Communication Associate: Public Relations | Lori Melton | lmelton@d.umn.edu | (218) 726-8830
November 1, 2011 Susan Banovetz | Director of External Affairs | 218 726-6141 | banovetz@d.umn.edu
Christiana Kapsner | Public relations assistant | 218 726-8830 | ckapsner@d.umn.edu
Land of Plenty: How Did You Come to Be Here?
A collaborative project has brought UMD and the Duluth community together in a modern play that will be presented on Friday, November 11, and Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Marshall Performing Arts Center. Directed by UMD Theater Professor Tom Isbell, the theatrical presentation, Land of Plenty: How Did You Come to Be Here?, explores and wrestles with the realities of the United States as a land of opportunity and welcome, but also as a land of inequality, exclusion, and forced relocation.
It's the story of the people who became America, combined with the history of European immigration, the settlers, and the wide diversity that forms our nation today.
Sara Thomsen, founder and artistic director of the Duluth-based "The Echoes of Peace Choir," created the Land of Plenty production based on her previous work, Pastures of Plenty, that was presented by the community choir last spring.
A diverse group of artists will perform in Land of Plenty including Juli (Jake) Cáceres, UMD Foreign Languages and Literatures Department.; Michael Laughing Fox Charette, Native American flute player and poet; Ryan Frane, UMD director of Jazz Studies; Sarah M. Greer, an improvisational artist and voice instructor, Minneapolis Community & Technical College; Lyz Jaakola, songwriter and music faculty, Fond Du Lac Tribal & Community College; Elias Mokole, baritone, UMD music faculty; and The Echoes of Peace Choir. Actors include UMD theatre students and local community members.
A discussion will follow the production.
For more information about the How Did You Come to Be Here? campus initiative, visit the Diversity Commission website or contact Joie Acheson Lee.
Tickets are available at the UMD Multicultural Center, UMD Kirby Information Desk, Sara's Table, online at Brown Paper Tickets, or 1-800-838-3006.
In addition to support from the UMD Diversity Commission, this event is sponsored by the following: School of Fine Arts, Office of Cultural Diversity, Commission on Women, College of Liberal Arts, Swenson College of Science and Engineering, Office of Vice Chancellor for Student Life, Office of Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, College of Education and Human Services Professions, Labovitz School of Business and Economics, and Human Resources and Equal Opportunity. Broader community: The Echoes of Peace Choir.
UMD News Releases