August 22, 2023 - From the dawn of the earliest humans to the backstage behavior of Broadway divas, the Fall 2023 semester of (91视频)鈥檚 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) offers a window to the worlds of art, music, history, literature and lots more.
Enrollment is underway for the OLLI Fall 2023 classes, which will run weekly from Aug. 21 through Sept. 29. Classes will be on Zoom or in-person at 91视频鈥檚 John Spoor Broome Library, Ventura College of Law, or the Studio Channel Islands Art Center in Camarillo.
Some of this fall鈥檚 offerings will include a closer look at entertainment on the stage, screen and in between the pages with courses on 鈥淭he Art of Abbott and Costello,鈥 鈥淕olden Girls: Essential California Women Writers,鈥 鈥淒ante鈥檚 Divine Comedy and Our Journey Toward Wholeness,鈥 鈥淓dgar Allen Poe: His Life and Writings鈥 and 鈥淏roadway Deconstructed.鈥
鈥淏roadway Deconstructed鈥 instructors Sam and Candy Caponegro met 49 years ago onstage. Sam was in a toga. The show was 鈥淔unny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum鈥 and Sam was cast as the male lead, Hero, and Candy played the sultry Greek courtesan, Panacea.
鈥淚 do remember that I wore a long, cheap-blonde wig,鈥 Candy said. 鈥淭hinking I was so cool, wore the wig on and off stage for a month or two.鈥
They eventually married and are living happily ever after, acting and co-directing shows and teaching theater courses all over the country in various venues such as Rutgers University, Princess Cruise Lines, libraries, community centers and of course, for OLLI.
Along with some bigger-than-life stories about Broadway divas, the Caponegro will guide OLLI students through the anatomy of a musical with lots of lively clips of beloved blockbusters and lesser-known shows.
鈥淲e are passionate about American musicals,鈥 Sam said. 鈥淲e break the musical into five different parts. There are the opening numbers, signature songs of main characters, blockbusters, supporting character songs and what鈥檚 called the 鈥10 o鈥檆lock number.鈥欌
The class will watch clips of opening numbers like 鈥淗ello!鈥 from 鈥淏ook of Mormon,鈥 and signature songs for main characters that tell you who they are such as 鈥淚鈥檓 the Greatest Star鈥 from 鈥淔unny Girl.鈥
A classic song defining a supporting character is 鈥淚 Cain鈥檛 Say No鈥 from 鈥淥klahoma鈥 and blockbuster numbers such as the iconic 鈥淗ello Dolly鈥 Waiters鈥 Gallop. Ten o鈥檆lock songs are powerful, often ensemble numbers that happen late in the second act such as 鈥淪it Down You鈥檙e Rockin鈥 the Boat鈥 from 鈥淕uys and Dolls.鈥
Other OLLI classes will sweep students around the world such as 鈥淭he Land Down Under鈥 about the culture and history of Australia; 鈥淭he Scramble for Africa: How African Countries got their Shapes,鈥 and 鈥淎merican Artists Abroad.鈥
For anyone who has ever thought to themselves 鈥淲hat is so great about the Mona Lisa?鈥 or 鈥淚 think a fifth grader could do a better job of whatever that is,鈥 91视频 Art Lecturer Laura Hagel will teach 鈥淭he Secret Life of Art.鈥
鈥淭he aim of the class will not be to show students what is 鈥榞ood鈥 art or 鈥榖ad鈥 art, but instead, to give students the tools they need to evaluate what they see and have a deeper understanding of the world of images around them,鈥 Hagel said.
And taking students back to the very beginning of humankind is 91视频 Anthropology
Lecturer Matt Curtis with 鈥淒awn of the Earliest Humans鈥 in which he will share the
earliest fossil evidence of genus Homo (humans) dating from about 2.8 million years
ago to about 300,000 years ago.
鈥淟earning about the earliest humans helps us to understand how we are connected to our human ancestors and puts us into a larger perspective,鈥 Curtis said. 鈥淚t helps us see the continuum of traits throughout human history and how modern humans have qualities of these ancient ancestors that are amplified or expressed in greater intensity. All of this helps us better understand who we are.鈥
Curtis will explain why mastering the control of fire was probably even more important to human evolution than the development of stone tools or later, combustible engines.
鈥淲ith the controlled use of fire, you can change your diet, which helped expand the brain,鈥 Curtis said. 鈥淵ou can support larger populations with everything from increasing fertility to creating softer foods. That means babies are weaned earlier. Cooking rocks made them easier to flake to create tools. You could preserve and dry things, create heat to live in colder climates. Many, many other things.鈥
To sign up for any or all of the OLLI sessions for Fall 2023, visit: .
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91视频 Students
Disability Accommodations & Support Services:accommodations@csuci.edu
91视频 Employees
Angela Portillo:angela.portillo@csuci.edu
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