Nikolas Cruz
School shooter Nikolas Cruz survived: Will it help us understand?: MSN.com – Feb. 18
The carnage at Stoneman Douglas High School shared all of the horror of America’s worst mass shootings. But one scene was unusual – the shooter Nikolas Cruz being led away alive in handcuffs. Of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern history, 19-year-old Cruz is the only shooter to survive. Gunmen in Orlando, Virginia Tech, Las Vegas and Sandy Hook either killed themselves or were shot dead by police … Research has shown that almost all mass shooters are suicidal, said Adam Lankford, a criminology professor at The University of Alabama who has written extensively on the subject. “A lot of offenders who actually survived wanted to or expected to die,” he said.
Frederick News-Post (Maryland) – Feb. 17
Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico) – Feb. 17
South Florida Sun Sentinel – Feb. 17
Miami Herald – Feb. 17
Arca Max – Feb. 17
Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre
Dancers to present largest Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre ever: Crimson White – Feb. 19
The backstage buzzes with movement and excitement. Dancers are stretching and running through their routines as others are fitted into costumes. On the other side of the curtain, the audience murmurs with anticipation. It is now only moments before Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre dancers will take the stage. From Tuesday, Feb. 20 to Saturday, Feb. 24, student dancers are set to perform the Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre Spring 2018 dance concert at Morgan Auditorium.
Radical Right
Radical right is a threat to some individuals but will never hold political power: Washington Post – Feb. 19
A short time ago, most people ignored the furthest fringes of the radical right, secure in the knowledge that they were marginalized and sliding toward inevitable extinction. (George Hawley is an assistant professor of political science at The University of Alabama. His books include “Right-Wing Critics of American Conservatism” and “Making Sense of the Alt-Right.”)
Edwardsville Intelligencer (Illinois) – Feb. 19
LMT Online (Laredo, Texas) – Feb. 19
Wright Family Foundation
Wright Family Foundation supports a new musical by local artists about seven WWII posthumous heroes: Strathroyagedispatch.com (Ontario, Canada) – Feb. 20
Wright Family Performing Arts and Entertainment Centre Foundation has chosen to support the premiere production of SHORT OF 30 that hits the stage in Strathroy, June 16, 2018 at 4pm and 7pm … Creative Circuity Studios in San Antonio, Texas will stage Posthumous Friends in March 2018 and the Advanced Directing Class at The University of Alabama will stage it April 30-May 1, 2018.
National Estuarine Research Reserve
Weeks Bay NERR offers glimpse into ancient estuaries along the northern Gulf of Mexico: Environmental Monitor – Feb. 20
Mike Shelton, natural resources planner for Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), has spent 17 years at the Reserve … Part of the mission of Weeks Bay NERR is to recruit and assist outside research. Scientists and students from Mississippi State, The University of Alabama and several other universities conduct field work at Weeks Bay.
Organ Recital Series
Renowned organist to perform at Bluff Park UMC: Hoover Sun – Feb. 20
On March 4, the Bluff Park United Methodist Church will be hosting Dr. Faythe Freese for their annual organ recital series. Started in 2003 as a way to raise money for a major organ maintenance project, senior pastor Mike Holly said the series continued after the project was completed. This year will mark the 16th year Bluff Park UMC has held the event … Freese is the organ department coordinator and a professor of organ at The University of Alabama School of Music.
Theatre Tuscaloosa
Theatre Tuscaloosa’s ‘Cabaret’ emphasizes edginess: Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 21
A handful of classic musicals can be summoned in just a few words: Demon barber. Living hills. Dancing gangsters … Well, that could be either “West Side Story” or “Guys and Dolls,” depending on how you define gang. Here’s another: Liza’s lingerie … “He’s kind of a different role because he’s very passive,” said Skeean, a musical theater major at The University of Alabama, taking his first role with the company. “Everything is unfolding around him and falling apart before his eyes.
Shakespeare Film Series
Bama Theatre to feature Shakespeare documentary, director Q&A: Crimson White – Feb. 23
Retired Broadway entertainers and the power of Shakespeare collide to create the award-winning documentary, “Still Dreaming.” Both the documentary and its director, Hank Rogerson, will make an appearance at Bama Theatre tonight, Friday, Feb. 23. “Still Dreaming” follows a group of retired entertainers and the rehearsals for their production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” . . . “Still Dreaming” is the third film in the Shakespeare Film Series. The Series is sponsored by the Hudson Strode Program in Renaissance Studies in the English Department at The University of Alabama.
“Service to Man”
University of Alabama professor’s film to debut across multiple on-demand platforms: High Beam Research – Feb. 23
“Service to Man” is a drama that chronicles the bond between a pair of medical students – one white, one black – at Meharry Medical College, a small school in Tennessee, during the turbulence and violence of the civil rights movement in 1968. Seth Panitch, professor of acting and head of graduate and undergraduate acting programs at UA, earned his first director’s credit for the film, partnering behind the camera with Loyola University film professor Aaron Greer, who previously taught at UA.
Alabama World Languages Association
Alabama World Languages Association announces 2018 award winners: Al.com – Feb. 23
The board of directors of the Alabama World Languages Association has announced its 2018 award winners: Alabama Educator of the Year: Ms. Jennifer Bruni, Bob Jones High School, Madison Alabama Educator of Excellence (Post-Secondary): Dr. Erin O’Rourke, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa