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- 5 X Stanwyck
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Speaker: Steven Cherry
Dates: 8/26/2024 - 9/30/2024
Times: 9:30 AM - 12:20 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Is Barbara Stanwyck the greatest actor of the 20th century? This class will explore Stanwyck’s range and longevity by viewing and analyzing five films. We begin with one of the most daring dramas of the brief pre-code era, and end with the better of the two Hollywood movies that go by the name Titanic. In between, we will try to capture that amazing range, from screwball comedy to Gothic noir to one of the saddest, most poignant Christmas movies ever made (don’t worry, there is a happy ending).
This course will meet in person on August 26, September 9, 16, 23, and 30. There is no class September 2nd.
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- Analyzing Contemporary Plays
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Speaker: Kathleen George
Dates: 8/26/2024 - 9/30/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Playwrights do many things. They philosophize, entertain, reflect on current events, and break new ground. This course will deal with recent plays that have become headliners, award winners, and critical successes. We will study how they work, how they differ from earlier forms, and whether they deserve their accolades. Mostly we will get close up, imagining staging and acting, to bring them to life in the stages of our minds. Members will prepare for class by reading the plays and coming to class ready to dig in.
This course will meet in person on August 26, September 9, 16, 23, and 30. There will be no class September 2nd.
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- Broadway Musicals: A Fascinating History
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Speaker: Emanuel Abramovits
Dates: 8/28/2024 - 9/25/2024
Times: 3:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Modality: Online
Fee: $0.00
Musicals have been a major part of American theater, from the Tin Pan Alley-driven comedy works of the early part of the 20th century, to the integrated musicals that flourished in the heyday years of midcentury America. We will also explore book musicals, concept musicals, and the arrival of European mega-productions late in the century. We will profile some of the theater world’s leading composers, lyricists, writers, choreographers, directors, performers, and will study some of the most unforgettable shows, like Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Showboat, Guys and Dolls, Company, Hair, Cabaret, Rent, Wicked, Hamilton, and many more.
This course will meet online August 28, September 4, 11, 18, and 25.
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- Broadway Now!
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Speaker: Ken Gargaro
Dates: 10/16/2024 - 11/13/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Modality: Online
Fee: $0.00
This is a survey course for the person who wants to know what’s buzzing on Broadway for the 2024 season and what shows coming to Pittsburgh are worth seeing. Classes will revolve around reviews, trailers, and insider comments. With ticket prices at the highest level in history, it is best to do a bit of reconnaissance to inform one’s decisions. Promising shows for the upcoming season include Water for Elephants, a revival of The Who’s Tommy and The Great Gatsby. Pittsburgh is likely to see & Juliet, MJ the Musical, and Hamilton.
This course will meet online October 16, 23, 30, November 6, and 13.
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- Foreign Films: Part 2
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Speaker: David Shifren
Dates: 10/18/2024 - 11/15/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Despite one director’s tongue-in-cheek dismissal of foreign cinema (“I make movies. Leave filmmaking to the French!”), we will discuss films that indeed include foreign locations, subtitles, and boast as being some of the best movies ever made. We will consider how foreign films differ from their American counterparts in style, tone, sensibility, and more. NOTE: OLLI members needn't have taken Foreign Films to enjoy Foreign Films: Part 2, whose new round-up will include La Strada, A Man and a Woman, The Vanishing, Rashomon, and The Seventh Seal.
This course will meet in person October 18, 25, November 1, 8, and 15.
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- History of the Tony Awards: Part 1
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If you enjoy Broadway musicals, you know about the coveted Tony Awards that are bestowed on special musicals and talented performers, directors, choreographers, producers and songwriters. Join us as we watch and discuss clips from award-winning Broadway musicals.
This course will meet online August 30, September 6, 13, 20, and 27.
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- History of the Tony Awards: Part 2
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If you enjoy Broadway musicals, you know about the coveted Tony Awards that are bestowed on special musicals and talented performers, directors, choreographers, producers and songwriters. Join us as we watch and discuss clips from award-winning Broadway musicals.
This course will meet online October 18, 25, November 1, 8, and 15.
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- Newman's Own: Selected Films of Paul Newman
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Speaker: David Shifren
Dates: 8/30/2024 - 9/27/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
It's easy to imagine an actor with Paul Newman's looks launching a Hollywood career. But the star's decades-long staying power doesn't stem from looks alone. Newman's acting chops have let him pick fascinating roles and characters driven by complex impulses, making for unforgettable performances. We'll watch and discuss a varied sampling of his work, including The Hustler, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Hud, Hombre, and The Color of Money.
This course will meet in person August 30, September 6, 13, 20, and 27.
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- Real Opera: Verismo Style
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Speaker: Marilyn Egan
Dates: 9/11/2024 - 10/2/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 4
Modality: Online
Fee: $0.00
What was happening in Naples, Lucca, and Livorno in the 1890s? Why did Italian opera composers turn from Verdi’s dynasty and put gritty struggles of common people on stage? When Mascagni composed Cavalleria rusticana in 1890, the opera caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history, ushering in the verismo movement. In 1892, Leoncavallo created Pagliacci, a tale of jealousy in a circus troupe. By 1900, Puccini reigned over the realistic style with his opera Tosca. In this course, we will discover how these composers—friends and rivals— revolutionized Italian opera.
This course will meet online September 11, 18, 25, and October 2. Please note: this course only meets 4 times.
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- Simplicity vs Complexity in Music, Arts, and Design
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Speaker: Owen Cantor
Dates: 10/16/2024 - 11/13/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Classical music history swings like a pendulum between simplicity and complexity. The intricate musical fabric of the Baroque era was followed by the simplicity and balance of Classicism, quickly moving forward to expressive Romanticism and beyond. This balance mirrors the way we communicate, dress, and live. We will travel classical music history’s winding road, interpreting the simple and complex sights along the way.
This course will meet in person October 16, 23, 30, November 6, and 13.
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- Stardom and Film: The Classical Hollywood Era
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Speaker: Lucy Fischer
Dates: 8/27/2024 - 9/24/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 5
Modality: Online
Fee: $0.00
This course will consider film stardom from the 1920s through the contemporary era, through five case studies examined week by week. We will not only investigate actors but the nature of film stardom itself—the qualities that have traditionally been associated with that level of celebrity within Hollywood culture. Films will be viewed by members in their own time before the class.
This course will meet online August 27, September 3, 10, 17, and 24.
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- The Great Tenors
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Speaker: Raymond Uy
Dates: 10/14/2024 - 11/11/2024
Times: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 5
Modality: Online
Fee: $0.00
The singing voice has the power to resonate with audiences and stir emotions. In this course, we will discuss and compare the greatest tenors in the age of recorded music. Examples will include Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Jussi Bjorling, Franco Corelli, Mario Lanza, Fritz Wunderlich, Luciano Pavarotti, and many more. Using their quintessential recordings, we will analyze various aspects of their performances, from timbre and technique to dramatic expression and interpretation. We will conclude with classic holiday albums and contemporary tenors.
This course will meet online October 14, 21, 28, November 4, and 11.
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- Watching World War II at the Movies
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Speaker: Michael Young
Dates: 10/17/2024 - 11/14/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Starting even before 1939, World War II can be considered the first truly multi-media war. A major element of that were movies made not only to entertain but to send messages overly and subtly to the opposing sides’ populations of how to understand and react to the conflict. We will explore the propagandistic work from both the Allies and the Axis, the use of “shorts” from cartoons to documentaries, and full-length films which created ideals of heroes, motivations to fight, and expectations of facing loss.
This course will meet in person October 17, 24, 31, November 7, and 14.
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- Forward to the Past: 70s Popular Music
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Speaker: David Crippen
Dates: 10/17/2024 - 11/14/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Modality: Online
Fee: $0.00
This course will explore how and why the music of the 1970s evolved from the psychedelic era to a unique art form and a social force and how it expanded to radically new vistas. An era evolved to the new American attitude, away from communitarianism and toward individualism, and toward a society comprised of self-interested and largely self-sufficient individuals—the “Me Generation.” The subject matter will be explored through lectures, PowerPoint presentations, selected YouTube videos and discussion.
This course will meet online October 17, 24, 31, November 7, and 14.
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