BWW Preview: ROCO, Horse Head Theatre Co., and the Houston Zoo Team Up Today for PETER AND THE BEAR, 1/27

The Age of the Bear has arrived. Well, at the Houston Zoo at least. In August, the Zoo opened The Hamill Foundation Black Bear Exhibit, a completely redesigned home for the Zoo's two five-year-old North American black bears, Belle and Willow. And this Sunday, January 27, 2019, at 2, 3 and 4 p.m., ROCO (River Oaks Chamber Orchestra), immersive theater company Horse Head Theatre Co., and design house Magpies & Peacocks team up with the Zoo to present PETER AND THE BEAR, an adaptation of Sergei Prokofiev's PETER AND THE WOLF.

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But PETER AND THE BEAR won't veer too far away from its wolf-led predecessor, says Alecia Lawyer, ROCO founder and oboist for the piece. For the past 10 years, ROCO has presented PETER AND THE WOLF as an accompaniment to the now closed Houston Zoo wolf exhibit. The change in character and title gives a double hat tip to the new bear exhibit, both highlighting the zoo's conservation project and serving as a housewarming gift for Belle and Willow. So there is still a clever boy named Peter. But in this case, he will capture a bear instead of a wolf.

Composer Sergei Prokofiev saw PETER AND THE WOLF as a way to introduce children to the instruments of the orchestra and show them that instruments could play characters just like humans could. The string section plays Peter. The oboe is the duck. The clarinet is the cat. The bassoon is Peter's incorrigible grandfather. The French horns is the wolf.

But Lawyer sees the story in music as multi-generational piece fit for parents and grandparents or cool aunts and fun uncles alike. "If you remember [PETER AND THE WOLF] from your childhood, or you're inquisitive about the zoo, or just to come and see instruments you may not have ever heard before, it's for you," says Lawyer. "We're all about relighting the pilot light in adults."

PETER AND THE BEAR is part of ROCO's Connections series, which concludes in March with ROCO Connections: Musical Chairs, a progressive concert tour hosted at the Heritage Society. The series is a form of community outreach for the chamber orchestra, a way to meet audiences on their own turf as well as be a lightning rod for different spaces throughout the city. "[The Connections series] puts us in conversation with different people," Lawyer says, "[And] we bring music to unique places in Houston to highlight the uniqueness of Houston.

ROCO Musicians: Alecia Lawyer (Oboe), Daniel Chrisman (Bassoon), Gavin Reed (French Horn), Rebecca Powell Garfield (Flute), Maiko Sasaki (Clarinet), Jesus Pacheco & Christina Carroll (Percussion).

Horse Head Theatre Co. Jacey Little (Director), Clair Hummel (Costume Designer), Brittny Bush (Peter), Dano Colon (The Bear), Wesley Whitson (The Bird & Grandfather), and Gabe Regojo (The Duck & Hunter).

ROCO is a dynamic and innovative professional music ensemble that flexes from 1 to 40 players from all over the US and Canada, with guest artists from around the world. Since its inception, ROCO has premiered over 75 commissions from living American composers. ROCO also embraces technology, with free worldwide concert live-streams and real-time artist commentary via a smartphone app, as well as on-demand recordings of past concerts via The Listening Room.

Horse Head Theatre Co. mission is to re-energize Houston audiences with theatrically designed experiences using nontraditional methods and local talent. Historically Horse Head utilizes "found" and site-specific spaces, producing events outside of traditional arts venues that further enhance our storytelling. HH is committed to producing new and innovative works, providing theatrical experiences with explosive design elements, audience interaction, immersive qualities and pre-show "ritual" or "ceremonial" activities.

Magpies & Peacocks provides post consumer raw materials as part of their programs to promote sustainability, circular design, social responsibility and ethical practice systemically. The design house offers a budget friendly, creative solution to keeping fashion out of landfill.

PETER AND THE BEAR. Narration by Horse Head Theatre Co. Orchestral music by ROCO. Featuring textiles from Magpies & Peacocks. Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 p.m. at the Houston Zoo's George R. Brown Conservation Education Center, 6200 Hermann Park Drive. For tickets and information, please call 713-665-2700 or visit roco.org/performances/roco-connections-peter-and-the-bear. Concert free with zoo admission. Zoo admission tickets range from free to $19.95. Discounted rates for seniors and children 11 and under. PETER AND THE BEAR runs 25 minutes.

Photos Credit: Blue Print Films

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