Curtain set to rise on University Theatre production of Noises Off Award-winning playwright Michael Frayn takes the British sex comedy to a new level with his farce, Noises Off. Brought to the University Theatre stage by director Farley Richmond, Noises Off depicts a dysfunctional theatre troupe in their increasingly futile attempts to stage the farce Nothing On. As the characters’ troubles onstage begin to blur with the actors’ mishaps backstage, the result is nothing short of a nervous breakdown. Winner of both the Evening Standard and the Olivier Awards for Best Comedy when it was first produced, Noises Off went on to enjoy a wildly successful run in England’s popular West End theatre district, and in 1992 was made into a film, starring Carol Burnett and Michael Caine. “It’s all about doors,” says Richmond. “Doors, telephones, and way too many sardines. The cast plays a dysfunctional theatre troupe, who are putting on a farce about a dysfunctional family.” As the boundaries break down between what is “real” and what is “acting,” hilarity ensues. Noises Off deals with mildly adult humor and situations, and may not be appropriate for young children. Performances are Nov. 17-18 and Nov. 30-Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 20 and Dec. 4 at 2:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre in the Fine Arts Building. Regular admission is $12; admission for students and senior citizens with I.D. is $10. Tickets may be purchased beginning Nov. 3 at the box office in the lobby of the Fine Arts Building. The box office is open noon-5 p.m., weekdays. Tickets also may be purchased at the theatre door beginning one hour prior to show time. —Michelle Smith

Sacred Art, Secular Context: Objects of Art from the Byzantine Collection of Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C., Accompanied by American Paintings from the Collection of Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss. Through Nov. 6. Georgia Museum of Art. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday; and
1-5 p.m. Sunday. 542-4662.

Jan Matulka: The Global Modernist. Through Nov. 27. Georgia Museum of Art. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-
9 p.m. Wednesday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 542-4662.

Coming Home: American Paintings, 1930-1950, from the Schoen Collection. Through Nov. 27. Georgia Museum of Art. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.- 9 p.m. Wednesday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 542-4662.

Thomas Earl Ricks. Through Nov. 4. Tate Art Gallery. Sponsored by University Union. 542-6396.

Exhibits.
“AU/UGA in Costa Rica: A Co-Operative Exhibit from a Co-Operative Summer.” Through Nov. 12. Circle Gallery, G14 Caldwell Hall. Open 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Sponsored by the College of Environment and Design. 542-2892.

The exhibit documents a four-week, multidisciplinary, study-abroad experience in Costa Rica in which Auburn industrial design students and UGA environmental design students traveled and studied together to better understand the nature and culture of this tropical landscape.

Brian LaHaie, a faculty member at UGA, and Clark Lundell, a faculty member at Auburn, organized and led the 12-person group tour in June and July of 2005. The tour included visits to coastal Caribbean and Pacific rainforests and highland cloud forests.

In conjunction with the Nov. 12 UGA-Auburn football game, Circle Gallery and the School of Environmental Design will host a reception for the visiting Auburn students and faculty who contributed to the exhibit. LaHaie and Lundell will be on hand to answer questions about the Costa Rican experience at a reception from 4-6 p.m. on Nov. 11. The reception is free and open to the public.

“Power to the People—Rural Electrification in Georgia.” Through Sept. 30, 2006. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Russell Library. Additional hours: Saturdays 1-4:45 p.m. (except on UGA home football game days).

Monday, October 31

Open House.
UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic. 10- 11:30 a.m. Aderhold Hall. 542-4559.

The open house celebrates more than 50 years of service in Athens and Northeast Georgia. Free hearing and speech screenings will follow a tour of the facility.

Tuesday, November 1
Open House.
Hodgson Oil Building. 3-5 p.m. 286 Oconee Street. 542-8090.

UGA’s police department, public affairs office and real estate and space management office host a reception and tours of their new offices in the renovated Hodgson Oil Building. See Bulletin Board.

Lecture.
Ron Nagle. 5:30 p.m. Visiting Artist/Scholar Series. 101 Student Learning Center. Sponsored by the Lamar Dodd School of Art. 542-0116.

Nagle is the recipient of three National Endowment for the Arts grants, the Adeline Kent Award, two Mellon Grants and a Flintridge Foundation Visual Artist Award. His work is included in the collections of the Oakland and San Francisco museums, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, among others.

Screening.
Chagas: A Hidden Affliction. 6 p.m. M. Smith Griffith Auditorium, Georgia Museum of Art. Sponsored by the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the College of Public Health and the UGA Honors Program.

This documentary is about a disease in Latin America that affects nearly 20 million people worldwide, kills nearly 50,000 per year, but is practically unknown to the general public. Writer, director and producer Ricardo Preve will be present to lead a panel discussion following the film. 542-3396.

Women’s Basketball.
Exhibition vs. Augusta State. 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

Film.
My Twentieth Century (1989, 104 min.). 7:30 p.m. Hungarian Film Series.

150 Student Learning Center. Sponsored by the UGA Libraries Media Department. 542-7090.

Directed by Ildikó Enyedi, this film is a kaleidoscopic story of separated twin sisters interspersed throughout by a myriad of vignettes that include everything from Thomas Edison perfecting his inventions to a chimpanzee recounting the day of his capture.

Lecture.
“Who Were the Ancient Celts and Germans?,” Peter S. Wells, professor of anthropology, University of Minnesota. Sponsored by the Department of Classics and the Athens Society of the Archaeological Institute of America. 7:30 p.m. 117 Visual Arts Building. 542-9264.

Wells, who specializes in European archaeology, will discuss the “Celts” and “Germans,” names first used in texts by Greek and Roman writers about peoples who lived north of the Mediterranean Sea and about whom the ancient authors knew relatively little.

“Through examination of their decorative metalwork, pottery and other craft products, we can let these people ‘speak for themselves’ about who they were,” says Wells, who has done extensive fieldwork in Germany and is the author of The Barbarians Speak: How the Conquered Peoples Shaped Roman Europe (1999).

Concert.
“Strictly Stravinsky.” University Chorus and Chamber Orchestra. 8 p.m. Hodgson Hall. Sponsored by the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 542-3737.

Conducted by Mitos Andaya, the concert includes a brief presentation by UGA art professor Asen Kirin in conjunction with the Sacred Works, Secular Context from the Byzantine Collection of Dumbarton Oaks xhibition on display at the Georgia Museum of Art.

The concert features the sacred choral works Otche Nash (Pater Noster), Bogoroditse devo raduysya (Ave Maria) and Simvol veri (Credo), Dumbarton Oaks (Concerto in E-flat) and the 20th-century master work Symphony of Psalms.

Wednesday, November 2

Presentation. “A New Vision for Engaging Latino Families in Schools.” Noon-1 p.m. G-23 Aderhold Hall. Sponsored by the College of Education Dean’s Council on Diversity and the Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education. 542-6446.

Staff Council Meeting.
2:15 p.m. 213 Student Learning Center. 542-0043.

27th Annual McGill Lecture.
Jerry Ceppos, former vice president for news at Knight Ridder. 4 p.m. Chapel. Sponsored by the Grady ollege of Journalism and Mass Communication. 542-5038.

Gallery Talk.
“Popular Entertainment of the 1930s and 1940s,” August W. Staub, UGA professor emeritus, drama and theatre. 5:30 p.m. M. Smith Griffith Auditorium, Georgia Museum of Art. 542-4662.

Film.
Modern Times (1936, 87 minutes). Directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin. Classic American Film Series. 7 p.m. M. Smith Griffith Auditorium, Georgia Museum of Art. 542-4662.

Thursday, November 3
Healthcare Provider CPR Training.
For people in the medical field required to have documentation of CPR certification for treating adults, children and infants. Advance registration required. $45. 8 a.m.-noon. University Health Center. 542-8695.

Graduate School Information Day.
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Georgia Hall, Tate Student Center. Sponsored by the Career Center. 542-3375.

Concert.
UGA Symphony Orchestra. 8 p.m. Hodgson Hall. Sponsored by the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 542-3737.

This concert features an all-Shostakovich program including Violin Concerto No.1 with soloist Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva and Symphony No. 5.

Violinist Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She began to study violin at the age of 5 and was accepted to the Special Music School for Gifted Children of the Tashkent State Conservatory at the age of 7. Azimkhodjaeva debuted with the Uzbekistan Symphony Orchestra when she was 11. In 1985 she won the National Violin Competition and was accepted to the class of Professor I. Medvedeva at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

Friday, November 4

Men’s Tennis.
The Bulldog Scramble, hosted by UGA players not participating in the National Indoor championships in Ohio. Through Nov. 6. Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

Conference.
“Taking Your Case to the Court of Public Opinion—Strategic, Legal and Ethical Implications.” 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Classroom A (first floor), law school. Sponsored by the School of Law. 542-5190 or 542-5075. See “Raising the bar,”.

Presentation.
“Examining the Black-White Test Score Gap within the Historical.” Noon. 119 Aderhold Hall. Sponsored by the College of Education Dean’s Council on Diversity and the Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education. 542-6446.

The historical context for understanding the achievement gap between black and white students is often overlooked in American schools. The goal of this presentation is not to compare black and white student achievement, but rather to provide a contextual view of black progress and achievement patterns from the 1800s to the present.

Lecture.
“Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (Yet the heart remains Indian): Renegotiating Indianness, gender, the Homeland nation state and the Indian diaspora,” Robina Mohammad, assistant professor of geography and women’s studies. Friday Speaker Series. 12:20-1:10 p.m. 148 Student Learning Center. Sponsored by the Institute for Women’s Studies. 542-2846.

Colloquium.
“Constructing a Theory of Sounds,” Casey O’Callaghan, Bates College. 3:30 p.m. 205S Peabody Hall. Sponsored by the philosophy department and the Center for Humanities and Arts. 542-2823.

Dinner and Dance Performance.
Friends of Dance Spotlight. $80. Business attire. 6:30 p.m. New Dance Theatre. Sponsored by the Department of Dance. 542-4415.

Concert.
Adam Neiman, piano. All-Chopin concert. $16-$21 (half-price students). 8 p.m. Hodgson Hall. Sponsored by Performing Arts Center (Music Series II). 542-4400.

Neiman is a 1999 Rubinstein Award-winning graduate of the Juilliard School, and he also received first prize in Juilliard’s Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition two consecutive years. Other awards include an Avery Fisher Career Grant, a Gilmore Young Artist Award, and the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists. Neiman won the silver medal at the Alessandro Casagrande International Piano Competition in Italy when he was only 15 years old.

A pre-concert lecture will be given by Carrie Allen, a graduate student in UGA’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music. The lecture begins 45 minutes prior to the concert and is free and open to the public.

Thalian Blackfriars.
One-Act Oddities. Through Nov. 5. $8. 8 p.m. Cellar Theatre, Fine Arts Building. 542-2836.

Saturday, November 5
Second Annual 5K Run/Walk.
Entry fee: $15 (includes T-shirt). 8 a.m. State Botanical Garden of Georgia. (404) 259-8218.

Sixth Annual Turkey Trot 5K Road Race.
Pre-registration fee: $15 ($20 on race day). 8:30 a.m. Stegeman Coliseum. Sponsored by the UGA chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Family Day.
“Paper City.” 10 a.m.-noon. Georgia Museum of Art. 542-4662.

Men’s Basketball.
Exhibition vs. Concordia. 4 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

Lecture.
Mike Malloy, host of “Air America Radio.” 4 p.m. 101 Student Learning Center. Sponsored by the Stonewall Students.

Concert.
Sheila Kay Adams, Appalachian ballad singer, storyteller, guitarist. $20 ($10 students). 8 p.m. Ramsey Hall. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Center (Traditions Series). 542-4400.

An award-winning musician who comes from a small mountain community in western North Carolina, Adams will perform a program featuring traditional Appalachian ballads and stories from her Scottish-Irish ancestors.

Sunday, November 6

Alfred Heber Holbrook Lecture.
“Holy Image: The Icon in Byzantium,” Gary Vikan, director, Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 2 p.m. M. Smith Griffith Auditorium, Georgia Museum of Art. Reception follows. 542-4662.

Women’s Basketball.
Exhibition vs. EA Sports. 2:30 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

Concert.
The Nylons. $21-$26 (half-price students). 7:30 p.m. Hodgson Hall. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Center (Showtime Series). 542-4400.

The Nylons—tenors Claude Morrison and Garth Mosbaugh, bass Arnold Robinson and baritone Tyrone Gabriel—are renowned for their vibrant live shows that feature dazzling harmonies, smooth arrangements, tight choreography and fabulous showmanship. Their rapport with audiences makes them perennial favorites for all age groups, and according to the New York Times: “Nearly 25 years into its career, the group shows no signs of slowing down; nor does its audience want it to.”

One-Man Show.
Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead. 8 p.m. Arena Theatre (room 151), lower level, Fine Arts Building.

In the first of the theatre and film studies department’s new “Student Production” schedule, senior drama major Piotr Stapor will perform the one-man show Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead.

Written and originally performed in 1994, Pounding Nails aims scorching social commentary at the contemporary urban and suburban scene. Throughout the performance, Stapor will take on the personas of 11 different twisted individuals—from subway panhandlers to barbecue-crazed millionaires, each more unsavory than the one before—as they all struggle against the larger machinations of the world about them.

Through his depictions of these characters’ ultimately futile ranting against the darkly humorous quirks of life, Stapor attacks theatre’s greatest mystery—what it means to be human.

Monday, November 7

Bulldog Brunch.
Guest host: Charles B. Knapp, UGA president emeritus. $10 ($5 student members). RSVP. Noon-1 p.m. North Tower, Student Learning Center. Sponsored by the UGA Alumni Association. 542-8199.

Heartsaver CPR Training.
$25 (CPR on adults); $40 (CPR on adults, children and infants). 1-5 p.m. Advance registration required. University Health Center. Sponsored by the University Health Center. 542-8695.

Adolphe Sax Birthday Concert.
6 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall. Sponsored by the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 542-3737.

Coming up

Dance Performance.
Senior Exit Concert 2005. Nov. 9-11. $8 ($6 students). 8 p.m. Young Choreographer’s Series: New Dance Theatre. Sponsored by the Department of Dance. 542-4415.