Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 145

October 20, 2013

Free Concert: Baritone Sidney Outlaw at the Riverside Church Harlem October 27 2013

From a media release:



CHRIST CHAPEL CHAMBER SERIES CONCERT AT THE RIVERSIDE CHURCH 

October 27, 2013 in New York City
Baritone Sidney Outlaw to Perform Selections from Wagner, Brahms, Strauss, Rossini and More

• COST: FREE, OFFERING FOR THE ARTIST TAKEN AT THE DOOR

HARLEM -
Kicking off the start of its acclaimed Christ Chapel Chamber Series for the 2013-2014 music calendar, The Riverside Church will showcase the talents of Sidney Outlaw (baritone) for a concert of music on Sunday, October 27, at 3:00 p.m. in the Church’s Christ Chapel, 490 Riverside Drive (bet. 120 & 122nd Sts.), Morningside Heights.



A native of North Carolina and regular soloist with The Riverside Choir, during the concert Sidney Outlaw will perform selections by Wagner, Brahms, Strauss, Rossini and more.



Lauded by The New York Times as a “terrific singer” and The San Francisco Chronicle as “an opera powerhouse”, Sidney Outlaw was the Grand Prize winner of the Concurso Internacional de Canto Montserrat Caballe in 2010 and continues to delight audiences in the U.S. and abroad with his rich and versatile baritone and engaging stage presence.



A recent graduate of the Merola Opera Program and former member of the Gerdine Young Artist Program at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, this rising American baritone from Brevard, North Carolina recently finished his first Operatic recording for Naxos Records recording in its entirety Darius Milhaud’s Oresteia of Aeschylus singing the role of Apollo. Mr. Outlaw was a featured recitalist with Warren Jones at Carnegie Hall this season performed Elijah with the New York Choral Society. He holds a master’s degree in vocal performance from The Juilliard School and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.



The concert is free to attend, however, an offering for the artist will be taken at the door.  For more information contact the music department at 212-870-6722 or email music@theriversidechurchny.org.



CHRIST CHAPEL CHAMBER SERIES CONCERT: SIDNEY OUTLAW
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2013
3:00 P.M.
THE RIVERSIDE CHURCH, CHRIST CHAPEL
490 RIVERSIDE DRIVE (BET. 120TH & 122ND STS.)
MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS


Directions: To get to The Riverside Church by subway take the 1 to 116th St. and walk to 490 Riverside Drive (bet. 120th & 122nd Sts.) two blocks west of Broadway.



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Published on October 20, 2013 14:13

The National Black Theatre Presents: The Last Saint On Sugar Hill October 29 - November 24, 2013

From a media release:



The National Black Theatre Presents:
The Last Saint On Sugar Hill
October 29 - November 24, 2013
Opening Night Gala - Nov. 1st




NEW YORK PREMIERE The Last Saint On Sugar Hill written by Keith Josef Adkins directed by Seret Scott

Starring: Danny Johnson, Jaime Lincoln Smith, Yaegel T. Welch, Terrell Wheeler and Chinaza Uche



TICKETS ON SALE NOW!



Harlem - a mecca for black culture is now home to fancy eateries and a myriad of new residents. Napolean Pettigrew and his sons are die-hard Harlemites and feared property owners who hope to make a profit from this NEW Harlem. However, when they discover one of their properties is a real money-maker, everything they hold sacred—family, loyalty & community—falls apart. Sitting on a gold mine, the Pettigrew men are faced with the biggest decision in their lives—save or destroy the last untouched neighborhood in Harlem.



Dr. Barbara Ann Teers’s National Black Theatre (NBT) will open its 45th Season with the New York Premiere of The Last Saint On Sugar Hill, written by Keith Josef Adkins and directed by Seret Scott announced NBT’s Director of Theatre Arts Program, Jonathan McCrory. Preview performances begin Tuesday, October 29th at NBT, 2031 Fifth Avenue starting at 7:30pm. The opening night is set for Friday, November 1st at 7pm. The production will run through Sunday, November 24th. Tickets are on sale now by calling 212-722-3800 or visiting www.nationalblacktheatre.org.



Cast photo - Danny Johnson, Jaime Lincoln Smith, Yaegel T. Welch, Terrell Wheeler and Chinaza Uche



The Last Saint On Sugar Hill is part of NBT’s Main-stage Series Harlem Now, which celebrates the voices and issues impacting Harlem today. In conjunction with the production, there will be a photography exhibit in NBT’s lobby curated by photographer Paul Rocheleau whose photographs appeared in the historical architecture book Harlem Lost and Found. With a 2012 Jeff-nominated Best Script by playwright Keith Josef Adkins and direction by award-winning director Seret Scott, the cast of The Last Saint On Sugar Hill includes Danny Johnson, Jaime Lincoln Smith (Hip Hop Theater Festival/CTH’s Seed), Yaegel T. Welch, Terrell Wheeler and Chinaza Uche.



The creative team includes Harlan Penn (scenic design), Gail Cooper-Hecht (costume design), Marika Kent (lighting design), and Samuel Nacach (sound design). B’jai Pierce-Astwood is the production stage manager. Art-work by Byron McCray.



Performance Schedule

The Last Saint On Sugar Hill’s regular performance schedule is Thursday – Saturday at 7:30pm; and Saturday and Saturday matinees at 2pm. Performances run October 29 through November 24. Tickets are $35 general admission. Opening Night Gala tickets are $50. For groups of 10+ please contact group sales leader Debbie McIntyre at 212 802 8200 or call the theatre at 212-722-3800. For students, active military and Seniors (65+) with ID the tickets are $25. Post-performance discussions will be announced on a later date



Tickets are available by calling 212-722-3800 or visiting www.nationalblacktheatre.org, or going to the NBT Box Office at 2031 Fifth Avenue between 125th & 126th Streets in Harlem, New York . Box Office hours are 1:00pm to 6:00pm, Tuesday through Saturday.



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Published on October 20, 2013 13:48

Recently Released: JAZZ HARMONICA VIRTUOSO ENRICO GRANAFEI RELEASES SECOND ALBUM ALONE (AND) TOGETHER (CAP RECORDS, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013)

From a media release:



Recently Released:
JAZZ HARMONICA VIRTUOSO ENRICO GRANAFEI RELEASES SECOND ALBUM ALONE (AND) TOGETHER
(CAP RECORDS, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013)




* Featuring Billy Hart, Vic Juris, Wallace Roney, Dave Stryker, Rick Crane, Amina Figarova, Vitali Imereli, Diego Lopez, Gordon Lane and Granafei on Harmonica and DB Guitar *



Get the CD here



Enrico Granafei, jazz harmonica player, guitarist, singer and owner of Trumpets Jazz Club, released his second album Alone (and) Together September 10, 2013 on CAP Records. Granafei, who studied with Toots Thielemans, has distinguished himself for his solo playing with Hands-Free Chromatic Harmonica and guitar, something that nobody had ever done before in jazz. As guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli said: "What he does playing two instruments at the same time is truly amazing."



Alone (and) Together showcases Granafei's solo playing alone and with special guests: trumpeter Wallace Roney, guitar wizards Vic Juris and Dave Stryker, percussionist Diego Lopez (who played with Gato Barbieri), and drummer Gordon Lane.  The CD also features Granafei in quartet/quintet settings with legendary drummer Billy Hart, bassist Rick Crane, pianist Amina Figarova, and violin virtuoso Vitali Imereli. Enrico's multilingual singing is also showcased on two songs, the Italian standard Estate and Que reste-t il de nos amour, the well known French song also known as I Wish You Love.



Granafei's first solo CD, In Search of The Third Dimension on Miles High Records, earned wide acclaim. The CD was done without any overdubbing using the HFC (Hands-Free Chromatic harmonica) and a nylon string guitar. The HFC, invented by Vern Smith, is a simple and ingenious device that allows Granafei to play two instruments at the same time by pressing the mouthpiece down with his lips instead of pushing the slide with his finger.







Alone (and) Together takes Granafei's unusual technique a step further through the use of the DB guitar. The instrument - a combination of bass and guitar invented by Italian guitarist Nico Di Battista - makes Granafei sound like a small combo playing 3 instruments at the same time.  The title of the CD Alone (and) Together also refers to the famous standard Alone Together.



Enrico Granafei has a long history of musical experience that encompasses both classical music and jazz. He received his degree in classical guitar from the Conservatory of l'Aquila in Italy in 1976 and his artistic career started in Rome where he soon became known in the musical community.  In 1978 Granafei moved to Germany where he began to perform and to teach in two different music schools. In the early 1980s, after returning to Italy, he started to broaden his horizons by discovering jazz through the harmonica. Following in the tradition of the legendary Toots Thielemans, he began to explore new possibilities for the harmonica, an instrument too often associated solely with rock and blues. In addition to playing in the best jazz clubs in Italy during that period, Granafei performed regularly on national television where he was a member of the Pippo Caruso Orchestra.



His love for jazz led him to New York City, where he soon started to perform in local jazz clubs including The Blue Note, Birdland, Visiones, Angry Squire, and the Bottom Line. He has performed extensively on the chromatic harmonica in the United States and continued to be a featured musician in major European Festivals, including Pori Jazz Festival (Finland), Euromeet Jazz Festival (Italy), other jazz festivals throughout Italy and France, and major clubs throughout Europe. In 1992 Granafei received his master's degree in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music where he was the only student of Toots Thielemans.



Granafei has been the owner and musical director of the prestigious Trumpets Jazz Club in Montclair, New Jersey since 1999. He continues to perform at that venue and at other jazz venues throughout the United States and Europe, as well as to record as a leader and sideman on CDs with Marc Johnson, Eliot Zigmund, Eddie Gomez and Ted Curson, among others, and is featured on Nnenna Freelon's CD "Tales of Wonder" (Concord Records).  One of the most respected players of the Chromatic Harmonica in the world today, Granafei continues to cultivate an audience for the instrument through his international performances.  As jazz pianist/historian Lewis Porter says: "This could be the start of something big for harmonica players everywhere."



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Published on October 20, 2013 13:42

Toronto Symphony Orchestra October 31 – November 30 2013: Carmina Burana, Emanuel Ax and the Return of Sir Andrew Davis

From a media release:



Carmina Burana, Emanuel Ax and the Return of Sir Andrew Davis
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
October 31 – November 30 2013

TORONTO -
With Music Director Peter Oundjian’s tenth season in full swing, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra kicks off November on Halloween with Carl Orff’s incredibly popular Carmina Burana! The month continues with pianist Emanuel Ax performing Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and the return of Sir Andrew Davis conducting a programme of Beethoven and Richard Strauss.



A staple of popular culture, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana sets the tone for a sensational evening of drama, humour and beauty. On October 31, November 1 and 2, TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian and the Orchestra will be joined by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Toronto Children’s Chorus, baritone James Westman, and soprano Valentina Farcas in her TSO début. This powerful programme also includes Benjamin Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings featuring the début of tenor Nicholas Phan and TSO Principal Horn Neil Deland.



For Brahms, a concerto called for every bit as much depth, ingenuity, and imagination as a symphony. Pianist  Emanuel Ax will join Peter Oundjian and the Orchestra for Brahms's magnificent Piano Concerto No. 2 on November 6 and 7.  Also on the programme is TSO Composer Advisor, Gary Kulesha’s Third Symphony which the National Arts Centre Orchestra commissioned and premièred in 2007.



What makes great music great? On November 8, conductor, composer, and commentator Rob Kapilow returns to the TSO for the first concert in the Exposed Series: What Makes It Great?®, providing audiences with a play-by-play of what makes Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik one of the most recognizable pieces of music ever written. Known for his concert presentations, commentaries on NPR’s “Performance Today” and CD series, Rob Kapilow takes listeners on a journey inside the music. 



For this Young Peoples Concert on November 9, In The Groove, PROJECT Trio, a chamber music ensemble that perform instrumental music fused with hip-hop, rock, and pop, bridge the gap between classical music and pop culture with their beat boxing flutist and commitment to engaging younger audiences. Winner of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition, Violinist Leo Jarmain, will take centre stage for the third movement of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor.



With its light-heartedness and amiable tunes, Beethoven's Fourth Symphony contrasts sharply with the Third and Fifth, but supplies just as much satisfaction and creative ingenuity. On November 20 and 23, TSO Conductor Laureate Sir Andrew Davis will pair Symphony No. 4 with Richard Strauss’s rollicking musical depiction of Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, light-hearted music by a serious composer. Canadian opera star, soprano Erin Wall completes the Germanic programme with her solo performance of Alban Berg’s Seven Early Songs.



For his TSO début, British Maestro Edward Gardner conducts Mahler’s mighty Symphony No. 1 “Titan” on November 27 and 28. Gardner will also lead the Orchestra through Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger and Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto, the latter of which will feature gifted soloist Alison Balsom, who BBC Music Magazine has described as “a true poet of the trumpet” and who has just been nominated for the prestigious Female Artist of The Year Classic BRIT Award.



Ottawa's National Arts Centre Orchestra and Music Director Pinchas Zukerman make a welcome return to Roy Thomson Hall on November 30 with a programme featuring Shostakovich’s monumental Symphony No. 10 and a special solo performance, performed on this occasion by Mr. Zukerman as violin soloist and conductor, in Mozart’s beloved Violin Concerto No. 3.



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Published on October 20, 2013 13:34

AfriCan Theatre Ensemble Presents: COMA October 30 to November 3 2013 in Toronto

From a media release:

AfriCan Theatre Ensemble Presents:
COMA
October 30 to November 3, 2013

Tickets
• Tickets for the Gala are available only online here, and at the door

TORONTO -
AfriCan Theatre Ensemble is pleased to announce the addition of two remarkable performers to the cast of Jude Idada's new play, COMA: Bridget Ogundipe and Wale Ojo  will join 2013 Juno Award Winner (World Music Album of the Year) Lorraine Klaasen in this moving, hard-hitting drama. COMA runs at the Al Green Theatre Oct. 30-Nov 3, 2013.


British Nigerian film and stage actor Wale Ojo (pictured below) is best known for his series Meet the Adebanjos, an award-winning British TV sitcom about a British Nigerian family living in London, UK. The show follows a larger-than-life Dad (Ojo) struggling to instill his old-fashioned African values in his black British household.  Ojo won a Nigeria Entertainments Award for best actor for Phone Swap. Other film credits include Johnny English Reborn  and The Guard alongside Oscar winner Brendan Gleeson. TV credits include guest appearances in the Emmy-Nominated No 1 Ladies Detective Agency and NBC's The Philanthropist.

Nigerian born Torontonian Bridget Ogundipe has recently appeared as 'Mayme' in Neptune Theatre's Intimate Apparel. Toronto stage credits include Language of the Heart  at Factory Theatre and  For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf  at Theatre Passe Muraille. AfriCan Theatre Ensemble patrons will remember her from The Marriage of Anansewa. Ogundipe's television work includes guest appearances on CBC's Heartland  and voice work for the Gemini Award winning series Life’s a Zoo.tv (Teletoon, CTF).

Juno Award winning artist Lorraine Klaasen, daughter of legendary South African singer Thandi Klaasen, has electrified audiences worldwide with her dynamic stage presence. Lorraine makes her Toronto theatrical stage debut in COMA. Lorraine’s previous credits include Inheriting Trouble: The Estate of Etta James, (Documentary, CMJ Productions).

ABOUT THE PLAY:
For 15 months, Nana (Lorraine Klaasen - pictured below) has been lost in a coma in an upscale Lagos hospital room. Her doctors say she will never awaken. At the end of her rope and crushed by medical bills, Nana's daughter Ifueko (Bridget Ogundipe) makes the painful decision to end her mother’s life…but everything changes when she informs her exiled brother in Canada.  Osasu (Wale Ojo) rushes back to stop his sister.  Highlighting the power of love over hate and the healing that comes with forgiveness, COMA is an odyssey into a mother’s prolonged nightmare, a son's desire to make amends for a lifetime of neglect, and a daughter’s need to be loved.

COMA is written and directed by award-winning screen writer, playwright, and director Jude Idada (Coma – feature film, 1 Take Media; The Calling, AfriCan Theatre Ensemble; Flood! / Brixton Stories / Lost, AfriCan Theatre Ensemble - pictured below).  Set and Costume Design by Guthrie Award and Tom Patterson Award winner Sean Mulcahy (Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story, Rainbow Stage; Suds!, Thousand Islands Playhouse), and Lighting Design by three-time Dora-nominee Arun Srinivasan (Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre; Canadian Stage Company; The Globe Theatre; Buddies In Bad Times). 

Gala: COMA’s Friday November 1 performance includes a pre-show Cocktail Gala Reception beginning at 6:00 pm, during which Juno winner Lorraine Klaasen will perform two songs for the attendees. Tickets for the Gala are available only via www.picatic.com/event13765891797372, and at the door.

AfriCan Theatre Ensemble (ATE) recognizes the power of live art to inspire and renew the human spirit and to forge human relationships across cultures, creeds, ethnicities, ideologies, genders, and social classes. Our work presents the theatrical idioms, traditions and experiences of Africa and creates an avenue for cultural exchange between Africa and Canada. More information is available at africantheatre.org.

COMA has been generously sponsored by Radio Regent.

Show information for COMA:
Al Green Theatre ~ 750 Spadina Avenue, Toronto (Spadina and Bloor)


Performances:
Oct 30 – Nov 3, 2013

(Preview Oct 30 at 4pm, Opening Oct 30 at 8pm, Cocktail Gala Nov 1 at 6pm)
Wed-Sat at 8pm. Sun matinee at 4pm
Gala Reception Nov 1 at 6pm (performance begins at 8pm)

Tickets:
Preview: PWYC ($10 suggested minimum) at the door
Regular: $32 Early Bird (before Oct 25), or $35 at the door / Students $27
Gala Reception with Performance $55 in advance or $60 at the door. VIP Gala Tix: $100

Regular tickets available via www.totix.ca or www.picatic.com/copy-of-event-16933, or at the door
Gala tickets available only via  www.picatic.com/event13765891797372, or at the door.
Group ticket rates are available via group@africantheatre.org

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Published on October 20, 2013 13:29

Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents: Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration October 24, 2013

From a media release:



Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents:
Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration
Thursday, October 24, 2013
8:00pm | Rose Theater
Tickets start at $30

NEW YORK CITY -
Two decades ago, Wynton Marsalis composed and recorded In This House, On This Morning and began a creative exploration of how to reflect the forms of the African American church service onto a theme of universal humanism while raising a joyful noise. Marsalis refined this integration of sacred and secular expression with his definitive 2008 extended work Abyssinian 200: A Celebration, commissioned by the Abyssinian Baptist Church on West 138th Street in Harlem to celebrate its 200th anniversary.



After a triumphant return from their largest tour yet, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis brings fresh eyes and ears to this masterwork. The sensational conductor Damien Sneed leads Chorale Le Chateau, his 70-person gospel choir, through the demanding compendium of shouts, chants, and joyous expressions required by this composition. Spirited sermonizing from the Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, adds further charisma to the presentation.



• Damien Sneed will also be featured in the Family Concert: Jazz Meets Gospel, November 9th at 1pm & 3pm in Rose Theater.

• To learn more about the Abyssinian Baptist Church, please visit Abyssinian.org

• Free pre-concert discussion, nightly, 7pm.



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Published on October 20, 2013 13:19

Cocktails, Burlesque & Comedy at Montreal's Wiggle Room



From a media release:

High Quality Live Shows, Cocktails and Service in Montreal
This Week @ The Wiggle Room



~ Wednesday, Oct. 23 - Sunday, Oct. 27 2013 ~

MONTREAL-
Our cozy room ensures that your experience will be intimate and exciting- see the hottest music, burlesque artists and comedy stars!

WEDNESDAY 8PM: Voix-de-Ville Variety Show, hosted by Paul Ash - $10
The word for this variety evening, Voix-de-Ville, is where our present day vaudeville comes from! Voix de Ville, the city's most spectacular of spectacles, features the best of Montreal comedians, burlesque dancers, musicians, magicians and oddities in a weekly neo-vaudevillian event. Doors and drinks at 7pm.

THURSDAY 9PM: Montreal Strip Spelling Bee, Halloween Edition - $12
The game is played a lot like strip poker, but it's a spelling bee! Ten contestants compete in front of a live audience of hooters, hollerers and hecklers who want to see some smart and sexy skin! Sign-up at 8:30 PM sharp! Contestants don’t pay cover and get a free drink!

FRIDAY 10:00PM: Montreal Queer Slow Dance, Halloween Edition - $12
With a lending library of designated dancers for wallflowers and a dance card booklet to set up dances in advance, Queer Slow Dance has all slow songs, all night long! It's high school with a happy ending. You don't have to be queer to attend, but you must have an open mind, an open heart, and open arms! Doors at 9:30pm

SATURDAY 9PM: Signature Saturdays Burlesque, Halloween Edition - $25
Featuring Scarlett James as the Dark Queen of the night! Also heating up the stage will be: Host Seska Lee, L. Diablo, Lou Lou la Duchesse de Rière, Billy L'Amour, Genie Emerald, Lise Vigneault & Vincent Pimpare. Known for her lavish events and exquisite performances, Scarlett has performed from Shanghai to Berlin. Tickets are $20 in advance. Doors and drinks at 7:30. Costumes highly encouraged.

THURS. to SAT.: Top DJs & dancing
On Fridays welcome Mod Club- Montreal's original and longest-running weekly Sixties, soul, R&B, garage, freakbeat, Britpop, rock 'n’ roll, indie dance party! www.facebook.com/ModClubMontreal  $5

SUNDAY 7PM- Ghosts of Broadway- $15
Get haunted this Halloween with a spooky selection of Broadway songs from your favourite shows including Sweeney Todd, Wicked, Rocky Horror and Jekyll and Hyde. Join Noelle Hannibal and Sean Mayes along with special guests Maggie Owen, Frayne McCarthy, Gabriel Levesque and Tara Bissett. Doors and drinks at 6pm.

The Wiggle Room - 3874, boul. St-Laurent (across from Schwartz’)

• For any questions concerning services, special offers, ticket sales and group reservations: 514-508-Wink (9465) info@wiggleroom.ca
• Sign up for the newsletter at: www.wiggleroom.ca
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Published on October 20, 2013 13:14

Toronto's Clay & Paper Theatre Presents the 14th Annual Night of Dread October 26 2013



From a media release:

Clay & Paper Theatre presents
The 14th Annual
NIGHT OF DREAD
Saturday 26 October, 2013 ~ Dufferin Grove Park

TORONTO -
Join Clay & Paper Theatre on Saturday 26 October for the14th annual NIGHT OF DREAD, when we will parade our private and collective fears through the darkened streets of Toronto. NIGHT OF DREAD is an unforgettable evening of pageantry, music and masquerade, towering puppets, stilt dancers, fire-spinners and fearful masks. The interactive parade begins in Dufferin Grove Park at 6pm. Admission is PWYC ($10 suggested) and all are welcome.

The hour-long procession then returns to Dufferin Grove Park for an evening of ceremonial festivities that allow us to call on, mock and banish the fears that unite and divide us in these times. Each year we select a “Big Fear of the Year” as a theme - 2013’s big fear will be announced on 9 October!

This much-loved community celebration incorporates international folk and theatrical traditions, drawing inspiration from festivals of death and remembrance around the world. Come and dance in the streets with our city’s finest musicians, puppeteers, dancers and stilt walkers - together we’ll laugh at our fears, waltz with death, eat the bread of the dead, and remember those who have gone from our midst.

We need NIGHT OF DREAD volunteers for all sorts of things…from helping us build and set up, to wearing the puppets! Drop by one of our workshops, or contact us for other ways to get involved.

Adults, youth, and courageous children are invited to help us build masks, puppets, imagery and shrines, which we will parade through the streets together during the event.  Participation is free, and there is no experience necessary.

Community Drop-In Workshops run Oct 3 - Oct 20, at the Clay & Paper Theatre Studio at 35 Strachan Ave (Thursdays & Saturdays 1-8pm; Sundays Noon-5pm). In the week leading up to the NIGHT OF DREAD, workshops run daily Oct 21 - 24 from 1-8pm, and Oct 25 from 10am-10pm, in the Rink House at Dufferin Grove Park.  Drop in whenever you have time!

Out amongst the community bake-ovens and lush gardens of Toronto's Dufferin Grove Park, Clay & Paper Theatre has been changing the world since its birth in 1994. This is theatre on the ground, for the groundlings, in the park and on the street. This is theatre of exaggeration, of giant puppetry, of satire and wit gone awry. This is a little theatre company asking big questions with humour and irreverence.


Schedule of Events for NIGHT OF DREAD 2013
Saturday 26 October, 2013

Dufferin Grove Park  (Dufferin St., south of Bloor)
4:00pm - Participants begin assembling in Dufferin Grove Park
6:00pm - Parade begins
7:30pm – Parade returns to Dufferin Grove Park for pageantry and celebration.

Clay & Paper Theatre has many costumes and puppets available for the public to wear in the parade. Come early to the Dufferin Grove Park Rink House to avoid disappointment!

DRESS CODE: Black & White & Dreadful
ADMISSION: Pay-What-You-Can / $10 Suggested

From a previous Night of Dread:

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Published on October 20, 2013 13:06

Film News: Action Superstar Jackie Chan signs on to Gambling on Extinction

From a media release:



Film News:
Action Superstar Jackie Chan
signs on to Gambling on Extinction




a Canada and German CoPro
with Real to Reel Productions and a&o buero filmproduktion




TORONTO - The co-production team of Real to Reel Productions Inc. and a&o buero filmproduktion gmbh is excited to welcome the support of actor and UN Goodwill Ambassador Jackie Chan to its newest film project, Gambling on Extinction.



Gambling on Extinction is an investigative documentary about the illegal trade of wildlife products, specifically ivory, rhino horn, and tiger parts.



"I know Jackie supports many worthy causes,"� says Real to Reel Producer Anne Pick, "and we along with our German partners at a&o buero, couldn't be happier about his support for our film and this international wildlife crisis."�



"The number of elephants poached in the last year is one every 15 minutes." says Jackie Chan. "That is shocking and for what? Another trinket, another carving? Everyone should dispel the myths that ivory jewelry and carvings are made from tusks that have fallen off the elephant or from elephants that have died of natural causes. This is simply not true. Elephants are being hunted and killed for their tusks. The only way to stop the slaughter is to cut the demand. We are all consumers so we can all make a difference."�



Gambling on Extinction reveals the lethal mechanisms of the global trade in rare and endangered species, and investigates the structures behind it. Moreover, it serves as a wakeup call for consumers; without them there would be no market for these products and therefore no trade.



Award-winning documentary filmmaker Jakob Kneser treks across the savannahs and jungles of Africa and Southeast Asia to trading hubs in China, Vietnam and Europe to uncover the major players in this deadly game, and meet with the people working to put an end to it.



Filmmaking Team:

Jakob Kneser (Director)

Tristan Chytroschek (Producer, a&o buero)

Anne Pick (Producer, Real to Reel Productions Inc.)



Facebook



Image of Jackie Chan was taken by Georges Biard on May 17, 2012 at the Cannes Film Festival



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Published on October 20, 2013 13:00

October 15, 2013

Orlando Bloom & Condola Rashad Star in Romeo and Juliet on Broadway

From a media release:



ON BROADWAY:
ROMEO AND JULIET

STARRING INTERNATIONAL FILM STAR ORLANDO BLOOM AND
TWO-TIME TONY AWARD NOMINEE CONDOLA RASHAD
AT BROADWAY’S RICHARD RODGERS THEATRE
DIRECTED BY FIVE-TIME TONY AWARD NOMINEE DAVID LEVEAUX




• Strictly limited engagement; tickets on sale through January 12, 2014
Get Romeo and Juliet Tickets




Orlando Bloom will not appear at the following performances:
Monday December 9 through Thursday December 12 (4 performances)
Monday December 23 through Friday December 27 (4 performances)




(New York, NY) The new Broadway production of Shakespeare’s timeless love story ROMEO AND JULIETstarring international film star Orlando Bloom, making his Broadway debut opposite two-time Tony Award nominee Condola Rashad, officially opened Thursday, September 19, 2013 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street). ROMEO AND JULIET began previews on Saturday, August 24th, 2013 and is scheduled to run through Sunday, January 12th, 2014.



While ROMEO AND JULIET is the most famous love story of all time, this production – directed by five-time Tony Award nominee David Leveaux – marks the first time in 36 years that the play has been produced for Broadway.  This version of the classic tale retains Shakespeare’s original language but has a modern setting in which members of the Montague family are white, and the Capulet family are black.



The production also stars Tony Award winner Brent Carver (Kiss of the Spider Woman) as Friar Laurence, two-time Tony Award nominee Jayne Houdyshell (Well, Follies) as the Nurse, Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper (The Life, “House Of Cards”) as Lord Capulet, Christian Camargo (All My Sons, The Hurt Locker) as Mercutio, Roslyn Ruff (The Piano Lesson, The Help) as Lady Capulet, Conrad Kemp (HBO’s “The Girl”, Jerome Salle’s Zulu) as Benvolio, Justin Guarini (American Idiot, Women on the Verge…) as Paris, Corey Hawkins as Tybalt, and Geoffrey Owens as Prince Escalus. Completing the cast are Donte Bonner, Joe Carroll, Don Guillory, Sheria Irving, Maurice Jones, Eric Loscheider, Spencer Plachy, Michael Rudko, Tracy Sallows, Thomas Schall, Carolyn Michelle Smith and Nance Williamson. 



The creative team includes Scenic Designer Jesse Poleshuck (Sly Fox), Costume Designer Fabio Toblini,  Lighting Designer David Weiner (The Normal Heart, Grace), Sound Designer David Van Tieghem (The Lyons, Doubt), and Hair Designer David Brian Brown (Death of a Salesman, Follies).







One of Shakespeare’s best known and most beloved plays, ROMEO AND JULIET belongs to a tradition of tragic-romances dating back over 500 years.  The famous youthful lovers first appeared in Italian novella in the 1500’s and gained popularity in England after being adapted and translated into English by Arthur Brooke in 1562. As described in Brooke’s poem, “The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet” – on which Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is based – while the Montagues and Capulets are from different “races” or “stocks” their deadly feud is not based on their race, but rather on the “grudging envy” of men of “equal state.” In this new production, the members of the Montague household will be white, and the blood relatives of the Capulet family will be black. While race defines the family lineages, the original cause of the ‘ancient quarrel’, passed down by successive generations to their young, has been lost to time. Shakespeare’s dramatization of the original poem sets the two young lovers in a context of prejudice, authoritarian parents, and a never ending cycle of ‘revenge.’ Against this background, the strength of their love changes the world.



The last time ROMEO AND JULIET was produced on Broadway was the 1977 Circle in the Square production featuring Paul Ryan Rudd and Pamela Payton-Wright.  Other notable New York productions include:  the Public Theater’s 2012 gala staged-reading at the Delacorte Theater starring Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep; the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2011 production at the Park Avenue Armory starring Sam Troughton and Mariah Gale; the Public Theater’s 2007 Shakespeare in the Park production starring Oscar Isaac and Lauren Ambrose; the 1986 Shakespeare on Broadway for the Schools repertory production starring Geoffrey Owens and Regina Taylor; The Old Vic Company’s 1956 production at the Winter Garden Theater starring John Neville and Claire Bloom; as well as the 1940 Broadway production starring Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.



Orlando Bloom is appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association. Conrad Kemp is appearing with the support of Actors’ Equity Association pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and UK Equity.







PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Tuesday at 7:00PM, Wednesdays at 2:00PM & 8:00PM, Thursdays at 7:00PM, Fridays at 8:00PM, Saturdays at 2:00PM & 8:00PM, and Sundays at 3:00PM.



TICKETS

Tickets are available now at The Richard Rodgers Theatre Box Office (226 West 46th Street) or at Ticketmaster.com/1-800-745-3000. In order to make this production accessible to all, 100 tickets per performance will be set aside at $20* for purchase by students and educators, available at the box office with valid ID or students may access tickets online in advance exclusively through TIX4STUDENTS (www.tix4students.com).



BIOGRAPHIES



ORLANDO BLOOM (Romeo) had his breakthrough roles in 2001 as the elf-prince "Legolas" in the Academy Award-winning film trilogy The Lord of the Rings and in 2003 as blacksmith "Will Turner" in the Pirates of The Caribbean film series.  He subsequently established himself as a leading man in Hollywood films, including Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown and Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven.  His other notable films include Black Hawk Down; Troy; Haven; New York, I Love You; Sympathy For Delicious; The Three Musketeers and The Good Doctor.  He recently reprised his role as "Legolas" in The Hobbit trilogy and just completed filming Zulu with Forest Whitaker.



CONDOLA RASHAD (Juliet) received a 2012 Tony Nomination for her performance in Stick Fly, produced by Alicia Keys and Nelle Nugent and directed by Kenny Leon.  Previously, she received rave reviews for her performance in Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, Ruined, for which she received a Theatre World Award as well as a Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nomination.  Rashad recently starred opposite Queen Latifah and Alfre Woodard in Lifetime’s “Steel Magnolias” and appears on Broadway this season in The Trip to Bountiful with Cicely Tyson, Vanessa Williams and Cuba Gooding, Jr.  Ms. Rashad is branching out into music with a forthcoming solo album the letter9. 



DAVID LEVEAUX (Director) Five Tony Award nominations for Best Director, including for the musical Nine starring Antonio Banderas; Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing with Stephen Dillane and Jennifer Ehle, and Jumpers with Simon Russell Beale and Essie Davis; and Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie starring Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson, and A Moon For the Misbegotten starring Kate Nelligan. 



RICHARD RODGERS THEATRE
226 W 46th St
New York, New York 10036




• Strictly limited engagement; tickets on sale through January 12, 2014
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Published on October 15, 2013 22:32

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