October 26 and 27
Reduced Shakespeare Company
Completely Hollywood (abridged)
The bad boys of abridgement return to Edison Theatre with this epic edit of movie masterpieces. Following their hilarious takes on Shakespeare, the Western literary cannon and the Bible, Completely Hollywood (abridged) turns the troupe’s famously short attention span to America’s largest export (well, except for weapons) — show biz! The story follows a self-indulgent Writer as he does battle with a controlling Director and preening Actor, but along the way manages to send-up a century’s worth of film. Written by RSC stalwarts Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor.
November 2 and 3
Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company
Nikolais Dance Theatre
Alwin Nikolais (1910-1993) was a master of innovative and startling dance. He was also lifelong friend and former teacher to Shirley Ririe, who co-founded the acclaimed Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company with Joan Woodbury in 1964. In 2002 Ririe-Woodbury was selected to preserve and present Nikolais’s works — the first time an existing U.S. company has absorbed the collection of a past master. Nikolais Dance Theatre celebrates the choreographer’s vision through a selection of multimedia works that transform dance into a visual and kinetic art.
November 16 and 17
GrooveLily
Striking 12
Part musical theater, part live concert, Striking 12 is a refreshing holiday tale by the acclaimed New York trio, which boasts backgrounds in classical music, musical theater, jazz and rock. The story, adapted from Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytale “The Little Match Girl,” follows a grumpy New Yorker who resolves to spend New Years Eve alone only to find unexpected, and much-needed, holiday cheer.
January 18
Pablo Ziegler Quintet for New Tango
With Claudia Acuña
The marriage between jazz and tango was virtually unheard of 30 years ago — until Pablo Ziegler burst onto the music scene, unifying the two genres and cultivating a sound that seamlessly combines sultry tango rhythms with the energetic spontaneity of jazz. In 1978 Ziegler was invited to join Astor Piazzolla’s New Tango Quintet. In 1990 he formed his own ensemble, blending classic tango rhythms with jazz improvisations. With Chilean vocalist Claudia Acuña, whose sensuous alto fuses Latin rhythms with jazz sensibilities.
January 25 and 26
L.A. Theatre Works
Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers
Over the last three decades, L.A. Theatre Works has emerged as the nation’s foremost radio theater company, producing more than 360 radio plays broadcast on stations around the world. This special live performance of Top Secret, based on documents secured through the Freedom of Information Act, recounts the Washington Post’s decision to publish the Pentagon Papers (which documented U.S. involvement in Vietnam) as well as the ensuing battle over the public’s right to know and the government’s desire for secrecy.
February 15
The Campbell Brothers & The Louisiana Blues Throwdown
Sacred Funk
The Campbell Brothers are the grand masters of Sacred Steel, a vital yet little-known African-American Gospel tradition built around the pedal steel guitar. Dating back to the 1930s, Sacred Steel first emerged from the Pentecostal House of God, Keith Dominion churches, where it remains an integral part of worship, yet it has also begun finding its way to secular audiences. With the Louisiana Blues Throwdown, all all-star band led by slide guitarist Marc Stone and featuring veteran masters and rising talents from the Gulf Coast music scene.
February 29 and March 1
CoisCéim
Knots
Since its formation in 1995, CoisCéim has emerged as one of Ireland’s foremost contemporary dance companies. Knots — based on the writings of psychoanalyst and couples’ therapist R.D. Laing — explores a series of passionate physical and verbal confrontations through features high-octane and sometimes brutal choreography. Named “Best Production” at the 2005 Dublin Fringe Festival.
March 28 and 29
Susan Marshall & Company
Cloudless
Choreographer Susan Marshall, recipient of a 2000 MacArthur “genius award,” combines explosive athleticism with subtle yet familiar movements drawn from daily life. Cloudless, her new evening-length work, is comprised of 18 solos, duets and small group pieces, ranging in length from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Structured as a collection of poetic short stories, these playful, enchanting dances gather increasing emotional force while also revisiting many of the themes that have defined Marshall’s career.
May 2
East Village Opera Company
You’ve heard opera and you’ve heard rock, but you’ve never heard opera rocked like the East Village Opera Company. This powerhouse ensemble — comprised of a five-piece band, a string quartet and two outstanding vocalists — performs arias that are literally electrified, bringing the towering emotion and timeless musicality of opera into the 21st century. Since debuting in 2004, the East Village Opera Company has electrified opera’s “greatest hits” with hard-hitting arrangements of “La donna è mobile” from Rigoletto, “Habanera” from Carmen, and “Nessun dorma” from Turandot — all performed at full length and in the original languages.
ovations! for young people
January 12
Dynamo Theatre Company
me me me
Since 1981, Montreal’s Dynamo Theatre has combined gymnastics, theater, juggling and mime to create a whole new genre — the Theatre of Acrobatic Movement. me me me opens with longtime friends Nathan, Mathilda, Suzanna and Stanley arriving at school in a whirl of chaos. Yet when Mathilde wins a classroom prize, the enthusiastic student suddenly finds herself an outsider and must attempt to overcome rejection with an unexpected move that takes an entire school by surprise.
February 6
The Campbell Brothers
May 10
Dan Zanes & Friends
For much of his career, Dan Zanes was guitarist and lead singer for the Del Fuegos, an influential indie band. But in the late 1990s, following the birth of his daughter, Zanes began making the kind of family friendly, 21st century folk music that he couldn’t find in stores. To date he’s recorded nine albums with guests such as Lou Reed, Sheryl Crow, Philip Glass, Suzanne Vega and Debbie Harry. In February, his most recent release, catch that train!, won the Grammy Award for “Best Musical Album for Children.”