6/18/09 Inaugural Jimmy Simmons/Lamar Band Golf Tournament Tees Off
The first-ever Jimmy Simmons/Lamar Band Golf Tournament will be held Saturday, June 27, at Idylwild Golf Club in Sour Lake. Proceeds from the event will benefit student scholarships for the Lamar University band program, directed by Scott Deppe.

The tournament was conceived as a grass-roots effort by Lamar band alumni to support Deppe and the current program. Read more.


4/23/09 Senior Thesis Exhibition Lights Up the Dishman Art Museum
Lamar University’s Dishman Art Museum will host an opening reception for the Department of Art’s graduating seniors from 7 to 9 p.m. May 1. Eight students are fulfilling their requirements for the bachelor of fine arts degree by presenting their senior thesis projects, ranging from painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing to computer graphics. Read more.


4/21/09 Lamar Theatre Presents The Rocky Horror Show
Every year, the theatre faculty at Lamar University asks theatre majors to submit ideas for the plays they’d like to perform in the upcoming season. And every year, The Rocky Horror Show consistently ranks at or near the top of the list.

“We wanted to end the season with a musical, and, in thinking of shows that would excite the students, Rocky Horror was an easy fit,” said theatre instructor Adam Conrad, who co-directs the play along with Professor Adonia Placette. The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O’Brien, will run April 30 – May 2 in the University Theatre. Performances will be at 7 p.m. April 30 and 7 p.m. and midnight on May 1 and 2. Read more.


4/13/09 Lamar Dance Company Presents AttenDANCE
The Lamar University Dance Company will present an entertaining and diverse evening of dance works from LU students and faculty at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16, and Friday, April 17, in the University Theatre. The program, created by dance faculty members Lou Arrington, Harriet Lihs, Julie Parker and Golden Wright, will feature ballet, modern and jazz dance forms. Read more.


3/19/09 Women Figurative Artists Show at the Dishman
In the early 1970s, fewer than 2 percent of art galleries in the United States displayed the works of female artists. “It seemed most of them explicitly didn’t want women artists,” said painter Janet Fish. “One gallery assistant told me to please stop bringing my slides around as the director said women couldn’t paint.”

Fish ultimately banded together with other artists to display their work in supportive, cooperatively owned galleries in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. “Better Than Ever: Women Figurative Artists of the ’70s SoHo Co-ops” reunites 19 of these artists in a dynamic new show that exhibits a pair of works from each, one from their formative years and another more contemporary piece of art. The exhibition will run April 3-22 in the Dishman Art Museum on the campus of Lamar University. Read more.


3/10/09 Le Grand Bal Honors Jo and Tommy Vance
The “Red and White” Le Grand Bal presented by the Lamar University Friends of the Arts will bring an evening of grace and elegance to Southeast Texas à la Truman Capote’s famed 1966 Black and White Ball. The gala evening, Saturday, March 21, will feature a silent art auction and reception in the Dishman Art Museum followed by fine dining, dancing and entertainment in the Montagne Center. Read more.


2/26/09 “Merlin’s Tale of Arthur’s Magic Sword” Offers a Thrilling Adventure for the Entire Family
Lamar Theatre invites you to be swept back in time to an era of knights and ladies, swordfights and castles, and magical escapades galore. “Merlin’s Tale of Arthur’s Magic Sword,” by Keith Enger, will run Saturday, March 7, at 2 and 6 p.m. in the University Theatre. Tickets are specially priced at only $2 per person. Read more.


1/27/09 One-Night Performance of "The Resurrection of Harriet Tubman"
The public is invited to a free performance Friday, Jan. 30, of Melissa Waddy-Thibodeaux’s acclaimed one-woman show, “The Resurrection of Harriet Tubman for Literacy on the Underground Reading Railroad.” The historically-based dramatic reenactment will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the University Theatre. Read more.


1/27/09 Lamar Theatre Presents "Proof"
Lamar University’s production of “Proof” will run in the Studio Theatre, Feb. 12-17. The David Auburn play tells the story of Catherine, a young woman who has spent years caring for her father, a mathematical genius and college professor who struggled with mental illness. After his death, a graduate student named Hal explores the professor’s notebooks in search of one last mathematical breakthrough. Hal finds what he seeks, but Catherine claims the proof as her own. Where does the truth lie? Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama, “Proof” resonates with themes of trust, genius, insanity and love.

All performances have a curtain time of 8 p.m., except for Sunday, Feb. 15, which has a 2 p.m. matinee. Tickets are $10 general admission; $7 for senior citizens, students and LU faculty/staff; and $5 for LU students. Call the Box Office at (409) 880-2250 or visit www.lamar.edu/theatre for more information.


1/26/09 Contemporary photography featured at Dishman's second annual Faculty Selections Show
They submitted more than a thousand prints from across the nation. There were quite a few international entries. But when the selection process was complete, only 59 photos made the cut. The finalists of the annual Texas Photographic Society Members’ Only show will be displayed at the Dishman Art Museum on the campus of Lamar University until Feb. 20, 2009. Read more.


1/15/09 Keith Carter photos accepted to National Portrait Gallery, gains White House fans
He has exhibited in galleries around the world, but finding a home in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., is an honor that holds a special place in Lamar art professor Keith Carter’s heart.

Carter earned this distinction when the gallery recently acquired three of his photographs of playwright and screenwriter Horton Foote. A native of Wharton, Texas, Foote won Academy Awards for the screenplay of “Tender Mercies” and the adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird” for the big screen. He also received an Oscar nomination for the screenplay “The Trip to Bountiful.” Read more.


12/2/08 Premiere set for Lamar Civic Orchestra
The Lamar Civic Orchestra’s inaugural concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, in the Setzer Student Center Ballroom on the Lamar University campus. The full symphony orchestra, which started rehearsals in September, provides an opportunity for trained musicians from all walks of life to perform together and enrich the community.

The ensemble is conducted by Kurt Gilman, associate professor of music at Lamar. Professional musicians, as well as people from other fields, are welcome. The orchestra currently consists of 50 members. Personnel for the orchestra range from top-notch music majors at Lamar to Lamar alumni and trained music professionals, many of whom are currently teaching in school orchestra and band programs throughout Southeast Texas. The orchestra also consists of talented and trained musicians in other fields of employment, including engineers, medical doctors and surgeons, and an insurance specialist. Read more.


12/1/08 Lamar Puppet Theatre Delights at Dickens on the Strand
This year marks Lamar University’s 17th anniversary of performing at Galveston’s Dickens on the Strand holiday celebration, Dec. 6 – 7, 2008. In years past, the theatre troupe, dressed as Victorian-era ragamuffins, begged for coins from festival attendees, raising thousands of dollars in valuable scholarship funds. Because of the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike, this year the students will donate all of their proceeds to the Galveston Historical Foundation. Read more.


11/26/09 Lamar Theatre Food Drive a Success
The Southeast Texas Food Bank provides food for approximately 200,000 meals each month. They provide a vital community service because one in every four children in Texas lives in poverty, and 15 percent of the elderly in Southeast Texas live in poverty. Due to the devastation of Hurricane Ike this past September, the Food Bank’s pantry was depleted, endangering its ability to provide for people in need in our community. Read more.


11/19/08 Jazz legend Dennis Dotson Headlines Jazz Concert
Lamar University’s Jazz Ensemble, directed by Wayne Dyess, will perform a free concert for the public on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the University Theatre. The concert will feature the music department’s artist-in-residence, Houston trumpet player Dennis Dotson, as well as Lamar University president Jimmy Simmons. Read more.


11/11/08 So You Think You Can Learn The History Of Dance?
You follow their moves each week and analyze their style, their talent and their progress. You cheer for your favorites. The popularity of dance has soared in the United States, thanks to reality shows such as “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” But how much do you really know about the history of this art form? Read more.


10/28/08 LU Theatre Presents The Little Dog Laughed
What do Mother Goose, Hollywood actors, and a heaping helping of self-deception have in common? They all coalesce in heralded playwright Douglas Carter Beane’s satiric comedy The Little Dog Laughed. The 2006 Tony-nominated Broadway play will run Nov. 6 – 11 at Lamar University.

Beane, author of To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar and As Bees In Honey Drown, wrote Little Dog in response to his own hot-and-cold Hollywood experiences. The play, which has received comparisons to Noël Coward’s linguistically rich comedies, is about Mitchell, an up-and-coming matinee idol; Diane, his take-charge Hollywood agent; Alex, a young drifter; and Ellen, Alex’s needy girlfriend. Read more.


10/27/08 Choir Receives National Honor
It’s a top honor that colleges and universities from across the United States hope to be chosen for, and when the decision was made this year, Lamar University stood in the finals.

The National Collegiate Choral Organization’s biennial conference will convene Oct. 30 – Nov. 1 at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and Lamar’s A Capella Choir will perform before its membership. Read more.


10/21/08 Industrial Carillon starts third season
When Nick Rissman and music composition students at Lamar University decided to form a contemporary music ensemble three years ago, they didn’t have to look too far for a name.

“We took our inspiration from the area we live in,” says Rissman, associate professor of music at Lamar. “Traditionally, a carillon is a bell tower; something that makes music. We create music right here in Southeast Texas. This is an industrial area, and we celebrate that background. The Industrial Carillon grew out of and reflects back to Southeast Texas.” Read more.


10/7/08 Dream of Color, Dance of Light
Dishman Art Museum Presents Artist Joan Steinman
The color is what gets you. Soft, creamy greens that evoke an Irish countryside in the first breath of spring. Rich, deep aqua blue shadows cover outdoor spaces and invite tranquil repose. The brighter-than-life dreamscape colors of Joan Steinman depict a fragmented reality that is at once inviting, gorgeous and thought provoking.

“My work has always been influenced by the brilliant light and color of my environment,” Steinman says. “The colors, as I move through daily life, are vibrant, intense, changing constantly, and play a major part in how I translate color and line on canvas.” Read more.


10/07/08 Masters Concert Series Featuring Faculty Artists
This concert series presented by the Lamar University Department of Music, Theatre & Dance features chamber and solo performances from faculty artists. Selections include "Ah! Je veux vivre," from Romeo et Juliette; "Ah! Je ris de me voir," from Faust; "Ave Maria," adapted from "Prelude in C" by J.S. Bach; “Fantasy Pieces,” by Robert Schumann and “Sonata for Clarinet and Piano,” by Francis Poulenc the Romanza. Read more.


10/2/08 Revised Fine Arts Calendar of Events
Due to Hurricane Ike, Lamar University’s College of Fine Arts and Communication has revised the 2008-2009 Fine Arts calendar. We are pleased to offer exciting classical and contemporary musical performances, a stylistic variety of plays and outstanding visual arts. For more information on these events, please visit our website at http://dept.lamar.edu/cofac. Read more.


8/14/08 Keith Carter's 10th Book Release Featured in Texas Monthly Magazine.
Lamar faculty member Keith Carter will release his 10th book, A CERTAIN ALCHEMY, in October. The book, published through the University of Texas Press and the Southwestern and Mexican Photography Series of the Wittliff Collections, will be featured in a 10-page article in September’s Texas Monthly magazine.

"A CERTAIN ALCHEMY is a collection of imperfect observations of the relationship we have to our ideas of place, time, memory, desire and regret,” says Carter. “It is an anthology of oblique angles and awkward pauses that examines the history of photography and our own shared natural histories." Read more.


7/31/08 Music Faculty Member Ellis Releases CD.
It is unusual for a classical musician to record the work of a composer with the composer in the studio. But that is exactly what happened when Lamar University music department faculty member Kim Ellis recorded selections for the album New American Works for Clarinet Vol. II. Read more.


7/30/08 Deppe Named Director of LU Bands.
As Lamar University’s new director of bands, Scott Deppe plans to draw on more than 20 years of teaching experience to maintain the strong heritage of the outstanding band program at Lamar. Deppe, a Lamar graduate and Woodville native, assumes duties Aug. 1. Read more.


7/30/08 Music Department Hosts Largest Choir Camp.
Lamar University’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance welcomed 385 local high school students for a week of music, fellowship and leadership activities at the largest choir camp in LU’s history. Read more.


7/17/08 Deaf Studies, Deaf Education Receive Federal Grant.
Lamar University’s internationally renowned Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education has earned a $760,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Universities in 14 states were awarded $4.37 million to help train doctoral students to work with children with disabilities. Lamar will receive the funds over four years. Read more.


7/15/08 Lamar Civic Orchestra Taps the Talent of Southeast Texas.
The love of music and the passion for playing never truly leaves a performer, regardless of his or her professional pursuits. Lamar University’s music department understands this, and seeks to capitalize on it with its new community orchestra. The Lamar Civic Orchestra, which begins rehearsals in August, will provide an opportunity for trained musicians from all walks of life to perform together and enrich the community.

“There is a real need to fill a gap in the orchestral world in Beaumont,” said Harry Bulow, chair of Lamar’s Department of Music, Theatre & Dance. “There is a youth symphony and the Symphony of Southeast Texas, but there is a professional gap for something in between. The Lamar Civic Orchestra will allow musicians to develop and sustain their interest and abilities in performing standard orchestral repertoire.” Read more.


6/30/08 Conrad Attends Elite Workshop.
Theatre department faculty member Adam Conrad wants to tell the truth. To Conrad, 25, an Orange native who recently completed his master’s degree in theatre at Lamar University, truth lies at the heart of great acting. Read more.


6/30/08 Band Camp Teaches Music, Imparts Maturity.
Nearly 500 middle and high school students attended band camp at Lamar University June 22-26, making this the largest camp in fifteen years. The students, who came from as far as Baton Rouge in the east and San Antonio in the west, attended the camp to improve their craft, work with industry professionals and get a taste of college life.

Campers arrived on Sunday afternoon and came prepared with their audition music. After the mass tryouts, the 472 students were divided into five different bands based on skill and ability. The bands rehearsed all week with renowned conductors such as Sonny Martinez from Timberview High School in Mansfield, Texas; Travis Harris from Gainesville Junior High; Jaime Yim from Mauriceville Middle School; Mike Westbrook from Hardin Jefferson ISD; and Holly Turk from East Chambers ISD. Read more.