Scrap Arts Music, a Vancouver- based percussion ensemble that performs on instruments built from recycled and salvaged materials, will return to Washington University in November to launch Edison Theatre’s 2003-04 ovations! for young people series.
The one-time-only performance begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, in Edison Theatre, located in the Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. Tickets are $7 and are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office and through all MetroTix outlets. For more information, call (314) 935-6543.
Scrap Arts Music is the brainchild of composer and inventor Gregory Kozak, who concocts the group’s Dr. Seuss-like instruments — or “creatures,” as he calls them — from an eclectic array of industrially produced junk. Discarded sewer pipes, old artillery casings and giant steel springs (rescued from a derelict playground ride) are transformed into gongs, xylophones, steel drums and other startlingly well-tuned apparatus. A treat for both the ears and the eyes, Kozak’s elegantly ramshackle creations take the stage like a futuristic combination of alien machinery, tribal artifact and mythical animal.
As a performer, Kozak heads a team of five “action percussionists” through an energetic, highly choreographed show that is equal parts drumming, theater and dance. Whether performing original works like “Synthesoid Plasmatron” and “Engine of the Future” or making up new songs on the spot, the Scrap Arts Music’s repertoire fuses world and pop music sensibilities with utterly unpredictable 21st-century sounds.
Formed in 1999, the ensemble has performed at theaters and festivals throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to Kozak, the men and women of Scrap Arts include Scott Bishop, Sarka Kocicka, Malcolm Shoolbraid and Rahim Gaidhar.
Ovations! for young people presents affordably priced — and family friendly — matinee shows by nationally and internationally recognized performing artists. Upcoming performances include Brooklyn-born choreographer Ron K. Brown and his company, Evidence (Nov. 22), and the delightful blend of mime, dance and puppetry that is Teatro Hugo & Ines (Jan. 17).
Ovations! for young people compliments Edison Theatre’s signature OVATIONS! showcase, which serves both Washington University and the St. Louis community by providing the highest caliber national and international artists in music, dance and theater, performing new works as well as innovative interpretations of classical material not otherwise seen in St. Louis. Focusing on presentations that are interdisciplinary, multicultural and/or experimental, Edison Theatre presents work intended to challenge, educate and inspire.
Edison Theatre programs are supported by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, and the Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis.