In this issue:

-Russia, from St. Petersburg to the Pacific: an interview

-A Million Dollar Violin and Two Exceptional Musicians: Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk

-They Lurk in the Dark, They Dance in the Light…They are the (Drum Roll, Please) Street Team

-Don't Miss These Shows! 

-Ohhh, Such Beautiful Lighting, Such Good Sound: Technical Improvements to the Theater

-Meet Our Staff: the Eccentric Ushering Car Racer

-Still Looking for that Great Gift? We Got It!

-From the Archives: David Finckel and Wu Han Hoping to come back

St. Petersburg to the Russian Pacific: Rails Across Russia

February 5-6, 2007, 7:30pm

Tickets $10, UW-Madison students $5

Pre-Film Buffet Dinner $14

Go to Box Office

An interview with Mary Lee

What’s the most inspiring place you’ve ever traveled to?

India or Africa. It’s quite shocking, the first time you’re driving along in Africa and you have to stop and back up because an elephant is on the road coming towards you. Elephants have the right of way. It was a learning experience.

How did you become an educational filmmaker?

As an educator, I’ve taught at the university level for 33 years. I’d also been a photographer since high school and started making educational filmstrips for schools. Then in the 80s, schools stopped buying filmstrips, so I switched to filmmaking.

What can patrons expect from your Rails Across Russia?

What I’m doing in Rails is traveling from St. Petersburg to the Pacific. This eastward movement is the way Russia expanded as the czars were creating this great land empire, so I tie the journey into the story of Russia’s historical development.

What’s it like working with your spouse?

We recently celebrated 49 years of marriage. We’ve built a house, raised 2 kids, written a major book and remodeled a home. The marriage has survived all that and 150 educational videos and 10 travel videos. It’s good to work together, although sometimes you wonder, especially when remodeling a house.

Between you and your husband, you’ve got 5 advanced college degrees. What life advice can you offer a recent college graduate?

Know how to learn new things. Combine specialties with a broad base of knowledge, and when a new opportunity comes along and it looks good, take advantage of it!

What project am I interrupting to do this interview?

We’re shooting the last video for our next wine region film, featuring places from Baja all the way up to British Columbia. We’re traveling through California, Oregon and up through Washington. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Want a taste of Russia too? Enjoy the white-linen pre-film buffet for only $14. Purchase tickets for the film and dinner here.

Interview by Lauren Zink

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The Street Team? What's the Street Team?!

We’re a collective powerhouse of fresh ideas. We lurk in the darkest corners, ready to assault you with fantastic flyers at your favorite festivities. Heck, we’re so slick, we may have even organized your favorite festivities! We are (drum roll, please) the street team! It’s like the A-Team, minus the golden bling and the crime-fighting.

Perhaps you saw us on the terrace this past summer hosting “The Life Aquatic” before the Seu Jorge show. Perhaps you’ve caught glimpses of us giving away tickets to the theater’s brilliant shows at open mic nights, or you’ve encountered us handing you quarter-sheets on brightly-colored paper in Library Mall. Maybe you even came to our free Latin dancing before Eddie Palmieri, and you’ve shown your freshly acquired moves to family and strangers alike. As a side note, we’re not responsible for any pending lawsuits.  

Well, we’re not just around to make you a better dancer, as cool of a job description as that would be. We’re also here to get the word out about the theater and its events. We flyer; we chalk; we email beyond all comprehension; we host fun events with other student organizations in order to give you information about upcoming shows.

As long as there are events in this theater, you should be on your toes for (drum roll, please) the street team! If you’re a student and you’d like to join, please email Laura Katzman, the WUD Theater Committee’s Director.

By Lauren Zink

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Technical Improvements Make for a Better Experience in the Theater

Surely you’ve noticed the spectacular lighting in some of our recent shows. You might have noticed better sound too. To find out what’s going on, we caught the theater’s Technical Director, Jeff Macheel, for a quick chat. Here’s what we learned:

• The majority of the light inventory we had until just recently was 15-30 years old. About half of it has been replaced since spring 2005 with modern units of the sort artists expect to find in performing arts facilities nowadays. Better yet, our new units use 30%-50% less power than the old ones, and are brighter!
• We have completely replaced the old sound system—and added to it. We used to have one single speaker and two small amplifiers at each side of the stage, a set-up that was inadequate even for the seats closest to the stage (and some artists, like the Parsons Dance Company, refused to work with that set-up, forcing our tech staff to rent a more adequate system). We now have self-powered speakers with correctly-sized, dedicated amplifiers built into them. Each side of the stage has two speakers to handle the mid- and high frequencies and, under them, a double 15” subwoofer to handle the low-end, bass sounds. All of which makes for a complete speaker system which offers many more options than before.
• The shop floor, damaged by this summer’s flooding, has been replaced. The stage floor has been professionally sanded and finished and, most exciting, we have purchased a new dance floor which is on par with the floors carried by international dance touring acts.
• Finally, we replaced our data projector with one that has better brightness and a much higher contrast ratio, making the image sharper. These are important when the images you show are 12 ft high by 16 ft wide. Here’s a little factoid: when we purchased our new projector in May 2005 it was so new that it wasn’t on the books yet. Technical advances are so fast nowadays that by now it is off the books. Worry not, though, says Jeff, it is still a very good projector.

By Esty Dinur

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Fantastic Shows Coming Up!

After the holidays, there is only one place to be, of course! As always, the Union Theater continues to bring fantastic shows for incredibly low prices. Get ready to be thrilled by these two exceptional upcoming events.

Experience the contemporary and amazingly-innovative Ririe Woodbury Dance Company on Friday, February 23, 2007 at 8:00pm. This dance company is dedicated to the works of über dance genius, Alwin Nikolais. Musical, sculptural, and highly imaginative, the RWDC delights theatergoers of all ages and believes that dance is for everyone! The Cincinnati Enquirer says that “The dancers could fill a stage with playful, delicious moves and minimalist, ultra-modern repetitions. The dancers’ collective style can best be described as controlled attack. They held nothing back.”  This performance is presented in collaboration with the UW-Madison Dance Program.

If that isn’t enough for you, join us for one of the world’s most esteemed and influential classical duos on Friday, March 2, 2007 at 8:00pm. The repertoire of Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han spans the entire literature for cello and piano, with an equal emphasis on the classics and the contemporary. “When a pair of genuine artists explodes on the stage, exuding not only glamour and theatrical flair but also superb musical insight, the audiences thrill is twofold” exclaims the Chicago Sun-Times.    

These are just two picks you don’t want to miss. For more incredible upcoming events at the Theater, please click here. Remember, UW-Madison students pay only $10!  

By Claire Weissenfluh

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The Eccentric

She’s a race car driver, collects toothpaste from all over the world, and has 11 jobs. Meet our eccentric usher, Gretchen Patey

How long have you worked here?

S*$@, I don’t know. If you find out, please tell me.

You really don’t know? 2 years? 20 years?

No, I really don’t know. Less than 10, I’m sure. You know, I started out as a volunteer usher then I realized that you can get paid for this, so I signed up for that.

So tell me, what do you like the most about being an usher?

I love this job because I get to tell people where to go and they are grateful for it. I like harassing people too. I also like that I’m forced to be on campus, and that I get to see the shows for free.

Have you been harassed by any crabby customers?

No, but it really depends on your attitude. Most people come here to have a good time, so they are in a really good mood.

What is the biggest fiasco that you have witnessed in the theater?

The most recent flood. We were in the inner lobby and couldn’t even see the lake, it was raining so hard. The water started pouring down from the balcony staircase. Pretty soon there was an ocean in the lobby on house left! You couldn’t walk from house left to the lobby, you had to go all the way around to house right to get to the lobby. We kept grabbing newspapers and trash bins but there weren’t enough of them for all the water that kept coming in! The house manager called the building manager, who apologized saying that they were at other floods in the building. I’m so happy they voted to fix this building.

Yes, big thanks to the students who voted for the Student Union Initiative!!!! One last question--what has been your favorite performance at the theater?

I really enjoyed Natacha Atlas this season and, of course, the Madison World Music Festival is always incredible. I would definitely tell people to go to it.

Interview by Claire Weissenfluh

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Give Quality Entertainment for the Holidays!

It ain’t too late! Give the gift of quality entertainment to a special person.

This exciting offer is available only to our enewsletter readers. Buy a Wisconsin Union Theater gift certificate for at least $36—and we’ll give you something too: a free pair of tickets to any of our Travel Adventure Film Series this season!

Buy the present that will be greatly appreciated, and enjoy a free movie with someone you like. Can’t beat that now, can you?

Order this special offer of $36 or more by phone, 608-262-2201, or fax, 608-265-5084. A processing fee of $2.50 per gift certificate will be added. Or do it in person at the box office for no additional fee. Bring this form with you. Click here for form.

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David Finckel and Wu Han

Newsletter staff

Editor: Esty Dinur

Layout Designer: Claire Weissenfluh

Technical Advisor: Heather Good

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