11/15/2023 3:17 pm
By Sara Myers, Digital Media & Communications Specialist
Learning about an institution’s history often requires research. To make Rockford University’s history more engaging without reading a book or two, RU’s Performing Arts professor Deborah Mogford decided to produce a dramatization on its most famous class, just in time for one of the University’s busiest weekends.
During homecoming weekend, Oct. 13, 2023, Rockford University’s Performing Arts department performed Mogford’s production, “The Addams Thread,” focusing on the university’s most well-known classes.
“It’s lovely to read a novel, I’m a big reader, but people remember stories they see visually,” Mogford said. “That’s the beauty of drama.”
Mogford wrote and directed the play as a dedication to the “Glorious Seventeen,” the seventeen women who graduated from Rockford Female Seminary in 1881, which includes notable Alumni Jane Addams, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner and the founder of Chicago’s Hull House. Mogford added that she also dedicates this play to all RU alumni.
“Graduates of this university can attest to RU’s dedication to advancing knowledge for the students while fostering life-long intellectual curiosity,” Mogford said in the director’s note in the production’s program. “They can also speak to the school’s commitment to instilling in the student population a desire to seek a life of purpose, service, and leadership to the community they choose to inhabit.”
To create this production, Mogford said she researched Jane Addams’s valedictorian speech where she discovered Addams’s nickname for her graduating class. This led Mogford to create a show that touched on how the “Glorious Seventeen” were always bonded and how Jane attending Rockford had the impact it did.
“I got to thinking that’s lovely and it’s 1893, four lovely women, all white,” Mogford said. “The school doesn’t look like that anymore. So, what is that legacy, and how does it look in 2023? So, I thought, I’ll then jump ahead 100 years.”
The play is split into two scenes at different times and places.
Scene I is set in the summertime in 1893 at Rockford College alumna Mrs. Jonathan McKnight or Aunt Katherine’s house. There, Aunt Katherine is joined by her niece Arabella Amato, her niece’s friend Cora Edwards, and her good friend and classmate from Rockford, Martha Gail. The scene is placed 12 years after graduation and four years after the Addams formed Hull House.
The second scene is set in the Spring of 2023 at Maddox Theatre, where five students are talking about going for a coffee run together when they run into a potential RU student.
“I want to be able to have this piece ready to go at any time,” Mogford said. “So, as students graduate then that part goes to someone else. It’s a piece that’s always ready to go whenever the school needs it for recruitment or historical reference.”
After taking the summer of 2023 to write the play, Mogford was ready in August for prep. Mogford put together the cast and crew and held a complete read-through of the production. She would meet periodically with the groups from both scenes. She added that the cast would rehearse on and off but the final push came 10 days before the show went on.
“I hope they bring it back for Charter Day or orientation,” she said. “And, when we have groups on campus who are looking at the school we can also do it then if we have plenty of notice.”
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THE ADDAMS THREAD
Performed Oct. 13, 2023
Written and Directed by Deborah Mogford
Lighting Designer: Eric Brockmeier
Costume Designer: Ryan Moller
Stage Manager: Jeremy Rogers
Technical Director: Beth Drog
SCENE I
TIME: Mid-June on a perfect summer afternoon, 1883
Place: The lush garden of Aunt Catherine’s House on Harlem Blvd. in Rockford, IL
CAST, in order of appearance
Martha Gail: Aubry Musfelt
Arabella (Bella) Amato: Lindsay Johnson
Aunt Catherine (Mrs. Jonathan McKnight): Emmarie Wilson
Cora Edwards (Mrs. George Edwards): Lucy Parlapiano
SCENE II
TIME: Late April on a perfect spring day, 2023
Place: Maddox Theatre
CAST, in order of appearance
Marie: Adara Barrera Medina
Jake: Robbie Strader
James: Carter Coryell
Allison: Keira Alejandro
Samantha: Kaleigh Ferguson
Will: Elijah Lowry
08/17/2023 2:33 pm
by Lindsey Giardino
It’s always an exciting time within Rockford University’s performing arts program.
Each academic year, the department produces a collection of theater productions open to the campus community and general public. This past fall, those productions included a 1960s themed cabaret show directed by RU Performing Arts Professor Timm Adams entitled, “Good Vibrations: Songs of the 60s!”
Complementary tickets were sent to Rockford University alumni who graduated in the 1960s and 1970s, and many attended a performance.
Another performance, “These Shining Lives,” was directed by Professor Deborah Mogford in November 2022. The heart-wrenching play is based on the true story of Catherine Donahue and her friends who worked for the Radium Dial Company and how women’s lives were changed between 1922 and 1938 by the right to vote and new job opportunities.
In addition, Rockford University’s choirs and special guest Camerata Emanon put on a choral concert in November, performing “And the Angels Sang.”
The fall season came to a close with a dance performance, “Orchesis: New Beginnings,” co-directed by Performing Arts Department Chair and Technical Director Beth Drog and graduating senior Marissa Ott. Not only did this feature Rockford University dancers, but it also featured dancers from Rockford Dance Company, Evolve Dance Company, Auburn High School and South Beloit High School.
“Rockford University Performing Arts truly produces excellence in the realm of performing arts here in Rockford,” said Margaret McGraw, administrative and marketing assistant for the visual and performing arts program at RU. “The rigorous program provided by our hardworking faculty produces in our students the skills they need to progress in their artistic career.”
Although guided by faculty, each show is the collective hard work of every student in the program, McGraw said.
While there are many highlights of the overall program to call out, one pressing event is the retirement of Professor Jeff Hendry, who retired at the end of the spring semester after 41 years. He created the majority of the costumes seen on stage at Rockford University.
To purchase tickets to a future Rockford University production or to learn more about all the happenings, call 815-226-4100 or visit ticketor.com/rockforduniversity.
This story was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of Catalyst.
08/16/2023 11:53 am
By Aris Sherwood
Walk into the lobby of Maddox Theatre in the Clark Arts Center at Rockford University, and you will find mannequins dressed in costumes of shows past. Underneath them are the designers’ names on plaques. Newly retired professor of theater arts and costume designer, Jeff Hendry’s name is captured on many.
Hendry retired at the end of the 2023 spring semester after 41 years. During his time here, Hendry has worn many different hats due to his diverse background. He has directed shows and has even taught Rockford University theater history and Shakespeare courses.
Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Hendry received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Production from the University of Arizona, and Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design from University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
When he left graduate school, Hendry said he was searching for jobs primarily in the Midwest. Rockford University was where he ended up and stayed.
“I kind of bounced around a lot,” he said.
“I have an odd skill set compared to most costume designers,” he said. “Most design people have a secondary emphasis in graduate school in another design area. I didn’t. I had directing as my secondary emphasis. I guess that’s always interested me.”
In the early 1990’s, the faculty from the theater department came together to create a musical theater major, Hendry said. Since then, Hendry has taught both performance and history/literature. He is now the only professor left of the program’s original creators.
“Professor Mogford likes to refer to me as a ‘Renaissance Man,’” he said. “I wear a lot of hats, and quite frankly, that’s part of the reason why I’ve stayed here for so long. If I had gone to a larger university, I’d end up in the costume shop and that’s all I’d be doing, because I wouldn’t have the opportunity to work in these other areas that I really enjoy.”
Besides teaching, costume designing, and directing, on top of his extensive freelancing career, Hendry said Rockford University has given him opportunities beyond what he ever expected. Back when the university was connected to Regents College in London, England, Hendry said he was sent to London to oversee and operate the program.
“Living in London for a year and a half totally changed my outlook on life,” he said.
When Rockford University applied for and received a grant from the American and Japanese Foundation of Education, three professors were chosen to work on a communications effort with 9 other schools in the country and travel to Japan for research of their choosing.
“I was researching Kabuki Theater and came back and produced a play in traditional Kabuki style, which was really exciting for me and the students. I could have never imagined doing that sort of thing when I came here”
For those future Rockford University students and next generation of costume designers who will not get to experience Jeff Hendry, the professor, he had one piece of advice:
“Don’t be afraid to take a risk. If any place, this is the place you can take a risk,” he said. “When I was starting here, my God, I made so many mistakes when I look back on it. But I learned from every single one of them, and it made me a better teacher and a better designer.”
This story was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of Catalyst.
02/18/2023 1:00 pm
by Sara Myers
The Rockford University Performing Arts department will kick of its season Feb. 23 with “The Importance of Being Earnest” — an Oscar Wilde classic directed by RU’s Deborah Mogford.
The production will start at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, in the Maddox Theatre at the Clark Arts Center, 5050 E. State St., Rockford. There will be additional showings at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Maddox Theatre. Tickets can be purchased online, over the phone at (815) 226-4100 or through email: boxoffice@rockford.edu.
Oscar Wilde was an Irish author, poet and playwright. His play, “The Importance of Being Earnest” was released in 1895 and is his most popular comedy that is still being performed.
“It is a classic of 1895,” Mogford said. “It continues to be going around the world even today. We chose it because it’s a comedy of manners and it’s a good thing for students to have that particular genre.”
The main cast includes: Josh Ponsones, Andrew Ashley, Jake Rogers, Jessica Rathbun, Emmarie Wilson, and Kade De Angioletti.
Many of the actors traveled far from home to attend RU’s Performing Arts program. Ponsones is from San Diego, California; Wilson is from Fort Worth, Texas; De Angioletti from Leesburg, Virginia; and both Rogers and Rathbun are from Aurora, Colorado.
The actors, most who are seniors this year, said they’ve had fun learning the material, as well as getting to know each other.
For both Wilson and Ashley, performing with a smaller cast has been very impactful. They’re bonding and have a greater appreciation for the characters’ individual stories.
For Rathbun, the smaller cast allows everyone more room since they take up the space with their “characterizations and presence.”
Wilde’s writing is still relevant today, De Angioletti said.
“That humor still transcends and people still find the jokes funny,” De Angioletti said, adding that the cast laughed during the read through.
Rathbun, who plays Miss Prism, has enjoyed the balancing act of doing a small show but also looks forward to their next production of Urinetown, a larger musical production.
For Ponsones, one thing he said he took away from his character, and the production in general, was to not let so much of his own personality into the character.
“As somebody who is very into large gestures and always uses their hands a lot,” Ponsones said, “I have to keep my hands completely in place, all the time. I’ve learned you don’t need to use your hands so much when you talk.”
Roger plays John and has learned to tap into the duality of his character. He said he’s learned to let his guard down, while still keeping his composure.
“That has been a balance I haven’t really seen before,” he said.
The cast is ultimately looking forward to bringing their characters to life in front of a live audience.
“I’m sure since we’re having so much fun, it’ll be fun for the audience too,” Ashley said.
CAST:
CREW:
04/19/2019 3:19 pm
Rockford University’s spring 2019 Forum Series concludes with the production of the musical comedy All Shook Up. The musical runs Thurs. – Sat., April 25- 27 at 7:30 PM and Sun., April 28 at 2 PM in Rockford University’s Maddox Theatre, Clark Art Center. This Broadway preformed musical is directed by alumnus Kyle Donahue (2003) and built around a number of songs made famous by Elvis Presley, such as classics like “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Love Me Tender,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.
The music of Elvis comes alive in this musical set in 1955, somewhere in Middle America, where one girl’s dream and a surprise visit from a guitar-playing young man changes everything and everyone he meets, as he helps a small town to discover the magic of romance and the power of rock & roll. This lip-curling musical fantasy will have you jumpin’ out of your blue suede shoes. Kyle Donahue has directed, choreographed and performed around the world on regional theatre, theme park and cruise ship stages and is an alumni of the BFA Musical Theatre Performance program at Rockford University. In Rockford, Kyle performed at New American Theatre, with Rockford Dance Company and the Without Shoes Modern Dance Company.
Maddox Theatre is located in the Clark Arts Center, 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Clark Arts is accessible. Tickets are required and single ticket admission is $12 for adults and seniors age 55 and up, and $9 for students. Contact the Box Office for tickets at boxoffice@rockford.edu or 815-226-4100 to purchase tickets.
Rockford University’s Performing Arts department presents “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” written by Academy Award winner Alan Ball and directed by Professor Deborah Mogford. The show runs Thursday, November 15- Saturday, November 17, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 18, 2 p.m. in Rockford University’s Clark Arts Center, Cheek Theatre. The Clark Arts Center is accessible.
This unique, six character cast, play first premiered 25 years ago at New York’s Manhattan Class Company. The comedy play provides an irreverent and funny look at the intricacies of friendship and the power of similar dressing. It is summer and five women wearing identical unique bridesmaids dresses have survived the elaborate wedding ceremony to find themselves at the ostentatious wedding reception being held on the estate of the bride. There is only so much they can take, so they seek sanctuary in an upstairs bedroom. Each woman has her own reason for avoiding the proceedings below. As the afternoon wears on these five very different women are surprised to discover a common bond. This wickedly funny and touching celebration of life explores the nature of sisterhood and the ever-present question about the behavior of men. You can’t live with them, but can you live without them?
This production is for mature audiences only. Tickets are required and seating is limited. To reserve tickets, contact the Box Office at boxoffice@rockford.edu. The complete list of this seasons productions is available on the University’s website at www.rockford.edu/artslectures/performingarts/.
05/30/2018 1:59 pm
11/11/2016 11:07 am
BoxOffice@rockford.edu
815-226-4100
Clark Arts Center, Main Lobby
Hours: 2-5 p.m. Monday through Friday
10/31/2016 1:53 pm
WORKSTUDY
Students are eligible to apply for workstudy positions in costuming, scenery, box office, script library, choral library, and recruiting (*note- typically box office positions are awarded to non-departmental students due to time conflicts). Applications for positions should be submitted one week prior to the beginning of the semester. Workers will be selected on the basis of skills, experience, reliability, and initiative. These positions are campus jobs and will be considered as such in terms of renewal and department recommendation. Any student who meets the requirements for employment will be considered. Payment for such jobs is handled through the Melissa Larson in Human Resources. Any student who receives financial aid will be working for the Performing Arts Department under the work study program.
If a student qualifies for employment but receives no form of financial aid, they will be paid on a payroll basis, when available. Those working under the payroll system may seldom work more than 5 hours per week, according to university guidelines. If an individual has a work-study position, s/he is not eligible for a payroll position as well. The university deems this an “over award” and will not allow it.
HOURS
If you do not follow the above guidelines, there will be repercussions. The first no-call, no-show will result in a verbal warning. The second no-call, no-show will result in a written warning filed with Human Resources. The third no-call, no-show will result in termination.
Payroll and Work-study Assistants holding Production Positions
In many cases, a student who has been granted a production position is also a work-study or payroll assistant. In order to facilitate the method in which work-study hours, payroll hours, and production position hours are calculated, please study the following explanations:
It is very likely that the student will find it necessary to work above and beyond the requirements of both work-study and production class hours to successfully complete a production position. As stipulated earlier, the faculty/staff supervisor makes the final determination regarding the completion of quality work.
SCENE SHOP GUIDELINES
General:
Tools and Equipment:
Materials:
10/31/2016 1:49 pm
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
The following guidelines are expectations for all Performing Arts students:
ACADEMIC ADVISING
Performing Arts faculty will serve as academic advisors to the majors in this department. Currently, Prof. Adams is a First Year Advisor and will assist first year students with scheduling and registering. Students may be assigned to another advisor within the department during or prior to the sophomore year. The academic advisor’s purpose is to assist the student in planning his/her course of study and in registering for courses. Advisors are here to assist; they are not responsible for ensuring that all requirements for graduation are met. This is the responsibility of the student. Students are expected to take ownership of his/her academic course of study and should become fully aware of departmental requirements (for a specific major and minor) and all-university requirements. There are checks and balances in place to assist you and your advisor in this process. Academic advising usually begins in early October during the fall semester and early March during the spring semester, although you may schedule an advising appointment with your advisor at any time. If a problem arises with your advisor, contact the Department Chair. You are free to change advisors; however, you must have the approval of the new advisor before the switch can be made. Remember, the final responsibility for planning, enrolling, completing, and succeeding in your academic program remains with you.
Self Service is your personal academic resource for your life at Rockford University. Self Service provides our learning community at Rockford University with “anytime, anywhere” access to key information services. Self Service provides students with real-time access to their academic records, including their class schedules, grades, and unofficial transcripts. Students can, review their billing statements and financial aid summary. Self Service also provides an outlet for students and faculty to interact regarding coursework.
For questions concerning problems connecting to Self Service, please contact the Help Desk at 815.226.4127 or support@rockford.edu. For all other issues please contact the Student Administrative Services (SAS) office at 815.226.4062 or sas@rockford.edu.
Read more:
https://selfservice.rockford.edu/selfservice/Home.aspx
SENIOR SEMINAR
Senor Seminar/Project is required for graduation by every major field of study offered by Rockford University. The purpose of the senior seminar is for a graduating student to demonstrate knowledge of theatre both in dramaturgy and performance. The purpose continues with identifying the values of performance for the society at large and the utilization of theatrical skills in the mounting of a production/performance. The students’ evaluation of their process and product will demonstrate their ability to think in a critical manner. This seminar will demand the student draw from all of their studies in the liberal arts as well as their training in theatre.
The Senior Seminar B.F.A. Acting/Directing and B.F.A. Musical Theatre:
A student will be responsible for developing a one person show to be presented for the public.
A student will:
Notes specific to the BFA Acting/Directing Senior Seminar:
The Senior Seminar B.A. Theatre (non-performance):
Students will select a topic of your choice on which you can write and in-depth analytical paper of 20 pages in length. The paper cannot be totally a research paper. The student must use the research that is presented to draw their own conclusions.
Students must submit a:
The Senior Seminar B.A. Music:
Music majors have three choices for their Senior Seminar project, which is to be completed in their final semester at Rockford University. Senior Seminar may be taken prior to the final semester if the student is double majoring in something else. Students may opt to write a research paper or perform a senior recital or lecture recital in conjunction with a shorter paper. The Senior Seminar is required for all graduates of Rockford University, regardless of major, and represents the culmination of your collegiate studies.
Research Paper
For students whose emphasis is not performance, he/she may opt to write a research paper on the topic of his/her choice (in consultation with Professors Hendry and/or Adams). Requirements are the same for the “Senior Seminar B.A. Theatre (non-performance)” listed above.
Senior Recital
For students with a performance emphasis, the Senior Seminar will consist of a full recital along with a 10-page paper about the music and composers on the recital and a journal documenting the process and preparation for the recital.
Senior Recital guidelines:
Lecture Recital
Some students may choose the Lecture Recital format, which is the presentation of a full recital with lecture, a five-page paper documenting the student’s research, and a journal documenting the process and preparation for the lecture recital. This may interest students who have a specific interest in a certain composer or a certain style or type of music.
Lecture recital guidelines:
SOPHOMORE REVIEWS
In the Spring, each sophomore student will have an informal review of their progress during the previous two years. The student’s strengths and weaknesses, future goals, and progress in the degree track will be discussed. Since most classes include an ongoing dialogue between students and professors, the sophomore review should be regarded as a continuation of those conversations. This is not a panel review but a simple conversation with the director of the student’s degree track.
For BFA Music Theatre students the juries will serve as the review with a corresponding feedback session. For BFA Acting/Directing students, the final project for 10-line Acting course (THEA 215) will serve as the review with a corresponding feedback session. BA students will have a short interview/portfolio presentation with a corresponding feedback session. For non-traditional students who transfer into the department, reviews will be discussed on an individual basis. If the review is to be productive for the student it must be open and frank. The purpose of the sophomore review is to help each student make the most of the remaining two years of educational opportunities.
SENIOR EXIT INTERVIEWS
Each graduating student with in the Performing Arts Department will set up an appointment with the Department Chair and one other faculty member of choice in order to assess his/her tenure and experience in the Performing Arts Department at Rockford University, and to discuss immediate and long-range career goals and plans.
Performing Arts Scholarship
The Performing Arts department recommends awards based on talent and potential. Awards are computed as a part of the student’s overall aid package. Prospective students must apply to the university and audition on or before May 1 to be considered for a Performing Arts Scholarship.
Vocal Collective Scholarship
Up to $2,500, for year-long participation in the Vocal Collective, a select, mixed choral ensemble of about 15 singers. For more information, please see “Music Program” section.
Hognander Endowed Scholarship
Gertrude Lund Hognander Scholarship for Leadership in Music and the Performing Arts, established in 2004, is named for Alumna Gertrude Lund Hognander, Class of 1937, and provides funds for a full-time student of any year who participates in music or the performing arts programs at Rockford University, demonstrates personal initiative, leadership and teamwork, and is an engaged and positive contributor to one’s school, community and/or performing arts group.
Margaret E. Everett Music Scholarship
This scholarship was established in 1994 by the estate of Miss Everett, a 1919 graduate of Rockford University, to provide music scholarships for students demonstrating need.
Leonard Bernstein Award
Established by Mr. Bernstein after his 1966 commencement address to the university, the award is presented to the student who has made the greatest contribution to the performing arts at Rockford University, as judged by the performing arts faculty.
Bill Stiles Award
The Bill Stiles award was created in memory of Bill Stiles, a Performing Arts/Acting major and 1989 graduate of Rockford University, who passed away in 2000. The award is the Performing Arts Department’s highest acting honor and is based on a body of work. The award can go to a junior or senior. Recipients’ names are engraved on a plaque which is on display in the Clark Arts Center loggia directly under a photograph of Bill.
EXPECTATIONS OF SCHOLARSHIP/AWARD RECIPIENTS
Students who receive departmental scholarships and/or awards may be called upon to participate above and beyond normal expectations. These additional duties could include, but are not limited to: additional productions positions, recruiting duties, special projects, etc.
SCHEDULING CONFLICTS
Scheduling conflicts are common in a busy department like ours. Faculty and staff work extremely hard to avoid these conflicts as much as possible. From time to time, however, conflicts will still occur- conflicts between production work and a student rehearsal, or between music ensemble performance and a main stage rehearsal, for instance. Occasionally, faculty or staff may be unaware of the conflict. These can typically be worked out, but only if the student notifies the appropriate faculty members immediately. This is the student’s responsibility. The best way to facilitate this is to mark any and all obligations on the conflict sheet, which is filled out at the beginning of the production and given to the Stage Manager. Do NOT wait until the last minute to tell the Theatre Arts or Music supervisor of the conflict; bring this to the attention of the appropriate faculty members as soon as you are aware of the problem. Failure to do so may result in a failed class, a lowered grade, or withdrawal of audition privileges for a semester.
In order to reduce the possibility of conflicts, students and faculty involved in independent performance projects should consult the Performing Arts Department calendar when scheduling rehearsals and performances. In both scheduling and use of spaces, main stage productions take precedence over student activities, independent performance projects, and Three-Penny productions.
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