Harper College notes
Summer auditions: Auditions for Harper's summer production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday in Room L109, Building L. All are welcome to try their hand at the Edward Albee script.
Performances will be held at 8 p.m. July 22-July 24, and July 28-July 30. The play tells the story of George, a college professor, and his wife Martha, and what ensues when the couple -- who have anything but an idyllic marriage -- invite another young couple over for a nightcap. The play, which opened on Broadway in 1962, remains a classic today.
Comedy at Harper: Harper College's new Laugh Shack Comedy Series concludes at 8 p.m. Saturday with Vidur Kapur, held in Room A238 of the Student Center Lounge, Building A, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine.
Kapur's comedy is based on the social commentary of a "one-man culture clash" -- he's a gay, Indian immigrant raised in a conservative middle-class family.
Selected as top comic for NBC's "Stand Up for Diversity Initiative," Kapur was featured at the 2007 New York Comedy Festival and has appeared on NBC's Last Comic Standing and MTV World.
Individual show tickets for the Laugh Shack Comedy Series are $10 in advance, or $12 at the door for general admission and Harper faculty, staff and senior citizens. Tickets are $5 in advance, and $7 at the door for Harper students with valid ID.
For tickets and more information, call (847) 925-6100, or visit harpercollege.edu.
Constructing art: For years, Harper assistant professor Jason Peot has been shaping basic materials like aluminum chunks, wire mesh and dowel rods into complex and innovative art.
This month, his work is on display at Chicago's NavtaSchulz Gallery, 1039 W. Lake St. The exhibit, "Lineal," includes about eight pieces -- one of them so large it takes up an entire room -- and represents about 1,000 hours of work.
Peot's trademark is his inclusion of light. His structures work with and play off of brightness and shadows, making them part of the art. He says he enjoys treating light like a material, and he also likes leaving all his materials fairly raw.
Peot has taught art at Harper for 10 years, and has exhibited his work across the nation and the globe. His creations are included in collections at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Elmhurst Art Museum. He also was commissioned to create a permanent, large-scale piece for McCormick Place's West Expansion.
The NavtaSchulz exhibit runs through May 10, with viewing hours from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
Spring premiere: Harper musicians will offer audiences a world premiere performance at the annual Spring Concert, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. May 15 in the Performing Arts Center.
The Wind Symphony and Chamber Winds event will feature the first-ever public performance of "Three Appetizers for Concert Band," a three-movement piece composed by J. Stanley Ryberg, Harper professor of music emeritus.
Ryberg began teaching at the college in the 1970s, and retired as a professor three decades later, in 2002. He began writing music as part of his early retirement project.
Works by Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Sousa and excerpts from Mozart's "The Magic Flute" also are on the concert's menu. Tickets are $10 for general admission, with discounts for seniors and students.
For tickets or more information, call (847) 925-6100 or visit harpercollege.edu/boxoffice.
Harper Speakers Bureau: Provided as a community service, the Harper College Speakers Bureau provides access to local experts in a variety of subjects.
Speakers are available to community organizations such as chambers of commerce, library groups, service organizations and other civic groups for free. Experts cover a diverse array of topics including art, astronomy, career training, cultural trends, ecology, entrepreneurship, estate planning, exercise, small business development, math and science.
For more information on booking a speaker, call (847) 925-6701 or visit harpercollege.edu.
Child Learning Center: The Harper Child Learning Center's preschool program offers a curriculum to form a broad base of knowledge children can use as they advance into the primary grades.
The learning center also strives to create a preschool environment that treats children as individuals and invites parents to visit so they may share in their children's activities.
More information about choosing a preschool is available in a podcast on the Child Learning Center site at harpercollege.edu. Parents also may sign up for a free visit by calling (847) 925-6262.
Campus spa: The Therapeutic Massage Clinic at Harper is staffed by students in the program and offers clients Swedish massage at a cost of $35 for a one-hour massage ($30 for seniors 65 and older).
There are peaceful, private massage rooms available. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (847) 925-6000, ext. 2805.