2023-24 Austin Arts Center Events

Spring 2024 Events

Susanna Fogel Residency
Monday, Feb. 5
Reception hosted by the Arts Initiative: 5:30 – 6:45 p.m.
AAC Lobby & Widener Gallery

“Cat Person” Screening: 7:00 p.m.
Cinestudio

Tuesday, Feb. 6
Writing for Film
a discussion with writer/director Susanna Fogel: 12:15-1:30 p.m.
Smith House, Reese Room

Susanna Fogel’s credits include directing the film Cat Person, a thriller adaptation of the 2017 viral New Yorker short story, cowriting the acclaimed comedy Booksmart, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA and a WGA Award, directing and co-writing Lionsgate’s The Spy Who Dumbed Me, which won a People’s Choice Award in 2018, and directing and co-writing her debut film Life Partners, which she developed at the Sundance Lab.  Her most recent film is Winner, a darkly comedic biopic of whistleblower Reality Winner she co-wrote with Kerry Howley, which stars Emilia Jones,  Zach Galifianakis, and Connie Britton and will premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. 

Fogel’s television credits include the first two episodes of the HBO Max series The Flight Attendant, for which she received the DGA Award for Directing in the Comedy Series category and was nominated for an Emmy, and the pilot of Amazon’s The Wilds, which ran for two seasons. Fogel directed Small Light, a Disney+ limited series about the woman who protected Anne Frank’s family during WWII. The series, which stars Bel Powley and Liev Schreiber, recently won the 2024 Gotham Award for breakthrough series and has been nominated for four Critics Choice Awards and an Independent Spirit Award. 

Sponsored by the Department of Creative Writing
and the Trinity Arts Initiative.

 

Motion State Film Festival Series
Monday, February 12

Dance Film Workshop: 1:30 – 4:10 p.m.
Performance Lab, Trinity Commons

Screening followed by Q & A: 7:00 p.m.
Cinestudio

Now in its sixth season, Motion State Dance Film Series is the only year-long, traveling short film festival in New England devoted to showcasing the diversity of contemporary creative voices exploring choreography for the camera. Now in its sixth season, Motion State Dance Film Series is curated by Ali Kenner Brodsky and Andy Russ. Learn more about this season’s featured films and artists.

 

Rise: Studio Arts
Postbaccalaureate Fellowship Alumni Exhibition
Monday, February 26 – Monday, April 8
Gallery Hours: Mon – Fri, 1-6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
(Closed March 9 –17)
Widener Gallery, AAC
Bicentennial Symposium Reception: February 28, 2:45 – 4:00 p.m.

Rise presents a selection of recent works from alumni artists spanning twenty years of the Trinity College Studio Arts Program Postbaccalaureate Fellowship. Exhibiting artists include Alison Cofrancesco (’20), Sebastian Ebarb (’06), Ilana Harris-Babou, Brenda Ordoñez (’22), Samantha Kasubaski Rosado, Harrison Kinnane Smith, and Nick Van Zanten.

 

Spring Bicentennial Symposium: Reflection and Action
Wednesday, February 28
Mather Hall
The Watkinson Library
Goodwin Theater, Austin Arts Center

Following up on the Fall Bicentennial Symposium on Memory, Presence, and Possibility, the Spring Bicentennial Symposium is an opportunity, with no scheduled classes or other competing activities, to engage in critical dialogue as an academic community.  This day of dynamic historical perspectives and future-facing dialogue foregrounds how the liberal arts experience at Trinity is defined by the productive interplay between research, teaching, learning, and praxis. The interconnectedness of Trinity’s academic divisions (i.e., Arts, Humanities, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences) will enhance a day-long exploration of moments of innovation, both technological and theoretical, in the hopes of creating understanding and diverse ways of thinking. Learn more about the Spring Bicentennial Symposium event here.

 

Trinity College Organ Series:
The Annual Clarence Watters Memorial Recital
featuring Christopher Houlihan
Tuesday, March 19, 7:30 p.m.

Christopher Houlihan is the Trinity College Organist, Director of Chapel Music, and Artist-in-Residence. Trinity Organ Series presents outstanding artists in recital at Trinity College Chapel. Our exceptional pipe organ, built by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford, contains over four-thousand pipes that range in size from pencils to large trees. Each pipe has its own unique sound, combining to a thrilling sonic experience. All performances in the series are free and open to the public and are presented by Trinity College Chapel and the Department of Music.

 

 

Call of the Drum: Bermudian Gombey Tradition
Thursday, March 21, 12:15-1:30 p.m.
Recital Hall, Austin Arts Center
(Lunch will be provided)

Gombey developed in colonial Bermuda more than two centuries ago, bringing enslaved people of West African, Caribbean, and Native American heritage together to celebrate during the Christmas season. Bands of masked male dancers, dressed from head to foot in intricate regalias, danced down the street to the accompaniment of a battery of drums, drawing people from their homes to follow the festivities. Because the British colonial government in Bermuda attempted to suppress Gombey street performances throughout its history–during slavery, after emancipation, and well into the twentieth century—the genre developed both as a festive celebration and a highly symbolic art form of resistance. Today, Gombey performers are celebrated by the government of Bermuda as national emblems, yet contemporary musicians, dancers, and regalia designers keep this history of oppression and resistance alive through their evocative and highly symbolic performances.

Dorothea (Dora) Hast, Visiting Scholar in Residence in the Center for Caribbean Studies, and Irwin Trott, Director and Lead Drummer of the Warwick Gombeys in Bermuda, will discuss their collaborative book project on the Gombey tradition.  They will be joined by dancer Kahni Place and bass drummer Alan Looby, both members of the Warwick Gombey Troupe, in this lecture and performance event. Co-sponsored by The Center for Caribbean Studies, The Music Department, The Department of Theater and Dance & The Community Learning Initiative.

 

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s
CINDERELLA
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
New Book by Douglas Carter Beane
Original Book by Oscar Hammerstein II
Orchestrations by Danny Troob
Music Adaptation & Arrangements by David Chase
Directed by Michelle Ong-Hendrick

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT!

Thurs-Sat, Mar 21-23, 7:30 p.m.
Sat, Mar 23, 2:00 p.m.
Goodwin Theater, AAC

CINDERELLA is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals
on behalf of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
www.concordtheatricals.com 

 

Theater and Dance Senior Theses

Cassidy Willie Lawes Tuesday, March 25, 7:30pm Performance Lab Trinity Commons

Caroline Frederick and Lily McMahon Wednesday, March 26, 7:30pm Performance Lab Trinity Commons

Ugné Tumontye Tuesday, April 2, 7:30pm Performance & Media Lab CCAN

Ren Logan Wednesday, April 3, 7:30pm Performance Lab Trinity Commons

Tara Iyer (note date change below)

Tara Iyer Monday, April 8, 7:00pm Trinity Chapel Courtyard (outdoors)

 

What’s Your Move?
An Evening of Student Choreography
Thursday-Friday, April 18-19, 7:30 p.m.
Goodwin Theater, Austin Arts Center

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT!

What’s Your Move? An Evening of Student Choreography launches viewers into the dynamic range of dance practice at Trinity College. From a high-octane sextet of escaped video game characters to a balletic trio dedicated to girlhood and friendship—Hip Hop, ballet, Irish step dance, and more—this concert showcases the kinetic diversity of bantams from across campus, asking them to share their “moves,” with you. 

 

 

Samba Fest
Saturday, April 20, 11 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.

Samba Fest is thrilled to return for its 16th year as a beloved celebration of music, dance, community, and the arts on Saturday, April 20th, 11 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on the Trinity College Gates Quad (300 Summit St. Hartford CT, 06106 — in front of the Austin Arts Center). In partnership with Trinity College’s Bicentennial celebrations, and under the leadership of Eric Galm (Professor of Music, Music Department Chair, and Faculty Secretary), the event will feature a participatory “Bicentennial Big Bang” with 200 drummers and international guest artists, as well as performances by Henrique Eisenmann and Téka, Kainga Music, Trinity Samba and Steel ensembles, and a Capoeira workshop with Efraim Silva. All are invited to enjoy live music, food trucks, games, crafts, and togetherness in the spirit of Brazilian Carnaval.

 

 

Lessons Concert
Tuesday, April 23, 12:15 p.m. (Common Hour)
Trinity College Chapel

Jazz Concert
Tuesday, April 30, 7:30 p.m. (Note date change)
Goodwin Theater, Austin Arts Center

Chamber Ensembles Concert
Thursday, April 25, 12:15 p.m. (Common Hour)
Recital Hall, Austin Arts Center

“Last Night”
Wednesday, May 1, 5:30 p.m.
Performance Lab, Trinity Commons

Fall 2023 Events

Jenny Wu: Otherly
Art exhibition of sculptural paintings by Jenny Wu
Curated by Lisa Lynch

September 25 – October 23, 2023
Gallery Hours: Mon–Fri, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sat 1 – 5 p.m.
Artist Talk and Reception: September 28, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Widener Gallery, Austin Arts Center

Otherly includes abstract sculptural paintings by Visiting Assistant Professor in Fine Arts Jenny Wu. Like the exhibition’s title, Wu’s work physically, visually, and thematically refers to the state of being something else – an unrecognizable art form, an indefinable artistic style, or an individual outside of a socially or politically defined group.

JOY!
Directed by Tandy Beal

October 13, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
and October 14, 2023, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Goodwin Theater, Austin Arts Center
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT!

~ a dazzling array of dance, music, and circus ~
Under the inspired direction of choreographer Tandy Beal, this world-class, multi-talented ensemble of dancers, acrobats, and circus artists will perform alongside live music from award-winning a cappella group SoVoSó. Tailored to Trinity’s yearlong bicentennial celebrations, JOY’s magical madcap of more than 25 amazing performers also includes students, faculty, and professionals from Trinity College, Hartford, and the surrounding region.JOY! Program

 

Fall Bicentennial Symposium:
Memory, Presence and Possibility

Wednesday, November 14
The Austin Arts Center and Raether Library
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE SYMPOSIUM!.

Memory, Presence and Possibility is the first of two all-day symposia designed by faculty, staff, students, alumni, and local partners to create intergenerational dialogue about our history, identity, and future. Workshop and presentation topics include the value of liberal arts education, shared governance, student research, Hartford engagement, arts, media, and campus life. Award-winning poet and essayist Claudia Rankine will be the evening keynote speaker.

We Find Ourselves in This Place
Curated by Lynn Sullivan

November 13 – December 18, 2023
Gallery Hours: Mon–Fri, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sat 1 – 5 p.m.
Bicentennial Day Reception: November 14, 4:30 – 6 p.m.,
with artist walk-through at 5 p.m.
Widener Gallery, Austin Arts Center

This art exhibition features Traé Brooks, Sophia DeJesus-Sabella, and Kevin Hernández Rosa, three Hartford-based artists producing sculpture, assemblage, drawing, and weaving works that engage with how identity is shaped by and, in turn, shapes history and culture.

Machinal
By Sophie Treadwell
Directed by Teri Incampo
Assistant Directed by Lily Kirn McMahon ‘24
by arrangement with Nick Hern Books

November 30-December 2, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Goodwin Theater, Austin Arts Center
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT TODAY!

Written in 1928 by journalist and playwright Sophie Treadwell, Machinal is a fearlessly frank examination of the machine-like modern world and one woman’s experience of the societal expectations thrust upon her. The play imparts sensations of isolation and restlessness by placing the audience inside the mind of the play’s protagonist as she struggles to navigate the stages of marriage and motherhood that those around her see as hallmarks of a “successful life.” What might personal fulfillment resemble if we look beyond the prescriptions of patriarchy and capitalism? What happens to those who fail to fit within the rules of society? Treadwell’s Machinal wrestles with these and many other complex questions in this timeless play. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT AND ACCESS THE SHOW PROGRAM.