What is the Marquis Series? Well it's where Coe brings in some amazing groups for Coe students and members of the Cedar Rapids community to see. You may remember me talking about Frank Warren, which was part of the Marquis Series of 2010-2011. They've published the line-up for this year, so I'll be featuring each group this week.
* All information in italics is taken from Coe's website and the Coe's News Page.
"The Coe College Marquis Series has a long tradition of bringing high quality entertainment to the Cedar Rapids community. The 2011-2012 Coe College Marquis Series features events representing the best in diverse talent, ranging from humorous speaker and author Frioozeh Dumas and the stimulating music-theater work Spectral Sciabin to Tonic Sol-fa, one of the nation’s top vocal groups, Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” and the critically acclaimed Brentano String Quartet.
Marquis Series patrons can purchase individual tickets and reserve seats for $15 for the general public, $10 for students and seniors. For ticket information, call the Coe College Box Office at 319-399-8600, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (summer hours).
The Coe College Lecture and Performance Series is funded in part by a gift from the estate of Sarah Marquis in honor of her father, Dr. John A. Marquis, who was president of Coe College from 1909-1920. The purpose of the series is to bring entertainment and educational experiences to the Coe campus for the benefit of the entire community."
The first speaker: Firoozeh Dumas - Monday, Sept. 12, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium
"Firoozeh Dumas is the author of “Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America” and “Laughing Without an Accent.” A native of Iran, Dumas grew up listening to her father, a former Fulbright Scholar, recount the many colorful stories of his life in both Iran and America. She moved to southern California with her family in the 1970s, and later attended University of California - Berkeley. In 2001, with no prior writing experience, Dumas decided to write her stories as a gift for her two children. “Funny in Farsi” was a bestseller and a finalist for the PEN/USA Award, the Audie Award and the prestigious Thurber Prize for American Humor. For the past seven years, Dumas has traveled the country reminding us that our commonalities far outweigh our differences, and does so with humor. She has spoken at conferences, schools, churches, Jewish Temples and Islamic centers. This event is co-sponsored by the First-Year Experience and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs."
This book goes well with Persepolis. Enjoy this video clip of Firoozeh Dumas. Courtesy of YouTube.