Works & Process at the Guggenheim Announces Spring 2019 Season

Works & Process at the Guggenheim is pleased to announce its spring 2019 season. Since 1984 the performing arts series has championed new works and offered audiences unprecedented access to leading creators. Programs explore the artistic process through stimulating discussions and riveting performance highlights. Each 70-minute program takes place in the intimate Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Peter B. Lewis Theater. Additional information is available at worksandprocess.org.

New this season:

Ticket holders are invited to mingle at the The Wright restaurant during happy hour from 5:30-7:30 pm before evening performances, and meet the artists at receptions in the rotunda following most evening programs.

Lead funding for Works & Process is provided by the Florence Gould Foundation, the Christian Humann Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Evelyn Sharp Foundation, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Spring 2019 Season Schedule

DANCE AND MUSIC COMMISSION

Caleb Teicher & Co. with Conrad Tao: More Forever

Sunday, January 6, 3 and 7:30 pm

Monday, January 7, 7:30 pm

A new Works & Process commission featuring Caleb Teicher & Company and Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Conrad Tao's in collaboration for their first evening-length work, More Forever. On a stage covered by a thin layer of sand, dancers explore American dance traditions such as vernacular jazz, tap, and Lindy Hop, set to Tao's new contemporary score for piano and electronics.

Leadership support for this Works & Process program provided by Charles and Deborah Adelman, with music commissioned by the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation.

DANCE * LIGHTING

The Choreography of Light by Brandon Stirling Baker

Friday and Sunday, January 18 and 20, 7:30 pm

Explore the past, present, and future of lighting for ballet with visual artist and Boston Ballet lighting director Brandon Stirling Baker. A frequent collaborator with choreographer Justin Peck and a diverse group of artists including Anthony Roth Costanzo, Benjamin Millepied, Sufjan Stevens, Jamar Roberts, Michelle Dorrance, Emery LeCrone, and Shepard Fairey, Baker will present this world premiere developed through the Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University. Inspired by the close relationship between choreography and lighting design, this program will feature an excerpt of brand-new choreography by Justin Peck for an upcoming Houston Ballet premiere performed by Chun Wei Chan, Harper Watters, and Jessica Collado; new music by Sufjan Stevens; and new choreography by Jamar Roberts performed by Patricia Delgado, Sarah Daley, and Taylor Stanley. New York Times dance writer Marina Harss will moderate the discussion.

DANCE

Houston Ballet: Sylvia by Stanton Welch

Saturday, January 19, 3 and 7:30 pm

Prior to the premiere in February at Houston's recently renovated Wortham Theater, join artistic director and choreographer Stanton Welch as he shares his creative process for his new ballet Sylvia, set to Léo Delibes's famous score, with costume and scenic designs by Jerome Kaplan and projections by Wendall K. Harrington. Six company dancers will perform excerpts from the classic story of the powerful mythological heroine, the huntress Sylvia, and her love for a mortal shepherd, showcasing a constellation of figures from Greek mythology woven together in a tapestry of three love stories.

MUSICAL

Be More Chill by Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz, with Stephen Brackett, Chase Brock,

and Robert Klitzman

Monday, January 21, 7:30 pm

Written by Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz, based on the acclaimed 2004 novel by Ned Vizzini, and directed by Stephen Brackett, with choreography by Chase Brock, Be More Chill is a musical about Jeremy Heere, an average teenager. That is, until he finds out about "The Squip"-a tiny supercomputer that promises to bring him everything he desires most: a date with Christine, an invite to the raddest party of the year, and a chance to survive life in his suburban New Jersey high school. A truly hilarious, honest, and invigorating look at the lengths one will go to get the girl, Be More Chill is set to some of the most vibrant and exciting songs in musical theater today. At Works & Process, the creators discuss their creative process and, in a twist, Dr. Robert Klitzman, Director of the Masters of Bioethics Program at Columbia University, explores the bioethical implications of the musical. Cast members will perform highlights prior to the production's Broadway premiere.

THEATER

Steppenwolf and the National Theatre: Downstate by Bruce Norris

Monday, January 28, 7:30 pm

Following the world premiere at Steppenwolf in Chicago and prior to the London premiere at The National Theatre of Great Britain, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Steppenwolf ensemble member Bruce Norris (Clybourne Park) discusses his provocative new play Downstate. Set in downstate Illinois, in a group home shared by four sex offenders negotiating their place in a world that doesn't want them, Downstate pushes moral boundaries as it questions what happens when society deems anyone unworthy of forgiveness. For the first time in New York, Steppenwolf ensemble members, including Glenn Davis, K. Todd Freeman, Francis Guinan, and Tim Hopper, will perform highlights from the play.

OPERA

The Glimmerglass Festival: Blue by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson

Monday, February 11, 7:30 pm

Blue centers on the hopes and fears of a young black couple as they raise a son in 21st-century America. Prior to the world premiere, Glimmerglass Festival artistic and general director Francesca Zambello moderates a discussion with the work's creators, Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson, with members of the cast performing highlights from this new opera.

MUSIC * PHOTOGRAPHY * THEATER

ArKtype: Triptych (Eyes of One on Another) by Bryce Dessner and Korde Arrington Tuttle, with Daniel Fish and Roomful of Teeth

Sunday, February 17, 3 and 7:30 pm

Thirty years after the artist Robert Mapplethorpe's death, in conjunction with the Guggenheim'sImplicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Nowexhibition, Triptych (Eyes of One on Another) is a new music theater work, taking the artist's critically acclaimed and controversial photographs as a point of departure. Prior to the work's New York premiere at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music, composer Bryce Dessner, librettist Korde Arrington Tuttle, director Daniel Fish, and Roomful of Teeth, with a live chamber orchestra, discuss their creative process and perform highlights from their new collaboration. Through music, projection of Mapplethorpe's images, and use of both theatrical and photographic lighting techniques, Triptych (Eyes of One on Another) puts the audience inside the artist's bold and voracious view of how human beings look, touch, feel, hurt, and love one another.

Triptych (Eyes of One on Another) is the first live/theatrical performance of its kind to integrate the work of Robert Mapplethorpe. Produced by ArKtype / Thomas O. Kriegsmann, the work features a libretto by Korde Arrington Tuttle with poetry by Essex Hemphill and Patti Smith, music direction by Brad Wells, lighting by Yuki Nakase, and costumes by Carlos Soto.

THEATER

Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus by Taylor Mac, with Nathan Lane, Andrea Martin, and George C. Wolfe

Monday, February 18, 7:30 pm

Prior to the Broadway opening and world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-finalist and MacArthur Fellow Taylor Mac's new comedy, three-time Tony Award-winning actor Nathan Lane and two-time Tony Award-winning actress Andrea Martin perform highlights from the play and join five-time Tony Award-winning director George C. Wolfe and Mac for a moderated discussion. Set just after the blood-soaked conclusion of William Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, Gary intersects Mac's singular world view with Shakespeare's first tragedy. Taking place during the fall of the Roman Empire, the years of bloody battles are over, the country has been stolen by madmen, there are casualties everywhere, and two very lowly servants, Lane and Martin, are charged with cleaning up the bodies. It's the year 400-but it feels like the end of the world.

MUSICAL

Jerome Robbins' Broadway

Sunday, February 24, 3 and 7:30 pm

Monday, February 25, 7:30 pm

In 1989, choreographer and director Jerome Robbins created a celebration of his work and contributions to the Broadway musical. Titled Jerome Robbins' Broadway, the show consisted of dances and songs from Broadway musicals he choreographed and directed over the years including On the Town, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, and Peter Pan. To celebrate Jerome Robbins' centennial and the 30th anniversary of Jerome Robbins' Broadway, author Steven Suskin will moderate a discussion with original cast members and creatives. The conversation will also include screenings of rare archival videos and live performances of original numbers by American Dance Machine for the 21st Century, Rosie's Theater Kids, New York City Ballet soloist Georgina Pazcoguin, and American Ballet Theatre soloist Calvin Royal III. Jerome Robbins' Broadway original cast member and Tony Award-nominee Robert LaFosse will also restage selections for this special event.

MUSICAL

Signature Theatre: Octet by Dave Malloy, with Paige Evans and Annie Tippe

Sunday, March 3, 7:30 pm

Three-time Tony Award-nominee Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) begins his residency as Signature's first musical theatre writer with the world premiere of Octet, a musical directed by Annie Tippe (Ghost Quartet). Featuring a score for an a cappella chamber choir and an original libretto inspired by internet comment boards, scientific debates, religious texts, and Sufi poetry, Octet explores addiction and nihilism within the messy context of 21st century technology. Artistic director Paige Evans moderates a discussion with Malloy and Tippe, with cast members performing highlights prior to the premiere.

Leadership support for this Works & Process program provided by Nina Matis.

DANCE

The Washington Ballet: Julie Kent with Dana Genshaft and Ethan Stiefel

Sunday and Monday, March 10 and 11, 7:30 pm

The Washington Ballet artistic director Julie Kent, a champion of new choreography, discusses newly commissioned work with choreographers Dana Genshaft and Ethan Stiefel. Company dancers perform exclusive highlights prior to their April 3rd premieres in Washington, D.C.

Leadership support for this Works & Process program provided by Monica B. Voldstad.

OPERA

The Santa Fe Opera: The Thirteenth Child by Poul Ruders and Becky and David Starobin, with Darko Tresnjak and Rita Ryack

Sunday, April 7, 7:30 pm

The composer of The Handmaid's Tale, Poul Ruders,takes you behind the scenes of his latest work, The Thirteenth Child. Explore this new opera with Ruders, librettists Becky and David Starobin, director Darko Tresnjak, and costume designer Rita Ryack in anticipation of its world premiere at The Santa Fe Opera. A "down-to-the-wire" thriller inspired by The Brothers Grimm. The tale begins when paranoid king banishes his twelve sons in favor of Lyra, the thirteenth child. When Princess Lyra learns about her long-lost brothers, she embarks on a quest to find them, starting on adventure with an enchanted forest, riddles, a handsome prince, a horrible mistake, and a nearly-impossible feat for Princess Lyra to perform if everything is to be put right. The creators will discuss their artistic process and highlights will be performed.

OPERA WORLD PREMIERE

HILMA by Benjamin Staern and Mira Bartov with Fredrik and Mette af Klint

Monday and Tuesday, April 15 and 16, 7:30 pm

On the occasion of the exhibition Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future, see the world premiere of an opera about Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, inspired by her unique body of spiritual works. Mette af Klint plays the enigmatic Hilma, while Fredrik af Klint (a relative of the artist) portrays Rudolf Steiner. Composer Benjamin Staern connects tones and timbres with the colors and shapes of af Klint's abstract works. The chamber opera, directed by librettist Mira Bartov with costumes by Ulrika Lilliehöök, highlights pivotal moments from af Klint's life, and features motion generated projections of her work and accompaniment by pianist Stefan Lindgren, violinist Victoria Stjerna, and cellist Andreas Lavothe.

Produced by Mette af Klint in collaboration with Swedish Arts Council, Swedish Performing Arts Agency, and the Swedish Arts Grants Committee.

MUSICAL

Atlantic Theater Company: The Secret Life of Bees by Lynn Nottage, Duncan Sheik, and Susan Birkenhead, with Sam Gold

Monday, April 22, 7:30 pm

Set in South Carolina in 1964, Sue Monk Kidd's best-selling novel, The Secret Life of Bees, centers on Lily Owens, a restless white teenager who struggles with her merciless father and the haunting memory of her mother's death. When Rosaleen, her black caregiver, is beaten and jailed for asserting her right to vote, Lily's rebellious spirit is ignited. She and Rosaleen escape on an adventure where they are taken in by a trio of black beekeeping sisters. While Lily tries to unlock the secrets of her past, she and Rosaleen find solace in the mesmerizing world of bees and spirituality in this extraordinary tale of awakening, fellowship, and healing.

Prior to the world premiere, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Lynn Nottage (Sweat), Tony- and Grammy Award-winning composer Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening), two-time Tony-nominee and Drama Desk-winning lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Jelly's Last Jam), and Tony-winning director Sam Gold (Fun Home) discuss their collaboration and creative process of turning Sue Monk Kidd's novel into a musical. Cast members will also perform highlights.

COSTUME AND DANCE COMMISSION

Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung Design Dialogues with Institute for the Study of the Ancient World's Hymn to Apollo: The Ancient World and the Ballets Russes

Sunday and Monday, April 28 and 29, 7:30 pm

Inspired by NYU's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World's (ISAW) upcoming exhibition Hymn to Apollo: The Ancient World and the Ballets Russes, the first exhibition to focus specifically on the role of ancient world and the Ballet Russes, costume designers Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung use original Ballets Russes costumes and designs as their point of departure for this Works & Process costume and dance commission. As part of the dialogue, a performative intervention featuring Bartelme and Jung's new costume designs will infuse the exhibition's opening at ISAW.

Photo Credit: Robert Altman