The Hopkins Center for the Arts marks the transition into summer with a series of events from June 22-30 presented as“SHIFT,” with more than a dozen performances and other activities, including Dartmouth productions and works by visiting artists.
One of the keystone shows, The Merchant of Venice, will be presented by Compagnia de’ Colombari, an international collective of performing artists founded on the principles that the magic of great theater can happen anywhere and be made accessible to everyone. The production was created in 2017 to be performed in Venice’s Jewish ghetto to mark the 500th anniversary of the ghetto’s founding. The show uses inventive staging and casting, including five actors taking turns playing Shylock, and is accompanied by live music composed by the Klezmatics’ Frank London.
The company will perform in the Bema, and shows will take place at 8 p.m. on June 26 through June 28; tickets are available through the Hop box office.
DAX+, a “Digital Arts eXpo,” which is free and open to the public, offers a two-day showcase of digital animations, interactive installations, and performances by Dartmouth students, alumni, and guest artists. On Friday, June 22, there will be a performance by electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick at 7 p.m. in Loew Auditorium, and interactive installations and audiovisual performances by Dartmouth students at 8 p.m. in the Black Family Visual Arts Center Atrium and in Loew Auditorium. On June 23, there will be works for organ and electronics at 7 p.m. in Spaulding Auditorium and digital animation shorts by Dartmouth students at 8 p.m. in Loew Auditorium.
Pepperland, tribute to the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, will be performed by the Mark Morris Dance Group, with live music led by composer Ethan Iverson (formerly of the Bad Plus) in evening shows through June 30 in the Moore Theater. Tickets are available through the Hop box office.
Two courses at Dartmouth this summer have connections with SHIFT shows Pepperland and The Merchant of Venice: Professor Randall Balmer will teach “The Sixties,” looking at the politics, culture, and society of the era. Professor Susannah Heschel and Professor Patricia McKee will co-teach “History and Culture of the Jews II: The Modern Period.” As part of SHIFT, the faculty members will give free public lectures at the Top of the Hop. The talk by Heschel and McKee, titled “Merchant Today,” takes place at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 25. Balmer’s talk takes place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 28.
Some of the SHIFT performances require ticket purchases while others are free. For more information and a complete listing of activities and performances, visit the SHIFT website.
