By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
In its inaugural year in 2015, Bravo! BGSU got it share of bravos.
Lisa Mattiace, chief of staff for President Mary Ellen Mazey, said “thrilling” and “spectacular” were among the words attendees used for the black tie optional event.
Mariah Burks, then a senior in theater and the recent winner of the Kennedy Center’s Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship, performed and remembers the event as having plenty of “glitz and glam.” Take away the champagne glasses, she said, and those attended got a good sense of what goes on every day in the university’s studios.
As for her BGSU experience, she said: “It was an amusement park. I’m not even going to try to sugarcoat it. As an undergraduate there are moments, trying different stuff, where you’re absolutely terrified and you say ‘I’m not going to do it, I’m not going to go on that ride.’” But other times, she just embraced the challenge. And like that trip to the amusement park, “you have all your friends with you,” Burks said. These friends form a support system, “a family really.”
The most notable ovation at the 2015 Bravo! BGSU came in the dollars raised for arts scholarships, $65,000. The president’s office isn’t resting on those laurels, though. This year’s event on April 2 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Wolfe Center, will add more luster, in the hopes of adding more lucre, to the arts scholarship coffers. Tickets are $100 and are available by calling 419-372-6780 or by emailing lmattia@bgsu.edu.
Some attendees at last year’s Bravo! Expressed the view that the arts at Bowling Green State University were “a hidden gem.” The event aims to change that. “This is a great way to showcase the artistic talents of our students and faculty and all that BGSU has to offer in the arts,” according to Mazey. “It will be a wonderful evening for a great cause.” “
“It’s so important for people in the community and perspective donors to see what talent is here at BGSU, and because they see that talent, they want to support that talent,” Mattiace said.
Burks, who returns to perform at the invitation of Mazey, knows the value of those scholarships. Burks said scholarships, such as those named for actress Eva Marie Saint, were important. “It’s super helpful that you have that cushion financially,” she said. Having that money meant she was financially in better shape to move on to graduate school in the Cleveland Playhouse’s Master of Fine Arts in Acting through Case Western University.
Those performing are drawn from across the arts curriculum. Faculty in music, visual arts, theater, film, dance and creative writing played a key role in selecting the programming.
Mattiace said that this year there will be more variety. Performances of jazz, opera, show tunes and concert music, both old and new, will be featured in the Conrad Chorale room, the Donnell and the Eva Marie Saint theaters. The halls will also be bustling with activity, including the string duo Revamped. “We’ll also have people doing art in the hallways on the first and second floors.”
Attendees will be able to observe and chat with painters, jewelers, potters, film editors and more. The School of Art’s animation offerings especially will be in the spotlight with the return of 1975 graduate Steve Hanson on hand.
Hanson, the executive producer of the animated film, “The Prophet,” based on the work of Kahlil Gibran, will show excerpts from the film. And student animators will demonstrate their craft.
Hanson said he’s pleased to return to BGSU to help raise money for arts scholarships. “If you think about a world without art, without culture, we begin to lose the soul of who we are. We live in a time of incredible violence, incredible unrest. The arts is one of those things we all have to preserve. It’s where our inner sanity is cultivated.”
Hanson added: “I always gave back even if I wasn’t in a position to give. For whatever reason, call it mojo, call it karma, call it dumb luck, things have happened well for me, and I can’t help but believe it’s all about the circles.”
