SEPTEMBER 3, 2009 ISSUE
The Fab Five
Performing Arts Series Brings Five Big Names to Campus in 2009-10
If you haven’t heard of at least one of the names in this year’s Performing Arts Series lineup, it’s time to dig your head out of the sand. The coordinators of the annual entertainment series have scheduled five high-profile performers and groups to fill the seats at Farthing Auditorium in the 2009-10 season.
To be featured on the Farthing Auditorium marquee are composer, pianist and jazz fusion pioneer Chick Corea; the Martha Graham Dance Company, the oldest contemporary dance company in America; internationally renowned dance and illusion company MOMIX; the comic opera The Pirates of Penzance, performed by the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players; and Lily Tomlin, one of the nation’s leading comediennes.
“The programming that we have is a real good mix,” said Megan Hayes, director of marketing and public relations for the ASU Office of Arts and Cultural Programs.
For many years, the Performing Arts Series at ASU has presented a variety of names in entertainment—some better known than others—to audiences of students, faculty, staff, community members and visitors.
The number of performances—five—is down from eight last year and 11 in 2007-08. That was an intentional decision, Hayes said, noting that the Arts and Cultural Programs staff opted to aim for fewer shows, yes—but with big-name artists who will draw large audiences to the 1,700-seat Farthing Auditorium.
“We feel like these are shows that can fill that hall,” Hayes said.
Another change to this year’s series is the scheduling of all shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, which audiences have said works best for them, Hayes said. Previous years’ series sometimes scheduled performances on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
While season ticket prices are lower because of the decreased number of performances, prices for individual adult, senior, and faculty and staff tickets have bumped up $2. Student ticket prices remain the same.
“We haven’t raised ticket prices in several years,” Hayes added.
All Performing Arts Series shows begin at 8:00 p.m. in Farthing Auditorium. For tickets or more information about the Performing Arts Series, call 828-262-4046 or click to www.pas.appstate.edu.
Chick Corea
Thursday, October 1
One of the most prolific composers of the latter half of the 20th century, Chick Corea defies categorization with a volume of work that includes avant-garde, bebop, children’s songs, straight-ahead jazz, jazz fusion and classical styles—in both acoustic and electric settings.
“Chick Corea…changed the face of this American art form through his pioneering role in the emergence of jazz fusion,” said Denise Ringler, director of the Office of Arts and Cultural Programs, in the series brochure.
Corea has been at the forefront of jazz since his 1966 critically acclaimed debut Tones for Joan’s Bones, forging new grounds with acoustic jazz bands, expanding the fusion movement with such groups as Return to Forever and the Elektric Band and collaborating with countless artists of international renown. His accolades include 14 Grammy Awards and more than 50 Grammy nominations.
“We have wanted him for years,” Hayes said about the addition of Corea to the Performing Arts Series lineup.
Martha Graham Dance Company
Thursday, October 22
Founded in 1926 by dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, the Martha Graham Dance Company is the oldest and most celebrated contemporary dance company in America.
Included among the company’s alumni are some of the biggest names in modern dance and choreography—Merce Cunningham, Pearl Lang, Elisa Monte and Paul Taylor, to name a few. The company has performed in more than 50 countries on five continents and at the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, the Paris Opera House, Covent Garden and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Washington Post calls the Martha Graham Dance Company “one of the seven wonders of the artistic universe,” while the Los Angeles Times commented, “They seem to able to do anything, and to make it look easy as well as poetic.”
MOMIX
Thursday, November 19
For more than two decades, MOMIX has created surrealistic and inventive presentations using props, light, shadow, humor and the human body.
“Audiences love MOMIX’s combination of acrobatics and transformations,” writes the Village Voice. In addition to worldwide stage performances throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Austrialia, the company has worked on numerous projects in film and television.
The performance at ASU is called “The Best of MOMIX” and will feature a compilation of the company’s most popular works.
NY Gilbert & Sullivan Players: The Pirates of Penzance
Friday, January 22
The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players will present the classic comic opera The Pirates of Penzance, a tale of pirates, British bobbies and Victorian maidens complete with powerful vocal soloists, a full orchestra and chorus.
The plot of The Pirates of Penzance centers on the dilemma of young Frederic, who as a child was mistakenly apprenticed to the pirates until his 21st birthday. But since he was born in leap year on February 29, he is honor-bound to remain a pirate until the distant date of 1940—despite his moral objection to piracy.
“We’re real excited about that one…that’s going to be really fun,” Hayes said, adding that staff has always wanted to feature a Broadway-type show.
Lily Tomlin
Saturday, February 20
“The incomparable Lily Tomlin, actor and cutting-edge comedian, writer and producer, demonstrates why she is one of the best loved women in America,” Ringler said in the series brochure.
Tomlin has ventured across and excelled in a wide range of media, starring in television, theater, film, animation and video. She has received six Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics’ Circle Award, a CableAce Award, a Grammy and two Peabody Awards.
Tomlin performed at ASU as part of An Appalachian Summer in 2005, drawing a sellout crowd.
“She was a huge hit. People really enjoyed that show,” Hayes said.
Tickets
Tickets for the 2009-10 Performing Arts Series are on sale now at the Farthing Auditorium Box Office and online at www.pas.appstate.edu.
Individual tickets for all five shows are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and ASU faculty and staff and $10 for students. Ticket prices increase at the door on show nights.
Season passes are available through Thursday, October 1. Season passes are $90 for adults, $81 for seniors and ASU faculty and staff and $45 for students. ASU students can also purchase a Student Flex 4 Pass for four shows of their choice for $36.
For more information, call 828-262-4046 or click to www.pas.appstate.edu.
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