OVATIONS Series
Oct. 1 and 2
Rulan Tangen and Dancing Earth
Of Bodies of Elements
Led by acclaimed dancer and choreographer Rulan Tangen, Dancing Earth is an ensemble of performance artists and dancers representing more than 15 First Tribal Nations. Committed to fusing indigenous and contemporary styles, this celebrated troupe is at once primal and articulate, relating vivid stories of cultural heritage while exploring the identity of present-day Native peoples. Tangen, who recently served as a Visiting Distinguished Scholar at Washington University, was noted in Dance Magazine as one of the “Top 25 to Watch” for 2007. Co-sponsored by the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies.
Oct. 15
560 Music Center
Venice Baroque Orchestra with soloist Robert McDuffie
The Seasons Project
Philip Glass, with his new Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra, The American Four Seasons, has reasserted himself as one of the world’s most influential composers. This fall, celebrated violinist Robert McDuffie — for whom Glass wrote the piece — will join with the Venice Baroque Orchestra, one of Europe’s finest ensembles, for a world premiere tour that pairs Glass’ concerto with its inspiration: Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. In St. Louis, the performance also marks the first OVATIONS event to take place in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall of Washington University’s 560 Music Center.
Nov. 5 and 6
500 Clown
500 Clown Macbeth
500 Clown Frankenstein
It’s a madcap weekend of comic mayhem as Chicago sensations 500 Clown target a pair of literary classics with their in-your-face brand of improv, commedia dell’arte and physical theater. Any joker can quote soliloquies, but in 500 Clown Macbeth (Nov. 5) this boisterous trio — boasting not a single red nose, tiny car or oversized shoe — smashes through text, sets, walls and anything else that gets in the way. Then, in 500 Clown Frankenstein (Nov. 6), the unruly troupe sets out to construct the good doctor’s laboratory but, stymied by elaborate costumes and battling an ornery operating table, find themselves instead creating their own theatrical monster.
Nov. 19
Pluck
Musical Arson
The world’s funniest string trio, Pluck combines classical music with slapstick antics and impeccable comic timing to create an evening unlike anything you’ve seen before. Spoofing the usual concert hall decorum, these three musicians — all classically trained — compete, argue, ridicule and seduce their way through popular works from Bach to the Beatles. A favorite at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Pluck has created and mastered a musical subgenre that is completely its own.
SPECIAL EVENT
Jan. 7 to 23
Metro Theater Company and Edison present
The Giver by Eric Coble
Based on the book by Lois Lowry
Directed by Carol North
Twelve-year old Jonas lives in a perfect world — no pain, no poverty, no prejudice, no choices. Everyone has an assigned role. Very, very rarely, someone special is selected to serve as “Receiver of Memory.” Jonas is that one. The Giver alone holds the memories of all that once was. Now Jonas will receive the truth. Does he have the strength to face it?
Readers of all generations have embraced the Newbery Medal Award-winning book by Lois Lowry. Audiences across the country have raved about Eric Coble’s powerful adaptation. In January, Metro Theater Company and Edison Theatre will join forces to stage a bold new production of this haunting story about the power of knowledge.
Recommended for adults and young people age 10 and older.
March 5
560 Music Center
Danú
Hailing from historic Waterford County, Ireland, Danú is among the leading traditional Irish ensembles working today. Named for the Celtic mother-goddess, this high-energy sextet employs traditional instruments — including flute, tin whistle, fiddle, button accordion and bouzouki — to create music that is at once authentic, clever and fun. Mixing ancient songs with contemporary works, Danú leads an unforgettable musical journey across their native Ireland.
April 1 and 2
The Trey McIntyre Project
One of today’s most innovative and sought-after choreographers, Trey McIntyre both challenges and expands the vocabulary of traditional ballet. In April, McIntyre’s acclaimed company will return to the Edison stage for a concert featuring “Ma Maison,” a recent collaboration with costume designer Jeanne Button and the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Hailed as an “artistic triumph” by the New Orleans Times-Picayune, “Ma Maison” combines classical lifts, Mardi Gras energy and knee-knocking Charleston steps to “forge a powerful blend of street styles and ballet athleticism.”
April 15 and 16
Universes
Ameriville
Cutting-edge poetry collective Universes returns to the Edison with its newest multimedia work. Set against the backdrop of post-Katrina New Orleans, Ameriville is a passionate “State of the Union Address” that fuses poetry, jazz, hip-hop, down home blues and Spanish boleros. Scrutinizing issues of poverty, politics and patriotism, these five African-American and Nuyorican wordsmiths take on just what it means to be American while exposing the chilling reality of lives that remain broken in the hurricane’s wake.
April 30
The Aluminum Show
Like a space-age mix of Blue Man Group and Stomp, The Aluminum Show is an international sensation that combines dance, puppetry, acrobatics and special effects to breathe life into inanimate industrial materials. The brainchild of Israeli dancer Ilan Azriel, this visually arresting production creates a luminous alternative world in which anything can happen. Sheet metal, tubing and glittering balloons are transformed — through energy, imagination and avant-garde lighting techniques — into living creatures of astonishing warmth and complexity.
ovations for young people
Oct. 2
Rulan Tangen and Dancing Earth
Nov. 20
Pluck
Jan. 29
Doktor Kaboom!
Banana slinging catapult: check! Smoke ring cannons: check! Trademark orange lab coat and goofy protective goggles: check! Doktor Kaboom! is a fun, family-friendly variety show that combines theater arts with the wonders of scientific exploration. Created by actor/comedian David Epley, this sidesplitting journey features increasingly spectacular — and often successful! — experiments and demonstrations that keep crowds riveted and rolling with laughter.
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