March 3, 1999

Middlebury College Presents “Lives in the
Arts” on Mar. 12-13

Alumnae to Perform, Display and Discuss Their
Art

Middlebury College alumnae will perform, display
and discuss their art and work in a two-day celebratory symposium
on Friday, Mar. 12 and Saturday, Mar. 13 in the Middlebury College
Center for the Arts (CFA), on Route 30. “Lives in the Arts”
will consist of readings, music, dance, theatre performances,
an exhibition of drawings, and panel discussions. A reception
for visual artists Jessica Nissen (Class of 1990) and Julia Wachtel
(1978) will lead off the symposium at 5 p.m. on Friday Mar. 12
in the CFA lobby.

All events are free and open to the public, but pre-registration
is required. Tickets may be reserved by contacting Mary S. Duffy
of the Middlebury College Women’s Resource Center at 802-443-5937.

A highlight of this gathering will be a reading by
Julia Alvarez (1971) on Friday, Mar. 12 at 8 p.m. Author of “Yo,”
and “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents,” Alvarez
will read from her new book “Something to Declare” on
Friday, Mar. 12 at 8 p.m. in the CFA Studio Theatre.

On Saturday, Mar. 13 at 9:30 a.m. a coffee and muffin
reception will start off the day’s events in the lower lobby of
the CFA. The public is invited and refreshments are free.

Following the reception, a poetry reading will take
place at 10:30 a.m. in CFA Room 232. Poets Ofelia Barrios (1993);
Sarah Messer (1988); and Suzanne Wise (1987) will read from their
own works.

At 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, “Making a Life in
the Arts: Women’s Personal Journeys,” a round-table sharing
of survival stories, will be held in Room 232 of the CFA. Participants
will be poet Ofelia Barrios, playwright Andra Harbold (1994),
and composer Ellen Lindquist (1993).

At 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Studio Theatre of
the CFA, composer Ellen Lindquist and adapter Andra Harbold will
present “Isabelle Eberhardt Project,” an exploration
of the life of 19th century writer Isabelle Eberhardt.

At 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Dance Studio of the
CFA, dancer/choreographer Lisa Gonzales (1993), Ellen Lindquist,
and violinist Laura Markowitz will present “Gaia,” a
new collaborative work for dancer and solo violin.

From 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday in Room 232 of
the CFA, playwright Eve Ensler (1975) will lead a panel discussion
of her play “Vagina Monologues” with the cast of the
recent Middlebury College production.

At 4 p.m. on Saturday, “Tangential Pursuits:
Artists Behind (And Making) the Scene,” a discussion of the
less visible arts, will be presented in Room 232 of the CFA. Panelists
will include film editor Plummy Tucker (1987); theatre historian
Natalya Baldyga (1991); film historian Alyssa Gallin (1992); and
Andrea Schaefer (1991) of the Middlebury College English department.

On Saturday, Mar. 13 at 8 p.m. in the CFA Studio
Theatre, a reading of Eve Ensler’s “Necessary Targets”
will be presented by Ensler and fellow alumnae Natalya Baldyga,
Melissa Perry Bridger (1988), Ann A. Deppman (1989), Andra Harbold,
Elizabeth Dewey Levey (1988), and Andrea Schaefer. The presentation
will be followed by a discussion led by the author, and a reception.
Ensler is well-known for her Obie-award winning play “Vagina
Monologues” which was performed to a standing-room-only crowd
at Middlebury College this past Valentine’s Day. Tickets for the
staged reading of “Necessary Targets” are free, but
should be reserved by contacting Mary S. Duffy at 802-443-5937.

For pre-registration or more information, contact
Mary S. Duffy of the Middlebury College Women’s Resource Center,
at 802-443-5937, or, email Mary.S.Duffy@middlebury.edu for a schedule
of events and registration information.