 | Theme Guides to selected programs from the Fall 2017 Visions & Voices program were created in partnership with USC Libraries faculty and staff.
Photo: David Ohmer from Cincinnati, USA - Cincinnati – Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum "Autumn Reflection", CC BY 2.0 |
Architectures of Light: The Drone Photography of Reuben Wu (Theme Guide PDF)Related Event: Drone Photography and 3D Modeling Workshop Main Event: Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 7 p.m. USC Libraries Contributor: Stacy Williams Event Description: Join us for an artist’s talk by Reuben Wu, who uses light-carrying drones to create sublime and otherworldly photographic landscapes. Wu’s photographs evoke conventions of Romantic painting and the wonder of planetary discovery in vintage sci-fi films, and draw on his unique understanding of time and memory as a musician and co-founder of the British electronic band Ladytron. |
John Leguizamo: Latin History for Morons (Theme Guide PDF)Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m., Ahmanson Theatre USC Libraries Contributor: Eimmy Solis Event Description: A sold-out run at the Public Theater. A record-breaking engagement at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Endless critical and audience acclaim direct from Broadway. Chalk it all up to the mad genius of Tony and Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo, standing at the head of the class in his one-man show, Latin History for Morons. |
Perla Batalla in the House of Cohen (Theme Guide PDF)Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 7:30 p.m., Bovard Auditorium (ADM) USC Libraries Contributor: Andrew Justice V&V Event Information: Performed on Leonard Cohen’s birthday, “Perla Batalla in the House of Cohen” will pay tribute to her friend and mentor with selected songs and rare personal anecdotes. Batalla’s first CD of Cohen covers, Bird on the Wire, was produced with Cohen’s blessing. He attended the recording session, weighed in on the selections and arrangements, and uncharacteristically participated in a photo session at his Los Angeles home to promote the project. Cohen’s passing in November 2016 reaffirmed Batalla’s mission of sharing his lesser-known songs with a younger audience and demonstrating the lighter side of the “Godfather of Gloom.” Don’t miss Batalla, who has also performed with Nick Cave and Julie Christensen, as she reveals the timelessness of Cohen’s art and shares her sincere respect and deep love for the music, the poetry, and, most of all, her dear friend. |
Sell/Buy/Date: A Performance by Sarah Jones (Theme Guide PDF)Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 7 p.m., Bing Theatre (BIT) USC Libraries Contributor: Stacy Williams Event Description: In Sell/Buy/Date, Tony and Obie Award–winning playwright and performer Sarah Jones portrays a dazzling medley of characters inspired by the real-life experiences of people affected by the sex industry. Brimming with Jones’s masterful, multicultural characterizations, the exuberant show presents an honest, moving, and humorous look at a complex and fascinating subject—all while preserving the full humanity of voices seldom heard in the theatre. The acclaimed show will be followed by a discussion with Jones and Q&A with the audience. |
Art Deco Walking Tour (Theme Guide PDF)Friday, September 27, 2019 at 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Downtown Los Angeles USC Libraries Contributor: Bryn Ziegler Event Description: Everyone knows that L.A. is a glamorous city. But few know that true Old Hollywood glamour lies in the streets of Downtown L.A. This walking tour will focus on the Jazz Age elegance of Art Deco. Its clean lines and geometric patterns proved a perfect style for L.A. in the 1920s and ‘30s, and an extraordinary collection of these masterpieces still stands in the heart of the city. |
WET: A DACAmented Journey: A Performance by Alex Alpharaoh (Theme Guide PDF)Monday, October 7, 2019 at 7 p.m., USC Brain and Creativity Institute's Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall (BCI) USC Libraries Contributors: Barbara Robinson and Javier Garibay Event Description: WET: A DACAmented Journey is the story of what it means to be an American in every sense of the word except one: on paper. Chronicling Anner Cividanis’s journey living his whole life in the United States as an undocumented American, the solo performance by Alex Alpharaoh captures the desperation that DREAMers feel when forced to navigate a broken U.S. immigration system with very limited options, and examines the mental, emotional, and psychological hardship one man has to endure in order to secure his livelihood in Los Angeles, the only home he has known. USC students are also invited to attend a special pre-show dinner featuring foods from several of Los Angeles' immigrant communities and conversation led by USC faculty and guests. Further details are available at the RSVP page. Alex Alpharaoh earned his reputation as an emcee and spoken word artist by honing his skills in Los Angeles outlets such as KPCC’s Unheard LA as well as venues around the country, including New York’s renowned Nuyorican Café. The award-winning performer is also the founder and creator of SP!T: Spoken Word Theatre, a Los Angeles–based ensemble that combines hip hop culture, spoken word, acting, and dynamic movement to tell original stories centered around societal issues with the city of Los Angeles as the backdrop. |
Racial Radical: Generating New “Woke” Words (Theme Guide PDF)Thursday, October 10, 2019 at 7 p.m., USC Brain and Creativity Institute's Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall (BCI) USC Libraries Contributor: Alyssa Brissett Event Description: Join us for a multimedia event featuring Milwaukee-based visual and spoken word artists Fondé Bridges, Mikal Floyd-Pruitt, and Dasha Kelly. Drawing from hip hop and the Black urban experience, they will bring their linguistic, cultural, and collaborative talents to USC, where they will work with audience members to identify familiar-but-unnamed racial experiences and generate new language to describe them. Building on experiences working with USC students in classes taught by Taj Frazier (Communication), Lanita Jacobs (American Studies and Ethnicity), and LaVonna Lewis (Public Policy), the artists and attendees will brainstorm, sprout, and spread new vocabulary for a new era. |
Paths of Glory, Visions of Horror: The Music and Art of World War I (Theme Guide PDF)Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 7:30 p.m., Newman Recital Hall (AHF) USC Libraries Contributor: Anthony Anderson Event Description: Organized as a prelude to the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, this event will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and the formal conclusion of World War I. Focusing on the years before, during, and immediately following the Great War, USC history professor emeritus Elinor Accampo and Piatigorsky chair Ralph Kirshbaum will explore the impact of the shattering upheaval on the social fabric and artistic sensibilities of Europe and America. |
An Evening with Doug Aitken (Theme Guide PDF)Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at 7 p.m., Bovard Auditorium (ADM) USC Libraries Contributor: Rebecca Michelson Event Description: American artist Doug Aitken defies definitions of genre and explores every medium, from film and installations to architectural interventions. Utilizing a wide array of artistic approaches, Aitken leads us into a world where time, space, and memory are fluid concepts. |
Emotionally Intelligent Robots: More Human than Human? (Theme Guide PDF)Thursday, October 24, 2019 at 3 p.m., Doheny Memorial Library (DML) 3 p.m.: Interactive Showcase at USC Sidney Harman Polymathic Academy, DML 241 USC Libraries Contributor: Danielle Mihram Event Description: Humans have been fascinated by robots and automata for millennia. There are ancient Greek myths about artificial humans and animated statues coming to life. But as developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and the creation of AI companions and helpers bring these once mythological creatures closer to reality, our perceptions of ourselves and our relationships with others are being fundamentally altered. Jonathan Gratch, Rachel Severson, and Sidney D’Mello—experts in robotics, psychology, and cognitive science, respectively —will highlight the evolution of robotics and AI technologies in an interactive showcase and discussion exploring our increasingly complex interactions and emotional bonds with machines, and what they tell us about what it means to be human. |
USC Kaufman MinEvent (Theme Guide PDF)Friday, November 1, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. USC Libraries Contributor: Rebecca Michelson Event Description: Groundbreaking dancer Merce Cunningham (1919–2009) was one of the most influential choreographers of the twentieth century. Known for his longtime collaboration with avant-garde composer John Cage, Cunningham danced with Martha Graham until he formed his own company in 1953. He garnered wide acclaim over seven decades for his constant innovation as he expanded the boundaries of contemporary art, visual arts, performing arts, and music. This year, we celebrate his 100th birthday and legacy around the world. |
Climate Change Theatre Action LA: At the Intersection (Theme Guide PDF)Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 2 p.m. USC Libraries Contributor: Christy Kane Event Description: Climate Change Theatre Action (CCTA) is a global action that takes place every two years to coincide with the UN’s International Conference on Climate Change, which will take place this year in Santiago, Chile. “CCTA LA: At the Intersection” will feature short plays, monologues, music, puppetry, and spoken word exploring the effects of climate change on Los Angeles communities. “At the Intersection” uses theatre to start a conversation about the impact of climate change on Los Angeles neighborhoods, especially low-income communities of color that often don’t have the political clout or resources to fight back against policies that may have a negative impact on air quality, the availability of water, and how land gets used (and misused) in our city. Live performances at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will inspire audiences to take action and participate in the global discussion on climate change. |
Hysteria or Misogyny? Women, Madness, and Mental Health (Theme Guide PDF)Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 4 p.m. USC Libraries Contributor: Lisa Crow Event Description: From the “hysteria” of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to neurotic and mood disorders in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, women far outnumber men in being given diagnoses of madness. But what does the statistic really mean? This conversation will unearth the long-silenced narratives of female patients suffering under the societal and medical constraints imposed upon them using arcane and, in many cases, inconsistent standards of sanity. |
Shanghai Jazz: A Culture Mix (Theme Guide PDF)Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. USC Libraries Contributor: Andrew Justice Event Description: In 1935, Los Angeles–based musician Buck Clayton formed a jazz band called Harlem Gentlemen to perform in Shanghai. Li Jinhui, who is considered the father of Chinese popular music, had been performing in the “Paris of the East” for years when Clayton and his colleagues arrived. Clayton and Li eventually worked together to form a new and unique blend of American jazz and Chinese traditional music. |
The Four Immigrants: From Manga to Musical (Theme Guide PDF)Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at 7 p.m. USC Libraries Contributor: Andrew Justice Event Description: The Four Immigrants: An American Musical Manga is an award-winning musical about the adventures of young Japanese immigrants in early-twentieth-century San Francisco. Based on Manga Yonin Shosei, a semi-autobiographical series of comic strips written and drawn by Henry Yoshitaka Kiyama from 1924 to 1927, the show follows Charlie, Frank, Fred, and Henry as they pursue the American Dream in the face of numerous obstacles. Both the musical and the original manga it’s based on contrast the gag-driven humor of Western comic strips with the discrimination faced by first-wave immigrants, and explore what it means to find home in a foreign land. |
Turning Limitations into Opportunities: An Evening with Ali Stroker, A Visions and Voices Signature Event (Theme Guide PDF)Monday, December 2, 2019 at 7 p.m. USC Libraries Contributor: Kelsey Vukic Event Description: In an inspiring and intimate presentation, the Tony Award–winning Broadway and television star Ali Stroker will discuss her life and career and the importance of inclusion, representation, and ending ableism. Stroker became the first wheelchair user to star in a Broadway production when she originated the role of Anna in Deaf West’s acclaimed 2015 revival of Spring Awakening. In 2019, she made history again by winning a Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Ado Annie in the smash Broadway revival of Oklahoma! On television, Stroker starred in 12 episodes of Oxygen’s The Glee Project. She placed second in the competition and won a guest role on Fox’s Glee. She also starred in the Kyra Sedgwick ABC series, Ten Days in the Valley. |
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, An Experience L.A. Event (Theme Guide PDF)Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at 6:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. USC Libraries Contributor: Anthony Anderson Event Description: Retaining all the iconic elements of the classic production loved by millions around the world, British choreographer Matthew Bourne and award-winning designers Lez Brotherston (set and costumes) and Paule Constable (lighting) have reimagined Tchaikovsky’s beloved tale by replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble. |