The UToledo Opera Workshop Ensemble will present two of Gian Carlo Menotti’s best-loved one-act operas in a performance titled “The Magic of Menotti” Friday through Sunday, Nov. 15-17.

The ensemble will perform “The Telephone” and “Amelia Goes to the Ball” in two different performance settings — a dinner show and a traditional theatre performance.

In “The Telephone,” a young man, ready to propose, finds it impossible to break through his love’s addiction to her phone. The UToledo Opera ensemble gives this classic comedy an update for the smartphone era.

UToledo music students Ashley Roarke, soprano, and Sam Spencer, baritone, will play Lucy and Ben.

The title says it all: “Amelia Goes to the Ball” and — spoiler alert — she goes! Nothing will stop this young socialite from attending the most anticipated ball of the season — not her husband, not her lover, nor their battle for her affections.

UToledo music students featured in the opera are Paige Chapman, soprano; Catharine Jordan, soprano; Seth Johnson, tenor; Justin Harris, bass baritone; Taylor Waldfogel, soprano; Kailyn Wilson, soprano; Katherine Kuhlman, mezzo-soprano; Danielle Demeo, soprano; Ashley Roark, soprano; Sam Spencer, baritone; Brandon Warren, tenor; and Tingzhi Wu, tenor.

Production crew members are Dr. Emily K. Oehrtman, visiting assistant professor of voice, producer and co-director; Wayne Anthony, adjunct professor of voice, pianist and co-director; Seth Johnson, graduate student, costume crew coordinator; and Justin Harris, graduate student, set and prop crew coordinator.

Dinner show performances will be held at the Carranor Hunt and Polo Club, 502 E. 2nd St. in Perrysburg, Friday, Nov. 15, at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m. A dinner show ticket includes both operas and a meal of prime rib or chicken Marsala, as well as salad, dessert buffet, coffee, tea and water. A cash bar also will be available; however, no credit cards will be accepted at the bar. There is a 10% discount on two or more dinner show tickets. Use the promo code UT Opera when purchasing.

Tickets to the dinner shows are $50 general admission; $45 for all UToledo employees and alumni, seniors 60 and older, and members of the military; and $40 for students and children. Dinner show tickets are only available in advance. Purchase tickets by Wednesday, Nov. 13.

The traditional theatre performance will be held Saturday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. in the Center for Performing Arts Recital Hall. Tickets to the traditional performance are $15 general admission; $12 for all UToledo employees and alumni, seniors 60 and older, and members of the military; $10 for students and children; and free for UToledo students with ID. Tickets to this performance are available in advance or at the door.

Advance tickets to any of the performances are available through the UToledo Center for Performing Arts Box Office. Call 419.530.ARTS (2787) or go to the School of Visual and Performing Arts’ website.

The University of Toledo Department of Theatre and Film will present “The Jungle,” an award-winning adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s novel, written and directed by Matt Foss, UToledo assistant professor of theatre.

Performances will take place Friday through Sunday, Nov. 8-10 and 15-17, in the Center for Performing Arts Center Theatre. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Sunday shows are at 2 p.m.

Sinclair’s landmark novel, written in 1906, exposed the appalling working conditions of immigrants employed in Chicago’s meat-packing industry. Originally written to shed light on issues surrounding workers, immigrants and the growing income disparity in America, Sinclair commented that he aimed for the public’s heart, but ultimately only “hit it in the stomach.”

The book prompted transformative changes throughout the industry and led to the development of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but had little to no effect on immigration, poverty or workers’ rights.

The production features a large cast who stream over a three-story set, using printmaking techniques to create a turn-of-the-century packinghouse. Extensive choreography created by Abby Glanville, academic advisor in the College of Arts and Letters — along with design and technical work by Drew Parmelee, senior film/video major, associate sound designer; Kelly McBane, lecturer of theatre, costume shop manager; Stephen Sakowski, assistant professor of theatre, lighting and sound designer; Daniel Thobias, associate professor of theatre, production designer; and Nathaniel White, assistant lecturer of theatre, technical director and scene shop manager — create a dynamic, 90-minute telling of this classic novel.

Foss adapted and directed Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” for Oracle Productions in Chicago in 2014. That production received Chicago Jeff Award Nominations for outstanding production, director, ensemble, and won for best new adaptation.

The cast features Jordyn Beery, sophomore theatre major; Maggie Carder, freshman media communications major; Erin Coyne, sophomore theatre major; Emily Damschroder, sophomore theatre major; Jeffery Enck, freshman theatre design and technology major; Dona Gamblin, freshman theatre major; Sarena Jackson, 2019 UToledo theatre alumna; Shaquira Jackson, senior theatre major; Maya Kinney, freshman theatre major; Andrew R. Kleopfer, senior theatre major; Ben Kunec, sophomore theatre and communication double major; Becca Lustic, senior theatre major; Olivia Manias, junior creative writing major; Grace E. Mulinix, Toledo Early College High School senior and UToledo theatre major; Faith E. Murphy, senior theatre major; Alexandria Rayford-West, junior creative writing and theatre double major; Victoria Rinker, senior theatre major; Ezekiel Roberts, Toledo Early College High School junior and UToledo theatre major; Dillon Sickels, sophomore theatre major; Alec Simon. sophomore theatre major; Eve Smith, sophomore theatre major; Charlotte Vaughn, theatre major; and Kyle Yerg, senior philosophy and literature double major.

Members of the design team are Holly Monsos, interim chair of the Department of Theatre and Film, producer; Katelyn Justice, sophomore theatre major, paint charge; Matthew Kerr, electrical engineering major, assistant lighting designer; Addison Toth, sophomore theatre major, stage manager; Jared Kaplan, freshman political science major, and Elise Pahl, junior, theatre design and technology major, assistant stage managers; Christopher M. Montpetit, lecturer of theatre, theatre/production manager; and Imani Hudson, junior theatre major, house manager.

Tickets are $10 for students; $12 for UToledo faculty, staff and alumni, and military members and seniors; and $18 for the general public. Call 419.530.ARTS (2787) or go to the School of Visual and Performing Arts’ website. Tickets also will be available at the door.

“I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent,” according to St. Paul in the Bible (1 Timothy 2:12).

In the modern age, this thousand-year-old scripture is being challenged in many Christian denominations.

The University of Toledo Annual Murray/Bacik Lecture in Catholic Studies will tackle this question. The presentation titled “Should Catholics Have Women Priests?” will take place Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. in the Law Center McQuade Auditorium.

Dr. Peter Feldmeier, the Murray/Bacik Professor of Catholic Studies at the University, will be the speaker.

“My hope is that people coming to the lecture become informed on the complexity of the issue, its arguments for and against, and perhaps even come to their own conclusions,” Feldmeier said. “While it is something of an in-house debate in Catholicism, it ought not to be imagined as merely a Catholic issue.”

It also is a cultural issue: Should feminism as it is being advanced in the larger culture be advanced in religion?

Feldmeier said he and Dr. Yonatan Miller, director of the UToledo Center for Religious Understanding and assistant professor of religious studies, pondered the Catholic Church’s investigation on the possibility of ordaining women as deacons. The conversation moved to the priesthood itself and how Catholicism has responded to the challenge — or failed to respond.

Presented by the UToledo Center for Religious Understanding, the free, public lecture will be followed by a dessert reception.

For more information, email cfru@utoledo.edu.

Eamon King remembers watching an artist working with a fiery-orange blob of molten glass.

“I was a kid on a field trip to Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio,” he said. “That’s when my passion for glass began.”

When he was 16, he took a glassblowing class at the Toledo Museum of Art.

“My first piece was a very ugly paperweight that only my mother would love, so it was a gift to her while I was in high school,” King said and laughed. “She still has it.”

These days his hot work is turning heads.

Check out “Recycled Reflections Through Human Chemistry,” which is on display this semester on the fifth floor of Carlson Library. King created the fantastical mirrors and glass skeleton for his master of liberal studies degree, which he received in May.

“When I created the figure and the mirrors, I thought about how similar we all are as human beings on the inside. We all have the same needs and are built from similar DNA with the most minute differences in traits,” King said.

From sketching to glassblowing to flameworking, the project took about one year. He needed to bone up on anatomy.

“A typical adult skeleton has 206 bones. In my project, I made some changes to the overall skeleton to incorporate scientific glass pieces into the bone structure,” he explained. “All of the glass bones are welded or sealed together and actually consist of only 12 individual pieces that are supported on the metal armature I built.

“For example, in my figure, the spine doesn’t have each individual vertebrae; I used double manifold systems, or Schlenk lines, that are common in chemistry labs and that I built for the spine instead of duplicating vertebrae. I then blew holes and sealed all the ribs and sternum into the manifolds instead of vertebrae. The only bones that are left out from the skeleton other than the spine are the patellas and the hyoid bone.”

King is familiar with scientific glass: He is a part-time glass shop assistant in the UToledo Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

“Eamon King is a very gifted artistic glassblower who has made huge strides in scientific glass,” said Steven D. Moder, master scientific glassblower in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who mentored King for his master’s degree project. “The glass skeleton had a variety of scientific pieces that Eamon was able to pull together for a beautiful, artistic, scientific sculpture.”

In addition to being artful, King is all about recycling.

“I built the frames to hold the large glass pieces for this project. I constructed the frames from wood floor joists that were reclaimed lumber from a renovation of a more than 100-year-old building project in downtown Toledo,” King said.

The cool mirrors feature 100-plus glass pieces that received a reflective coating. King then placed the individual pieces around the larger mirrors.

“The University of Toledo allowed me to create my own program through the Master of Liberal Studies Program, and I worked with Steve Moder in the Scientific Glassblowing Lab, where I learned a whole different skill set,” King said.

As an undergraduate at UToledo, King traveled overseas to learn about Murano glass and worked with traditional Venetian artists. After receiving a bachelor of arts degree from the University in 2008, he taught glassblowing and flameworking at the Toledo Museum of Art for 12 years.

“Compared to working as an artist in area studios the past 15 years, this adventure in precision glassware for chemistry apparatus has been a big change for me,” King said.

“Eamon will keep the argument thriving on whether scientific glass is artistic or highly technical,” Moder said.

Over the summer, King traveled to Corning, N.Y., for a weeklong symposium with the American Scientific Glassblowing Society.

“I had the opportunity to work with and meet many skilled scientific flameworkers from around the world,” King said.

The UToledo alumnus is pursuing a career as an artist while working with Moder in the glass shop.

And doors continue to open: King recently was one of seven artists selected to make a glass key for the city of Toledo.

“I enjoy working with glass due to its limited lifespan and fragile nature,” King said. “It is a constant reminder that if it is not treated with care and respect, it could be destroyed, and eventually, it will be, very similarly to ourselves.”

“An Inspired Age: Selections of 18th-Century European Art From the Collection” will open Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Toledo Museum of Art in Gallery 18.

“An Inspired Age” is organized by The University of Toledo Department of Art students in Art Museum Practices Exhibition and New Media Design Practices courses under the direction of Dr. Thor J. Mednick, UToledo associate professor of art history, and Dr. Lawrence W. Nichols, the William Hutton Senior Curator, European and American Painting and Sculpture before 1900 at the Toledo Museum of Art.

The temporary exhibition, running through Jan. 5, features 13 paintings and three sculptures.

The exhibition course, which is the last of three classes in the art museum practices curriculum, offers students the opportunity to work with a Toledo Museum of Art curator to develop an exhibition using works of art from the museum’s permanent collection. The purpose is to give students a hands-on understanding of the workings of a fine arts museum and to prepare them for a career in this field.

“The Toledo Museum of Art has a vast collection, and this allows visitors to see some of the art that has been off view while providing students real-life experience in many aspects of curating an exhibition,” Nichols said. “It has been rewarding to see the next generation of museum professionals use their education to develop this exhibition.”

The opportunity has been invaluable for the students, Mednick explained.

“Working with a world-class, private museum is a rare opportunity in museum studies courses,” Mednick said. “And to have the thoughtful and generous help of a senior curator is extraordinary.”

“An Inspired Age: Selections of 18th-Century European Art From the Collection” is sponsored by the Ohio Arts Council with additional support from 2019 Exhibition Program Sponsor ProMedica.

Admission to the Toledo Museum of Art is free. The museum is open Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; and is closed Monday and major holidays. Thursday evening hours are sponsored by Huntington Private Client Group.

The museum is located at 2445 Monroe St. at Scottwood Avenue. It is by the Center for the Visual Arts on the University’s Toledo Museum of Art Campus.

For general information, call 419.255.8000 or 800.644.6862, or visit the Toledo Museum of Art website.

The UToledo Department of Psychology Diversity Committee is hosting an event, “Get Psyched About Psychology,” Friday, Nov. 1, from 3 to 5 p.m. in Thompson Student Union Room 2584.

Undergraduate students from all majors are invited to attend, especially those who are from minority and underrepresented groups from — ethnic minority students, first-generation students, LGBTQIA students, students with disabilities.

Dr. Mojisola F. Tiamiyu, associate professor of psychology, promises finger foods and door prizes at the event, which will focus on academic and career opportunities in psychology.

“Minority and underrepresented groups will have an opportunity to chat with faculty members and graduate students of the Psychology Department in order to learn more about psychology; our lab and research activities; our graduate program; graduate school; and careers in psychology,” said Tiamiyu, chair of the Psychology Department Diversity Committee and director of the Community Psychology Research Lab.

Students with questions should contact Tiamiyu at mojisola.tiamiyu@utoledo.edu.

Looking to advance your career? Want to learn more about continuing your education? Stop by the Graduate and Professional Program Fair Wednesday, Oct. 30.

The event will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Thompson Student Union Auditorium.

Attendees can meet with representatives from colleges and programs; learn ways to fund graduate education; and start the graduate program application process.

On hand will be representatives from all UToledo colleges: Arts and Letters; Business and Innovation; Engineering; Health and Human Services; Judith Herb College of Education; Law; Medicine and Life Sciences; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Nursing; Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Graduate Studies; Jesup Scott Honors College; and University College.

Go to the Graduate and Professional Program Fair website and register.

The first 100 to attend the event will receive an application fee waiver; J.D., M.D. and Pharm.D. applications not included.

For more information, email graduateinquiry@utoledo.edu.

“Languages Mean Business” is the title of a roundtable discussion that will take place Thursday, Oct. 3.

Presented by The University of Toledo Department of World Languages, the free event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Carlson Library Room 1005.

“World language proficiency and intercultural competence are increasingly important for business collaborations, healthcare services, cutting-edge collaborative scientific research, as well as national security,” said Dr. Linda M. Rouillard, professor of French and chair of the World Languages Department.

The roundtable discussion will include comments from:

• M. Cyril Gauchet of the Québec Delegation;

• Guillaume Lacroix, French consul general in the Chicago office;

• Dr. Ngalula Sandrine Mubenga, UToledo assistant professor of electrical engineering technology and founder of SMIN Power Group LLC and STEM DRC Initiative;

• Ryan Wertz, Ohio Department of Education consultant with Ohio Seal of Biliteracy; and

• Paul Zito, vice president of international development with RGP Northwest Ohio.

All participants are invited to share their experiences of the ways in which their knowledge of other languages and cultures has enhanced their job prospects and careers.

Studying and speaking foreign languages is more important than ever, according to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which noted in a 2017 report the economic and scientific need for international language fluency.

Register for the free event, which will include refreshments and lunch, on the “Languages Mean Business” website.

For more information, contact Rouillard at linda.rouillard@utoledo.edu or 419.530.2029.

Cytoskeletons serve as the internal frame for individual cells, providing the structural support that allows a wide variety of essential cellular functions to happen.

Under the right light and magnification, cytoskeletons also can be incredibly beautiful.

On Friday, Sept. 27, The University of Toledo will host the third annual CellulART, a regional scientific meeting that blends cutting-edge cytoskeleton research and art.

“In the cytoskeletal field, you’re constantly trying to think about what’s the best or most aesthetically pleasing way you can present your research,” said Maura Graves, a doctoral student in the UToledo Department of Biological Sciences. “In a way, you have to think like an artist. What’s the most beautiful way you can take this image from microscopy and engage with your audience?”

Graves is the lead organizer for this year’s event, working alongside fellow biological sciences doctoral students Sushil Khanal and Debatrayee Sinha.

The event will be held from 8:15 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. in the Center for the Visual Arts on the University’s Toledo Museum of Art Campus.

Like most scientific meetings, CellulART features a series of lectures and poster presentations. Unique to this event is the addition of artwork created by both cytoskeletal researchers and UToledo art students who have reinterpreted scientific data and images.

Fifteen regional universities are participating, including Notre Dame, Ohio State, Loyola and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

This year’s keynote speaker at 1 p.m. is Dr. Bruce Goode, professor of biology at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., who is widely recognized as one of the country’s preeminent cytoskeletal researchers.

“Dr. Goode is at the forefront of his field. He’s pushing the limits in a lot of different ways, not only in the nature of his discoveries, but also in the technology he’s using. He’s one of the world leaders of the new generation of cytoskeleton researchers,” said Dr. Rafael Garcia-Mata, UToledo associate professor of biological sciences and one of the event creators.

The event also will feature a presentation and artwork by Dr. Ahna Skop, a professor in the Department of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Event sponsors include the American Society for Cell Biology, the Journal of Cell Science, Thermo Fisher Scientific, New England Biolabs, Ibidi and Cytokeleton Inc.

For more information, visit the CellulART website.

Keep the light on and your mind open: Students, faculty, staff and area residents will answer riddles to win prizes, discuss ideas, and eat snacks at the UToledo Banned Books Week Vigil Thursday, Sept. 26, in Health and Human Services Building Room 1711B.

Every fall for 22 years, the University community has celebrated the right to read and think freely because “Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark.” This theme of the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, Sept. 22-28, highlights the role reading plays in democracy.

The free, public open house champions the right to read, think, speak and create freely.

“The battle for the First Amendment is never won,” said Dr. Paulette D. Kilmer, UToledo professor of communication and coordinator of the UToledo Banned Books Vigil. “Somebody is always eager to censor books, music, TV, movies, art and other cultural forms of free expression in the name of protecting us from ourselves.”

Recently, a Catholic school in Nashville banned the “Harry Potter” series, claiming the books contain spells and curses. In 2018, censorship affected 531 resources, including books, magazines and databases, according to the American Library Association.

Many instances of banning and challenges are not reported, Kilmer said.

“All books are vital to our democracy,” she said. “The ones that lack lasting value will fall away because they will not merit literary attention or remain interesting to the next generation. All books are not equally good reading, but each person must determine for him or herself what to read without outside interference.”

The book festival calls attention to everyone’s right to read what he or she wants, Kilmer added.

UToledo faculty and area teachers are invited to bring classes. Attendance vouchers will be provided.

Programs will start every 30 minutes during the event, which coincides with the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week. Door prizes will be given out every half hour. The first 300 guests will receive a grab bag at the door. Pizza is scheduled to arrive around 3:45 p.m.

Topics and speakers will be:

• 9 a.m. — “How Copyright Rules Cramp Free Speech” by Lucy Duhon, collection sharing coordinator and scholarly communications librarian in University Libraries.

• 9:30 a.m. — “The Sound of Silence: What Does It Look Like?” by Dr. Monita Mungo, assistant professor of sociology.

10 a.m. — “Silence = Death” by Holly Hey, professor of film, with Dr. Allyson Day, assistant professor of disability studies.

• 10:30 a.m. — “Banning Pride?! Challenging ‘This Day in June’” by Dr. Sharon Barnes, associate professor and chair of women’s and gender studies.

• 11 a.m. — “Prison Resistance and the Right to Speak” by Dr. Renee Heberle, professor of political science and co-director of the Program in Law and Social Thought.

• 11:30 a.m. — “Super Hero Women Return to Save the World” by Warren Woodberry, Toledo author and playwright.

• Noon — “Banned in Boston: Lillian Hellman’s ‘The Children’s Hour’” by Holly Monsos, professor of theatre and associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters.

• 1 p.m. — “A Thousand Hands, A Million Stars: Speaking for Those Whose Voices Have Been Rendered Silent Through Human Sex Trafficking” by Jane Atwood, instructor in the Department of Music and University College.

• 1:30 p.m. — “Outrageous T-Shirts — Free Expression or Rudeness?” by Kilmer.

• 2 p.m. — “Google Docs, Social Media and Censorship: How Third-Party Corporations Are Deciding What You Can Study” by Dan McInnis, assistant lecturer in the Jesup Scott Honors College.

• 2:30 p.m. — “Banning Books in Nigeria: Findings From a Study of the Origin, Methods and Motivations” by Dr. Mojisola Tiamiyu, associate professor of psychology.

• 3 p.m. — Banned Books “Jeopardy” hosted by The Independent Collegian.

• 3:30 p.m. — “Why Democracies Need a Free Press” by Ben Morse, editor-in-chief of The Independent Collegian.

4 p.m. — “Don’t Look a Smith Horse in the Mouth,” an episode of “American Dad” that was fined by the Federal Communications Commission.

• 4:30 p.m. — “Woody Guthrie Songs” performance by Risa Cohen, local singer and storyteller.

Kilmer said the Banned Books Vigil would not be possible without the help of generous sponsors on campus and in the community. She gave a special thanks to the Office of the President; the Office of the Provost; the Jesup Scott Honors College; the College of Arts and Letters; the School of Visual and Performing Arts; Communication Department; Athletic Department; Disability Studies Department; Law and Social Thought Program; Inside-Outside Prison Exchange Program; and Phoenicia Cuisine.

For more information about the UToledo Banned Books Vigil, contact Kilmer at paulette.kilmer@utoledo.edu.