The Art Deco Weekend theme of “Anything Goes” is more than just a title of a popular Cole Porter musical; it also describes the world of theater of the 30s, 40s, and 50s. From commercially successful musicals to controversial stage dramas, from grand-scale productions at Radio City Music Hall to intimate productions based on current events performed in school auditoriums, theater flourished throughout the Art Deco period. Our lecture series provides a journey back in Broadway theater history, a look at the theatrical tableware designs of Clarice Cliff, and also an backstage pass to the modern commercial theater. Lectures last for approximately an hour, are free, and take place at The Wolfsonian–FIU, 1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, which is co-presenting the lectures.

Thursday 17 January
7:00 pm
An Hour Upon the Stage: The Brief Life of Federal Theatre

The Federal Theatre Project put actors, playwrights, designers, and technicians to work creating 1,200 plays that were seen by an audience of more than 25 million Depression-era Americans. At its peak, it employed thirteen-thousand people in thirty-one states. Join us for Art Deco Weekend’s kick-off public talk featuring Pedro Ponce, assistant professor of English at St. Lawrence University, as he discusses The Federal Theatre Project, its periods of creativity, skepticism, and controversy, and its ultimate elimination by Congress in 1939.

Pedro Ponce joined the faculty of St. Lawrence University in the fall of 2003, following the completion of his Ph.D. in fiction at the University of Denver. He also earned degrees from Western Michigan University (MFA), Johns Hopkins University (MA) and Williams College (BA). His interests as a writer and scholar include narrative theory and the theory of history of different genres in fiction. He teaches Techniques of Fiction and Advanced Fiction Writing and will teach 20th Century American Literature in the spring.

Friday 18 January
4:00 pm
An Afternoon with George Abbott

George Abbott began his Broadway career as an actor in the cast of The Misleading Lady in 1913, and for the next 75 years he would be hailed as a genius for his writing, directing, and producing credits. His widow, Joy Abbott (accompanied on the piano by Bobby Pancoast), offers a look back at George’s remarkable career, through reminiscences, stories, and songs from his most famous shows: On Your Toes, The Boys From Syracuse, Too Many Girls, Pal Joey, Sweet Charity, On the Town, Call Me Madam, Damn Yankees, and The Pajama Game, among others.

Joy Abbott, one of Hawaii's most distinguished singing daughters, earned her Bachelor of Science degree in education at Temple University where she was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame, undefeated in college tennis. She also studied educational psychology as a University of Pennsylvania graduate student. Before she became Mrs. George Abbott she enjoyed success as a business woman, performer and coordinator/director of fashion productions. During her career as a performer, she recorded an album that contained a cluster of songs that made full use of her unique vocal versatility and infectious talent, running the gamut from pop standards to show tunes. In past years she has written and directed several celebrity AIDS benefits and other theater benefit galas.

Saturday 19 January
12:00 noon
Art Deco on the Stage: The Early Years 1927–1941

Broadway musicals of the 1920s tend toward musicals revues: collections of songs, sketches, and unrelated dance numbers. However, the 1927 production of Show Boat brought music, dialogue, and dance together in a new way—one which would change the course of Broadway shows thereafter. Join Richard Feldman for a tour of this fertile period, when musicals became integrated, offered sharp political commentary, and brought dance to center stage.

Richard Feldman has taught English, creative writing, and American musical theater for over 30 years, and developed the first New York State Board of Regents-approved course on the American musical, which became a model for the state. He has directed and choreographed over 125 productions, and currently teaches at the Humanities Institute for Lifelong Learning in Delmar, New York.

Saturday 19 January
2:00 pm
The Producers

Before the curtain goes up or the actors even begin their rehearsals, another person has been hard at work to bring a new production to life—the producer. Modern-day producers organize and pull together the thousands of details that go into making a commercial production a ‘hit.’ Our producers’ panel brings together some of the most significant names in the business—Manny Kladitis, Miles Wilkin, Leonard Soloway, and Richard Jay-Alexander (moderator)—for a discussion of the business of show business.

Richard Jay-Alexander was a performer and stage manager on Broadway, but is best known as the executive producer for Cameron Macintosh for the U.S. premieres of Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, and Five Guys Named Moe.

Manny Kladitis is the founder and president of Niko Companies, Ltd, a group of theatrical production and management companies. Most recently, Mr. Kladitis produced the national tour of Best Little Whorehouse in Texas starring Ann-Margret, in addition to record-breaking productions of The King & I, starring Yul Brenner, and Mame starring Angela Lansbury.

Miles Wilkin was chief operating officer of Clear Channel entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live entertainment events. He has been involved in a producing role with such shows as Tommy, Chicago, and The Producers.

Leonard Soloway has served as general manager for such diverse productions as Urban Cowboy, Our Town, I’m Not Rappaport, Dame Edna: The Royal Tour, and several acclaimed productions by Neil Simon, including Laughter on the 23rd Floor, The Goodbye Girl, and Lost in Yonkers.

Saturday 19 January
4:00 pm
Art Deco on the Stage: The Golden Years 1942–1959

The Broadway theater grew tremendously in the 1940s and 50s, producing straight plays and musicals that have since become theater classics. Grand musicals from teams such as Rogers and Hammerstein, Loerner and Lowe, and Forrest and Wright dominate the age, bringing complex characters to life in sophisticated situations. Mark Pirolo takes us on a journey through many of these classic productions, and discusses their adaptations for film.

Mark Pirolo has been active in the theater for the past thirty-eight years as a designer, director, playwright, and actor. He served on the faculty of the North Carolina School for the Arts for 32 years and as executive director of The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem from 1974–1976. Locally, Mark was nominated for a Carbonell Award for his designs for the Florida Stage’s production of The Clearing.

Sunday 20 January
2:00 pm
Breakfast with the Stars: Designs by Clarice Cliff

The British ceramic artist Clarice Cliff was a direct descendant of Josiah Wedgwood, the famous 18th century potter, and throughout the 1920s and 30s, the innovative forms and colorful patterns of her tableware designs were extremely desirable to consumers. As the embodiment of Art Deco style, her coffee, tea, and breakfast sets would have graced the tables of stars on both sides of the Atlantic. Colin Mawston introduces Cliff’s extraordinary genius and artistic range.

For the past fifteen years Colin Mawston has been recognized as one of the U.K’s leading Art Deco dealers, specializing in Clarice Cliff pottery. His first book, British Art Deco Ceramics, was published by Schiffer in 2000, and his latest book, The Clarice Cliff Collector, is due for release in early 2008. Colin lives in Kent, England.

ART DECO WEEKEND