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The Boston College community’s annual celebration of music, dance, literature, drama, visual arts and other forms of expression will once again invigorate the campus when the University’s 14th Arts Festival takes place April 26-28.
More than 1,000 BC students, faculty and administrators participate in the festival, which last year drew more than 16,500 BC alumni and area residents, and includes over 80 events, most of them free and all open to the public. The festival showcases artists with diverse talents and highlights performing, visual and literary arts programs and features daily events, exhibits, music and dance showcases, and demonstrations.
A variety of events will engage audience members, who are invited to take part in hands-on art experimentation. The festival will include a series of activities on April 28 for children, such as arts and crafts, children’s story hour, an instrument petting zoo and a production of “The Little Mermaid,” performed by students in Theatre faculty member Luke Jorgensen’s Creative Dramatics class.
A highlight of the festival will be a visit from special guest Tony Taccone ’72, artistic director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre, who will receive this year’s Arts Council Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement.
Another standout event will be a production of Shakespeare’s classic comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” — presented “Bollywood” style, and set in India during the British raj, with bright colors, acrobats and dance — at Robsham Theater.
Organizers say the festival will once again feature an infusion of professional mentors beyond BC faculty and staff members. They include artists — among them alumni — who have been on campus this spring to work with students in various genres, such as a cappella, dance and improv. This “Road to the Festival” initiative, which has included workshops and master classes, aims to enhance students’ creative preparation not only for the festival, but for their ongoing artistic growth and development.
Other festival features include a focus on social justice programs on the theme of “Expand Your Horizons,” under the auspices of BC’s Arts and Social Responsibility Project, and through the Center for Student Formation, a program titled “Stories of Transformation, From Me to We,” will present BC student actors’ depictions of other students’ campus retreat experiences. In addition, faculty and student artistic accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony on April 27.
The festival is organized by the Arts Council and sponsored by the offices of the President, the Provost and Dean of Faculties, Center for Student Formation, Student Affairs, the Carroll School of Management with support from the Boston College Bookstore. Complete festival details are available at the Arts Festival website, http://www.bc.edu/artsfestival