Ovations Series
Edison Theatre’s Ovations series serves both Washington University in St. Louis and the surrounding community by providing the highest caliber national and international artists in music, dance and theater, performing new works as well as innovative interpretations of classical material that will challenge, educate and inspire your creativity.
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Lucy Guerin Inc.
"Structure and Sadness examines the beauty of solid forms and the tragedy of their transience, both in the fragile human body and the fallible structures in which we place our trust." — Lucy Guerin
Lucy Guerin Inc.
Structure & Sadness
Edison Theatre
8 p.m. Friday, September 30
8 p.m. Saturday, October 1
Inspired by the 1970 collapse of the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne, Australia, Lucy Guerin emphasizes the resilient spirit of human nature in her award-winning work Structure and Sadness. A physical, emotional and communal rebuilding is expressed through the use of arresting visuals and dance as language and metaphors for the precarious architecture of our lives. Structure and Sadness has won a multitude of awards including an Australian Green Room award for best choreography, a Helpmann Award for best dance work and an Australian Dance Award for best performance by a company.
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Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata
"The year is young, but Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata may have already clinched the prize for most creative concept of 2011. The hills aren't just alive, they've been reborn." — M - Music & Musicians magazine
Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata
The Hills Are Alive
560 Music Center
8 p.m. Friday, October 28
Led by East Village Opera Company's founder and arranger, Peter Kiesewalter, Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata (BRO) re-conceives the score of the classic musical The Sound of Music with their bold adaptation, The Hills Are Alive. The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization granted BRO unprecedented artistic license with the songs and was so impressed they invited BRO to appear on the 45th anniversary Blu-Ray DVD re-release on the 1965 movie The Sound of Music. Every tune sharply different from the one preceding it, The Hills Are Alive blends similar grooves like the Jackson 5 hit ABC and Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music into a high octane musical mix of 14 songs that will thrill Sound of Music purists and skeptics alike.
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Indian Ink Theatre Company
"Rajan is a masterful storyteller and a gifted comic actor." — Sydney Morning Herald
Indian Ink Theatre Company
Guru of Chai
Edison Theatre
8 p.m. Friday, November 4
8 p.m. Saturday, November 5
Once every millennia there comes a teacher who awakens us all to the power of the divine. But if you can't wait that long, spend an evening with the Guru of Chai!
He is a spiritual leader who will sell you a cup of tea, charm you with his infectious smile and take away all that is wrong with your life. Enlightenment is at hand as award-winning actor Jacob Rajan and Indian Ink Theatre Company, one of New Zealand's most successful touring companies, bring the story of the chaiwallah (tea seller) to life. Rajan expertly portrays all characters in this stripped-down show that reminds us that the most powerful production tool is the audience's imagination.
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Intergalactic Nemesis
"Pitch-perfect ... totally nuts and a ton of fun! Do not miss it!" — The Austinist
Intergalactic Nemesis
A Live-Action Graphic Novel Spectacular
Edison Theatre
8 p.m. Friday, November 18
8 p.m. Saturday, November 19
1,250 individually hand-drawn, blow-your-mind comic book images elevate this sci-fi radio play to a whole new genre of theater. Live the adventure with Molly, Timmy and Ben as they fight to save the world from an invading force of sludge monsters from the planet Zygon! Start with three actors voicing dozens of characters. Mix in one Foley artist producing hundreds of sounds. Add one keyboardist and graphic projections to make this period science fiction piece an adventure. It's a radio play gone wild.
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Brian Brooks Moving Company
"Brooks's brilliant escalating repetitions call for endurance on the part of the performers… Smart, utterly unpretentious heroes, they make your eyes water and your spirit soar." — The Village Voice
Brian Brooks Moving Company
MOTOR
Edison Theatre
8 p.m. Friday, January 20
8 p.m. Saturday, January 21
Cheeky wit, punchy color, mathematical intricacy and superhuman physicality infuse the Brian Brooks Moving Company's signature, minimalist works with an unexpected but delightful sense of whimsy. Using three miles of sky blue cord, Brian Brooks creates a large-scale tunnel-like installation that encompasses both audience and artists. Within this vibrant, large-scale installation, dancers wrestle with themselves and one another in sequences that amplify our linear perception of time. Structuring informal movement in a formal way, choreographer Brian Brooks builds each moment off the previous one, creating a never-ending chain reaction.
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Dala Girls
"...the angels of folk music. Ethereal, eloquent and downright beautiful..." — Exclaim! Magazine
Dala
Edison Theatre
8 p.m. Saturday, February 18
Pop singer/songwriters Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine have it all: talent, looks, charm and heavenly, harmonious singing voices. The name, Dala, was formed by combining the two last letters of each artist's name. This Canadian duo has captured the hearts of festival-goers and music-lovers across North America with their signature style of acoustic pop music and their lush harmonies. In the summer of 2010, Dala's PBS special Girls from the North Country was broadcast across North America. This concert featured Dala's own songs interwoven around classics by Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot. The live CD and DVD for Girls from the North Country earned Dala the 2010 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year. The live album was also nominated for a 2011 Juno Award in the category Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Group.
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The Water Coolers
"… a breezy, satirical 'Dilbert'-like musical revue that tickles the ears and funnybones." — Associated Press
The Water Coolers
Edison Theatre
8 p.m. Saturday, February 25
The Water Coolers is a "laugh-out-loud" musical comedy about the things we share around the water coolers of America everyday: life, work, kids, travel, technology and trying to balance it all. From pretending you understand what the IT guy is saying to trying to figure out exactly what that "one guy" does all day, this hilarious evening of original songs, sketch comedy and pop parodies will help you make it through the week. It's not just about work. It's about life.
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Ballet Hispanico
"Ballet Hispanico dances with elegance and lyricism… [their] graceful phrases look effortless." — Washington Post
Ballet Hispanico
Edison Theatre
8 p.m. Friday, March 2
8 p.m. Saturday, March 3
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Ballet Hispanico has earned its reputation as the foremost dance representative of Hispanic culture in the United States and has been hailed by the Chicago Sun Times as "gorgeous to look at and thrilling to watch." Under new artistic director Eduardo Vilaro, the company continues to share the rich cultural heritage of the Latino people through their fusion of classical, contemporary and Latin dance. Ballet Hispanico has an innovative repertory where theatricality and passion propel every move.
*Funded in part by the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts. NDP is supported by lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with additional funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation, and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust.
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Soweto Gospel Choir
"…the music was both meticulous and unstoppable … the songs were both spirited and spectacular." — The New York Times
Soweto Gospel Choir
560 Music Center
8 p.m. Friday, March 23
Soweto Gospel Choir returns to the Ovations series for a special one-night-only performance with their harmonic blend of traditional African music that echoes the heart and soul of South Africa. This awe-inspiring vocal ensemble performs in eight different languages. It is an inspirational program that combines a mix of earthy rhythms and rich harmonies drawn from the soul of the land. Strong, proud and full of life, their voices resonate with the spirit of their people. In 2009 the choir became the first South African artists to perform at the Academy Awards when they performed with Peter Gabriel their Grammy-winning song Down to Earth from the blockbuster Wall-E movie.