Photo courtesy of James O'Brien

Music and dance professors contribute to the biennial Faculty Follies performance. This year's show will be at 7:30 tonight at the Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway Blvd.

Monday October 1, 2001

UA School of Music and Dance faculty lets its hair down

Many students would be surprised to see that faculty members actually are people, and some even have a sense of humor.

For students in the fine arts department, the biennial Faculty Follies show is a chance to find out how wild their mentors can be outside the classroom.

The show is a patchwork performance on a grand scale, consisting of skits, dances and vocal and instrumental songs that parody other events or songs in the fine arts world. The University of Arizona School of Music and Dance will perform the popular show this evening.

The title of this year's show is "Music 101: A Course in Basic Music Depreciation." It intends to teach what "really" happened during music history in a spirited, comedic manner.

James O'Brien - the UA music professor directing Faculty Follies for the first time - said the inspiration for the show derives from one of the classes he teaches: music appreciation.

"It's a takeoff on some aspect of musical history," O'Brien said.

This year's show will feature audience sing-along songs, pop quizzes and the infusion of multimedia devices to enhance the quality of the show. About 30 faculty members will be involved in tonight's show.

Many of the parodies in the show are jokes that everyone will understand, regardless of their personal background or knowledge of music history.

The performance will showcase compositions from the "BRRR-oke era," including "the first known operatic aria, which was really in English, not Italian," as well as an emerging opera known as "The Abduction of Figaro."

Other humorous snippets include a performance of "Gagorian Chant" by music professors James Taylor and Jeff Haskell, and an instrumental performance of works by composer P.D.Q. Bach by the UA Faculty Quartet.

Professors from the School of Dance are involved in the show as well. Sam Watson, Suzanne Knosp and accompanist Susan Quinn will perform a lost dance from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Ballet," titled "The Dance of the Sugar-Plump Fairy."

Even historical figures are not exempt from the professors' parodies.

"(Music professors) Kelland Thomas and Tom Cockrell do a skit where Mozart is up for tenure at the Community College of Southern Salzburg," O'Brien said.

While some of the faculty members are veteran performers in the six-year-old Faculty Follies program, others will perform for the first time tonight.

Kelly Thomas, assistant director of athletic bands and professor of tuba and euphonium, is new to the faculty.

"It's nice to work with these professionals on a lighter note," Thomas said. "It's good for the audience to see the 'other' side of us."

O'Brien agreed.

"One of the greatest things is that it brings together the faculty," O'Brien said.

The performance will act as a fund-raiser for the faculty, with the money raised going to the Professional Creative Development fund, which helps faculty members with projects.

"The Gaslight Theatre donates their space to us, which is a huge donation," O'Brien said.

Starting at 7:30 p.m., the show is comprised of 15 acts and will run roughly an hour and a half. Tickets, which are $15 and non tax-deductible, are still available through the School of Music and Dance.

The Gaslight Theatre is located at 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. Call 886-9428 for more information.