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In this issue:
Pictured above:
Ivory Consort
Madison Early Music
Festival Celebrates the Iberian Peninsula
Longing for some historical time travel this
summer? Why not take a journey into the world of Cervantes, the Conquistadors, and the cathedrals of Madrid and Barcelona? Think that's
impossible? Think again! Madison Early Music Festival will be hosting a variety of lectures, classes, and concerts from this exciting time in Spanish
history, July 8-15th. Concerts will focus on musical traditions that originated in the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian cultures of the
Iberian Peninsula.
For the lineup, click here. Come and sample this lively mosaic of music when
three religious cultures forged a common musical language. For tickets, click here.
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Pictured above: Martires del
Compas
Visas for Visiting Performers Difficult to Get
The Wisconsin Union Theater, like every other
venue in the USA which presents international artists, has had difficulties bringing some of these performers in recent years. One example is
Martires del Compas, a Spanish band which was scheduled to perform in the 2005 World Music Fest. For no apparent reason and despite following all the
rules, the band leader did not receive his visa to enter the United States by the scheduled arrival date. His apologetic email suggested that the
cause may have been his outspoken anti-war, pro-people and free migration politics.
But political artists aren't the only ones
prevented from entering the country. And the entire process of applying for visas has become exceedingly complex, lengthy and expensive.
On April 4, Arts Presenters President Sandra
Gibson and world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma testified on these challenges during a U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform Committee hearing
on nonimmigrant visa processing concerns.
"The vagaries of the visa process place our
industry in jeopardy - facing unpredictable economic losses associated with delays and in worst-case scenarios complete cancellations of performances
and tours. When performances and tours are cancelled, the American public loses out on these rich cultural experiences," said
Gibson.
In 2002, nearly 75% of
performing arts venues presented foreign artists. By 2005, that number dropped to almost 60%, "largely because of the onerous visa process and the
risk that these performances would have to be cancelled," asserted Gibson.
Yo-Yo Ma, founder of the Silk
Road Project, an organization which brings musicians from the historic Silk Road region together to perform, testified that
"the barriers to bringing these musicians, these cultural guides, to the U.S. have become extraordinarily high. We at the
Silk Road Project, along with other organizations like the World Music Institute, have found it increasingly difficult to facilitate this cultural
exchange, because of high financial costs, uncertain timelines, and countless logistical hurdles."
Gibson proposed various ways to
improve the process. She also recommended that performing arts presenters and their audience share their concerns about these difficulties with their
Congressional representatives. The Senate has since voted for a better, faster process but the House of Representatives is yet to vote. Feel free to
let your representatives know what you think.
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Newsletter staff
Editor: Esty Dinur
Concept Designer: Heather Good
Layout Designer: Claire Weissenfluh
Writers: Lauren Zink and Claire
Weissenfluh
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Sway Into Summer with Seu
Jorge
Who needs a seat when you can get up
and dance to the beat of Seu Jorge? The Brazilian superstar returns to
the Wisconsin Union Theater on June 27th at 8 pm for an encore performance after wowing a huge audience at the World Music
Festival last summer.
Praised by David Bowie for his Portuguese remakes
of Bowie's songs for the movie "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," Jorge is a born singer, producer, composer, player, and musician from feet to
'fro.
Seu Jorge, who also played Knockout Ned in "City
of God," declares that the main focus of his music is to "bring people joy and make them dance." Who can say no to that?
Opening for Seu Jorge is Jehro, the delightful up-and-coming Frenchman of Greek-Italian-Corsican ancestry.
And if that's not enough, come to a free showing of "The Life Aquatic" on the Terrace on
Tuesday, June 20 at dusk.
Contact the box office for tickets and more information. 608-262-2201.
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Meet our staff:
Jeff Macheel,
Technical
Director
What do you like the most about your
job?
Buying new equipment for the theater!
I like seeing the great variety of shows that we put on here at the theater.
What are the most memorable shows you've
worked on and why were they memorable?
I would have to say:
1. Everyman in 1997. I was on the crew and it
just was so much fun as everyone, cast and crew, were about the same age and we hung out a lot.
2. The Ballad of Baby Doe in 1996, a University
Theater show. It was the largest show we've done here since I started in 1994. It wasn't always fun, but memorable because it was just so
big.
Have you had any funny or unusual
encounters with performers?
-
Getting "Greg" a chair to sit in; his stage manager was shocked
that I called "Mr. Gregory Peck" by his first name, and that "Greg" seemed to like it.
-
Having a smoke with Kurt Vonnegut on Park Street outside the
theater is something I'll always remember.
-
And accidentally getting in between Anita Hill and her security
team while I was rushing to the lightboard is something I'm not going to forget, especially the look on both Anita Hill's and the head of security's
faces.
There has been talk about ghosts on the
stage at night. Have you come across any ghosts in the theater?
I won't say I've seen a ghost in the 12 years
I've been here, but I've often in the last five years felt like someone was in the balcony watching me when I'm here alone late at night.
What do you like to do when you aren't
working?
Spend time with my wife, go to the Inferno, and
play online games.
Anything else you'd like to
share?
It's just been great to watch the theater change
over the years, and see it used more and more. And I'm happy to be a part of it.
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