TAMIU Celebrating Shakespeare Feb. 2-12
“The Bard is in the House” declare colorful banners dotting the Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) campus. The banners signal “Celebrating Shakespeare at TAMIU,” a two-week observation with performances of “Macbeth,” and a guest lecturer who questions the identity of the Bard of Avon.
The Celebration, hosted by TAMIU’s College of Arts and Sciences, department of Fine and Performing Arts, begins with the much-awaited presentation of the Laredo Theater Guild International’s presentation of “The Tragedy of Macbeth. Performances are scheduled Thursday, Feb. 2, Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m.
Tickets are available at Foster’s on Del Mar, Blue Top on Hillside and at the TAMIU Bookstore and are $15 general admission and $10 for seniors.
Currently enrolled, ID-bearing TAMIU students can attend a special no-charge preview performance on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m.
For additional performances, 25 free tickets are available to students on a first-come, first-served basis for each show when picked up in advance at CFPA office 217, Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. only.
Students may also attend performances as Student Rush entries. To do this, be present with your ID 10 minutes prior to curtain for each performance. If any unsold seats are available, they will be released to students on a first-come, first-served basis.
On Monday, Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. "Shakespeare: A Cross Examination" by guest lecturer Bonner Miller Cutting will be presented in Student Center 236.
Miller Cutting’s presentation focuses on continued questions about Shakespeare’s authorship of his canonic writing with a careful review of historical evidence. The recent movie, “Anonymous,” directed by Roland Emmerich, further advanced this theory, claiming that it was Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford who actually penned Shakespeare’s plays. The movie starred Rhys Ivans, Vanessa Redgrave and David Thewlis.
Admission is free of charge and open to the public. Miller Cutting is also scheduled to lecture to TAMIU students on the topic of “Shakespeare’s Will Considered Too Curiously.”
On Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 10 a.m. Miller Cutting will speak to Laredo Community College students in the Martinez Fine Arts Auditorium on “Shakespeare’s Will Considered Too Curiously.”
Performances of “Macbeth” resume Thursday, Feb. 9, Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. The production closes Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m.
Earlier in the week, the LTGI will also conduct a series of special morning performances for local high school students from Laredo Independent School District. All have read “Macbeth” as part of their literature courses this Spring and will be treated to lunch with “Macbeth” cast members who will discuss their experience and the play.
“Macbeth” is directed by Vernon Carroll and produced by Joe Arciniega. The cast features Carroll, John Maxstadt, Adolfo Ramos, Jake Rathmell, Ariadne Diaz, Margo Paz, Claudia Boone and Kelly Fitzgerald. Arciniega is Macbeth while Teena Arciniega is Lady Macbeth.
Bonner Miller Cutting has studied the authorship of the Shakespeare Canon for several decades. She is on the Board of Trustees of the Shakespeare Fellowship and is the president of the Lone Star Shakespeare Roundtable in Houston.
She has recently presented papers at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon; the 2008 Conference on Authorship Studies held in White Plains, NY, and the Shakespeare Authorship Roundtable in Los Angeles. A Louisiana native, Cutting holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Tulane University and a Masters of Music degree from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA.
In addition to presenting Shakespeare’s “Cross-Examination” to schools, libraries, book clubs and civic groups, Cutting occasionally performs in concert and enjoys judging piano auditions for the National Guild of Piano Teachers, the National Federation of Music Teachers and other music organizations.
For additional information, visit www.tamiu.edu/Shakespeare
University information is also available on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu