Odaiko New England Concert

Saturday, March 12, 8 pm, Main Hall at Dudley House

Taiko drumming is a traditional Japanese music form that is graceful and unforgettable. Odaiko New England (www.onetaiko.net), one of New England's premier taiko groups, comes to Dudley House for a performance and demonstration. O.N.E. combines traditional and modern influences to create a unique and memorable event. This concert is open to the general public; a $5 donation is suggested and appreciated for this non-profit arts group.

Film Screening: OIL ON ICE

Wednesday, March 16, 7:00 pm, Graduate Student Lounge

Pizza and refreshments will be served

Oil on Ice is a vivid, compelling and comprehensive documentary connecting the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to decisions America makes about energy policy, transportation choices, and other seemingly unrelated matters. Caught in the balance are the culture and livelihood of the Gwich’in people and the migratory wildlife in this fragile ecosystem. Come see this documentary, winner of the 2004 Pare Lorenz Award from the International Documentary Association. (Running time, 1 hour).

Dudley Improvisation & Acting Troupe

Meets regularly at Dudley House

Want a casual and fun environment to practice acting and improvisation, and to study scenes from your favorite plays? The Dudley improvisation and acting troupe consists of Dudley members who do just that. We plan to meet regularly in winter and spring of 2005 at Dudley House. The Acting/Improv troupe has its own email distribution list to keep updated with upcoming meetings and events, so email us to get added on. No previous experience necessary, and you can join up any time.

60 Minutes of Experimental Short Films with Luis Valdovino (video artist, Argentina/USA)

Friday April 22, 7pm, Carpenter Center (Harvard Film Archive) B-04

The Short Films:

1. Dia de Los Muertos (The Last of the 20th Century), 1:32 min. video, Dan Boord/Luis Valdovino, 2001

The rich iconography of Dia de los Muertos, the spirit of Luis Bunel, the music of Duke Ellington and a group of tourists share the last
celebration of Day of the Dead of the 20th Century somewhere in Mexico. Warning: this celebration might not be suitable for vegetarians.

2. Standards, 25:57 min. video, Dan Boord/Luis Valdovino 2000

A travelogue of portions of the USA, Europe and Latin America mixes the concept of standards with facts and fiction to explore the state of our culture at the end of the 20th Century.

3. Cocteau Cento, 5:49 min. video, Dan Boord/Luis Valdovino, 2003

This experimental video takes the form of a cento -- a literary work made up of parts from other works. It pays homage to the work of the poet, playwright, artist and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. Mixing footage from several of his films, writings from Cocteau and his contemporaries, and a sound design made up entirely from those writings, the self-reflexive nature of the tape explores many of Cocteau's recurrent themes in the form of a cento: a collage of intensely personal poetic symbols which attempt
to evoke the sacrificial nature of art and the relationships among poetry, myth, death, and the unconscious mind.

4. Themes, 28:24 min. video, Dan Boord/Luis Valdovino, 2004

It is a new year and a new century. Themes resumes the travelogue begun in Standards. What will the new and improved future bring?

Film-maker (in person):

Luis Valdovino

Native of Argentina, Luis Valdovino is an video artist and associate professor of art at the University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.

His works have been exhibited at MOMA, NYC; The Museum of Contemporary
Art, LA; The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; The Metropolitan Museum of
Art, NYC; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; Venice
Biennale, Venice, Italy; The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; The Institute of
Contemporary Art, London; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia,
Madrid; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Centro Nacional de Las Artes,
Mexico City; Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago; Berlin Video
Festival; World Wide Video Festival, The Hague; Toronto Film Festival;
Edinburgh Film Festival, and Oberhausen Film Festival.

Valdovino's videos have been presented at the 37th and 50th Robert
Flaherty Film Seminar, The Kitchen, New York, and broadcasted on
"Independent Focus" at WNET and Deep Dish Network, New York. In
addition,he has produced several award winning tapes in collaboration with Dan
Boord and has curated the programs "La Voz Latina: Latina/o Video Art
from the U.S.A." that have been screened throughout Latin America, Europe,
and the United States.

Dan Boord:

Dan Boord is a video artist and a professor at the University of
Colorado,
Boulder. His work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American
Art, NYC; MOMA, NYC; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; The Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York; The Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy; Stedelijk
Museum, Amsterdam; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Museo Nacional Centro
de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid; and many more venues around the world. His
work has been broadcasted on WNET, New York and WGBH, Boston, presented
at the International Public Television Conference in Stockholm and at the
50th Robert Flaherty Film Seminar. In addition, he has collaborated with
Luis Valdovino in several award winning videos.

Dudley Spring Play : Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth

Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7, Main Hall at Dudley House

Chance Wayne, a Hollywood gigolo determined to become a star, teams up with Alexandra Del Lago, a washed-up Hollywood actress, on his way back to his small-town home. The town clamors at the reappearance of the charismatic Chance, who claims to have found fame and fortune in Hollywood, while the mysterious Alexandra lies in a drunken stupor in their hotel room. Chance is convinced Alexandra can make him a star, so he protects her reputation while rediscovering his love for his hometown sweetheart, Heavenly, whose heart he broke when he disappeared to find fame. Chance's attempts to reignite his passion for the naive Heavenly deeply angers her vengeful father, the cruel town "boss" who will stop at nothing to see his daughter's lost innocence avenged.

Come see Dudley Drama's 2005 production at the Arts First festival! Tickets will be on sale at the Harvard Box Office starting in April.

We still welcome production staff and people who would like to lend a hand backstage during the production nights. We have fun and useful roles for people of any time commitment.

Drama & Film Introductory Meeting

Thursday, September 30, 7:30 p.m., Graduate Student Lounge

Meet other theater and film production people from the Dudley community and hear about some of our plans for the upcoming year. For drama-minded folks, we will brainstorm play ideas and gauge interest for this year's production, as well as create a Dudley resource list for potential actors, directors, and others who have interests & talents to share. We will also lay out the general schedule for all filmmakers (first-time filmmakers are espectially welcome) to plan, shoot, and edit a digital film this year. If you cannot make the time, please contact us to let us know your interests, and to be put in the drama/film production-specific e-mail list.

Monday, October 11, 7:30 p.m., Harvard Film Archive, B-04

Harvard filmmakers Ying Qian and Jie Li present their documentary about a group of international English-teaching volunteers who venture into the Huangtian village in China. As the foreigners become increasingly involved with the villagers' lives, both the villagers and the visitors reflect on the benefits and the dilemmas of intercultural contact and economic development. Director Ying Qian will be present.. (From the press kit: 48 min., English & Chinese with English subtitles).

Film Directing talk & screening: No One's a Mystery and Freebox

Wednesday, November 10, 7:30 p.m., Graduate Student Lounge

Named "New England's Most Promising Filmmaker," director Shandor Garrison visits Dudley House to screen his festival award-winning short films, No One's a Mystery (8 min), and Freebox (22 min). Freebox, his most recent short film, is a story about an HIV-positive teen who prepares revenge against a bullying student. Shandor will also talk about the process of directing and putting together a short film, as well as the work he is doing on his first upcoming feature. This is a great event for Dudley filmmakers looking to put together their own film this year.

Wednesday, November 17, 7:30 p.m., Graduate Student Lounge

Winner of both the Nantucket Film Award for Screenwriting and the Woods Hole Film Festival Screenwriting Competition, Andrew Arthur is a longtime friend to Dudley House and is president and founder of EarthHart Productions, dedicated to creating films that support individual rights and people's connection with the natural world. Andrew will share his experiences in writing for the screen, and welcomes interactions with budding screenwriters and filmmakers. Dudley filmmakers writing their own fictional short films this year should attend!

Dudley Improvisation / Scene-study Troupe Kickoff

First meeting: Wednesday, December 8, 7 p.m., Graduate Student Lounge

Have fun with improvisation-- practice your acting skills-- rehearse scenes from your favorite plays-- all in a friendly and casual environment... Dudley Drama & Film is hosting an improv and scene-study group to meet regularly and to have fun with acting and reacting to one another. Our first meeting is on Wednesday, December 8th. No prior experience or preparation is necessary, just a willingness to explore your acting and stage skills. Bring a friend! The group isn't restricted to Dudley members only... we're happy to include enthusiastic guests. Can't make it on that date? Watch this space... we'll start up the group again early next year, so check back here or make sure you're on the Dudley Drama email list for updates.

Film Screening & Director's talk: Up to the Mountain, Down to the Village

Wednesday, December 16, 9:00 p.m., Harvard Film Archive, Screening Room B-04

It was perhaps the largest youth movement in human history. More than 17 million Chinese junior high and high school students left their parents behind in the cities and went to the countryside to learn from the peasants. Many participated eagerly, driven by devotion to Chairman Mao. However, they were unprepared for the loneliness, despair, hunger and back-breaking labor they endured living as ordinary peasants for up to a decade or more.

Thirty years later, Up to the Mountain, Down to the Village captures the return of three "sent-down" youth -- now U.S. citizens -- to the remote Chinese villages where they lived 30 years ago.

Director Chris Billing worked for more than a decade as a China-based journalist. His last assignment, from 1996 to 2001, was as NBC News Beijing Bureau Chief. During his NBC tenure, he reported on numerous historic events, including the death of paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, Hong Kong's reversion from British to Chinese rule, and the 50th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. Before joining NBC, Billing worked for CBS News in Beijing as a reporter and producer. He first went to China in 1986, when he taught Modern Hebrew at Beijing University. Up to the Mountain, Down to the Village (61 min., Chinese with English subtitles) is his first film.