Jane Krakowski sings “My Handy Man” to Dean of Students Mike Edmonds at the Cornerstone Arts Week keystone event concert/lecture, “Better When It's Banned,” Feb. 9.

Tony-winning and Emmy-nominated actress Jane Krakowski presented “Better When It’s Banned” as this year’s Cornerstone Arts Week keystone event, Feb. 9. Her performance was the culmination of the 2004-2005 theme, “What’s So American About the American Musical?” Classes and performances throughout the academic year supported the theme.

Krakowski, best known for her portrayal of scheming law secretary Elaine on TV’s “Ally McBeal,” gyrated her way through a songbook of censored material from the late 1920s and early 1930s, with the help of theater historian Laurence Maslon and Broadway accompanist Michael Kosarin.

Actress Jane Krakowski discusses the differences between television, theater, and film acting with drama and music students the day after the “Better When It’s Banned” concert for Cornerstone Arts Week. Krakowski is one of few actors who successfully works in all three mediums.

The Cornerstone Arts Initiative is a 10-year-old CC program that stresses interdisciplinary teaching of the arts, using technology to facilitate collaboration between departments. The annual Cornerstone Arts Week spotlights a topic chosen by arts faculty and students, reinforced by special guests and interdisciplinary courses.

Past Cornerstone Arts Week events have included the lectures “Is There Democracy in the Arts?” by Martha Bayles and Robert Pinsky in 2002; “Is There a Gay Aesthetic of the Arts?” by Bernard Cooper with special guest Peggy Shaw and Tim Miller in 2003; and “Is Nothing Sacred?” by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison.

The initiative will find a permanent home in 2008 with a new $30 million performing arts center. The Cornerstone Arts Center will stress collaboration and collision across disciplines, using technology as a vehicle for communication, and house elements of drama, dance, art studio, art history, creative writing, music, and film.