/news-archive/tag/lawrence-smith/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Wed, 01 May 2019 22:19:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2019/05/01/theater-of-cruelty/ Wed, 01 May 2019 22:19:31 +0000 /news/?p=74182 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock student explores 鈥渢heater of cruelty鈥�]]> 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock theater major Selena Gordon has performed in musicals, plays, and even national films, but this semester she worked to create a performance of a different kind – one meant to awaken her audiences鈥� unexpressed emotions. Gordon spent this semester creating 鈥淲ake-up!鈥� – a performance that uses overbearing sensory aspects, such as lights, sound, and gestures to stir emotions. 聽 鈥淚 wanted to make the audience confront issues that society tends to shy away from or ignore because they鈥檙e too difficult to talk about,鈥� she said. 鈥淪uch things include racism, sexual assault, gun control, mental illness, abuse, discrimination in all of its forms, and the political state of the country today.鈥� It鈥檚 all part of a 鈥渢heater of cruelty鈥� experience that Gordon created and debuted at the Fringe Festival on campus in April. Recorded excerpts from the performance also were part of Gordon’s poster presentation at the Research and Creative Works Expo on April 18 in the Jack Stephens Center. Gordon, a Fort Smith native, is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Corps. During her time at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, she has participated in Department of Theatre Arts and Dance productions, including 鈥淭丑别 All Night Strut鈥� in 2017 and 鈥淎s You Like It鈥� in 2018. In 2017, Gordon also landed an acting job in the faith-based film 鈥淕od鈥檚 Not Dead 3,鈥� which was filmed in central Arkansas. Last fall, Gordon was one of about 100 undergraduates who received up to a $1,000 grant to conduct original research, creative works, and community service projects this semester as part of the Signature Experience Awards program created by Chancellor Andrew Rogerson. The awards – now in their second year – are designed to foster research and creative works among undergraduate students. Gordon proposed a project in which she would apply the theories of French dramatist Antonin Artaud, which she studied in Lawrence Smith鈥檚 Dramatic Criticism and Theory class, to a script she had written. Smith served as Gordon鈥檚 faculty mentor for the project. 鈥淚 learned about Antonin Artaud, who is the mastermind behind the idea (of theatre of cruelty), and I was instantly captured by his life and his theories,鈥� she said. 鈥淎rtaud believed that theatre had become too focused on words and that we had trapped ourselves in this box of repetitive works that had already been seen before and had been done for too many years. He wanted new works that moved people, that linked to the present world. His answer for escaping this loop was a theatre of cruelty.鈥� Selena Gordon, center, presents her “Theater of Cruelty” project to a judge during the Research and Creative Works Expo on April 18, 2019. Photo by Benjamin Krain  ]]> /news-archive/2019/04/25/research-expo-2/ Thu, 25 Apr 2019 19:41:30 +0000 /news/?p=74128 ... Expo showcases student research and creative works]]> University of Arkansas at Little Rock students showcased their academic work this semester at the recent Student Research and Creative Works Expo held April 18 in the Jack Stephens Center. More than 200 students representing every college within the university participated this year, with projects spanning research in computer science/information science, creative work, economics, education, engineering/engineering technology/construction management, health science, humanities, interdisciplinary, life science, physical science, service work/professional application, social science, and social work. More than 100 of the participating students received Signature Experience Awards of up to $1,000 to fund their research this semester. Kajal Shukla, a senior computer science major, used machine learning to predict coronary heart disease. Shukla, who was mentored by Dr. Mariofannia Milanova in the Department of Computer Science, chose to investigate heart disease because a data set was already available for heart disease that allowed her to experiment with three different machine learning models to determine which was the most useful. Shukla will graduate May 11 with a Bachelor of Science in computer science and plans to start a master鈥檚 degree program in June. More than a dozen entries in this year鈥檚 expo were creative works. Aaron Prosser earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic art in December but returned to campus to exhibit his 鈥淥rgano Guys,鈥� a series of action figures that combine his love of toys and his graphic design talent. Inspired by Captain Planet, Swamp Thing, and the Ninja Turtles, Prosser鈥檚 action figures were sent by Mother Earth to enforce the preservation of the environment. Prosser was mentored by Kevin Cates. Kat Hall, who will graduate May 11 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre arts, explored the process and conventions used during the 16th century in England under strict sumptuary laws to transform male players into female characters on stage. Her project, 鈥淐ross Dressing: The Transformative Power of Costumes on Shakespeare鈥檚 Stage,鈥� used contemporary flat pattern and draping methods to create costumes. 鈥淭丑别 Student Research and Creative Works Expo really captures the diversity, breadth, and calibre of our students, and is a testament to the expertise and engagement of their faculty mentors,鈥� said Lawrence Smith, assistant professor in 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Theatre Arts and Dance Department and co-chair of the Student Research and Creative Works Committee. 鈥淚t gives you a great insight to the creativity and intellectual rigor that is the heart of our work at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.鈥� In addition to the expo, individual colleges at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock showcased their programs, research, and resources as part of a larger Research and Creativity in the Rock event. The College of Social Sciences and Communication hosted a two-day mini-conference featuring interdisciplinary panels with faculty, staff, and students. The College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences gave tours of its science laboratories to visiting high school students who were also treated to music and dance and music performances in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, a majors fair, and 聽tour of the Windgate Center of Art and Design. The Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology also gave tours of its engineering, engineering technology, and earth science laboratories to visiting high school students who also toured the Emerging Analytics Center. The College of Education and Health Professions hosted an open house in the Bailey Alumni Center to showcase faculty and student research and information about the STEM Education Center, and the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology hosted an open house with student poster presentations and demonstrations. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students discuss their research with visitors at the Student Research and Creative Works Expo held April 18 in the Jack Stephens Center. Photo by Benjamin Krain    ]]> /news-archive/2019/04/15/research-expo/ Mon, 15 Apr 2019 19:59:42 +0000 /news/?p=74043 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to showcase Student Research And Creative Works]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will showcase the best of its students鈥� research and creative works on Thursday, April 18, at the 2019 Student Research and Creative Works Expo from noon – 3 p.m. in the Jack Stephens Center. The 2019 expo is part of the university’s Research and Creativity in the Rock event, which includes the expo as well as individual showcases and demonstrations within the university’s colleges. At the expo, more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students will display聽projects spanning research in computer science/information science, creative work, economics, education, engineering/engineering technology/construction management, health science, humanities, interdisciplinary, life science, physical science, service work/professional application, social science, and social work. Recipients of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Signature Experience Awards and Student Undergraduate Research Fellowships from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education are among the students showcasing their work. The event is free and open to the public. 鈥淭丑别 Student Research and Creative Works Expo really captures the diversity, breadth, and calibre of our students and is a testament to the expertise and engagement of their faculty mentors,鈥� said Lawrence Smith, assistant professor in 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Theatre Arts and Dance Department and co-chair of聽the Student Research and Creative Works Committee. 鈥淚t gives you a great insight to the creativity and intellectual rigor that is the heart of our work at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.鈥� Students from every college within the university are participating this year. 鈥淓ach year, students鈥� research projects affirm the difference they and their mentors make on a wide range of relevant world issues, such as pollution, breast cancer, and social injustice,鈥� said Elizabeth Ann Lee, assistant professor of nursing, who is also co-chair of the event committee. 鈥淟ikewise, students鈥� amazing creative works enrich the arts, and their professional activities make our community a better place to live.鈥� In addition to the expo, individual colleges within the university will showcases their programs, research, and resources as part of Research and Creativity in the Rock. The College of Social Sciences and Communication聽will host聽a two-day mini-conference beginning Wednesday, April 17, in the Donaghey Student Center that features interdisciplinary panels with faculty, staff, and students. An online schedule of events is available. The College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences will showcase its science laboratories to high school students who聽will see science experiments in the Departments of Chemistry, Biology, and Physics and Astronomy and tour campus. Dance and music performances begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall; an Explore the Majors fair begins at 11 a.m. in the Maners-Papas Gallery; and a tour of Windgate Center for Art and Design begins at 11:30 a.m. The College of Education and Health Professions will have an open house from 10 a.m. – noon in the Bailey Alumni Center to showcase faculty and student research as well as information and activities from the STEM Education Center. The George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology will host an open house for visiting high school students from 9-11:30 a.m. 鈥淭his is a phenomenal showcasing of the work done by 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students, faculty, and staff,鈥� said Dr. Abhijit Bhattacharyya, interim dean of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Graduate School. Community members, including high school students, have also been invited to visit the events. Transportation will be provided between the venues for the convenience of visitors. A map of trolley stops is available online. For more information about any of the events, contact Tiffany McFadden-Kidd, Graduate School recruitment and communications coordinator, at tlmcfadden@ualr.edu or 501-569-3088.  ]]> /news-archive/2019/03/28/fringe-festival/ Thu, 28 Mar 2019 15:27:07 +0000 /news/?p=73808 ... Fringe Festival to showcase original student plays, performances]]> University of Arkansas at Little Rock students will stage their original plays and performance pieces during the university鈥檚 Fringe Festival, taking place April 2-5. Performances will begin nightly at 7:30 p.m. in the Haislip Theatre in the Center for the Performing Arts on the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock campus. Doors open at 7 p.m., and admission is free and open to the public with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. This year鈥檚 festival – presented by the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance – includes 12 new plays, monologues, and choreographic work from 11 playwrights. The festival is divided into two events: 鈥淧G to OMG鈥� will be presented April 2 and April 4, and 鈥淲omen’s Voices鈥� will be presented April 3 and April 5. Many of the students created their work during the special topics course 鈥淧age to Stage鈥� taught last fall. The student playwrights and directors have revised their written work this semester and brought the pieces to life onstage. Other work in the festival was generated in Dr. Lawrence Smith’s Introduction to Theatre and Dance course and by student majors interested in poetry and creative writing. 鈥淭丑别 works in the festival offer a range of content and theatrical styles,鈥� said Stacy Pendergraft, associate professor and artistic director for the Fringe Festival. 鈥淪tudents have been free to explore subject matter that inspires and challenges their ideas of theatre-making.鈥� Fringe V is directed by students and alumni, and for the first time the festival has a design component. Theatre major Thomas Jackson’s scenic design serves as his senior capstone project. In addition, Conor Van Lierop serves as lighting designer, and Blake Morris serves as sound designer. Students Mykenzie Gordon, Jessi Ley, Thomas Jackson, and Conor Van Lierop received Signature Experience Awards to support their creative works. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock freshman Gage Pipkin wrote and directed an original 10-minute play called 鈥淧risoners,鈥� which will be staged on two nights of the festival. 鈥淚 am so glad to be involved with something that is presenting unconventional works,鈥� Pipkin said. 鈥淎 ton of work has been put in by all of those involved, and much of the work is student driven from the page to the stage.鈥� The festival is for mature audiences age 18 and older because of adult themes, strong language, and sexual content. ]]> /news-archive/2017/10/27/african-american-film-theatre/ Fri, 27 Oct 2017 13:06:07 +0000 /news/?p=68366 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock class to cover history of African-American film and theatre]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock鈥檚 latest class for the 2018 spring semester will cover the history of African-American film and theatre from 1820 to the present. The three-credit hour course, THEA 4340-01 African American Theatre and Film, will take place from 3:05-4:20 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays during spring 2018. Using performance texts as a springboard, the class will look at key artists, companies, and movements to analyze and discuss concerns and representational strategies in African-American dramatic works across various eras and in different media. 鈥淲e will engage with the critical discourse surrounding dramatic performances by African-American artists, and consider how stage and screen are used in writing, representing, and preserving history,鈥� said Dr. Lawrence Smith, assistant professor in the Theatre Arts and Dance department. The class explores many plays and films, including works by Amiri Baraka, Carlyle Brown, Charles Burnett, Alice Childress, Julie Dash, Lydia Diamond, Lorraine Hansberry, Zora Neale Hurston, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Spike Lee, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Oscar Micheaux, Suzan-Lori Parks, Tyler Perry, Ntozake Shange, Bert Williams and George Walker, and August Wilson. The class also counts toward the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock minor in race and ethnicity. For more information, contact Dr. Lawrence Smith at ldsmith11@ualr.edu.]]>