Program schedule finalized at Wayne Community College
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on January 6, 2016 1:46 PM
The Arts and Humanities program at Wayne Community College has finalized its spring schedule, with officials recently announcing its plans for the program to become regional.
Adrienne Northington, associate director of the WCC Foundation, said negotiations have begun with the humanities program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"They're looking to provide outreach in this program to community colleges in different parts of the state, especially the East and the West, the areas that aren't as easy to drive to Chapel Hill and stay overnight," she said. "So we're going to work with them in offering a program in early fall 2016.
"We're at the very beginning stages of organization -- maybe lectures, an all-day seminar with faculty members from UNC, coming on our campus and we'll outreach and market this for our neighbors in neighboring counties to come and be part of it."
Funding for the partnership would be shared between WCC and UNC, she said.
"They'll help us. We'll pay the stipend. The Foundation will pay the stipend and Carolina will pay travel expenses," she said, adding, "No other community college in our area is doing an arts and humanities program like we have to offer. They do events but they don't do the series.
"This is the very beginning of the outreach for UNC, so we're very excited about this possibility and working with this."
The spring line-up has a theme of sorts -- The Power of the Story.
"We're doing several different lectures, poetry, partnering with Wayne County Reads, having a panel discussion," Mrs. Northington said. "We have brought a few lecturers about North Carolina and local speakers. And then of course we've got the Middle East focus at the very beginning.
"Not to mention the Praxis Film Festival, all stories through movies and films."
The calendar for the coming months appears below. Unless otherwise indicated, events are free and open to the public.
*Dr. Akram Khater, Alumni Distinguished University Professor and professor of history at N.C. State University, will speak about "The Collapse of the Old Middle East: A Future Vision" on Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in Walnut 101. He will also respond to questions.
*Ambassador Karl Eikenberry will speak on "The U.S. Mission in Afghanistan: Looking Back and Looking Ahead" on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. in Walnut 101. Eikenberry, who had a 35-year career in the U.S. Army, retired in 2009 with the rank of lieutenant general. He has served both as the U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan and twice commanded military forces there, and will discuss the threats facing the Afghan government and the prospects for success.
*February's focus will be the sixth annual Praxis Film Festival, split up Feb. 5 and 6 between WCC and the Paramount Theatre. Friday afternoon showings will be in Moffatt Auditorium, with a feature film that evening at the Paramount. Other films will also be shown at the Paramount on Saturday. For more information on screenings and updates, visit www.praxisfilmfestival.com.
Tickets are $10 for a day pass, $15 for weekend pass, and $50 VIP pass, which includes the weekend pass and cocktail party Friday evening, to meet some directors of the films. For ticket information through the Paramount box office, call 919-583-8432.
*Tommy Jarrett, local attorney, will share the "Story of the Talented William J. Gaston" on March 7 at 7 p.m. in Walnut 101. Gaston, born in New Bern in 1778, was considered a remarkable colonial leader who left an important legacy to North Carolinians. He enrolled as the first student at Georgetown College and later attended Princeton, graduating at the top in his class. He was also a U.S. senator, lawyer, supporter of John Quincy Adams and president of the Bank of New Bern.
*Drama in Your Own Backyard will be the topic of storyteller Perry Deane Young on March 14 at 7 p.m. in Walnut 101. Young, author of nine books and co-author or three plays, is a Buncombe County native and avid storyteller. The unjust hanging of Frankie Silver, the Mitchell-Clingman Feud and Thomas Wolfe's journey home are three stories he has brought to the stage and will likely bring to his visit at WCC.
*The Bill Brettman lecture will be held on March 21 at 7 p.m. in Walnut 101, featuring author Tim Carter sharing remarks on "Goodbye to Berlin? From Cabaret to Cabaret." The David G. Frey Distinguished Professor of Music at UNC-Chapel Hill will take the convention of the "backstage musical" in a whole new direction.
*In conjunction with that, a trip is planned to Durham Performing Arts Center on April 21 to see the production of "Cabaret." There are a limited number of seats available. Tickets are $100 and include tickets to the show and transportation.
*On April 11 at 7 p.m. in Walnut 101, Brad Collier will speak about "The Chitlin' Circuit: The Rise of Rock n' Roll in Black America." The lead music instructor at WCC and co-director of its Fine Arts Festival, he will discuss the emergence of African-American rock music and the performers who traveled the circuit to make a name for themselves in a white-dominated music industry, among them Count Basie, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and B.B. King.
*A panel discussion on "Why Poetry" will be held in Walnut 101 on April 18 at 7 p.m. Presented in partnership with Wayne County Reads: Passionate About Poetry, Margaret Boothe Baddour will serve as moderator. Panelists from around the state, including N.C. Poet Laureate Shelby Stephenson, will tell about what poetry can mean in people's lives.
*Randy Sauls, who has been to Gettysburg over 75 times, will serve as tour guide for the Gettysburg Battlefield trip April 29-May 1, coinciding with the three-day battle that took place there. Cost is $100 per person, which includes transportation, the tour and two lunches. Registration is required by March 15.
To register for a program, call 919-739-7017 and leave name, phone number and the program name, or email wcc-foundation@waynecc.edu. Registration can also be done online at www.waynecc.edu/foundation/arts-and-humanities/