The Arts at Harvard: Something to Celebrate

Church bells will resonate throughout Harvard Square; a high-spirited parade, led by the Harvard University Band, will wend its way through Harvard Yard; and actor John Lithgow '67 will welcome everyone to a colorful Caribbean picnic -- all as part of the 6th Annual ARTS FIRST festival of the arts at Harvard-Radcliffe.

The four-day festival, to be held April 30 through May 3, celebrates students and faculty in the arts and includes more than 200 performances, concerts, exhibitions, theatrical and dance performances, film screenings, a parade, and impromptu happenings. All events take place in and around Harvard Yard and are open to the public. All Saturday Performance Fair events are free.

During ARTS FIRST '98, Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine will present the 4th annual Harvard Arts Medal to Pulitzer Prize-winning author, novelist, and poet John Updike '54.

The festival will showcase a Theater Festival, including six plays ranging from Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams; a forum on "Visions of America: The Artists' Perspective of Society"; special children's programming; a "Festival of Ensembles: Splendor of the Psalms" at Sanders Theatre; and activities from poetry readings to juggling.

ARTS FIRST '98 will include:

Thursday, April 30

THEATER FESTIVAL

The Valiant Villain: A hen-pecked villain, a hero with a knack for culinary concoctions, and a romantic heroine. Perfect entertainment for children; Sunken Garden, Radcliffe Yard, 3 p.m.

The Tempest: Shakespearean classic is a mystical comedy about power-scheming, paternal love, and the old European order in the brave New World. Hyperion Theatre Company; Steps of the Memorial Church, Harvard Yard, 4 p.m.

Henry The Fourth: Part I: Shakespeare in modern dress. England as a superpower of the 20th century. Loeb Drama Center, Experimental Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

Revisionist History: A one-act play that examines the nature of self-perception through a dual timeline. Adams House Drama Society, Pool Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

This End Up: An original musical created and performed by Harvard and Radcliffe freshmen. The story of six young people living together in a San Francisco apartment. Agassiz Theatre, 8 p.m.

Clothes for a Summer Night: Tennessee Williams's play about the famous literary couple, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and their painful marriage filled with pride, jealousy, madness, and guilt. Loeb Drama Center, Mainstage, 8:30 p.m.

Poetry Wall: Create your own poetry at the magnetic poetry wall. Holyoke Center. All day. (In collaboration with the Cambridge Arts Council.)

Friday, May 1

Outdoor Stage Performances, including Cambridge schoolchildren singing in the morning. Holyoke Center, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

"Vision of America: The Artists' Perspectives of Society." Artists and entertainers will discuss their visions of American society, their contributions, and the role they see themselves taking in the future. The Forum, Institute of Politics; Kennedy School, 4 p.m.

"Festival of Ensembles: Splendor of the Psalms." The Harvard Glee Club, the Radcliffe Chorale Society, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum join with the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra to present the Psalm in choral form. Sanders Theatre, 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 2

ARTS FIRST '98 Parade: Led by actor John Lithgow, the parade marches down Massachusetts Avenue into Harvard Yard. Begins at The Inn at Harvard, 11:30 a.m.

Caribbean Picnic: Next to the Memorial Hall in the tent, music by the Harvard Jazz Band. Tent, noon to 1 p.m.

Performance Fair: More than 70 musical, theatrical, film, and dance events will take place in the Fogg Museum, Busch Hall, Sanders Theatre, Appleton Chapel (Memorial Church), Loker Commons (Memorial Hall), Science Center, Paine Hall, Lowell Hall, and Carpenter Center, 1 to 5 p.m.

Children's workshops and activities; 1-5 p.m.

Rough Music: A Black Artistic Experience. An evening of music and dance. The Brothers and Sisters of Kuumba draw from a broad range of vocal styles and musical idioms in presenting gospel tradition and Black vocals. The '01 Steppers perform original steps and rhythmic hip hop. Sanders Theatre, 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 3

Festival events in the Harvard/Radcliffe undergraduate houses. 2-5 p.m.

Throughout the ARTS FIRST '98 Festival, exhibitions will be held at the Harvard Museums and undergraduate houses.

A full schedule of events will be available in the ARTS FIRST '98 GUIDE starting Monday, April 27, at the Harvard University Events & Information Center in Holyoke Center, the Harvard Coop, and area hotels.

For further information, contact ARTS FIRST '98, Office for the Arts at Harvard and Radcliffe, 495-8676.