The 100th Annual Homecoming and Family Weekend is an occasion to celebrate all things CSU, and the UCA is taking the special opportunity to showcase some of its own invaluable contributions to our campus community.
The UCA is involved in Friday’s Festival on the Oval at 3:30 p.m., the Parade at 4:30 p.m. and the Alumni Band Hot Spot in the Mayor of Old Town at 8 p.m. Saturday is the Alumni Band Brunch and Rehearsal 10 a.m. at the UCA with 1 p.m. marching band rehearsals at Hughes.
The UCA is also hosting the Men’s Chorus and University Chorus Concert in the Griffin Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Bryan Kettlewell, a second-year Master’s student in music education, is the student conductor for the performance.
“Audiences can expect to see a bunch of excited guys making good musical energy together,” Kettlewell said. “We have a lot of fun up on stage, and our goal is to make sure that audiences have fun too.”
According to Kettlewell, the chorus is a non-auditioned ensemble, and anybody is welcome to join by registering online for the class, MU 201.
“We’ll teach you how to make good music,” Kettlewell said.
Tickets for the recital are $7 for students, $12 for adults, $1 for children younger than 18 (ID required) and free for CSU music majors or minors.
Another UCA project this weekend is the theatrical production of Tennessee Williams’s “The Glass Menagerie” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the University Theatre. Noah Caplan, a junior theater major, plays the lead role of narrator and protagonist Tom Wingfield.
“’The Glass Menagerie’ is a very interesting play,” Kaplan said. “I’ve never done Tennessee Williams before. He writes poetically, and Garrett Ayers is an incredible director, taking creative, exciting new takes on an old, classic play.”
Audiences can expect to identify with the relatable story and fall in love with and connect to characters who represent both the more tragic aspects of the human condition as well as the desire for adventure, according to Kaplan.
“It’s a great look on the family dynamic and the sacrifices we make for our families,” Kaplan said. “Family never goes away, even when we do. I think there’s a little bit of Tom in everybody because he’s just a kid with more responsibilities than he wants.”
Tickets for the show cost $8 for CSU students, $8 for children under 18 years of age (ID required) and $18 for adults.
Finally, at 10 a.m. Saturday, Carrie Care will lead the UCA Open House Tours. Care is the Alumni and Donor Relations Coordinator for the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at CSU.
“The UCA is one of the most beautiful buildings on campus and is a wonderful resource to both the CSU and the Fort Collins communities, where music, theatre, dance and visual art all live,” Care said.
Self-guided tours are also available, and all tours begin in the Griffin Lobby. They are free and open to the public.
If you are looking for something to do with your centennial homecoming in between the Nico & Vinz concert and the family weekend football game, the UCA is the place for you.
Collegian A&E Writer Hunter Goddard can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @hunter_gaga.
