Category: Events

‘Winning Time’ Actor, Movie Producer to Screen Social Justice Drama

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An actor known for playing Magic Johnson on HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers’ Dynasty and a movie producer—both notable Kalamazoo College alumni—will present a private screening of their next film this week at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. 

Actor Quincy Isaiah ’17 and producer Adam Edery ’19 will present and discuss Grassland, a social justice drama about marijuana incarceration rates and the criminal justice system, at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 16.

A panel discussion featuring Kalamazoo-area residents including a former police officer, a former inmate and a cannabis industry professional, will immediately follow the film. 

Quincy Isaiah
Quincy Isaiah’ 17
Adam Edery, the producer of a social justice drama titled "Grassland."
Adam Edery ’19

Grassland is set in 2008 during the Great Recession. It follows a single Latina mother whose illegal marijuana business is jeopardized when her son befriends new neighbors, a young white boy and his police officer grandfather. According to production research, Latino people were four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people at the time, while Black people were seven times more likely.  

Actors Mía Maestro and Jeff Kober star alongside Isaiah. Maestro’s credits include the 2014–15 TV series The Strain and the 2012 film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2. Kober’s credits include TV series such as The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy and China Beach. His movie credits include the 2016 film Sully. 

The film is set to premiere in 2024, possibly at the Sundance Film Festival, giving the Kalamazoo community a special opportunity to view the production before the rest of world. The private screening is free with advance online registration.  

International Percussion Ensemble Performs Wednesday

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Kalamazoo College’s International Percussion ensemble will conclude the music department’s fall season of concerts at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts. 

Several displays of solos, group drumming and collaborations will highlight Taiko and steelpan performances with other complementary instruments from these cultures. International Percussion Ensemble Director Carolyn Koebel will lead the Taiko group. Visiting Instructor of Music Jean Raabe will direct the steelpan performers. 

The ensemble unites individuals with varied musical backgrounds from K, nearby institutions and the general community. The concert is free and the public is invited. For more information on this event and others sponsored by the Department of Music, visit music.kzoo.edu/events, call 269.337.7070 or email Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu. 

International Percussion Taiko Drummers perform
Taiko drummers will be among the performers featured Wednesday, November 15.

Jazz Band, Philharmonia Offer Concerts

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Bring your dancing shoes to swing and sway in the aisles for the Kalamazoo College Jazz Band fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 10, in Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts.

The free performance’s theme will be Giants Walk Among Us, which is also the title of the first song. The opener, by Rich Woolworth, features a trumpet and saxophone solo. The concert then will spotlight more songs by the “giant” composers of jazz and eight other solos for saxophone, both alto and tenor, while featuring Isabella Pellegrom ’25, a guest vocalist, with favorites such as Scarborough Fair.

Afterward, make plans to attend the Kalamazoo Philharmonia fall concert, titled In the Bloom of Youth, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 12, in the Dalton Theatre. The performance will feature the works of composers who died young including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Othello Suite; Lili Boulanger’s Psalm 129; and Vasily Kalinnikov’s Symphony No. 1 in G.

The Philharmonia unites students, faculty, amateur musicians and professional musicians of a variety of ages to perform symphonic music. Having grown since its inception in 1990, the ensemble has been recognized as an arts organization of importance in greater Kalamazoo.

For more information on both concerts and ensembles, contact Susan Lawrence in the Department of Music at 269.337.7070 or Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu. 

Kalamazoo Philharmonia concert
The Kalamazoo Philharmonia fall concert, titled “In the Bloom of Youth,” is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 12, in the Dalton Theatre.

Philharmonia Preview

Human-Rights Fellow, Author Slated for Lectures

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Two Kalamazoo College lectures open to the public this week will feature a Nicaraguan human-rights fellow and an author who examines an artistic, literary and scientific discourse around animals that evolved in the 19th century.

First, the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership will host a community reception at Arcus at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday followed by a lecture titled Resilience and Hope at 7 p.m. at Stetson Chapel featuring human-rights fellow Tamara Dávila.

Dávila has first-hand experience in the fight for fair, democratic rights and remaining resilient in the face of government-sanctioned violence and injustice. She will discuss the intersecting issues of wealth inequality in democratic societies, the fight for gender equity and human-rights infringements, while sharing her personal experience as a former political prisoner and activist. The lecture will inform attendees about the turbulent political situation in Nicaragua and its implications for human rights and democracy in the U.S.

Please RSVP in advance to attend the reception, the lecture or both. For information on a live stream option of the lecture, email crimson.johnson@kzoo.edu.

Then, at 4:10 p.m. Thursday in the Olmsted Room, the Department of English will welcome Antoine Traisnel, an associate professor of comparative literature and an associate professor of English language and literature at the University of Michigan.

Traisnel will discuss his latest book, Capture: American Pursuits and the Making of a New Animal Condition (2020, University of Minnesota Press). The publication offers a critical genealogy of the dominant representation of animals as elusive, precarious and endangered that began circulating in the 19th century. He argues that colonialism and the biocapitalist management of nonhuman and human populations demonstrate that the desire to capture animals in representation responded to and normalized the systemic disappearance of animals hurt by unprecedented changes in the land, the rise of mass slaughter, and an awareness of species extinction.

For more information on Traisnel’s lecture, call 269.337.7043.

Portrait of human-rights fellow Tamara Dávila
Human-rights fellow Tamara Dávila
Portrait of Antoine Traisnel
University of Michigan Associate Professor Antoine Traisnel

College Singers Slate Fall Concert

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Join the College Singers for an eclectic mix of great songs by Queen, Prince, Beyonce and more while exploring music from the Renaissance to today. The open-to-the-public fall concert, titled Casino Royale, is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday in the Dalton Theatre lobby.  

The ensemble, led by Associate Professor of Music and Director Chris Ludwa, includes about 30 students who are music majors and non-music majors, offering a different approach to choral singing with a focus on social justice. 

The concert is free, although donations are appreciated. For more information on the performances, contact Susan Lawrence in the Department of Music at 269.337.7070 or Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu. 

Kalamazoo College Singers Performing a fall concert at Light Fine Arts
The College Singers will perform in their fall concert from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday in the Dalton Theatre lobby.

BIGGBY Coffee Co-Founder, Co-CEO to Visit K, Talk with Students

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BIGGBY Coffee Co-Founder and Co-CEO Mike McFall ’93 knows a thing or two about leadership. After growing his coffee franchise from one to 370 locations across 13 states, McFall understands that people are the most critical ingredient to any successful enterprise, and he’s ready to share his hard-won wisdom with students at Kalamazoo College.

The Department of Economics and Business will host an on-campus event with McFall at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 14, in the Olmsted Room at Mandelle Hall. All students, regardless of their major, are invited to attend to discuss leadership and progressive practices in business and the workplace.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics and Business David Rhoa said he’s had the honor of hosting McFall in his classes at least a half-dozen times with each encounter proving to be a new experience.

“I think our students find Mike such a compelling speaker because of his authenticity and honesty,” he said. “He shares his real-life experiences in a candid, sometimes even brutally honest manner. While many successful entrepreneurs tend to focus solely on their achievements, Mike fearlessly addresses the value of his failures, emphasizing their pivotal role in the journey to success.”

L. Lee Stryker Associate Professor of Business Management Amy MacMillan shares Rhoa’s enthusiasm.

“I feel tremendously grateful toward our alumni who share their time and expertise with our students,” she said. “We’re fortunate to have alumni—and community members—who support our courses in so many ways. But when Mike McFall, co-Founder and co-CEO of BIGGBY, comes to class, that turbo-charges the whole experience. By having made his big dreams a reality, he’ll help others to dream big, too, and believe in these dreams. By focusing not just on profits but also on people and purpose, he inspires others to do the same and to see what great business leaders can look like. He walks the walk, and while he does, he lays a footpath for others to follow.”

In 2019, McFall published his first book, Grind, which focuses on the commonsense strategies needed to turn a start-up idea into a positive-cash flow business. He recently released his second book, Grow: Take Your Business from Chaos to Calm, which addresses his experiences with leadership, a theme he expects to explore heavily with students.

BIGGBY Coffee CEO Mike McFall
BIGGBY Coffee Co-Founder and Co-CEO Mike McFall ’93 will visit Kalamazoo College to talk with students at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 14, in the Olmsted Room at Mandelle Hall. All students, regardless of their major, are invited to attend.

“As leaders, we need to understand the impact we have on others,” McFall said. “Business needs to go beyond what it has been historically, which is to try to get as much productivity for the least amount of money possible. We need to start emphasizing human-centric leadership and what goes into making that happen. I also like to focus on progressive thinking in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion, and things like biomimicry. It’s a little bit of a look into what’s coming or what leaders should be focused on in the next five to 10 years to become more effective leaders.”

As an alumnus of Kalamazoo College, McFall places high value on his liberal arts background.

“So much of what I’ve learned in the world was built off of the foundation I had at K,” McFall said. “I’ve said forever that a liberal arts education is the best training ground for an entrepreneur because you get a much more well-rounded education. As an entrepreneur, you need to fit into all kinds of different scenarios with different kinds of people. As you grow and build your company, you need to be comfortable with that and you need to be comfortable with change. That’s exactly what a liberal arts education provides. I look at some of the extraordinarily successful entrepreneurs that came out of my class and the years around me, and I think a lot of their success has to do with the structure and format of a liberal arts education.”

McFall’s business strategies have helped him and his co-founder, Robert Fish, build their franchise into the third-largest coffee franchise in the United States, according to Forbes, a fact that’s sure to resonate with students.

“I think it’s important for students to see the practical applications of their work and then learn from the experiences of alumni who are at different intervals removed from college,” McFall said. “Someone who graduated from K 30 years ago like me has a very different take than someone who graduated five years ago, but both takes are important. As alumni, that’s what we should be focused on in terms of our engagement with the student body. We should bring our perspectives and share the many different practical ways we use our education from K to move forward and build powerful lives.”

Festival Playhouse Opens 60th Season with ‘Playhouse Creatures’

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The curtain will rise beginning Thursday on a production that’s based on historical figures, but not historical fact, at Kalamazoo College’s Festival Playhouse.

Playhouse Creatures begins in 1669 as theatres in England are reopening after 17 years of Puritan suppression under a regime led by Oliver Cromwell. The Restoration Era is beginning with a monarchy re-established under King Charles II, who declares that women—for the first time in England—should be the actors in female-identifying roles.

The play examines five of the most famous actresses of the English stage to provide a moving and often comic account of the trailblazers. The characters include Doll Common, played by Brooklyn Moore ’24; Nell Gwynn, played by Jericho Trevino ’27; Mrs. Mary Betterton, played by Abby Nelson ’24; Mrs. Rebecca Marshall, played by Cameo Green ’24; and Mrs. Elizabeth Farley, played by May Moe Tun ’25.

Playhouse Creatures is the first play slated for the Festival Playhouse’s 60th season, which features a theme of “Systems as Old as Time,” focusing on the harmful systems that hold back the oppressed and how people fight against them. It will highlight the ways that joy, laughter and solidarity can still exist and thrive despite those systems.

Actors rehearse for "Playhouse Creatures" at the Festival Playhouse stage
Jericho Trevino ’27 (left) and May Moe Tun ’25 rehearse for “Playhouse Creatures,” which runs Thursday, November 2–Sunday, November 5, at the Festival Playhouse.

“Nell Gwynn, our main character, became an incredibly influential figure in English society, but she starts the show in a very low place, and we see her rise,” said Max Wright ’26, who is serving as the play’s dramaturg. “We also see the difference between the young, new actors and the women who were older after acting early in the Restoration.”

Wright is stepping into a production role for the first time. However, they have been acting since fourth grade and they were a featured actor in the Festival Playhouse show of Othello last year. Their responsibilities for this production include a lobby display that provides basic historical context, a brief look back on women in theater, and a view into the lives that the real-life characters led.

“It’s a very heavy show, but I think a lot of it is about overcoming the constraints that are placed on you and still making your way in the world, while finding your own place despite someone else’s expectations and the hardships you have to go through,” Wright said. “It’s very focused on the community aspect of how women have leaned on each other and the sisterhood of feminism in history.”

The play will be staged at 7:30 p.m. on November 2–4, and at 2 p.m. November 5, in the Festival Playhouse Theatre at 129 Thompson St. Thursday’s show will include American Sign Language interpretation in a performance made possible with support from Theatre Kalamazoo and the James Gilmore Foundation. Tickets are available online or by calling the Festival Playhouse at 269.337.7333.  Audiences should be aware that the play’s content includes flashing lights and situations including abortion and simulated violence.

“Theatre in general is a wonderful experience because it tells stories in ways that can’t be done elsewhere,” Wright said. “The aspect of live theatre—of physically seeing a story played out in front of you—is a form of communication that we’ve had throughout history. That is how we share our culture. That is how we share our community. That is how we share the stories of ourselves in our past. This is one of the stories of our past and it was a crucial point in time for women and theatre in general.”

Gonzalez Celebrates Student Impact at Community Breakfast

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Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez reflected today on the state of the College and highlighted the contributions of its students to the Kalamazoo community and the reciprocal benefits that result from local partnerships at K’s annual Community Breakfast. In attendance were local and state officials, business and community leaders and area educators representing more than 50 organizations and institutions.

After an introduction from Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees member Kevin E. Jawahir ’92, Gonzalez spoke about the College’s diverse enrollment, including the increasing number of first-generation college students. Gonzalez said that Kalamazoo College continues to bring in exceptional classes of students from around the U.S. and the world. This year, the College welcomed 370 first-year students and 11 transfer students from 21 states and 13 countries. Of these, he noted, 38 percent are domestic students of color, 28 percent are from families of modest means (Pell Grant eligible) and 30 percent are first-generation students.

He went on to describe how, through a variety of programs and initiatives, Kalamazoo College students become integral members of the local community during their time here, creating a profound and positive impact that extends beyond the campus borders. In return, students acquire valuable skills, develop a heightened sense of civic engagement, and establish relationships that lead to future career opportunities and a deep connection to the city.

“Kalamazoo College is a talent importer,” Gonzalez said. “Wherever students come from, once they are on campus, they inevitably become part of the fabric of life in Kalamazoo. They work for local employers and nonprofits, they volunteer and work in local schools, and they spend money in local businesses. After experiencing everything that K and Kalamazoo has to offer, some of our students choose to stay and build a life in the Kalamazoo area.”

He noted that an important element of the student experience at K is the partnership between the College and local organizations. Gonzalez cited the work of the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement, the Larry J. Bell ’80 Environmental Stewardship Center, the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership and the Center for Career and Professional Development—all of which provide student-led programming, service-learning opportunities, and connections to employment in the Kalamazoo area.

These opportunities would not be possible, Gonzalez said, without gifts and grants from alumni, friends, corporate donors and community foundations, which support programming and provide stipends and funding for students with financial need. 

Such gifts have also advanced The Brighter Light Campaign, which the College launched publicly in 2021. The campaign has raised $181 million against its original $150 million goal. The College recently announced that it was raising the goal to at least $190 million, in honor of the institution’s 190th anniversary.

After Gonzalez’s remarks, junior biochemistry and music major Isabella Pellegrom spoke about her experiences at K, focusing on her scientific research and her involvement in K’s music ensembles.

Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez speaks from a lecture at the 2023 annual Community Breakfast
At the annual Community Breakfast, President Jorge G. Gonzalez described how, through a variety of programs and initiatives, Kalamazoo College students become integral members of the local community during their time here, creating a profound and positive impact that extends beyond the campus borders.
Isabella Pellegrom at Community Breakfast
Isabella Pellegrom ’25 spoke at the annual Community Breakfast about her experiences at Kalamazoo College, focusing on her scientific research and her involvement in K’s music ensembles.

At K, Pellegrom had the opportunity to participate in inorganic chemistry research with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Daniela Arias-Rotondo, synthesizing manganese and zinc crystals. She also completed a summer clinical research program at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern. As a musician, Pellegrom is a member of the Academy Street Winds, the Kalamazoo Jazz Band, the College Singers and the Limelights a cappella group.

Hailing from Minnesota and having parents who attended K, as well as relatives from Kalamazoo, Pellegrom said, “My deep roots in Kalamazoo brought me to K, and since arriving I have found opportunities to deepen my connections to this city, discovering more about myself along the way.” Of her many accomplishments, she said, “Three years ago, I wouldn’t have thought any of these feats possible. But now, I am unafraid to be ambitious because, above all that I’ve learned in my time at Kalamazoo College, the most important has been the ability to believe in myself. So, though I can’t see into my future, I know the future holds great things for me because, like my family, now I too am rooted in Kalamazoo.”

Academy Street Winds Slates Season’s First Concert

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The Academy Street Winds will open its 2023–24 season with an all-Celtic program titled Celtic Mist and Magic at 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 27, at Dalton Theatre. 

Some of the programmed tunes will include Loch Lomond, Danny Boy, Irish Washer Woman and Riverdance. The Scottish and Irish Societies of Kalamazoo will also be on hand to display an array of kilts, plaids, flags and information booths. Plus, a piper will call the concert to order followed by the Academy Street Singers in a candlelight procession performing Skye Boat Song. 

The Academy Street Winds, formerly known as the Kalamazoo College Symphonic Band, functions as a beloved creative outlet for woodwind, brass and percussion students. Community musicians joined the ensemble in winter 2016 to expand the group’s sound and capabilities. Director of Bands and Professor of Music Thomas Evans serves as the group’s conductor. 

The concert is free and open to the public. The Department of Music recommends that attendees arrive by 7 p.m. to experience pre-show activities and reserve seats. For more information, contact the music department at 269.337.7070 or susan.lawrence@kzoo.edu. 

Image of castle in fog for Academy Street Winds concert
The Academy Street Winds will conduct its first concert of the season, titled “Celtic Mist and Magic,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Dalton Theatre.

Author, Historian to Deliver Thompson Lecture

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An author and historian of religion in the Americas with training in Latinx history; American race, ethnicity and immigration; and the American West and Mexico borderlands will deliver the 2023 Thompson Lecture, sponsored by Kalamazoo College’s religion department, at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Olmsted Room. 

Lloyd Barba is assistant professor of religion and Latinx and Latin American Studies at Amherst College. His most recent and ongoing research on the Sanctuary Movement (1980s to present day) brings together questions from religious history and immigration studies to understand the context of social activism and politics. His teaching incorporates these research topics but more broadly asks questions about the many communities that comprise American religion. 

Barba’s lecture, titled The Sacred Amid Exploitation: How Mexican Farmworkers Forged a Religious Movement in California’s Big Business Ag (1916–1966), will draw from his new book, Sowing the Sacred, to demonstrate that Mexican Pentecostal farmworkers carved out a robust socio-religious existence despite harsh conditions while producing a vast record of cultural vibrancy. 

The Paul Lamont Thompson Lecture, named for the K president who served from 1938–1949, brings in speakers who enrich the ethical understanding of the College’s position in society. The lecture was established by a gift from Thompson’s sons and daughters-in-law to recognize the crucial role he played in guiding the College through the Depression and World War II. 

Thompson Lecture Speaker Lloyd Barba
Lloyd Barba, an assistant professor of religion at Amherst College, will speak Wednesday in the 2023 Thompson Lecture.