101110_ar_PaulTaylor

Summary:

Headline: Paul Taylor Dance Company to perform at Mondavi this Saturday for first time in five years

Layercake: World-famous troupe renowned for choreography that tackles controversial issues

By ANNETA KONSTANTINIDES

Aggie Arts Writer

For those students who sink into depression every time August comes along and another season of “So You Think You Can Dance” ends, a new opportunity to watch contemporary dance is coming to UC Davis.

The world-renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company will be performing at the Mondavi Center in Jackson Hall on Nov. 13. Davis is one stop in the Company’s current touring season.

The Paul Taylor Dance Company was started in 1954 in New York by Paul Taylor, one of the youngest founders of American modern dance. Paul Taylor is known around the world for his powerful choreography.

According to Jeremy Ganter, the associate executive director for the Mondavi Center, Taylor’s work is one of the main reasons why students should come out to see the show.

“I think anyone should jump at the chance to see the work of one of the most significant American artists of all time, dance or otherwise, particularly while he is still very much alive and well, and continually making work,” he said.

Taylor is known for using dance to convey social observations and tackle controversial issues, which have included sexuality, war and spirituality. He has won countless awards for his choreography, including the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.

The Paul Taylor Dance Company has built up a collection of 133 different pieces that range from the Company’s founding in 1954 to works choreographed in the present day. This, says Ganter, is one of the major strengths of the Company’s performances.

“Mr. Taylor and his staff care intensely about how every evening’s program is shaped – about variety, about emotional contrast, and about seeing the dancers and Taylor’s own aesthetic from multiple perspectives.  There are few dance companies who have the kind of depth to do this, and who do it so well,” Ganter said.

According to The New York Times’ reviewer Alastair Macaulay, Taylor’s method of using the individuals in his company to influence and update his pieces is one of the most intriguing aspects of Taylor’s choreography.

“Paul Taylor, more than any other living choreographer just now, seems to be so in love with his performers that he keeps needing to find and reveal fresh facets of them,” Macaulay said in his review of the company’s performance at New York City’s City Center on March 1.

According to Annmaria Mazzini, a current Taylor dancer, this is one of the best parts of dancing with the Company.

“You really get to explore all these sides and all these facets of your personality through Paul’s choreography, and it’s really challenging because he casts you in something that you might never have pictured yourself in,” she said.

The two pieces to be performed on Saturday include “Speaking in Tongues,” which Taylor has won an Emmy for, and “Also Playing,” one of Taylor’s more recently choreographed works.

“Speaking in Tongues” is an intense emotional piece about a religious community in the American South and how they speak about their spiritual beliefs in a public setting. The piece features characters such as Man of the Cloth, American Mother and Unwanted Daughter. The second piece, “Also Playing,” is a lighthearted dance about a vaudeville troupe, featuring a range of characters including a stripper and a prima ballerina.

Mazzini said these two pieces will show the audience the broad emotional range in Taylor’s work.

“Paul is the master of light and dark, but also the grey in between. You’re getting the extreme ends of each one. It’s going to be a very exciting performance.”

Mazzini, who performed with the Company in its first performance at Davis back in 2005, says that one of the best things about Taylor’s choreography is how it raises questions for the audience without ever vocally saying anything.

“Dance is a language without words and we like to leave it open to interpretation to each viewer. You can just look at the dance and experience the dance and whatever feelings it brings up within you is absolutely valid. There are no right or wrong answers.”

The Mondavi Center has been discussing having the Company come back since their first performance in 2005. Having them return this season is, according to Ganter, perfect timing.

“With two other great American choreographers, Mark Morris and Lucinda Childs, in place for the 2010-2011 Mondavi Center Season, the time seemed right to provide a broad look at some of the great American masters of modern dance all in one season,” he said.

Following the performance, there will be a question-and-answer session. Representing the company will be Andy LeBeau, a former Taylor dancer who is currently the company manager, and Betty De Jong, one of the original Paul Taylor dancers and the current rehearsal manager for the company. The session will be led by David Grenke, the chair of the UC Davis Theatre and Dance Department and a former dancer for Taylor’s company.

Tickets for the performance can be bought either at the Mondavi box office or online at the center’s website. Student ticket prices start at $12.50, and regular prices start at $25.

ANNETA KONSTANTINIDES can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

101110_ar_LizGalindo

Headline: UC Davis Ph.D. candidate Elizabeth Galindo designs costumes for stage and screen

Layercake: Galindo’s designs featured in Theatre/Dance Department’s Gallathea

By ERIN MIGDOL

Aggie Staff Writer

Leafing through a giant portfolio filled with photos of her many designs, couture fashion designer and historical film costume researcher Elizabeth Galindo can remember exactly how she designed, sewed, and accessorized every one of her signature gowns. After more than 20 years in the business, that’s a lot of dresses.

“This is all hand burnt velvet and it has 24-carat gold thread running through it,” Galindo says, pausing at a photo of Sophia Loren wearing an intricately patterned gold dress. “The beads are all glass beads from the island of Murano. The fabric alone took me six weeks, and then this was draped on her. That took about five fittings before we could start sewing.”

These days, Galindo has been a fixture on the UC Davis campus as she studies for her Ph.D. and, most recently, designed the costumes for the upcoming Theater and Dance Department production of Gallathea.

Galindo’s handmade, one-of-a-kind dresses have also found their way onto the racks of Bergdorf Goodman’s, Neiman Marcus, and down the red carpet on celebrity clients such as Uma Thurman and Sharon Stone. Her eye for detail and passion for historical costumes have made her a vital member of the costuming team on films such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and There Will Be Blood.

Ask Galindo what part of fashion and costume design she likes most and she’ll tell you simply, “It comes from the fabric first.”

“From lace-making to crocheting to actually hand-working lace, to the dyers who do all the hand-dying in natural dyes …” Galindo says. “That’s something that I really appreciate that a lot of people just don’t, or haven’t learned.”

Galindo’s fashion career began with a childhood obsession with (what else?) Barbie dolls. But she graduated from the University of Southern California in 1978 with degrees in international relations and economics. Her father wanted her to be banker, she says.

“I tried,” she says with a wry smile. “Couldn’t do it. Adding my checkbook now is tough.”

But after marrying a fellow classmate and moving with him to Mexico, Galindo happened upon a small village outside Mexico City known for its beadwork. Impressed with their creations and realizing the need for women to have a secure place to live in the midst of the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, Galindo organized a small business selling Bolero jackets inspired by classic paintings. The women set up schools, hospitals, homes – and the pieces were sold at Bergdorf Goodman’s.

It was among the village women that Galindo learned how to drape fabrics into gowns. “I didn’t go to school, not at all. Don’t even ask me to get near a sewing machine,” she says.

Galindo moved back to her hometown of Los Angeles after 10 years in Mexico, this time committed to a career in fashion. It was here that a friend introduced her to Melanie Griffith, who agreed to wear a Galindo Couture gown “on a whim,” Galindo says. Griffith now owns over 100 Galindo pieces.

Galindo attributes her subsequent popularity among Hollywood starlets, who have worn her gowns on the red carpet at awards shows such as the Emmys and Academy Awards, to her appreciation for vintage European details and originality. Her clients don’t have to worry about showing up in the same gown as someone else, she promises.

Galindo completed her Master’s in Fine Arts in costume design from UC Davis in 2005, and was researching historical costume design in film for her Ph.D. (also at UC Davis) when she met noted film costume designer Jacqueline West. Impressed with Galindo’s knowledge of historical costumes and ability to access archives at UC Davis, West asked her to do research for her next project: designing the costumes for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

“This was a massive project – it covered 100 years and had huge scenes throughout history,” said West. “Liz gave me whole big books filled with research about jazz clubs, brothels in New Orleans and old folks’ homes in the South. I work with Brad Pitt a lot and he calls me a method costume designer – I think Liz is very aware of that.”

Encouraged by her clients and positive word-of-mouth among film costume designers, Galindo’s career in costume research took off. She has worked on nine films, sometimes without the director even knowing. Costume designers often call her up when they need an expert on historical fashion.

Costume designer Cindy Evans worked with Galindo on P.S. I Love You in 2006 and described her reaction to Galindo’s portfolio as “truly blown away.”

“[Director] Richard Lagravenese wanted Hilary [Swank]’s costumes to echo films of the past and have a unique contemporary feel as well,” Evans says. “Liz to me is like the Wikipedia of all things costumes, textiles, historical and contemporary fashion.”

As the costume designer for Gallathea, Galindo has found herself thrust back to the future, so to speak. The play, first performed in 1585, has been given a modern facelift – meaning Galindo’s designs will have a decidedly 21st century vibe.

“Because Gallathea is from 1583 to 1585, of course my mind went directly to, ‘Oh good, I get to do historical.’ And then the director said, ‘No, it’s contemporary,'” Galindo says. “So I have to flip my mind around.”

Historical or not, Galindo remains passionate about simply creating fashion, and finds that the biggest reward is seeing the actors’ reactions during the last fitting. She considers her designs to be reminiscent of a time gone by, when detail and timelessness infused every piece.

There isn’t the class that there used to be, she sighs.

“My evening gowns … they make you have a different character,” she says. “You have to walk differently, learn how to use a train, how to walk in high, high heels. You have a different posture.”

ERIN MIGDOL can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

101110_ar_Filmcontests

Summary:

Headline: Two contests invite college filmmakers to submit original work

Layercake: 32nd Annual College Television Awards and indie film Grassroots could get students noticed by film industry

By ROBIN MIGDOL

Aggie Arts Editor

Student filmmakers are invited to submit their work to two contests: The 32nd Annual College Television Awards and the upcoming indie film Grassroots.

Each contest offers aspiring filmmakers, producers, directors, composers and animators the opportunity to have their work viewed by industry professionals and, if they win, a national audience and the beginning of a career in film and television.

The 32nd Annual College Television Awards are nicknamed “The College Emmys.” Students currently enrolled in a college or university can submit original short films, webisodes, newscasts, commercials and more, which will be judged by members of the Television Academy. Winners in 14 different categories will be awarded cash prizes and/or scholarships at an awards ceremony in Hollywood.

“The truth is that college students – and all the way down to six-year-olds – are the future of the industry,” said Debbie Slavkin, program manager of the Academy of Television Foundation. “The earlier we start recognizing their work, the earlier students will be recognized by production companies and studios and start to get a leg up on the process much sooner than they otherwise would.”

This year, the Television Academy teamed up with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media to create a brand-new category. The Geena Davis Focus on Diversity and Gender Equality in Children’s Media award aims to reward students whose work, geared toward children ages 2 to 11, dispels stereotypes and displays a balance between male and female roles.

In another new feature, applicants may have the opportunity to read comments from the judges about their submissions.

Slavkin said past winners at the College Television Awards, including 9 director Shane Acker and television producer Greg Berlanti, have gone on to be nominated for Oscars and find great success in the film and television industry.

The deadline for submissions for the 32nd Annual College Television Awards is Jan. 12, 2011.

In another contest, students are invited to submit their own original infomercials to be featured in Grassroots, a film starring Jason Biggs, Joel David Moore and Cedric the Entertainer. The movie is based on the true story of Grant Cogswell, who ran for Seattle’s city council in 2001 despite having little experience in politics.

“In the film there’s a scene where [the campaign manager] Jason Biggs is kind of down and out and he’s up late watching TV, and on TV there’s this infomercial,” said Katie Faulknor, Grassroots‘ trans-media coordinator. The infomercial Biggs watches on TV will be the winning video from this contest.

Faulknor said the infomercial must be appropriate for the year 2001 and cannot endorse a specific brand, though students are encouraged to be creative and funny. The entries will be voted on by the general public, but the film’s stars, producers and director Stephen Gyllenhaal will view some of the submissions and have the power to select their favorites.

“Even if you don’t win you have the chance for your work to be seen by professionals,” Faulknor said. “All of our fans and everyone who’s involved in the film will see your film and that’s a pretty big opportunity.”

The deadline for Grassroots is Dec. 1.

Technocultural studies Director and Associate Professor Jesse Drew said contests like Grassroots and the College Television Awards are a great opportunity for students’ work to get noticed beyond the classroom.

“[Entering contests] is a wise thing to do. It forces you to get your act together and polish up the work you’ve done,” Drew said. “I always tell my students, don’t just do this for the assignment. You should create something you’re proud of that goes beyond the university.”

Drew said the UC Davis Film Festival will also begin accepting submissions soon.

For more information on how to enter the College Television Awards, go to emmysfoundation.org. To enter the Grassroots infomercial contest, go to the Grassroots (Movie) Facebook page.

ROBIN MIGDOL can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Have you ever wanted to know what celebrities are really thinking, at any given hour of the day, with no publicists around to influence what they say?

If you answered yes, you’re in luck, ’cause we’ve got Twitter.

At first I didn’t get the appeal of Twitter. Why limit your online presence to 140-character status updates when you can have an entire profile on Facebook? And who really cares what strangers have to say anyway?

And then, along came Ashton Kutcher.

The “Punk’d” host, husband of Demi Moore and all-around cool dude who made trucker hats a fashion statement was one of the first celebrities to make a personal Twitter account, and his tweets paved the way for the hundreds of famous folks who followed. He tweeted about everything – what he was doing, what he was thinking, causes and current events that interested him. It was as if he was our friend, and we were privy to all the details of his life that never make it into magazine articles and red-carpet interviews.

Of course, his millions of followers made Ashton’s star rise to a whole new level, and now most celebrities have a Twitter account of some kind. Still, not all Tweeters are made equal.

Take Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s one of the most popular actors in the world, makes tons of awesome movies and dates supermodels. Recipe for some fascinating, insightful tweets, right?

Wrong. Leo obviously doesn’t write any of his tweets himself, and every single one deals with environmental issues or gives ways-to-get-involved factoids. A tweet on Nov. 1 read “Tomorrow is the day we stand up for what is right for California’s environment & future. Please vote No on #Prop 23.” Riveting, Leo. Just tweet us a picture of your bedroom and call it a day.

Kanye West, on the other hand, is the kind of celebrity Twitter was made for. The guy seems to tweet most thoughts that come through his head, and oh, what fun it is to read. He has a penchant for extreme luxury, as demonstrated by his Twitpic of a “fresh” $130,000 jacket on Oct. 19, and is given to random musings such as Oct. 16’s “I swear my love bracelet and gold & diamond teeth always set off the metal detecter [sic].”

Tom Hanks delivered great behind-the-scenes tweets, pictures and videos as he filmed his latest movie last spring, and Taylor Swift is so darn down-to-earth and appreciative you feel like she could be your best friend.

I cringe reading Lindsay Lohan’s tweets, though (shouldn’t she be in rehab somewhere instead of marveling at how beautiful the beach was today?). Jim Carrey recently came under fire for tweeting in defense of Tiger Woods’ infidelity.

Yet that’s where the true beauty of Twitter comes in. After hundreds of years of celebrities being kept at arm’s length, we are finally able to see them for what they really are: regular people, with quirks and questions and opinions and ideas, who are just trying to make it through the day like the rest of us. They just have that most basic of human desires – to be liked and appreciated by others – and that’s something everyone can relate to.

If celebrities are willing to put themselves and all their craziness out there for the world to see, they have the chance to connect with us in an unprecedented way. Every time a celebrity tweets about that cute thing her kid did today, or how she’s scared of spiders, or that he’s excited to go to a party tonight, the velvet curtain that separates them from real life gets thinner and more obsolete.

One day, that curtain may fall altogether. Until then, I’ll take whatever tweets I can get.

ROBIN MIGDOL fantasizes about what she would tweet if she were famous. Tell her about your favorite Tweeters at arts@theaggie.org.

Artist: Taylor Swift

Album: Speak Now

Label: Big Machine Records LLC

Rating: 4

Taylor Swift is all grown up. No, she did not take the Britney Spears/ Miley Cyrus route and completely destroy her reputation to seem older, but the lyrics and overall tone of her new album definitely have more adult content, with less fairytale and more real life.

Despite the new direction, Taylor never fails to impress. This is the best album she’s produced so far, because it truly shows her range as an artist. From soft, reflective ballads, to edgy rock serenades, Swift captures every facet of a young girl’s journey through love. I mean, come on, what else would the songs be about? It is Taylor Swift, after all.

Give these tracks a listen: “Speak Now,” “Mine,” “Haunted”

For Fans of: Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood

– Brittany Pearlman

You may walk or bike by UC Davis’ original works of art every day, but have you ever stopped to really look at them? The Aggie researched four campus works of art and one downtown piece, as well as the origins of these signature Davis works, which may surprise you.

Dutton Fountain (Outside Dutton Hall)

One of the first art pieces UC Davis students see on campus is the fountain outside of Dutton Hall. Its circular structure with a thin sheet of water trickling down the column is at times irresistible to touch.

SWA Group landscape architects from Sausalito, CA designed the fountain for the university. The solid, hand crafted piece cost $60,000 to construct.

Barbara Brady, director of communication ?for the Administrative and Resource Management of UC Davis, said as of now there has never been an official name for the fountain.

According to Allen Lowry, the project manager for the Dutton Hall project when it was built in 1999 and currently a senior project manager in the UC Davis Design and Construction Management unit commented on the piece.

“We did not want a showy fountain. Rather, [we wanted] a quiet pool with design references to the Arboretum waterway, animal watering troughs, the Central Valley wetlands in winter and early UC Davis construction aesthetics of simple and durable construction.”

  “The water feature is supposed to be an irrigation stand pipe that overflows and then originally was to flow north and south in a channel as it re-circulates,” said Sal Genito, director of Grounds and Landscape services

– Brittany Pearlman

“The Unfinished Dream” (Memorial Union Patio)

You might have inadvertently seen it while passing by to get to classes or glanced at it during lunch. The Memorial Union patio’s “The Unfinished Dream” has contributed to the color and social atmosphere of the quad on campus for over a decade.

In 1991, exhibiting artists Kim Anno and Miranda Bergman were commissioned to paint a piece on the Memorial Union wall facing the Coffee House. The piece was commissioned by the Office of Student Affairs and the Campus Art in Public Places Work Group.

Anno and Bergman collaborated in making preliminary sketches, brainstorming ideas and then executing this 20-foot high wall. The goal of this art piece was to promote and celebrate underrepresented populations.

More importantly, whether some students are consciously or subconsciously aware of it, “The Unfinished Dream” has become a major part of campus.

“The mural is a colorful depiction of the rich diverse culture amongst the UC Davis campus. I like it because it is visually stimulating and it educates the public on the importance of coexistence,” said David Lee, a senior design major.

And for some, “The Unfinished Dream” is still a new discovery.

“I used to not notice it on my way to class,” said Sovanna Pin, a senior biomedical engineering major. “It feels good to know that our campus appreciates diversity by dedicating a whole mural to it, especially at a place where a lot of people go to on campus.”

– Uyen Cao

“The Joggers” (Bistro 33, 226 F St.)

On the corner of Third and F streets sits (or rather, runs) Tony Natsoulas’ “The Joggers,” a bronze sculpture of two men jogging in opposite directions. The city of Davis commissioned Natsoulas to create the piece for the Art In Public Places Program in 1986.

Natsoulas said he wanted to convey a sense of motion and energy, especially in light of Davis’ interest in health in the 1980s. Because the sculpture is made out of bronze, he didn’t have to worry about its weight and was able to add movement to the piece.

“There were lots of people jogging then,” he said. “The motioning finger of one of the joggers is supposed to say, ‘Come this way, jog this way.'”

The sculpture was originally placed closer to the street than it is now. However, after one concerned Davis resident complained that the up-turned finger might poke out a passerby’s eye, the city paid Natsoulas to move it closer toward Bistro 33.

Though many DavisWiki users claim “The Joggers” is one of the most unattractive pieces of art in Davis, one Davis resident said she felt the piece was uplifting and represented the city well.

“I do consider this to be art – there’s something about it that seems energetic. Although I do think that could be misinterpreted as sloppy, I get the idea behind it,” she said. “Oh, and I see he’s wearing legwarmers. This was made a while ago.”

– Erin Migdol

“Shoe Salesman” (Shields Library)

“Shoe Salesman” sits by the entrance of Shields Library in a bow tie and offers you a shoe as you pass. This ceramic sculpture made by Tony Natsoulas in the mid 1990s is part of a series of sculptures by Natsoulas depicting various individuals sitting in chairs.

Natsoulas was creating a series of standing life-size people when he decided to make them sitting as an artistic challenge to himself. He found various chairs and matched the chairs to clay statues that he created.

“You try to imagine who is going to be in the chair and match the chair with the person in my brain,” Natsoulas said.

Although it’s difficult to tell just by looking, the Shoe Salesman actually comes apart in multiple pieces. His head, hands, shirt and shoes come off, although he’s bolted to his chair. Weighing in at 200 pounds the statue is broken down into pieces simply so it can be moved.

The sculpture at Shields Library is one of a series of 10 statues sitting in different chairs including a theater chair and a bar stool. The original owner of the Shoe Salesman donated it to UC Davis about 10 years ago while the rest of the series remains with private owners.

As a local resident and alumnus of UC Davis, Natsoulas has much of his art on public exhibit in Davis and Sacramento. More of Natsoulas’ art is displayed throughout downtown Davis and he has been commissioned to do pieces for little league fields and golf courses in the area as well.

– Kelly Krag-Arnold

“Bum, Bum, You’ve Been Here Before” (Outside Shields Library/Art Building)

This sculpture by former UC Davis professor Tio Giambruni is no small matter. Standing at over 13 feet tall and 25 feet wide, the cast aluminum and bronze sculpture stands by the Shields Library adjacent to the Art Building. Although its large size makes it noticeable, its shape and coloring making it almost indistinguishable from the construction that can be seen all around campus.

“I didn’t even know it was a piece of art,” said Tom Jackson, a first-year sociology major. “The first time I saw it I thought it was some engineering equipment.”

Giambruni (1925-1971) was part of the early ceramic movements streamlined by well-known UC Davis art professor Robert Arneson. The movement aimed to move ceramics away from function, like plates and vases, into actual art.

The “Bum, Bum, You’ve Been Here Before” piece was finished in 1967. From 1969 until 1976 it stood on the corner of Russell and Anderson avenues until it was replaced by the Bicycle that stands there today.

“The city of Davis had wanted to get rid of it a lot earlier,” said Renny Pritikin, director of the Richard L. Nelson Gallery and Fine Art Collection. “It was controversial, and they didn’t really understand it. But then Giambruni died, and they didn’t take it down for another few years.”

After it was taken down, “Bum, Bum” was dismantled and stored in the basement of the gallery until 1982. It was then displayed in the long-gone garden of the art department and resurrected at its current location in 1987.

The name of the sculpture comes from a Depression-era song.

– Anastasia Zhuravleva

THE ARTS DESK can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

MUSIC

Folk Music Jam Session

Friday, noon, free

Wyatt Deck, UC Davis Arboretum

Connect with fellow musicians in the picturesque Arboretum at this chill jam session. All ages, instruments and skill levels are welcome.

Jandek

Friday, 8 p.m., $15

Veterans Memorial Theater, 203 E. 14th St.

Legendary music outsider Jandek rarely gives concerts, but if you’re a fan, rejoice: he’ll be performing in Davis on Friday at the Veterans Memorial Theater. Jandek will be accompanied by a band made up of local musicians Christian Keifer, Alex Jenkins and Greg Brucker. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see one of blues/rock’s most mysterious and enigmatic performers.

East-West Divan Orchestra

Monday, 5 p.m., free

Mondavi Center, Vanderhoef Studio Theater

This unique ensemble features Israeli, Arab and Spanish musicians who come together to prove that music can bring all people together. The program includes Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A Major and Prayer – A Tribute to Edward Said.

AT THE MOVIES

Jurassic Park

Friday, 5 p.m., $3

Chemistry 194

When’s the last time you watched Steven Spielberg’s classic about theme park dinosaurs that come to life? I think I caught 20 minutes of it on the Sci Fi channel about a year ago, so clearly I need to watch it in its entirety on the big screen in Chem 194. You should, too. Popcorn is included in the price of your ticket.

THEATRE/MONDAVI

Rumors

Tonight to Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., $10

Wyatt Pavilion, UC Davis Arboretum

You’ve still got one more weekend to see Studio 301’s production of Neil Simon’s comedy Rumors. Watch what happens when one wealthy couple’s anniversary party goes terribly awry and their invited guests don’t exactly play it coy. Get ready to laugh it up!

Gallathea

Thursday to Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., $12 to 14

Wright Hall Main Theater

Professor Peter Lichtenfels directs this modern take on John Lyly’s Elizabethan classic about mistaken identity, love and sex. The production will feature live video projection, text messaging, Skyping and outrageous costumes designed by Liz Galindo. It’s truly theater for the 21st century.

Delfeayo Marsalis Group

Tonight to Friday, 8 p.m., $12.50

Mondavi Center, Vanderhoef Studio Theater

Master jazz musician and brother of trumpeter Wynton Delfeayo Marsalis will take the stage with his band and will also invite musicians from local schools to jam onstage with them. Tonight, it’s Davis High School’s turn. Thursday will feature Emerson Junior High, Rio Americano and River City Highs. Friday will be Pioneer, Dixon and Folsom High Schools.

Christopher O’Reilly, piano

Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., $17.50

Mondavi Center, Vanderhoef Studio Theater

If you’ve ever wondered how your favorite songs by Nirvana, REM and Tears for Fears would sound on a piano, here’s your chance to find out. Pianist Christopher O’Reilly will interpret these rock and roll favorites and more in a concert entitled “Out of My Hands.” The Saturday performance is currently sold out, but tickets may still be available on the waitlist.

UC Davis Jazz Bands

Wednesday, 7 p.m., $8

Mondavi Center, Vanderhoef Studio Theater

The UC Davis Symphony Orchestra is great and all, but the Jazz Bands are just as deserving of praise. Their concert on Wednesday is sure to be the epitome of cool.

ART/GALLERY

Photographs by Anne Miller

Through Nov. 30, artist reception Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m., free

Gallery 1855, 820 Pole Line Rd.

Though her art may look like abstract paintings, it’s actually photographs. Anne Miller has captured odd, unexpected and everyday found objects and turned them into shapes and colors of all kinds.

“The Interior of Art”

Tuesday, 4:10 p.m., free

Everson 157/159

Art professor Blake Stimson will discuss container and box art from the European Middle Ages to the 1960s, concentrating on the influential work of Vito Acconci. This progression influenced conceptual art that we see today.

ROBIN MIGDOL can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.