The Catholic University of America Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art will present the following virtual events during the fall 2020 semester. Admission to these events is donation-based, with a suggested donation of $25 per production.
In addition to these scheduled events, the Rome School is releasing Lunch with the Rome School events on social media, featuring rotating segments including Coffee Chats with Alumni, Faculty Friday Chats, and Living Well in Your Living Room. These events will be posted to the school’s Instagram channel (@cuamusicdramaart).
Coffee Chats with Alumni will offer a deep dive with industry professionals, giving current and potential students an opportunity to connect and ask questions. Living Well in Your Living Room is a series focused on ways to stay active and mentally healthy during at-home learning. This series will feature experts in music therapy, vocal wellness, and yoga specifically tailored for performers and artists.
Visual Arts Exhibits
The Figure Interpreted: Redux
Now-Sept. 30, 2020
Online, Limited Access to Salve Regina Hall
The Figure Interpreted: Redux exhibition features the work of eight contemporary artists who employ the body as an expressive form for communicating meaning. The mediums these artists have employed — painting, drawing, and sculpture — have their own inherent physicality, which parallels the tactile sensuousness and corporeal weight of flesh. Together, this collection of work invites the viewer to consider the body as a site of both feeling and thought.
Found Objects: Art from the Department Collection
Oct. 8 - Oct. 30, 2020
Online, Limited access to Salve Regina Hall
Found Objects: Art from the Department Collection is an exhibition of artworks that have accumulated in Salve Regina Hall over the course of her long, illustrious lifespan. The show contains works from some of the Art Department's long-gone prestigious faculty and echoes from well-known artists that attended classes here so many years ago.
Drama Productions
The Socially Distant Play Festival
Nov. 20 - Dec. 5, 2020
Online
An exploration of life in the time of social distance written by alumni from the Masters of Fine Arts in Playwriting program. This festival features 10 unique plays that speak to the moment in which we are all living. Stories about love, loss, and struggle are all told through video-conferencing, social media, and recording and performed by Catholic University students.
The War of the Worlds
Oct. 29 - Nov. 1, 2020
Online
Written by Howard E. Koch and directed by Matt Ripa, operations coordinator for the Rome School, and originally broadcast from New York's Mercury Theatre in 1938, this infamous radio play is based on the novel by H.G. Wells and takes our audience back to the golden age of science fiction and radio drama. Listen and enjoy this tale of alien invasion that terrified audiences.
Music Performances
Ca Ira: Des Chansons Populaires
Oct. 23 - Oct. 25, 2020
Online
A celebration of popular and well-loved songs from post-war France featuring the music of Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Josephine Baker, and Yves Montand. This program highlights the indomitable spirit of performing artists in a time of social upheaval, with songs that capture the wit and passion of an entire generation.
Opera Project: The Hermit Songs
Dec. 11, 2020
Online
An interdisciplinary exploration of Samuel Barber’s Hermit Songs featuring students and faculty from across The Catholic University of America.