goes beyond famed writers to uncover a whole generation of Latin American authors who are contributing novel perspectives on the evolving landscape of global culture.In recent years, the late Chilean novelist Roberto Bolaño has become the most famous figure on the Latin American literary scene. No doubt, Bolaño’s groundbreaking novels, such as Los detectives salvajes (The Savage Detectives) and 2666, have moved legions of readers. “In many circles, Bolaño has come to represent the entirety of contemporary Latin American…
Read More Burghers can’t get cell coverage in Memorial Court
Now we know why Rodin’s Burghers of Calais are really upset.Now we know why Rodin’s Burghers of Calais are really upset. They apparently can’t get a cell signal. That became clear Friday morning to passersby in Memorial Court, where Rodin’s impressive bronze work is on display. But something new had been added: The sculptures were holding white iPhones in their oversized hands. The work honors…
Read More Eva Perón, icon and spirit, is reimagined on the Stanford stage
Students perform the musical Evita while artifacts from Hoover's Juan Domingo Perón papers, Eva memorabilia and contemporary video interviews of Porteños are featured in a companion exhibition.
Stanford junior Sammi Cannold is a great admirer of fem-icon Eva Perón, Argentina’s first lady from 1946 until her death in 1952. It all started with Evita. After seeing the 2012 Broadway revival in New York several times during her senior year of high school (it was at the top of her gift wish list…
Read More Stanford music scholar redefines the jazz and cabaret culture of 1920s Harlem
Musicologist Nate Sloan's investigation of Harlem Renaissance jazz portrays a diverse, multisensory experience where music, place and race influenced each other in profound and lasting ways.From 1926 to 1935, the Cotton Club was the hottest jazz hub in New York City’s vibrant Harlem neighborhood. Not only did the club launch the careers of Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Lena Horne, but it also attracted celebrity clientele like Jimmy Durante, Walter Winchell and even the Prince of Jordan. Owned and run…
Read More Stanford Repertory Theater explores the ethics of science with Brecht’s Life of Galileo
Do scientists have an ethical responsibility to serve the greater good? Stanford students, professors and professional actors present Bertolt Brecht's masterful exploration of the roles of commerce, politics and religion in shaping the future of scientific research.German playwright Bertolt Brecht is considered to be one of the most influential figures in 20th-century theatre. Like so many of Brecht’s plays, the themes in Life of Galileo resonate decades after it was written. The story centers on the great Italian scientist and natural philosopher Galileo Galilei, during the period when the Roman Catholic…
Read More Stanford students celebrate release of graphic novel American Heathen
The graphic novel, which Stanford students researched, wrote and illustrated, focuses on the life and times of a Chinese American man who dedicated much of his life to improving the lives of Chinese immigrants in 19th-century America.At a recent book launch on campus, six young Stanford artists sat at a long table in the Terrace Room of Margaret Jacks Hall with copies of American Heathen, the graphic novel they had written and illustrated, propped up in front of them. The event marked the highly anticipated culmination of a two-quarter English course…
Read More Stanford literary scholar: White whales and the ‘Melville Effect’
With a resurgence of Melville-themed art across the multimedia landscape, Stanford Humanities Center Fellow Joseph Boone says the legendary writer has become a 21st-century muse for artists – including Boone himself.As the author of syllabus staples like Billy Budd, Herman Melville has been a fixture of American letters over the past century. But this hasn’t always been the case. During his lifetime, readers knew Melville for his adventure stories like Typee and Omoo, but the works we know him for today –especially Moby-Dick – sold…
Read MoreSummer Plans
It’s June, which means the campus is preparing for Commencement: The fountains are being coaxed out of hibernation, student prizes are being awarded, and the now-annual Senior Arts Gala is taking place at Bing Concert Hall. This year’s gala promises a showcase of some of the most talented performing and visual artists of the Class…
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