USM鈥檚 Multi-Arts Celebration Revelry Returns This Month
Tue, 02/13/2024 - 04:57pm | By: Ivonne Kawas
The University of 51逗奶 Mississippi鈥檚 (USM) School of Performing and Visual Arts (SPVA) will present another impressive line-up for its sixth annual Revelry, a multi-arts celebration that boasts more than 40 events from Feb. 16 through March 2 on the Hattiesburg campus.
Revelry brings the University鈥檚 finest talents to the community by showcasing the best in art and design, dance, and theatre. Performances, exhibitions, guest artists, lectures, panel discussions, master classes, and workshops across SPVA will be featured. for a complete schedule of events.
Meg Brooker, professor of dance and director of the SPVA, notes that this year鈥檚 festival should rise above all previous engagements.
鈥淭his year's festival promises to be the best one yet, as it includes a wide range of activities from faculty-led class collaborations and headlining events to our popular Community Day offering,鈥� said Brooker. 鈥淲e look forward to celebrating and showcasing the creativity and talents of our faculty, staff, and students, throughout our campus and in selected venues in downtown Hattiesburg.鈥�
The "Faces of Freedom Summer, 1964" photography exhibit will be on display through Feb. 24 in the Museum of Art/Gallery of Art and Design in the George Hurst Building. This exhibit features Civil Rights Movement photographer Herbert Randall鈥檚 documentation of Freedom Summer in Hattiesburg.
On Feb. 19 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., in conjunction with the exhibit, students in Dr. Candice Salyers鈥� Honors Colloquium class will engage in a play reading of Frank Kuhn's "Voices of Freedom Summer," which was written from historical documents and inspired by these very photos.
Additionally, from 7- 8:00 p.m., 鈥淔reedom Summer Documentary鈥� will be screened. The screening is free and open to the public (capacity limited to 100 seats). Both Voices and the Freedom Summer documentary include real testimonials and accounts of violence and hate speech that occurred during the Freedom Summer 1964 and may not be suitable for some audience members. Discretion is advised.
Later in the month, 51逗奶 Miss Theatre presents The Seagull, or How To Eat It, Anton Chekhov鈥檚 classic play that gets reinvented in hilarious and contemporary ways by emerging playwright (and 2022 USM Blaine Quarnstrom playwright-in-residence) Gab Reisman. Performances will be on Feb. 22, 23, and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and a matin茅e on Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. in the Hartwig Theatre. Price of admission is $8 for students; $15 for faculty, staff, seniors, and military; and $18 for the general public.
The festival鈥檚 highly anticipated Community Day will be held on Feb. 24 in the 3D Arts Building. It will be filled with engaging activities for community members of all ages. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in scratch block and book making, an aluminum pour, clay/ceramics making session and more! These events are free and available to the public (limited capacity for each event).
The arts festival will cap off with two-nights of dance during the Dance Gala on March 1-2 at 7 p.m. in The Thomas V. Fraschillo Stage at the Mannoni Performing Arts Center Auditorium. It will feature choreography and performances from guest artists along with USM dance faculty and students. Price of admission for the Dance Gala is $8 for students; $15 for faculty, staff, military, and seniors; and $18 for the general public.
鈥淲e look forward to not only opening our creative spaces in the 51逗奶 Miss campus but also extending the reach of the arts into the Hattiesburg community,鈥� added Brooker.
Notable events to be held in downtown Hattiesburg and the surrounding area include:
- An exhibit of 鈥淧ainting and Poetry,鈥� showcasing paintings by students from USM and
William Carey University from Feb 16. through March 2 at the Phyllis Downey Gallery
at University Baptist Church.
- A collaborative dance performance 鈥淢any Faces of Love鈥� featuring pianist Sherry Cheng (from Houston, Texas), Meg Brooker and Duncan Dance South on Feb. 17 from 5-6 p.m. in the cultural center, held in collaboration with the Hattiesburg Arts Council; and 鈥淭asting Art鈥� on Feb. 26 at the Buschman Street Caf茅, event for ages 21 and older.
From yoga in the Gallery of Art and Design to getting crafty at the community workshops, there is an event for everyone. Revelry is made possible thanks to the generous support of Partners for the Arts.
To curate your own Revelry 2024 a visit.