UPB Fall Spectrum Series Includes Screenwriter, Classic Drama and Music

The fall Spectrum series at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will include a visit by a screenwriter, two classic dramas and music by flutist Sarah Tiedemann.

The Spectrum series, which supports the arts curriculum at Pitt-Bradford, will open with a visit by screenwriter Brad Riddell at noon Oct. 11 in the Mukaiyama University Room. His talk is free.

Riddell’s screenwriting credits include assignments from Universal, Paramount and MTV Films. He wrote the fourth film in the “American Pie” series, “Band Camp,” which remains the highest-grossing live action straight-to-DVD movie production to date, and has worked on sequels to franchise films such as “Josie and the Pussycats,” “Slap Shot” and “Road Trip.”

Currently he is producing his own script, “Harmony” with director Stu Pollard.

Spectrum theater begins Oct. 15 with a performance of John Steinbeck’s classic, “Of Mice and Men” at 7:30 p.m. in the Bromeley Family Theater. Cost for the public is $10 to $12; for all students, free.

Performed by The National Players, America’s longest-running classical touring company, “Of Mice and Men” tells the tragic and endearing story of mismatched friends George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers in Depression-era California.

George has big dreams for a tiny man, while the large but simple Lennie seeks the comfort of life’s little pleasures. Just as George’s dreams seem within reach, his compassion is tested through Lennie’s mistakes.

The first performer in the Spectrum music series will be Sarah Tiedemann on flute, accompanied by Ritsuko Wada of Olean, N.Y., on piano, at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 in the Bromeley Family Theater. The program is free.

Tiedemann is principal flute of the Salem (Ore.) Chamber Orchestra and the Portland (Ore.) Festival Symphony. She has performed throughout the United States and Europe with ensembles such as the Swedish Radio Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Boston Philharmonic.

On Oct. 28, the Spectrum visual arts season opens with the exhibition “Collective Living: Architectural Thesis by Dominic Yik,” which will run through Dec. 2 in the KOA Art Gallery in Blaisdell Hall. A gallery talk and opening reception will be held at noon Oct. 28 in Blaisdell Hall.

Rather than a static set of final drawings, this exhibition shows the development and thought process of an architectural project through sketches, writings and recorded facts.

In November, Dr. Kevin Ewert, associate professor of theater, will direct “Metamorphoses” by Mary Zimmerman for the Spectrum series. Public performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17-19 and 2 p.m. Nov. 20. Tickets are $6 for the public and $2 for all students. A Kaleidoscope school matinee will be held Nov. 16.

Nominated for the Tony Award and winner of the Drama Desk Award for Best Play, “Metamorphoses” is a modern retelling of Ovid’s poem of mythical transformations. Set around and in a large pool of water, characters such as Midas, Orpheus and Eurydice, Narcissus, Aphrodite, Apollo, Eros and Psyche play out their stories in surprising, often humorous, and always magical ways.

For tickets to events, contact the box office at (814)362-5113.

For disability-related needs, contact the Office of Disability Resources at (814)362-7609 or clh71@pitt.edu.

Pictured is a sketch from Dominic Yik’s exhibit.
Courtesy of Pitt-Bradford