Download Neruda`s Suitcase - Live at Interlochen

Interlochen, Michigan
232nd, 234th Program of the 55th Year
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Neruda’s Suitcase
What to bring, what to leave behind?
A multidimensional poem for the stage
Comparative Arts - Theatre - Music - Dance
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Friday, February 17, 2017
7:30pm, Phoenix Theatre
7:30pm, Phoenix Theatre
Welcome to Neruda’s Suitcase!
When working together, no matter what the circumstance, we have no choice but to learn
and practice acceptance and empathy.
Collaboration becomes education for peace ~ This original production tackles some of the
complex issues on our plates today as experienced first hand by our students and their
families: alternative facts (scene 2 & 7); aging (scene 3); immigration, integration, racism,
sexism (scene 4); assumptions about life choices (scene 5 & 6). The set is made out of bio
degradable or recyclable materials and the instruments for the orchestras are repurposed
from junkyards or made of the finest woods.
How to embed these dark arenas into a theatrical world that is poetic and inspiring? We
had to find a play structure that could connect disparate characters and desires in a
fantastic scenario and find a musical aesthetic to unite the worlds of the living and the
dead, their music and their dreams, from toys to the tango.
Finally, the play is asking us to consider what is important to bring with us on our life
journey, and what to leave behind? It also asks us to seek the courage to grow our hearts
and take action.
We invite you to take this unique pilgrimage with us.
Nicola Conraths-Lange & Anne-Marie Oomen
au·tom·a·ton
ôˈtämədən,ôˈtäməˌtän/
An automaton is a self-operating machine, a machine or control mechanism designed to
automatically follow a predetermined sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined
instructions. The automata in the ancient world were intended as tools, toys, religious idols,
or prototypes for demonstrating basic scientific principles. Some automata, such as
bellstrikers in mechanical clocks, are designed to give the illusion to the casual observer
that they are operating under their own power. The automatons in this play have been
constructed by Frank Pahl, often scavenging through junkyards, finding anything from toy
instruments to rotisseries and broken fireplaces. The instruments are carefully tuned to fit in
with the key signature of his compositions, creating a magical world of shadows, sounds
and melodies.
Artistic Director:
Nicola Conraths-Lange
in collaboration with
Robin Ellis, Anne-Marie Oomen, and David Montee
Ideation: Nicola Conraths-Lange, Susan Byrnes, and Anne-Marie Oomen.
Written by Anne-Marie Oomen in collaboration with the Comparative Student Artists of the
Interlochen Arts Academy (2016).
Special Guests: Jeremy Cohen & Frank Pahl
*All tunes performed by the toy orchestra are composed by Frank Pahl. Music performed
by the gypsy band is used with permission and arranged by Jeremy Cohen.
Scene 1: Where is Neruda? Opening
Auctioneer: Nicholas Trivisonno, Sarasota, Fla.
Lover: Clara Honigberg, Washington, D.C.
Who are the Auctioneer and the Conductor? One character is living, having survived
terrible revolution, the other is not, having been killed in revolution, but both are drawn to
the perhaps futile dream that music and poetry are the means to save the world.
“Dies Slowly” by Martha Medeiros, performed by Robin Ellis with live accompaniment by
Frank Pahl and recorded at Interlochen Public Radio (2016.)
Note: This poem is wrongly attributed to Pablo Neruda but written by the Brazilian writer
Martha Medeiros. The discovery of this internet meme was just another opportunity to
manipulate our script, which originally saw the auctioneer as the Neruda character. It also
gave us the opportunity to appreciate Neruda’s poetry on a different level, since his
imagery is more abstract, and in many ways more poetic, adding to the timeless allure of
his poems.
Scene 2. Lost Crusader
Geoffrey: Tyler Johnston, Boulder, Colo.
Dirk: Gabriel Kennis, Frankfort, Mich.
This scene exploring the legacy of war shows off two very different characters in perhaps
the ultimate example of an owner having a disconnect from a buyer. The buyer Dirk makes
no attempt to hide his greed, while owner Geoffrey has no regard for money and instead
found value in life’s truly precious things. ~Gabriel Kennis
Music: Goodbye Pork Pie Hat by Charles Mingus (1959) played by Jeremy Cohen
Scene 3. The Snow Apple: Oren Frost Story
Oren Frost: Andrew Lewis, Porter Ranch, Calif.
Tia: Naphat Na-Nongkhai, Portland, Maine
For inspiration for his character, Jack Frost chose his grandfather Oren Frost. Jack’s
scene explores his ancestor’s art and his withdrawal from the world due to Alzheimer’s
disease. Part of the appeal of making a film about Oren Frost was our access to his
painting supplies and drawings, generously provided by his family. Our writers also
interviewed Jay Frost, Oren’s son. Taking inspiration from his life as a painter, we chose
canvas as the projection surface for the set in the play.
Of the potential scenes, Terri chose this one to create our movie.
Working with the students, we shot on 16mm film and digital video during a weekend in
October. Frank and I stopped to gather more footage at the Frost family farm on our way
back to Ann Arbor, and later shot additional Super 8 film in an orchard in Ypsilanti. Film,
with its “softer” image, seemed an appropriate medium to capture the memory and longing
of the written text. ~Terri Sarris, Senior lecturer, screen arts and cultures, The University
of Michigan
Scene 4. My Heart has Spoken: The Geisha and the Cherokee
Aiko: Margaret Shepherd, Springfield, Ill.
Seneca: Aubrianna Ensley, Cedar Springs, Mich.
The scene originated from the desire for freedom of identity, which would later manifest
itself into the two characters presented and more specifically, their contrasting roles in their
cultures.
~Margaret Shepherd and Jamie John, Suttons Bay, Mich.
Music: “My Heart Has Spoken,” created and arranged by Courtney Kaiser-Sandler and the
students.
Scene 5. L’Armoire or What’s in the Big Closet?
Kevin: Moses Bossenbroek, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Dirk: Gabriel Kennis
Mime: Liam Pierce, Baraboo, Wis.
Subverting this scene’s humor is the issue of homelessness and our misperceptions about
it. We created a scene that nods toward slam poetry but simultaneously challenges Dirk’s
judgemental and money-grabbing philosophies.
~Gabriel Kennis, originally conceived with Maxwell Bennett
Music: Douce Ambiance by Django Reinhardt (1943). Arranged by Crispin Campbell.
Scene 6. A Little Scarlet in Life or The Answer to the World’s Question:
Tango on the Titanic
Anna: Violette Trotter, Wilmette, Ill.
Jane: Larkin Lucy, Winthrop, Wash.
Cleverly using letters as a plot device to tell the story, we explored how the tango became
the opportunity for a new life, literally. Of the few survivors of the famous shipwreck
Titanic, some survived purely on luck, but some on a dance with a fate of their own making.
~Larkin Lucy
Music: Libertango by Astor Piazzolla (1974). Arranged by Jeremy Cohen.
Dancers: Alessandra Salazar, Bayonne, N.J.; John Crim, Fitchburg, Wis.
Choreography by Ilya Vidrin and Justin Koertgen.
Scene 7. The Philosopher’s Stone or the Leavings of Arrival
Masha’Allah: Ali Ahmed, Dearborn, Mich.
Dr. Clark: Peter Carroll, San Francisco, Calif.
Jane: Larkin Lucy
In this scene, we again reached deep into history to find a historical character, Masha’Allah
ibn Atharī, eighth-century Persian Jewish astrologer and astronomer to offer the final key
from the lost suitcases. We used the characters of the astronomer and the astrologer to
compare scientific and metaphysical thought, and the respective importance of each.
~Gabriel Kennis
Music: Masha’Allah’s theme composed by Tyler Johnston
Scene 8. Where is Neruda II?: Closing
Will the auctioneer find his poem? Will the apocalypse be avoided?
Excerpt from Neruda’s love poem Then Come back: Lost Poems of Neruda. The lost
poems were rediscovered in 2014 and published in 2016. Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet,
won the Nobel prize for literature in 1971.
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Toy Orchestra
Directed by Frank Pahl, celeste and melodica
Tyler Johnston, ukulele
Jefferson Frost, cello, Herndon, Va.
Simon Steinorth, toy instruments and Foley artist, Traverse City, Mich.
Jade Parker, saxophone, Cadillac, Mich.
Maxwell Bennett, ukulele and toy instruments, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Jenna Van Valkenburg, Foley artist, Traverse City, Mich.
Gypsy Band
Directed by Crispin Campbell
Special Guest: Jeremy Cohen, violin
Mitchell Cloutier, violin, Oliver Springs, Tenn.
Kate Eddins, violin, Lubbock, Texas
Sydney Whipple, viola, Oakland, Calif.
Caroline Quinones De La Cruz, cello, Lima, Peru
Joseph Lee, double bass, Fremont, Calif.
Simon Dunson, mandolin, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Elias Braddock, guitar, Mount Pleasant, S.C.
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PROGRAM NOTES
From the playwright Anne-Marie Oomen
As a playwright, I found the parameters for this script delightful and truly challenging: link
the play to Interlochen’s year of the pilgrim, incorporate the history of the suitcase, guide
the comparative students in playwriting process, plot for twelve plus characters, include a
tango band, a toy orchestra, a world class violinist, and a movie. Allow for dance and
movement, poetry and song. And tell a story, preferably a love story. From the beginning,
the play demanded complexity and speed. From the beginning it felt less like a play and
more like a three-dimensional poem on steroids. From the beginning we knew it was going
to be different from the norm—right for a play designed to integrate multiple arts, multiple
artists, and multiple perspectives.
The playwriting process is unique, and this one particularly so. The setting was inspired by
the Lost Luggage Center in Alabama--where airlines sell long unclaimed luggage, but our
sale of lost luggage inhabits a mysterious warehouse where time distorts, where the
borders between real world and spirit world grow permeable, where the original owners
(long dead) of the lost bags rise from the past, ghostly but aware, to participate in the sale
of the suitcase they once carried. These past owners are led by the Conductor, a woman
who once believed she could save the world with a great orchestra. What a thought! Enter
the Buyers, people of the present who need a suitcase to carry in a turbulent time—not
unlike our own. As the world nears an inexplicable apocalypse, the Auctioneer sells the
suitcases, but secretly seeks his own lost suitcase. What was in it? What connection do
the Auctioneer and the lost Conductor have? How do the past owners influence the
decisions of the present buyers? Most importantly, what do the suitcases say to us today?
Answering these questions with the comparative arts students led to some of the most
creative thinking I have encountered in my writing experience.
A play is often referred to as an elegant blueprint. I like better the metaphor of a skeleton.
The script, bones of story, may be complete, but without the other collaborative aspects of
theater, they are just bones. From the beginning, artists of all walks committed to embody
this script. Comparative arts students developed the characters. Working in pairs, they
invented suitcase owners and buyers, created backstories and discovered desires. They
wrote scene summaries, initial dialogue, and shaped the basic arc. Once our classroom
time ended, Niki and I completed the connective tissue. Simultaneously, our visiting artists
were doing their part: Frank Pahl, Susan Byrnes, Terri Sarris, Jeremy Cohen, Crispin
Campbell, and so many of ICA’s professional technical staff. Finally, Robin Ellis and David
Montee joined us to lead the characters into breathing space. Without their persistent skill
and dedication, we would never know who these characters were. I am deeply grateful to
every person who helped bring Neruda’s Suitcase to life, but no one more than Niki
Conraths, the brilliant “conductor” of the suitcase project, whose vision led each of us to
discover what is inside Neruda’s and our own suitcases.
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Nicola Conraths-Lange, the Director of Comparative Arts program, has extensive
experience in a wide range of artistic collaborations. A dancer by training, Conraths-Lange
is also a choreographer and author. In her cross-disciplinary work she is interested in
projects where artists have the opportunity to discover and develop a shared vocabulary,
working across art forms to create pieces that are truly collaborative. Conraths-Lange’s
interest in Performing Arts Medicine has led to research and presentations on injury
prevention and performance enhancement for dancers and musicians, and has been
presented at conferences in the United States, Singapore, Europe and New Zealand.
During her recent sabbatical she traveled the globe anti-clockwise and investigated GAGA,
Ohad Naharin’s movement language in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Kyle Blasius is happy to be working alongside an incredible creative team on his first
project as Production Designer at Interlochen. He has spent the last three summer seasons
working for the Presentations department, and is excited for everyone to experience this
amazing collaborative project!
Susan Byrnes is a visual artist whose work encompasses traditional and contemporary
forms and practices, including cast iron sculpture, multimedia installation, radio broadcasts,
writing, and curatorial projects. Her art has been exhibited in galleries and museums
throughout the Midwest, including The Korean Cultural Center and Woman Made Gallery in
Chicago, the Sculpture Center in Cleveland, the Dayton Art Institute, and the University of
Minnesota’s Nash Gallery in Minneapolis. In 2014, Byrnes was awarded a Cincinnati Art
Ambassador Fellowship for Discover, an exhibition combining molecular biology, glass
sculpture, video, and sound. She teaches as part of the Ohio Arts Council Arts Learning
Artist in Residence Program, and is a contributor to the online art journal AEQAI and the
print publication Acrylic Artist Magazine. Her audio pieces based on artists and artmaking
processes, including photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, sculptor Patrick Dougherty, ecoartist Basia Irland, and video artist Jud Yalkut have been broadcast on WYSO in Yellow
Springs, Ohio. She earned an M.F.A. from Eastern Michigan University and a B.F.A. from
Syracuse University. Byrnes resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Crispin Campbell is Instructor of Cello, Chamber Music, and String Improvisation at
Interlochen Arts Academy. He performs with the Neptune Quartet, Interlochen String
Quartet, and the improvisational ensemble under his own name. He has performed as a
soloist, chamber musician and improvising cellist throughout the United States, South
America and Europe, recently recording solo cello music for the film Bolden in New York
City. He was also founder and Artistic Director of the Manitou Musical Festival in Leelanau
County from 1991 to 2004. Campbell’s musical interests are wide, ranging from the
classical cello repertoire to varying styles of improvisation, including jazz, blues, folk and
Latin American music. His collaborative performances have involved chamber music with
his colleagues at Interlochen, as well as members of the Juilliard, Fine Arts and Stradivari
Quartets, the Raphael Trio, and members of the Chicago and Detroit Symphonies. His
improvisational playing with cellist Eugene Friesen, the Neptune Quartet and vocalists
Janice Keegan and Claudia Schmidt involves appearances at music festivals and concert
venues both nationwide and internationally. He has been an instructor for Javeriana
University and the Filarmonica Joven de Colombia in Bogota, Colombia. He holds degrees
from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and San Jose State University.
Jeremy Cohen’s electrifying jazz violin performances have earned him nationwide
accolades. Classically-trained and a student of Itzhak Perlman and Anne Crowden,
Cohen’s eclectic style reflects his respect for a wide range of violinists from Perlman and
Fritz Kreisler to Joe Venuti and Eddie South. Cohen has performed as soloist with
numerous orchestras including the Virginia Symphony, California Symphony and the Reno
Philharmonic. His recording credits include motion picture and television soundtracks
including “The Dukes of Hazzard” and Jane Fonda’s “Dollmaker,” and as concertmaster on
recordings with Linda Ronstadt, Ray Charles, Aaron Neville, Howard Keel and Cleo Laine.
On the stage he was the solo violinist in Forever Tango and The Best Little Whorehouse in
Texas and has toured and recorded with the Turtle Island String Quartet. A faculty member
of the Henry Mancini Institute since 1997 and The Jazz School (Berkeley) since 2004,
Cohen also taught for six years at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He has recorded two CDs
of jazz standards with his “ViolinJazz” quartet. His orchestral arrangements have been
featured by the San Jose and San Francisco Chamber Orchestras, the Bay Area’s
Peninsula Symphony, Reading (Pa.) Philharmonic, Reno Philharmonic, and the Sun Valley
(Idaho) and Mendocino (Calif.) Music Festivals.
Robin Ellis is an Instructor of Theatre Arts at Interlochen Arts Academy. She has directed
over 25 productions, including Carousel, Chicago, South Pacific, Thoroughly Modern Millie,
She Loves Me, Medea, The Crucible, The Secret Garden, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Blood
Wedding, Top Girls, The Heidi Chronicles. She has also served as a teacher/director at
Lansing Community College, Children's Academy of Performing Arts (Marblehead, MA),
Willoway Apprentice Theatre (Bloomfield Hills, MI), Summer Youth Theatre (Lawrence,
KS), Arts Encounter Theatre (Lansing, MI). An actress since age five, Ellis' credits include
3 years with Kenley Players in Columbus, Ohio: Carousel with John Raitt, Music Man with
Van Johnson, Showboat with Howard Keel and Elizabeth Allen, South Pacific with Juanita
Hall and Rosano Brazzi, The King and I with Doretta Morrow and Patricia Morison, The
Wizard of Oz with Brenda Lee, Song of Norway with Inger Stevens, Carnival with Ann
Blythe, Flower Drum Song with Pat Suzuki and Juanita Hall. Her educational background
includes the University of Oklahoma (Acting/Directing); University of Kansas (Acting);
Lansing Community College (Arts & Humanities, Theatre emphasis); BoarsHead Theater
Apprentice Program; Willoway Apprentice Theatre.
David Montee is an Instructor of Theatre Arts at Interlochen Arts Academy. He holds a
Ph.D. in theatre history and criticism, a Master of Fine Arts degree in classical acting, and a
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama/performance education. In addition to teaching, he
has directed and acted in nearly 200 stage productions over the length of his professional
and educational career, including the direction of 40 productions at the Academy (19 of
them Shakespeare plays). Dr. Montee was named a Presidential Scholars Distinguished
Teacher by the United States Department of Education in 2001 and 2009; in 2004 he was
awarded the Coca-Cola Distinguished Teacher in the Arts from the National Foundation for
Advancement in the Arts; and in 2016 he was awarded Honorable Mention by the Tony
Awards for Excellence in Theatre Education. He is the author of the 2014 book Translating
Shakespeare: A Guidebook for Young Actors. He was invited to join the roster of Resident
Artists at Jeff Daniels's Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan, where he played the
role of Felix for 63 performances of The Odd Couple as part of that theatre's 25th
Anniversary Season. In 2016, he received the Encore Michigan Theatre Critics’ Oscar
Wilde Award for Best Shakespearean performance for his work in the Interlochen
Shakespeare Festival’s 2015 production of As You Like It.
Anne-Marie Oomen is author of the memoir Love, Sex and 4-H, (winner, Next Generation
Indie Award, memoir); Pulling Down the Barn, and House of Fields, (Michigan Notable
Books); An American Map: Essays (Wayne State University Press); and a full-length
collection of poetry, Uncoded Woman (Milkweed Editions). She is represented in New
Poems of the Third Coast: Contemporary Michigan Poetry, edited Looking Over My
Shoulder: Reflections on the Twentieth Century, an anthology of seniors' essays funded by
the Michigan Humanities Council. She has written seven plays, including award-winning
Northern Belles (inspired by oral histories of women farmers), and Secrets of Luuce Talk
Tavern, 2012 winner of the CTAM contest. She adapted the meditations of Gwen Frostic
for Chaotic Harmony, a choreopoem. She is founding editor of Dunes Review, former
president of Michigan Writers, Inc., serves as instructor at the Solstice MFA in Creative
Writing at Pine Manor College, MA; Interlochen College of Creative Arts; and appears at
conferences throughout the country. She and her husband, David Early, built their home
near Empire, Michigan. www.anne-marieoomen.com
Frank Pahl has received over 100 commissions for theatre, film and dance since 1990,
and has performed throughout North America, Europe and Asia. In the late 90’s his
obsession with automatic music began, inspired by fellow tinkerers Pierre Bastien and
Trimpin. He has had several solo shows in the United States and Canada of his sound
installations. In 2010 he received a Kresge Fellowship in Sound Art. In addition to
collaborating with international artists in the toypop world, Pahl leads three Detroit-based
groups: Scavenger Quartet, The Lovely and the Wretched, and Little Bang Theory. Little
Bang Theory performs on toy instruments and has accompanied a range of silent film,
everything from Orson Welles to Alfred Hitchcock to Ozu with Japanese benshi.
Terri Sarris has been teaching media production at the University of Michigan for over two
decades. Her experimental films have screened at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in 20172015 and 2008. The Radiant Sun, her documentary on Kresge Eminent Artist Ruth Adler
Schnee, has screened nationally and internationally at design conferences and museums.
Sarris has been a juror and moderator at the TC Film Festival, and curator of programs for
Echo Park Film Center’s “Marvelous Movie Mondays,” the Detroit Screen Dance Festival,
and “The Mini Microcinema” in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sarris has created outreach initiatives
centered on media literacy and production. Along with former student Sultan Sharrief,
Sarris developed the "EFEX Project.” Their film Bilal’s Stand, was one of eight films
selected for the <NEXT> category at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010, was awarded a
“Crystal Heart” Award at the Heartland Film Festival, and has screened widely at festivals
and in connection with outreach events centered on media and higher education. Sarris
also performs with the musical toy band trio Little Bang Theory (LBT). The brainchild of
Frank Pahl, LBT performs original scores to classic silent films.
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PRODUCTION CREDITS
Acting Coaches .............................................................................. Robin Ellis, David Montee
Apple Film.............................................................................................................. Terri Sarris
Singer-songwriter Instructor and Vocal Coach .................................Courtney Kaiser-Sandler
Choreography and Movement for the Stage ...................................... Nicola Conraths-Lange
Set Design ........................................................................................................... Kyle Blasius
Lighting Design ............................................................. Kyle Blasius, assisted by Jamie John
Costumes .................................................................................................... Candace Hughes
Stage Management ..................................................................................... Savannah Parker
Case/Prop/Sign Construction ............................................................................Susan Byrnes
Audio Production .............................................................................................. Jennifer Apple
Assistant Director of Presentations .................................................................... Brent Wrobel
Projections Engineer ............................................................................................ Larry Lynch
Special Effects .................................................................................................... Taoufik Nadji
Neruda Logo Design:
Tyler Johnston
This presentation was made possible with support from
the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Many thanks to Nadji, Joseph Morrissey, Ilya Vidrin, Justin Koertgen,
Bill Church, Kedrik Merwin, Doug Shively, Michelle Hunt, Kathleen Fallon,
David Early, J Berry, Crispin Campbell, Jay & Yuko Frost,
Susan Byrnes, Terri Sarris, Frank Pahl, Jeremy Cohen.
Note from the Artistic Director:
My heartfelt appreciation to Anne-Marie Oomen, Robin Ellis, David Montee and Cris
Campbell for saying “yes.”
Love to my Comparative Arts students who are the most remarkable group of multi-talented
individuals.
Many thanks to the theatre and dance students of the Arts Academy who gave so
generously of their time and talent.
This performance is dedicated to the memory of Barbara Sandys
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UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2016-17 IAA PERFORMING ARTS SERIES
Gabriel Kahane
February 21, 7:30pm, Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall
Easily one of composer Gabriel Kahane’s best-known works, Craigslistlieder was his first
concert work, and it was re-released by indie record label Family Records in 2008. This
intense and interesting piece sets actual, real-life Craigslist ads to music. Kahane is an
American singer-songwriter living in New York City best known for his rich mastery of the
piano and his creation of eclectic musical pieces, most often mixing his classical
background with modern folk-pop influences. He attended the New England Conservatory
before transferring to Brown University, where he wrote his first musical and graduated with
a bachelor's degree in music.
Bob James and Nancy Stagnitta - "In the Chapel in the Moonlight"
March 4, 2:30pm, Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall
March 4, 7:30pm, Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall
You're invited to a night of world premiere music at the launch of "In the Chapel in the
Moonlight!" Interlochen's own instructor of flute Nancy Stagnitta joins multiple Grammywinning pianist, composer, and arranger Bob James for a stunning performance of works
written and arranged for the duo by James, uniquely spanning the classical, jazz, and pop
idioms. This evening of great music will include several world premieres, written and
arranged by James for this special collaborative performance with Stagnitta. Join us and be
one of the first to hear this new music performed before a live audience.
Jessica Lang Dance
March 7, 7:30pm, Corson Auditorium
"A master of visual composition" (Dance Magazine) and a choreographer with more than
80 commissions that have been performed worldwide, Jessica Lang and her dynamic
company present a program of contemporary ballet that showcase the talent that has led
Jessica Lang Dance to become one of the most exciting new companies in today's dance
scene.
Jonathan Biss & Mark Padmore
March 15, 7:30pm, Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall
Musical America’s 2016 Vocalist of the Year Mark Padmore pairs with world-renowned
pianist Jonathan Biss. British tenor Mark Padmore and American pianist Jonathan Biss
partner together to bring their distinctive and powerful individual talents like no other
musical duo can. With a varied repertoire including everything from classical to medieval
polyphony, they are highly regarded as two of the leading names in contemporary classical
performers. Together, they combine words and music in a way that emotes passion with a
command that is both solid and transcending.
Edmar Castaneda Trio
April 6, 7:30pm, Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall
Since Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda moved to the United States in 1994, he has
taken New York and the world stage by storm with the sheer force of his virtuosic
command of the harp. Revolutionizing the way audiences and critics alike consider the
harp, Castaneda is a master at realizing beautiful complexities of time. He has become
known for his crafting of cross-rhythms layered with chordal nuances that rival the most
celebrated flamenco guitarist's efforts. Together with David Silliman on drums/percussion
and Marshall Gilkes on trombone, the trio creates exciting and engaging music that has
thrilled audiences worldwide.
Pants Down Circus
April 10, 7:30pm, Corson Auditorium
The energetic and creative, vibrant and highly skilled Pants Down Circus is an ensemble
working together to produce new, exciting and spectacular work, without taking itself too
seriously. The four-person troupe formed in 2011 as a way to showcase their many
individual and ensemble skills, and premiered as Pants Down Circus Rock in January,
2014 at the Western Australia Circus Festival. The show was inspired by classic rock such
as Aerosmith, AC/DC, Joan Jett, Queen, Metallica and Bon Jovi. Pants Down Circus won
the Best Circus award at the 2012 Melbourne Fringe, and placed second out of 900+
performances at the People's Choice Awards at the 2013 Adelaide Fringe.
Composers in Context: Gabriel Kahane performed by the Arts Academy Orchestra
April 21, 7:30pm, Corson Auditorium
Cardenio, by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher
April 21 and 22, 7:30pm; April 23, 2:00pm
Harvey Theatre (Tickets will go on sale Friday, March 24 at 9 a.m. est.)
Records show that in the winter of 1612 a play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher,
called Cardenna, was performed at the Court of James I. Just over a century later, the
"lost" manuscript of the play was purportedly handed down to London theatre entrepreneur
Lewis Theobald, who then adapted it into a play entitled Double Falsehood. While the
original manuscript has since been lost once more, 21st century scholars and analysts of
Double Falsehood have agreed that it contains many passages and scenes that are written
by Shakespeare and Fletcher. In 2010 Gregory Doran, current Artistic Director of the Royal
Shakespeare Company, combined Double Falsehood with his own extensive knowledge of
Shakespeare literature and production into a new version of this "lost play" by William
Shakespeare, restoring its original title, Cardenio. Doran's version of the play, which is
based upon an episode in the novel Don Quixote, draws upon a team of writers including
Cervantes, Shakespeare, Fletcher, and Theobald. The result is a passionate love story
involving attempted murder, rape, and betrayals of love and friendship that takes the
audience on an exciting journey to 16th century Spain.
Composers in Context:
April 22, 7:30pm, Corson Auditorium ~ Arts Academy Band
April 28, 7:30pm, Corson Auditorium ~ Arts Academy Choir
My Fair Lady, by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe
May 12 and 13, 7:30pm; May 13, 2:00pm, Corson Auditorium
The incredibly popular play My Fair Lady has book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music
by Frederick Loewe. The beloved story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who
takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, so that she may pass as
a lady. The musical's 1956 Broadway production was a momentous hit, setting a record for
the longest run of any major musical theatre production in history. Select songs from the
play have become part of the American songbook, and include such memorable pieces as
"I Could Have Danced All Night' and "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face."
For information and tickets, visit tickets.interlochen.org
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In consideration of the performing artists and other patrons, the use of flash photography is not permitted.
Federal copyright and licensing rules prohibit the use of video cameras and other recording equipment.
In order to provide a safe and healthy environment, Interlochen maintains a smoke-free and alcohol-free campus.
Michigan law prohibits any weapons, including concealed weapons, on Interlochen property
because we are an educational campus. Thank you for your cooperation.
www.interlochen.org