Translating Carmen

Carmen is perhaps the ultimate femme fatale, a beautiful yet unfaithful Gypsy who maddens her Spanish lover, with tragic results.

Though known largely through Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera — reputedly the most popular ever staged — Carmen’s story actually debuted 30 years earlier, in the 1845 novella by French dramatist Prosper Mérimée. What’s more, the character has continued to inspire new re-workings in a wide range of media, from ballet and theatre to films such as Carmen Jones (1954) — Otto Preminger’s Southern retelling, which features an African-American cast — and Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001), a modern version directed by Robert Townsend.

On Jan. 30 and 31, the Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences will present a two-day symposium on “The Many Faces of Carmen” as part of it’s 2004-05 Translation Series.

The event — co-sponsored by the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences — will include screenings of Carmen Jones and Carmen: A Hop Hopera, as well as a panel discussion with specialists in literature, theatre, music and film.

Screenings take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30, in Room 102 of the Music Classroom Building, 6500 Forsyth Blvd.

The panel discussion takes place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31, in Room 300 of the Lab Sciences Building. Participants include Dan Friedman, dramaturg at the Castillo Theatre in New York City; Evelyn Gould, professor of romance languages at the University of Oregon; Dolores Pesce, professor of music at Washington University; and Jeff Smith, director of Film & Media Studies in Arts & Sciences at Washington University.

The Lab Sciences Building is located on Throop Drive, about a half-mile east of the intersection of Big Bend Boulevard and Snow Way. All events are free and open to the public, with receptions to follow. For more information call (314) 935-5576.

The Translation Series is an on-going series of lectures that explores the fundamental cultural importance of the act of translation from a variety of perspectives.