“A Broadway Cabaret with John Cariani" at the University of Dubuque -- October 2.
Friday, October 2, 7 p.m.
University of Dubuque's Heritage Center, 2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque IA
On October 2, a Tony- and Grammy-nominated actor and playwright will headline a night of stage-musical hits in A Broadway Cabaret with John Cariani, this special event at the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center also performed by gifted students from the university and area high schools.
Well-known for his recurring roles on TV’s Law & Order, Numb3rs, and The Onion News Network, Cariani has also appeared in several films, as well as plays and musicals on and off-Broadway and at regional theatres across the country. He has been nominated for a Tony Award for Fiddler on the Roof and two Grammy Awards for Something Rotten! and Caroline, or Change. Additionally, Cariani was in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical The Band’s Visit.
As a playwright, Cariani is perhaps best known for his first play Almost, Maine, which has received nearly 6,000 productions and has been translated into over a dozen languages. His other plays, Love/Sick, cul-de-sac, and Last Gas, have been produced more than 500 times around the world and have also been translated into several languages. Cariani’s newest play, Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars, will soon be published by Concord Theatricals.
During A Broadway Cabaret with John Cariani, UD and area high school students will perform a showcase of songs including “Mr. Cellophane” from Chicago, “Waving Through a Window” from Dear Evan Hansen, “Flowers” from Hadestown, and “Astonishing” from Little Women. Cariani will headline the evening with several solo-performed songs such as “Happy People,” words and music by Lori McKenna and Hailey Whitters. Jill Klinebriel, UD choral accompanist, will accompany the singers, and the cabaret will end with a special group song featuring Cariani with the participating students.
Before the evening performance, students will participate in a workshop and master class with Cariani, who said, “I’m excited about working with UD and area high school students because I think it’s important for young people from far-flung places – places that are far away from the dominant arts and cultural centers in this country – to know that they can make a life in the performing arts.
"I didn’t know any playwrights or actors or singers when I was growing up. But when I went to college, I learned that people made a living making art. I learned it was possible to be a professional actor or a writer or a musician. I hope my visit helps some young Midwestern people understand what’s possible. Also, I hope they realize that good actors and singers and writers are everywhere. At UD. In Dubuque, Iowa. They’re not just from LA or New York. Great art and great artists can be from anywhere and everywhere.”
With this year's program an annual music theatre tradition, professor of theatre Joe Klinebriel has hosted the master class and cabaret event for three years in a row, and said he is grateful for the event’s many accomplishments.
“The master class is an invaluable opportunity for both our UD students and area high school students to work with a Broadway theatre professional, whose talents and skills are of the highest caliber,” Klinebriel said. “Our theatrical work at UD continues to expand and improve, and it’s partly due to the exposure and training opportunities that our students get when they take advantage of events like this. Students get to make real-world professional connections, and those connections make an impact that can last a lifetime for the students. If the day’s master class sessions improve the creative process, the evening’s cabaret celebrates that process and gives students a chance to shine alongside our Broadway guest. The event continues to have exponential rewards for the students who participate.”
A Broadway Cabaret with John Cariani will be performed in the John & Alice Butler Hall of the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center on October 2, admission to the 7 p.m. concert event is $10, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)585-7469 and visiting Dbq.edu/HeritageCenter.
