Downtown Tucsonan - September 2008 - (Page 12)

Downtown Performing Arts Season Preview T H E AT R E Broadway in Tucson www.broadwayintucson.com 520.903.2929 he nederlander Producing company of america, based in new York city, not only owns nine theaters there, but is present nationally and internationally, with branches in London, detroit, chicago, san diego, san Francisco, Los angeles, ashville, Knoxville . . . and tucson, where a fifth season of its success in bringing the spectacle of touring Broadway shows to the tucson Music Hall is about to begin. awarded a contract in 2003 by the city as part of the downtown redevelopment effort, Broadway in tucson’s aim is to persuade people to come out, make a special occasion of it, enjoy important pieces of theater and have fun! the company is especially proud of the 2006 six-week run of the Lion King, which brought 83,000 people to the Music Hall. through this relationship, tucson is therefore able to host big touring shows that other cities of comparable size can’t get – and with hits like Les Miserables and Rent in addition to the aforementioned Lion King attracting crowds, the company’s goal of offering affordable mainstream entertainment (on a huge scale) seems to have been achieved. Marc Visgardi, Marketing and sales Manager, declares that his company strongly believes these shows should not be considered an exclusive activity, but accessible, offering “something for everyone.” the 2008-2009 extravaganza-filled season begins in december with Rain – A Tribute to the Beatles, plus Jesus Christ Superstar with ted neely. Highlights for 2009 include Grease in February, Mamma Mia In april, and finally, Tuna Does Vegas in May. - dolly spalding T broadway in tucson presents rain—a tribute to t h e b e a t l e s , d e c e m b e r 2 - 7. Invisible Theatre www.invisibletheatre.com 520.882.9721 usan claassen, Invisible theatre’s indomitable artistic director, remembers her first encounter with It (as it is fondly known), in the old odd Fellows Hall in downtown tucson in the early 1970s. “as I climbed the stairs, I heard and drank in the sights and sounds of art being created— dance, music, photography, theatre. It was a hotbed of creativity. I was elated with the vision of what art could be. and it became clear to me that art was indeed the harmony and balance between the invisible and the visible, the material and the spiritual, the individual and the whole. I knew at that moment I wanted to be a part of this whole—a part of It.” during the decades since then, claassen has become the iconic embodiment of Invisible theater, impressi n v i s i b l e t h e a t r e p r e s e n t s d i x i e’ s ing anyone who has ever attended a performance there tupperware party, september 17 – with her unique presence. It october 5. has now added the phrase tucson original to its publicity, for obvious reasons. to the members of the company, the name Invisible refers to the invisible energy that flows between performers and audience. their 38th “Picture Perfect” season begins in september with the national tour premiere of Dixie’s Tupperware Party, a musical. other musical offerings include Gunmetal Blues in december and Broadway Legend Ken Page in Page by Page in april. three other plays and “extras” such as A Conversation with Edith Head (susan claassen’s own tour-de-force currently playing in London) and Nijinsky’s Last Dance promise a season replete with theatrical treats. -dolly spalding S joseph mcgrath and john shartzer star i n r o g u e t h e a t r e ’s six characters in search of an author, september 18–october 5. Rogue Theatre www.theroguetheatre.org 520.326.7354 ith a fourth season about to begin, the Rogue theatre furthers its mission of “. . . placing primary value on language and literature” with a thematic emphasis that ties each play to narrative. In september, Six Characters in Search of an Author plays Zuzi’s theatre. In late october, Beckett’s Happy Days featuring Patty Gallagher, returns, this time at the Pima west Proscenium theater. the definitely gender-bending Orlando by Virginia woolf with Gallagher, avis Judd and a chorus composed of four men playing all the other characters will bemuse the audience in January. and, in the spring, the company offers Immortal Longings, An Argument Erupts Among Shakespeare’s Greatest Women, where artistic director Joe McGrath puts ten of the women of shakespeare onto the same stage. Excerpting from shakespeare, McGrath imagines (in blank verse) a new dialogue for what will be a unique opportunity for these actors to enjoy an original adventure in classical theater. among the Rogue’s past accomplishments have been the staging of certain literary works for tucson theater goers, with sprawling ensembles utilizing dozens of participants, but McGrath now suggests that not only are these harder to produce, they use up too much energy, which ends up taking away from artistic content. the company is firmly committed to literature and devoted to what is “good, strong and intelligent,” so it is fitting that the season opener, Pirandello’s Six Characters . . . features a new adaptation/translation by national award-winning tucson playwright Patrick Baliani. - dolly spalding W 12 downtown tucsonan.september.08 http://www.broadwayintucson.com http://www.invisibletheatre.com http://www.theroguetheatre.org

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Downtown Tucsonan - September 2008 Contents Downtown Lowdown Vital Signs 2008-09 Performing Arts Season Preview Galleries Downtown Live Museums Billboard Classifieds

Downtown Tucsonan - September 2008

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