1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Transylvania University commencement is Saturday, May 25; actor Steve Zahn will give keynote address; poet Nikky Finney will receive honorary degree; senior Hannah Johnson will be student speaker

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Transylvania University’s commencement will be held on the front lawn of historic Old Morrison on Saturday, May 25, at 9:30 a.m. Actor Steve Zahn will deliver the keynote address and senior Hannah Johnson will speak on behalf of the graduates. Transylvania will award poet Nikki Finney an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. At 8:30 a.m. the 222 members of the Class of 2013 will gather in cap and gown on the steps of the Clive M. Beck Athletics and Recreation Center for a class photo. At 9:15 a.m. graduates, faculty, trustees and the platform party will march from the Mitchell Fine Arts Center behind Old Morrison to the front lawn and take their seats. A cookies and punch reception for graduates, families, and friends will follow the ceremony. Zahn had his first big break in the 1994 movie “Reality Bites.” In 1999, he was offered the starring role in the critically acclaimed film “Happy, Texas,” for which he won an Independent Spirit Award for best supporting male and a Special Dramatic Jury Prize for best comedic performance. Zahn received his strongest critical acclaim for his performance as Drew Barrymore’s husband in “Riding in Cars with Boys.” Currently, Zahn plays the character of Davis McAlary in HBO’s “Treme.” Zahn attended the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training founded by the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Johnson, a political science major from Lexington, Ky., will deliver a special

Transylvania faculty, staff and students biking Friday, May 17, for National Bike to Work Day

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University faculty, staff and students will celebrate National Bike to Work Day by biking to campus on Friday, May 17. Cyclists can meet at Shriners Hospital on Richmond Road at 8 a.m. and bike to Transylvania together or they can bike to Transy on their own. Bagels and Bike to Work T-shirts will be available for all cyclists in Old Morrison Circle. May is National Bike Month and Transylvania has offered several other bike-related events for the campus community including a spring tune-up workshop conducted by the Transy Bikes! Shop, a snack and learn session on bike safety and maintenance and a bike skills relay. For Transylvania’s one-month May term, exercise science professor Sharon Brown lead students on bike rides around the region for her “It’s All About the Bike” class. Topics in this class have included cycling and public health, nutrition, cycling injuries and prevention, physiology of cycling, bike maintenance, bike safety and sustainability. The last full week of the class included Transy’s Tour de Kentucky, May 14-16, from Lexington to Frankfort, Terrapin Hill, Harrodsburg and back to Lexington. The class will also participate in the group ride to campus on May 17. This is the third year for Transylvania to participate in Bike to Work Day and several members of the Transylvania community commute by bike regularly. Transylvania has bikes on campus that can be checked out by faculty, staff and students who need to make

Tickets on sale for Transylvania’s production of “Pippin”

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tickets for Transylvania’s production of the Broadway musical “Pippin” are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Mitchell Fine Arts Center box office (beside Carrick Theater) from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. Tickets will also be available at the door a half an hour prior to each performance. The box office phone number is (859) 233-8601. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. May 16-18, and 2 p.m. May 19, in Haggin Auditorium in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $15 ($5 for students with ID) and tickets are also available for a pre-show brunch May 19 in Forrer Dining Room between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., for $10 ($25 total for brunch and the show). Actress, director and playwright Margo Buchanan has been selected to direct “Pippin,” which is a joint production of the theater and the music departments. Sully White, Transylvania’s theater program director, will produce the show. In the musical, a mysterious acting troupe, led by a Leading Player, tells the story of Pippin, a young prince on an ambitious quest for an extraordinary and meaningful life. The context of the show is purposefully anachronistic and unconventional, though the musical score reflects a contemporary 1970s pop style. Pippin’s adventures include a mock battle to show him the life of a warrior, a series of meaningless sexual encounters that teach him how relationships without love are hollow, a fight against tyranny and experiments with art and

Actor Steve Zahn to deliver Transylvania University’s commencement address on Saturday, May 25, at 9:30 a.m.

LEXINGTON Ky.–Actor Steve Zahn will deliver Transylvania University’s commencement address on Saturday, May 25, at 9:30 a.m. on the steps of historic Old Morrison. Zahn had his first big break in the 1994 movie “Reality Bites.” He appeared in several films in the mid-1990s, including Tom Hanks’ “That Thing You Do!” and Nora Ephron’s “You’ve Got Mail.” In 1999, he was offered the starring role in the critically acclaimed film “Happy, Texas,” for which he won an Independent Spirit Award for best supporting male and a Special Dramatic Jury Prize for best comedic performance. Zahn received his strongest critical acclaim for his performance as Drew Barrymore’s husband in “Riding in Cars with Boys.” Roger Ebert, Richard Roeper and the BBC stated that the performance was deserving of an Oscar nomination. Some of Zahn’s popular recent movies include “National Security” (2003), “Daddy Day Care” (2003) and “Sahara” (2005). He also gave dramatic performances in “Rescue Dawn” and the television mini-series “Comanche Moon.” Currently, Zahn plays the character of Davis McAlary in HBO’s “Treme.” Zahn attended the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training founded by the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Read more about Zahn’s Lexington connections here. For more information, contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120. More commencement information can be found here.

World Voices series presents an evening of Indian music and dance May 1 at 7:30 p.m.; open to the public

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s World Voices program presents an evening of Indian music and dance, featuring Lakshmi Sriraman, on Wednesday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. in Old Morrison chapel. Flautist G. S. Rajan, narrator Samuel Themer, cellist Suzanne McIntosh and percussionist Tripp Bratton will also perform. The performance is open to the public. Free tickets are available Monday-Friday, 1-4 p.m., in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center, room 113. There is a limit of two tickets per person. If there are still seats available, tickets will also be available at the door. The program will feature classical Indian dance called Bharatanatyam, Indian music featuring flute and percussion a collaborative piece featuring cello, djembe, spoken word and dance movements based on Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest classical dance forms of India, dating back to 1000 B.C. It is known for its rhythmic and ornate footwork along with narrative storytelling. The dance is accompanied by classical Carnatic music. Traditional Bharatanatyam has been performed predominantly as a form of deep devotion. It moved from royal courts into theaters, then expanded to include more secular stories and poems. Lakshmi Sriraman is an accomplished performer, choreographer and teacher of Bharatanatyam. Her ability to portray complex human emotions in stunningly simple ways is a hallmark of her dance. In 2010, Lakshmi was the recipient of the Art Meets Activism grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. She has also been selected to participate in the Performing