Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 70

Fine Arts PAGE F4 STAR TRIBUNE SUNDAY, JULY 20 1997 University Gateway building design unveiled Architecture fT h. wMm in 0 7 i a i i ORCHESTRA HALL SEPTEMBER 9 ONLY AT 8PM! Solo Piano Rerital-On Sale Now! Come to the Orchestra Hall Box Office at 1111 Nicollet Mall or call (612)371-5656 David Helfgott records exclusively for RCA Red Seal Photo by Daniel Kietter Architect Antoine Predock holds a model of his design for the new University alumni and visitor center to be built on the former site of Memorial Stadium. The stadium's arch will be used In the new building. By Linda Mack Star Tribune Staff Writer New Mexico architect Antoine Predock has unveiled a striking design for the University Gateway alumni and visitor center in Minneapolis. The building will house the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, the University of Minnesota Foundation and the Minnesota Medical Foundation, and serve as a major entrance to the eastern edge of the Minneapolis campus.

The proposed $30 million building will occupy the corner of Oak St. and University Av. the former site of Memorial Stadium, which was demolished in 1992. The old stadium's arch will be incorporated into the design. Predock's L-shaped design separates the center's functions into a slope-roofed, six-story office block and a wing for public functions including the visitors' center, prospective student center, memorabilia shop and heritage galleries.

The centerpiece is Memorial Hall, encased in facets of granite and glass oriented to catch the winter light. Balconies will open to the six-story space, where the stadium arch will frame the gallery entrance. The hall will also open to an outside courtyard. Predock, known for his strongly regional designs reflecting the indigenous materials and culture of the Southwest, said he took a regional approach in his design for the Gateway. "It is tied to the land and native materials of Minnesota," he said from his office in Albuquerque, N.M.

"It is tied to tradition, but also very advanced in terms of the imagery of the university to be presented to young kids coming to the university." The three organizations housed in the building are jointly financing the project, with a goal of $7.5 million in private donations. So far, $4 million has been raised. No university money will be used for the building, but the Board of Regents must approve the design. Groundbreaking could occur as early as fall. lite I Mb fn Play writing contest has plenty of winners Open-air charette If you've ever wondered what a design charette is, you'll have a chance to see one in action Saturday when architects and landscape architects gather on St.

Paul's 7th Place Mall to redesign the Wabasha side of the block between 7th PI. and 6th St. A charette an intense design workshop focused on a specific problem is a way of generating many ideas in a short time. In this case, no plan is in progress to redo the L-shaped part of the block that wraps around the landmark Hamm Building, so the architects can let their imaginations run wild. Karen Rodericks of TKDA, one of the event organizers, said it was inspired by the city's decision to return Wabasha St.

to its place as the Main Street of downtown St. Paul. Six teams will be at work between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The public is welcome.

For information call David Eijadi of the Weidt Group, 938-1588. according to the Scripps Howard News Service. "Not About Nightingales" will receive its world premiere at the Royal National Theatre in London in February. "It has not been in the public Trevor Nunn, director designate of the National Theatre, said Monday. "It's never been read, it's never been seen, it's never been Set in a men's prison modeled on Alcatraz, it is the first known play by the author of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Sweet Bird of Youth." The play was one of four written in 1938 by Tom Williams, 27, but to enter them in a competition with an age limit of 25 he changed his name to Tennessee, lied about his age and won the $500 prize awarded by New York's Group Theatre.

"The first reference to the play was in a biography called 'Tom: The Unknown Tennessee Nunn told Scripps Howard. "Vanessa was great friends with Maria St. Just, who ran the Williams estate. When Vanessa requested the play, they looked at it, decided it was a pretty wonderful piece and decided it could go ahead." Redgrave, however, will not be appearing in it. The only female character is 19 years old.

Although the play won a prize and set Williams on his career, it was never performed and remained hidden in archives. "There are clear indications that it is dealing with homosexuality in said Nunn. "This would have led to pressures, and he put it aside." In the late 1930s, Williams, who left the University of Iowa in 1938, was coming to terms with his homosexuality. The success with his first play allowed him to leave behind a succession of menial jobs and turn full time to writing. "Battle Of Angels" followed in 1940, and in 1943 he signed a three-year contract with MGM.

His critical breakthrough came with "The Glass Menagerie" in 1945, and then "A Streetcar Named Desire," for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948. He won another Pulitzer in 1955 for "Cat On A I lot Tin Roof." He died in 1983. 1 ti Literary landscape University of Minnesota cultural studies professor John Archer will offer a class in "Nature, Landscape and Ideology in England and America, 1600-1875" Monday and Wednesday mornings from July 28 to Aug. 27. The class will examine the concept of "nature" expressed in literature, films, paintings and the actual landscapes of England and the American West.

The class is open to anyone. Tuition is $490. Register by Thursday by calling 624-4000 or 1-888-330-8636. Walker nabs design awards Walker Art Center has racked up a number of design awards for exhibit catalogs and museum publications, including recognition by ID magazine, the American Association of Museums and the Minnesota Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Photo supplied by the Guthrie Theater Hume Cronyn Asides Actor Hume Cronyn, a member of the original company of the Guthrie Theater, will be the guest speaker at the theater's annual meeting at 5:30 p.m.

Monday at the theater. Cronyn and his late wife, Jessica Tandy, played major roles in the Guthrie's initial season in 1963. During Monday's meeting, Cronyn and artistic director Joe Dowling will share recollections of the Guthrie's early years. Budget figures for last season also will be made public during the meeting. For reservations, call 377-2224.

Six playwrights have been names associate members of the Playwrights' Center. They are Erik Abbott, Erin McGonagle, Gwendolyn Schwinke and Matt Sclple of Minneapolis, Joan Calof of St. Paul and Ton! Pressman Coffman of Tucson, Ariz. Associate members have full use of the center's services and programs for one year. The Goodman Theatre, Chicago's foremost playhouse, will move from its home at the Chicago Institute of Arts to a new $53 million, two-theater complex on the city's north side.

The Goodman has been performing in the institute since its formation as a professional theater in 1969. In its new home at Dearborn and Lake streets, due to open in 2000, it will have an 800-seat main stage and a 400-seat studio. goes to Boston in St. Paul Sept. 20 to 28.

For information call 455-8086. Ellenberger figures that Ex Machina will continue to present concerts and perhaps one staged work a year. Chinese jazz San Francisco-based pianist-composer Jon Jang and jazz flutist James Newton will perform with local musicians Anthony Cox and David King at the Lake Street Cultural Festival in a free concert at 5 p.m. Saturday at Lake St. and 13th Av.S.

Jang and Newton are artists-in-residence at Walker Art Center, collaborating on a workshop version of "When Sorrow Turns To Joy." That theatrical piece explores the link between jazz and traditional Chinese folk songs. The work will be presented Aug. 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. at the Penumbra Theatre In St. Paul.

Theater By Peter Vaughan Star Tribune Staff Writer Thar's gold in them thar scripts. Playwriting has never been considered a lucrative field. There are exceptions, of course, such as August Wilson, whose seven plays have provided him with a substantial income. But for every Wilson there are hundreds of others scratching to find grocery money. No wonder, then, that a recent international playwriting competition brought 1,470 entries from 76 countries.

The contest, funded bv the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, awarded $800,000 in prize money to seven win ners. The results of the first competition were announced recently, with the $250,000 first prize going to Manjula Padmanabhan of India for her play "The Harvest." The second prize of $200,000 was awarded to Anton Juan of the Philippines for "Tuko! Tuko! or Princess of the Lizard Moon." The $150,000 third prize went to Nagle Jackson of the United States for "The Elevation of Thieves." Four prizes of $50,000 each went to runners- up: Gabriel Land of the United States for "The Resurrection Play," Panayiotis Montis of Greece for "Save," Peter Muller of Hungary for "Shadow of the Vampire" and Isis Maria Pereira de Azevedo of Brazil for "Mont-de-Piete." The foundation plans to repeat the compe tition every four years and eventually will add contests in other fields such as music, art and philosophy. The awards, along with the non competitive $250,000 Onassis Prizes for Inter national Understanding and Social Achievement, Culture and Environment, will be presented in Athens by Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos on Sept. 16.

Redgrave unearths Williams' script The play that caused Tom Williams to change his name to Tennessee has been unearthed by British actress Vanessa Redgrave, 31 tmwo Former Minnesota Orchestra GM 7i Ex Machina lives jb(, WW fin JUEplD my ii tm Since 1991, Volpe has been executive director of the Detroit Symphony. He is credited with reordering the orchestra's finances, reviving its recording tradition with 26 releases in five years, and re-signing music director Neeme Jiirvi to a multiyear contract. He was selected as 1993 Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News. Speaking at a ceremony in Boston, long-time BSO music director Seiji Ozawa said, "Mark Volpe is a talented and effective leader who has a track record of quality in Detroit, Minnesota and Boston. We all look forward to welcoming him as the BSO's next managing director, and I am personally delighted to have the chance to work with him." Volpe has two children.

His wife, the former Martha Batche-lor, has held administrative positions with the orchestras of Baltimore and Minnesota. Classical music By Michael Anthony Star Tribune Staff Writer Mark Volpe, former general manager of the Minnesota Orchestra, has been named managing director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra effective Sept. 15. He succeeds Kenneth I Iaas, who served as BSO managing director from 1987 to last October, when he suffered a heart attack. Volpe, 39, was born in Minne apolis and is the son of Clement Volpe, who recentlv retired after 4 1 years as a member of the trumpet section of the Minnesota Orchestra.

The younger Volpe studied clarinet at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., before taking a law degree and moving into orchestra man agement with the Baltimore Sym phony and the Minnesota Or chestra. Ex Machina, the local early-music theater ensemble, will resurface in the fall with a production of "The Liberation of Rug-giero" by Francesca Caccini, which is thought to be the first opera written by a woman. The company presented concerts the past season under the banner of the St. Paul Early sic Series, but no staged works. "We've given up the idea of having a full-time opera company," said manager Mark Ellenberger.

"We always drew good audiences, but we were never able to find funding outside the circle of our audience." James Middleton, who staged Ex Machina productions since he and Ellenberger founded the company in 1986, will return in September from Philadelphia, where he lives, to direct the Caccini opera, which dates from 1625. It will be given at the Pearson Theatre at Concordia College.