6 shows for 80 bucks! You can't beat it with a stick!
The Increased Difficulty of Concentration
October 25 - November 4
True Comedy Theatre Company (NYC)
The Increased Difficulty of Concentration is a rock-tinged, new
translation of the play by dissident playwright and former Czech president
Vaclav Havel. This absurd farce details a social scientist's relationship
with four women - his wife, mistress, secretary and a colleague - as he
writes a thesis analyzing the nature of human values and needs.
Hystery of Heat and Spoleum
November 8 - 17
Performance Thanatology Research Society (NYC & Baltimore)
Together in one evening are these two dark mysteries from PTRS's dark universe.
Hystery of Heat is a performance lecture that follows the adventures
of a group of researchers as they try to explain the connections between
global warming, rock and roll and clinical hysteria. Spoleum, written
and directed by Daniel Allen Nelson in collaboration with Annie Kunjappy,
is a play about Venice, memory and architecture. In a race to save the relics
of Venice, an obsessed architect becomes submerged in the darkest mysteries
of the empire's foundation.
Baltimore: The Opera
November 29 - December 9
Squonk Opera (Pittsburgh)
This funny show is Squonk Opera's heartfelt toast to Charm City with a decidedly
skewed point-of-view. Nearly three hundred years of Baltimore history, hons,
rowhouses and crab cakes will be boiled down into 90 minutes of irreverent
fun. Baltimore: The Opera features local dancers, interviews with
area personalities and the artwork of local students, as well as Squonk's
stunning visuals and sophisticated music. It all adds up to a delightful
ode to the city and community of Baltimore - chock full of rock-and-roll,
projected videos, dancing and puppets. For more information, please visit
www.squonkopera.org/shows/hometown.html.
Mistero Buffo
January 18 - 27, 2008
Ramesh Meyyappan (Singapore)
Medieval morality tales will leapfrog into the 21st century with Ramesh
Meyyappan's visual adaptation of Dario Fo's Mistero Buffo. Hailed
as "beautiful and sensitive" by the UK's Sunday Times, this version
of Mistero Buffo is a series of humorous vignettes that poke equal
fun at government, religion, the rich and poor. The theatre of Dario Fo
animates the physical body of the actor and this provides the perfect opportunity
for Meyyapppan, a deaf performer, who manages to skewer society without
saying a word.
As a curtain raiser before each show, Tim Chamberlain and Iosif Schneiderman will perform Swept Away. Featuring bits of mime and clowning, this short production details what happens to an immigrant artist who is separated from his family, country, language and art. Both shows are presented at Theatre Project as part of QuestFest Baltimore, a two-week festival celebrating visual theatre. For more information, please visit www.questfest.org.
A Summer in Sanctuary
February 21 - March 2
Al Letson (Jacksonville, FL)
Theatre Project presents the world premiere of A Summer in Sanctuary, an autobiographical piece by performance poet/playwright Al Letson. Set in the summer of 2006, the show is based on Letson’s experience as a counselor at Sanctuary on 8th Street, a community center in an economically challenged neighborhood in Jacksonville, Fla.
Through monologue, song, poetry, multimedia and the help of a DJ, Letson challenges perceptions about race and class, as he struggles to connect with the disadvantaged children of the Sanctuary. Funny, poignant and ultimately inspiring, A Summer in Sanctuary will take you into the heart of a community and leave you with a better understanding of the world.
The Unity of Skin
March 6 - 9
Carrie Ahern Dance (NYC)
Carrie Ahern Dance presents this new evening length piece, The Unity of Skin. The Unity of Skin plunges the viewer into a circular labyrinth of textures. Cyclic in character, it permits the imagination to distort form. It embraces the possibility of continuing indefinitely. Dizzily growing and fading, the line between audience and performers becomes blurred. Partly influenced by the fragments of text left by the group of philosophers called the Pre-Socratics, The Unity of Skin is an intimate trio with accomplished dancers David Figueroa, Kelly Hayes and Jillian Hollis. It features a malleable crocheted set and costumes by Olek (www.agataolek.com) that evolves as the performance progresses. Cellist Greg Heffernan (www.gregheffernan.com) composes an original score performed live for cello and laptop.
Commissioned by New York's Danspace Project, the show is ambitious both in the scope of themes and the demands of performance. The Unity of Skin builds on Ahern's ongoing academic studies of philosophy, collaboration with a visual artist, original musical accompaniment and the collective effort of her dancers. This hypnotic work seeks to create through physical vocabulary an earnest discussion on finding authentic commonality in a world of superficiality.
The Kid's Subscription Series
Four shows: $25 for kids, $35 for adults!
Baltimore: The Opera
Nov. 29 - Dec. 9
Squonk Opera (Pittsburgh)
What's good for the geese is good for the goslings.
Gumdrops and the Funny Uncle
Dec. 21 and 22
Liz Lerman Dance Exchange (DC)
Liz Lerman Dance Exchange presents a performance for kids of all ages about celebrating our families – in the true spirit of the holidays. The show explores the definition of family via the eyes of an adopted child; a pair of figure skaters who adopt a hockey team; and a grandfather who creates home under many roofs. Infused with humor and poignancy, Gumdrops and the Funny Uncle comes to the stage as a sparkling mix of shadow puppets, dance, stories and video.
“This piece celebrates all of us," says Producing Artistic Director and choreographer Peter DiMuro. "Whether your family is straight or gay, adoptive, alternative, divorced, married, full of step-mothers – or anything in between – we all know the expectation of what a ‘real family’ should look like. Gumdrops and The Funny Uncle invites people to honor what being a family is really about: recognizing the love, not worrying about the differences.”
An hour before each performance, renowned shadow-puppeteer Molly Ross (of Nana Projects Studio) will be on hand to guide audience members in the creation of giant shadow-and-light slides that will be used as scenery in that evening's show. On Dec. 18 at 6pm, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange will also offer a free dance workshop at Theatre Project to help get you and your family in the holiday spirit. To learn more, please visit www.danceexchange.org.
Puss in Boots
Dec. 27 - Jan. 6
The Pantolites (Baltimore)
The Pantolites present Puss in Boots, a holiday show perfect for
the young and young at heart. Performed as a British pantomime, this production
about the poor young man and his crafty cat will include lots of music,
comedy and audience interaction. Performers include singers, dancers and
musicians from the Peabody Institute. To learn more, please visit www.pantolites.com.
Solo: A Two-Person Show
May 30- June 1
Under the Table Ensemble Theatre (Brooklyn, NY)
As two brothers find themselves suddenly lost in a ridiculous puzzle about
their own lives, they become entangled in colliding worlds of fantasy, reality
and memory. Presented by Under the Table Ensemble Theatre, this hilarious
and moving show features a kaleidoscope of eccentric characters and elegant,
simple imagery appropriate for the whole family.
Co-creators Matt Chapman and Josh Matthews perform with rapid-fire comic timing, acrobatics, song and dance and a little devil puppet in this insightful physical comedy.