Performing Arts - Fall 2011
Momix Dancers
Botanical Bash
October 21
100 Haddrell Street, Mount Pleasant
7 pm
The Charleston Concert Association will kick off their 75th season with the Botanical Bash, a swanky garden party at a private residence in Mount Pleasant. Guests are encouraged to wear ‘garden chic’ attire and will enjoy music from Joe Clarke’s Big Band, and food catered by Caviar & Bananas. The MOMIX dancers will even make a special appearance, a little sneak preview for their highly anticipated show the following day. The Botanical Bash proceeds will support the CCA’s season of music and dance from acclaimed performers the world over.
MOMIX Botanica
October 22
Gaillard Auditorium
77 Calhoun Street
3 pm special family matinee,
7 pm performance
The MOMIX dancers, led by renowned choreographer Moses Pendelton, will bring Botanica to the stage in Charleston. Botanica is a fantasy world composed of athletic dancers, eclectic music from birdsong to Vivaldi, and elaborate, breath-taking costumes. Creative lighting, costuming, and movement will transport you to another dimension through multimedia experience.
Dancers rise seemingly out of the floor, and the costumes look more like giant carnations than tutus. Props are imaginatively used, sometimes entirely concealing the dancer within. Images of nature run across the backdrop, setting the stage for the extraordinary movement below. Botanica is a great performance for the entire family.
Charleston Concert Association
843.727.1216
www.charlestonconcerts.org
Willi Jones of Theatre Marvelosa
words: Olivia Pool
Glitter, wigs, enchanting characters, mad dasheries…It is toujours l’amour in Theatre Marvelosa’s universe. Bienvenue, Mesdames et Messieurs.
If you’re not sure what any of this means, then you’re in the perfect place, as much of this is a secret world created by singer and performing artist Willi Jones. We’re excited to escort you inside her magical world.
Jones spent many years working as a professional singer in New York and making music with legends such as Willie Dixson, who wrote many of the songs for The Doors and Led Zeppelin. She was later signed again by a smaller record label and produced her cd, “Mars Orchid.” Still singing, she then became more and more interested in creating something that “strikes all the senses at once.” She started creating interesting visual environments for special events in galleries and clubs in New York. People immediately fell in love with her “world,” and thus was born the first troupe called Toujours L’Amour.
Toujours L’Amour quickly blossomed into way more than a fun atmosphere. The troupe began dressing in elaborate costumes and doing “hits” or “mad dasheries.” They would “kidnap” unsuspecting people (preferably artists who needed a jolt of inspiration) by taking them on magical limo rides, feeding them bon-bons and champagne then simply dropping them back off in a glittery daze wondering what type of beautiful madness had just occurred.
The troupe is now in Charleston and has been renamed Theatre Marvelosa. “Theatre Marvelosa is an international theatre troupe that presents dreamworld masterpieces of music, dance, costumage and film; unrivaled creative fantasies that sweep participants on sensorial magic carpet rides, never to be the same again. Part circus, dance troupe and rock opera starburst, Theatre Marvelosa is a kaleidoscope of experiential entertainment,” explains Jones. “It is an expression of art for art’s sake.”
If you want a little extra ooh la la, book them for your next event – weddings, bachelor/bachelorette, birthday, corporate office parties, art show and restaurant openings, etc. Whether your event and budget is big or small, this glittery battalion will transform your evening into a truly unique experience.
BEWARE! You could be snatched away to fly with the fairies of Ooh La La.
moonchilde@aol.com
www.theatremarvelosa.com
Jenny Broe Price
words: Stacy Huggins
The DanceFX tagline reads “Talent. Passion. Dance.” That is exactly what Jenny Broe Price exudes. Her passion for life, dance, everything is inspiringly infectious.
While a student at the University of Georgia, a friend called to tell her about a dance studio for adults in town. Not long after she began taking classes, she began teaching classes. “DanceFX changed my life,” says Price. “It was unlike any dance studio I had ever attended. It wasn’t about the competition or the need to fit in a perfect mold of what a dancer should be,” she says.
That freedom was transformational for Price, and with it, she was really able to grow, and grow quickly. She handled many aspects of the business: dance education, store management, even pointe shoe fittings. “I feel like I got a masters in business administration!” she says. The company then expanded to Charleston.
Shortly before she was to move here, her mother, visual artist Joy Broe, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the ball was already rolling, so Price and her mother both moved to Charleston. Her mother lost her battle with cancer just a month before the first concert. Price regally held it together. “The show must always go on,” she says. Shortly after, she escaped to Europe to travel and grieve privately. Those were difficult times for Price, but along the way she found her ‘Joy’ again, and she credits DanceFX with pulling her through.
Four years after bringing DanceFX to the Lowcountry, they are thriving and growing. Price wakes up every day with a passion to bring change into people’s lives through dance. Her enthusiasm cannot be contained, and inspires her students. “I love my life. I love my job.”
635 Rutledge Avenue
843.637.4722
www.DanceFX.org
Moogfest
words: Matthew Rickerby
The Flaming Lips, Moby, TV on the Radio, STS9 and The Antlers are just a few of the bands that will be at the second annual music festival, Moogfest (pronounced like “vogue”). The festival is named in memory of Bob Moog, sonic pioneer and inventor of the Moog synthesizer. In addition to music, the festival has everything from panel discussions, Q&A’s and workshops to visual art exhibitions, installations, film screenings and opportunities to play Moog instruments.
Catch a preview of what’s to come at Moogfest by checking out Ghostland Observatory in Charleston on October 7. If you’re unfamiliar, a typical Ghostland show consists of caped gothic hero Thomas Turner drumming and synthesizing while charismatic and energetic front man Aaron Behrens whips his pigtails and belts out the furiously witty lyrics.
Moogfest 2011
October 28-30
Asheville, NC
Buy tickets at:
www.moogfest.com/tickets
Ghostland Observatory
October 7
Music Farm
32 Ann St. 29403
Charleston, SC
Buy tickets at:
www.musicfarm.com
Performing Arts - Summer 2011
Footlight Players - 80 Years of Amazing Performances
words: Stacy Huggins
Turning 80 is a big deal. It is an even bigger deal when you are a performing arts organization. The Footlight Players Theatre, the first community theatre in the Southeast, was founded in 1931. They purchased the Queen Street location in 1934, used first as warehouse storage space, and later renovated into rehearsal space and playhouse.
The Footlight Players became the company in residence for the next 50 years when the Dock Street Theatre reopened down the street in 1937. They famously opened with The Recruiting Officer, and the occasion graced the cover of Time Magazine. Emmett Robinson, who had just graduated from the College of Charleston, was hired as artistic director, and a long legacy of excellence was paved with his ingenuity and dedication. The Emmett Robinson Theatre at the College of Charleston was named after him.
Fast forward to 1986: The Footlight Players moved back into the cotton warehouse-turned-playhouse on Queen Street full time. Come hell or high water, Footlight has never shut down. During the worst of times, like hurricanes and economic depressions, the show has always gone on.
Jocelyn Jenkins is the newest in a long line of talented and passionate executive directors of Footlight. Jenkins, a College of Charleston grad in her sixth season with Footlight, feels strongly about making Footlight “the” theatre in Charleston. Anyone can audition for the plays or help with production, whether you are working lights for the first time or a seasoned actor. They are entirely volunteer-based, and many actors have gotten their start on Footlight’s stage.
This upcoming season will be a testament to their high standards of production. For their 80th season, Footlight is putting together a selection of bold, classic plays. They will open with South Pacific at the Dock Street, an homage to their former home of so many years.
The second play of the season will be Emmett Robinson’s own adaptation of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, the script of which he is rumored to have reworked every 10 years or so. True works of art are ever evolving, and the Footlight Players themselves are a great testament to that. Here’s to another 80 years!
Footlight Players Theatre
20 Queen Street
843.722.4487
www.footlightplayers.net
Kyle Barnette
words: Stacy Huggins
Kyle Barnette is a busy man.
Full time day job at the Charleston Ballet Theatre? Check. Founding artistic director of his own theatre company, What If? Productions? Check. Regularly starring in and directing productions around town? Double check.
In 2010, Barnette fulfilled a lifelong goal of founding his own theatre company – What If? Productions. Their inaugural show, Hedwig & The Angry Inch, received rave reviews, followed by Bash: Latterday Plays, a dark and twisted collection of three one-act plays.
This year, Barnette’s got a full roster for the upcoming season. In August, he will be directing Shakespeare Upon Aiken, a series of scenes from different Shakespearean plays, performed on the grounds of the historic William Aiken House. In September, What If? Productions will present House of Yes. Other productions slated for this season are Chesapeake, Thrill Me and Kimberly Akimbo. He’s already got plans for 2012 lined up as well. That summer, What If? will be launching a playwriting competition, and the winning ones will be made into official plays.
“I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t doing it all,” says Barnette. He was Charleston Stage’s first resident acting intern before embarking on a decade of professional acting throughout the country. He spent five seasons with the prestigious Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, TN, and has the honor of being invited back as a guest artist this summer.
As an actor, Barnette has most enjoyed his roles as the Marquis de Sade (a notorious author who was imprisoned for lewd conduct) in Quills, and Berger (the long haired, irreverent free spirit living in New York City’s hippie counter-culture) in the rock musical Hair. As the lead character Richard Hannay in Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, Barnette gave one of the most hysterical and engaging performances to grace the Dock Street Theatre. He’s been directing a lot more lately, like 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, but he still loves acting, and we love him doing it all!
What If? Productions
Various Venues
www.whatifproductions.org
Crowfield
words: Stacy Huggins
On June 19, 2011 Crowfield released their second album, a big deal for any band. They wanted to give their friends and fans first look, so Charleston got a special show the night before at the Music Farm to celebrate the new album of this talented, young rock band.
Tyler Mechem on guitar and lead vocals, and Joe Giant on piano, are the founders of Crowfield. They are joined by Parker Gins on drums, Micah Nichols on guitar and Ethan Ricks on bass. Listening to them play you would never know they hadn’t been together from the start, but their sound has been three years in the making.
Their new album is self-titled Crowfield because Mechem says, “This is the first time that the true Crowfield sound will really be heard.” Their first album was written by Mechem and Giant, and recorded with sit-in artists. Over the three years since then, with Gins, Nichols and Ricks, they have developed their own particular sound through performing live.
“We were able to try out different things at our earlier gigs that weren’t as well attended, to figure out what we wanted Crowfield to be,” says Mechem. “So, this is the first real Crowfield album.” Fans will notice a different sound and style from their first album “Goodbye, Goodnight, So Long Midwestern,” which is also a song on the new album.
The new album is decidedly less twang-y, more rock and less country. Fans of their live shows will be thrilled to know that “Big Foot,” one of their biggest crowd-pleasers, is on the new album. “Big Foot was just a demo to us, but then the Bridge 105.5 began playing it,” and it definitely caught on. Mechem credits the local radio station as being one of the biggest supporters of their career.
Keep your eyes and ears out for Crowfield’s next live performance. You’ll be glad you did!
www.crowfieldmusic.com
Twitter @CrowfieldMusic
Mozart in the South
words: Jessica Dennis
Mozart once said, “Music should never be painful to the ear but should flatter and charm it, and thereby always remain music.” For those of us who truly love and appreciate classical music, you won’t want to miss the annual Mozart in the South Festival. This four day festival is as elegant and enchanting as the music it features. There will be an opening concert at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, a chamber music soiree at the Governor Thomas Bennett House, the Little Mozart Circus (a free outdoor family event with musical performances under different tents) and an outdoor wind ensemble finale concert at Middleton Place, a truly enthralling estate and home of America’s oldest landscaped gardens. Fill your picnic basket with your favorite treats and a bottle of bubbly and explore the plantation grounds before the concert starts!
Hosted by Chamber Music Charleston
September 15-18, 2011
various locations
www.mozartinthesouth.org
843.763.4941
Performing Arts - Spring 2011
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