Boston Court Pasadena Announces 2019 Season
By: A.A. Cristi Nov. 08, 2018
Boston Court Pasadena will bring another daring year of theater and music events to Southern California for their 2019 season, and welcomes the S. Mark Taper Foundation as sponsor of the 2019 theater season. Artistic Directors Jessica Kubzansky, Michael Michetti and Mark Saltzman have programmed more than 100 performances of music and theater on two stages, continuing the company's dedication to new work, reimagined classics, and both emerging and established artists.
Artistic Director Michael Michetti helms the first theatrical offering: David Hare's The Judas Kiss (February 15 - March 24) tells the story of Oscar Wilde's love for Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas - tracking his downfall as he endures a brutal trial and life in exile. The play examines a literary icon who continues to hold onto his passionate ideals of beauty as his life crumbles around him. David Hare, the British playwright behind Plenty, Skylight, and Stuff Happens creates "an emotionally rich drama illuminated by Hare's customary insight and humanity." (The Globe and MaiI).
Boston Court Pasadena's music offerings, curated by Artistic Director Mark Saltzman, launch with a Valentine's performance by Pink Martini's Storm Large, followed the next night by One Body, a one-man opera based on the transcendentalist works of Walt Whitman and St. Augustine (February 15). The music season runs throughout the year and is comprised of more than 30 concerts in a wide variety of styles including classical, new music, jazz, cabaret, contemporary chamber music, and opera. The series features acclaimed local, regional, and national musicians and ensembles, including partnerships with L.A.-based organizations Piano Spheres, Synchromy, Microfest, and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra. Notably, the 2019 music season will also include the world premiere concert of The Passion of Alexander McQueen, an opera based on the life of the fashion designer with libretto by William Nedved and music by Project Runway winner and classically-trained pianist Kentaro Kameyama (March 1).
Theater offerings continue with the 15th annual New Play Reading Festival (April 4 - 13), a series of workshops and readings of new works-in-progress. Of the 34 world premiere productions produced in Boston Court's history (through 2018), 18 were first discovered as part of the New Play Reading Festival, making this program an important pipeline of new work for the company.
The theater season continues with the world premiere of Ladies (May 23 - June 30) by Kit Steinkellner and directed by Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky. Workshopped as part of Boston Court's 2018 New Play Reading Festival, Ladies is a fictional account of the birth of The Blue Stocking Society, the world's first major feminist movement in 1750s London which promoted female education, authorship and readership. As a playwright, Kit Steinkellner's work has been produced Off-Broadway at Playwright's Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater, at San Diego's Old Globe and at the Kennedy Center. She is the creator and executive producer of the Facebook Watch half-hour series Sorry for Your Loss starring Elizabeth Olsen.
The world premiere of How the Light Gets In (September 19 - October 27), directed by Boston Court Literary Manager Emilie Beck, concludes the 2019 theatrical season. Also workshopped as part of the 2018 New Play Reading Festival, How the Light Gets In was inspired by lyrics from Leonard Cohen's Anthem. The play finds four people - a travel writer who never travels, a Japanese architect who can't figure out how to build a simple tea house, a gifted tattoo artist who resists the power of his talents and a homeless girl who lives under a weeping willow tree in the Japanese Garden - searching for the safety of home. Writer E.M. Lewis is best known for her plays The Gun Show -- which has been produced at more than 30 different theatres across the United States, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - as well as Song of Extinction.
"This season really exemplifies Boston Court Pasadena's mission of bringing new and groundbreaking art to our stages," notes Executive Director Kyle Clausen. "I'm thrilled that Michael, Jessica, and Mark have assembled such a bold and eclectic season. I know both longtime Boston Court patrons, as well as brand new ones, will be blown away by the quality of our programming and the intimacy of our venues."
Flexible subscriptions, as well as a theatre-only subscription, are now available for the 2019 season and range from $54 - $130. Also available is the Full Court Pass, which allows unlimited access to tickets to any Boston Court Pasadena season performances for $25/month. Visit BostonCourtPasadena.org or call 626.683.6801 to subscribe.
BOSTON COURT PASADENA
2019 THEATER AND MUSIC SEASON
THEATRE
THE JUDAS KISS
By David Hare
Directed by Michael Michetti
February 15 - March 24, 2019
In spring of 1895, Oscar Wilde was larger than life. His masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, was a hit in the West End and he was the toast of London. Yet by summer he was serving two years in prison for gross indecency. Punished for "the love that dare not speak its name," Wilde remained devoted to his beloved, Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas. The Judas Kiss revolves around two pivotal moments in his life: the day when, cajoled by Bosie into an ill-fated trial, he decides to stay in England and face imprisonment, and a night when, after his release two years later, the lover for whom he risked everything betrays him again. David Hare's masterful play pulses with the ecstasy and anguish of an enamored heart.
The 15th Annual
NEW PLAY READING FESTIVAL
April 4 - 13, 2019
Readings of exciting NEW works-in-progress that are in keeping with our mission to bring you risky, adventurous plays that you won't find anywhere else in Southern California.
A World Premiere
LADIES
Directed by Jessica Kubzansky
May 23 - June 30, 2019
They were pioneers who tried to accomplish something no one had ever done before with no path, no road map, and no rules. And in the short term, they failed spectacularly. Ladies is a fictional account of the birth of The Blue Stocking Society, the world's first major feminist movement in 1750s London, told through a modern lens. The ladies' ambitious goals soon create scandal in London society and conflicts amongst themselves, escalating into a tangled knot of electric and jagged relationships. These women are emboldened by their righteous cause and burdened by being revolutionaries far ahead of their time. This deliciously funny and irreverent world premiere examines the humanity and passion of these trailblazing ladies, and inspires us to carry on the work they began.
A World Premiere
HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN
By E.M. Lewis
Directed by Emilie Beck
September 19 - October 27, 2019
"There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."
A travel writer who never travels. A Japanese architect who can't figure out how to build a simple tea house. A gifted tattoo artist who resists the power of his talents. And a homeless girl who lives under a weeping willow tree in the Japanese Garden. Four lonely people, their stories written on paper, earth, and skin, find each other when one of them falls apart. Together they realize the heart is as strong as it is fragile, and that the safety of home might be found in the most fearsome explorations. A beautiful, haunting, and richly human world premiere from the author of The Gun Show and Song of Extinction.
MUSIC - CLASSICAL, CONTEMPORARY, & OPERA
ONE BODY
FEB 15, 8PM
Timur Bekbosunov, Tenor, and the Isaura Quartet
A semi-staged one-man opera by composer John Kennedy based on the texts of Walt Whitman and St. Augustine. "A moving work of truth and beauty, more lasting than perhaps even Kennedy knows." - Charleston Courier
KALEIDOSCOPE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
FEB 16, 2PM
The Three B's: Beethoven, Bartók and Billy
Four top-notch string players are drawn from one of L.A.'s favorite conductor-less chamber orchestras to play a program of seminal string quartets by the Big Three: Ludwig van Beethoven, Bela Bartók and Billy Childs.
DELIRIUM MUSICUM
FEB 22, 8PM
From Ancient Aires to Modern Masterpieces
Influenced by the bustling artistic mosaic of Southern California, Delirium Musicum applies its dazzling creativity and limitless excitement to all genres from the baroque to scores that were virtually written yesterday.
THEA MUSGRAVE: IN-PERSON
FEB 23, 8PM
Happy Birthday Thea!
Boston Court celebrates the 90th birthday of the internationally renowned Scottish composer, Thea Musgrave, with a concert featuring The Eclipse Quartet, Mark Robson, and a host of luminous guests. Join us for a pre-show talk with Ms. Musgrave and composer Jack Van Zandt, beginning at 7:15PM.
THE PASSION OF ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
MAR 1, 8PM
Baritone David Castillo and Mezzo-Soprano Peabody Southwell
The world premiere of a new opera based on the famous couture designer's fascinating life with libretto by William Nedved, and music by fashion designer (and Project Runway winner) Kentaro Kameyama.
USC GRADUATE STUDENTS IN VOCAL PERFORMANCE
MAR 2, 8PM
Gertrude Stein: There is No There There (Or is There?)
An singing exploration of the words and life of one of the most interesting and controversial female writers in American history. Featuring Tender Buttons, a new song cycle for string quartet and multiple singers by composer Jordan Nelson.
THE VILLIERS QUARTET
MAR 16, 8PM
Indubitably Music for Strings
The prestigious Villiers Quartet hops the pond to present a program of exceptional English string quartets, including works by Thea Musgrave, Frank Bridge, and the world premiere of Goehr's string quartet #5.
AN AFTERNOON WITH DAVID LOCKINGTON
MAR 24, 2PM
Cellist on the Loose
The Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony wields his cello instead of a baton in this concert featuring unaccompanied Bach, the rarely heard Bridge cello sonata, his own original compositions, and the Maestro's talent for unexpected improvisation!
LOS ANGELES CHILDREN'S CHORUS CHAMBER SINGERS
MAR 31, 2PM
Voices in Harmony
A glorious concert of choral music featuring the most prestigious children's chorus on the West Coast.
PIANO SPHERES: SUSAN SVRCEK
SEP 20, 8PM
Piano Spheres founding member Susan Svr?ek returns to Boston Court with her incandescent piano artistry and technical brilliance in a program devoted solely to the most beautiful keyboard music of Mozart.
KALEIDOSCOPE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
SEP 21, 8PM
Pierrot in the Moonlight
The splendid conductor-less orchestra returns for the fall season to Boston Court with a staged performance of Arnold Schoenberg's 20th-century masterpiece, Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21, a setting of 21 selected poems from Albert Giraud's cycle of the same name as translated to German by Otto Erich Hartleben.
PIANO SPHERES: MARK ROBSON
OCT 4, 8PM
Robson has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a pianist with "one of the great techniques," "an inquiring mind" and a performer capable of evoking an "exquisite engulfing pastel haze," and he continues to impress with his multi-faceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher.
THE VIANO QUARTET
OCT 6, 2PM
Classical Dreams
The Viano Quartet makes their Boston Court debut this season with a program of classical string favorites. Considered one of the Colburn School's premiere string ensembles, they recently returned from London as one of the triumphant winners of the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition.
MUSIC - NEW MUSIC
A COMPANION GUIDE TO WOMEN COMPOSERS AND ROME
MAR 9, 8PM
Madalyn Parnas, violin; Marina Thibeault, viola; and Juliette Herlin, cello
Flowing with the energy of International Women's Day, this dynamic female trio present a program of works by female composers including Lera Auerbach, Anna Pidgorna, Rebecca Clarke, and Kaja Saariaho as well as Andrew Norman's The Companion Guide to Rome.
MICROFEST: THE LYRIS QUARTET
MAR 15, 8PM
A Tribute to American composer Ben Johnston
A survey of the extraordinary and challenging chamber music by one of this country's foremost composers of microtonal music.
HOCKET: THE COMPOSER/PERFORMER TRIO INITIATIVE
MAR 23, 8PM
Sarah Gibson and Thomas Kotcheff, pianists
A program of new trios featuring composers as performers of their own compositions along with the HOCKET duo and other guest artists from the L.A. Signal Lab. Includes world premiere commissions from tenor saxophonist Hitomi Oba and percussionist Derek Tywoniuk.
THE APERTURE DUO: LINNEA POWELL AND ADRIENNE POPE
MAR 30, 8PM
whisper / sing / speak
A theatrical, chamber music concert featuring performance art, improvisation, and virtuosic string playing with works by emerging U.S. and Mexican composers John Ivers, Erika Vega, Erin Rogers, Noah Meites, and Georges Aperghis.
LOS ANGELES PERCUSSION QUARTET
SEP 27, 8PM
10th Anniversary Bash
Since 2009, the GRAMMY nominated LAPQ has forged its distinct identity as a world-class contemporary chamber music ensemble dedicated to commissioning and presenting new works for percussion quartet.
PIANO SPHERES: VICKI RAY AND PLR
SEP 28, 8PM
The Piano Trio Extraordinaire
Energizing the modern repertoire written specifically for piano, violin and cello, Vicki is joined by cellist Tim Loo and violinist Alyssa Park to create their own unique and dynamic exploration of the musical landscape that dwells in the City of Angels.
BRIGHTWORK NEW MUSIC
OCT 5, 8PM
Falling
A new music-theater work based on the award-winning poetry of James Dickey who traced the real life experience of a flight attendant's fall from an airplane and his transcendental journey to the ground.
SYNCHROMY
OCT 12, 8PM
Game Night
Synchromy, the L.A. composer collective, teams up with Autoduplicity for an evening of musical games and games that make music. A concert of world premieres that includes everything from pattycake to trivia, and bouncing balls to video games.
BRIDGE TO EVERYWHERE
OCT 19, 8PM
Music without Borders
The program explores connections found in a variety of cross-cultural musical traditions featuring works by the composer collective Code Switch (Reena Esmail, Juan Pablo Contreras, Derrick Spiva Jr.).
ALEXANDER MILLER, GUITAR
OCT 25, 8PM
To....Oblivion: Historic Landmarks Around Los Angeles
A multi-media project conceived and performed by Mr. Miller using electric guitar, sound effects and visuals to describe six seminal landmarks in the Los Angeles area that have been either indelibly altered or destroyed.
MUSIC - JAZZ & POPULAR
STORM AT LARGE
FEB 14, 8PM
Storm Large, vocalist
Storm Large is well known for being one of the iconic chanteuses of the band Pink Martini. Experience the glorious voice and the gutsy outpourings of this force of nature in the intimate environs of the Branson.
LOS CAMBALACHE
MAR 8, 8PM
Made in LA
This energetic East L.A. band plays son jarocho music, a musical style from Veracruz, Mexico shaped by indigenous and African culture, as well as Spanish influences. Each concert is a celebration, sure to leave you smiling and dancing in the aisles.
MAR 22, 8PM
National Geographic
Spend an evening with the multi-talented artist Daniel Zaitchik as he debuts his latest set of autobiographical songs from his new album about journeys and travels from both near and far.
THE LAO TIZER BAND
MAR 29, 8PM
Jazz on Fire
Pianist Lao Tizer is the son of hippies with a Russian-Jewish background. His family culture, combined with the sights and sounds of '80s and '90s pop culture in which he grew up, result in consistently energetic and sizzling performances.
Rod Gilfry IN CONCERT
OCT 18, 8PM
The highly acclaimed, world-renowned, operatic baritone comes to Boston Court for the first time with his newly conceived and never performed one man, cabaret-style show.
THE Josh Nelson BAND
OCT 26, 8PM
Jazz for the Autumnal Season
Born and raised in Southern California, pianist-composer-bandleader Josh Nelson toured with legendary vocalist Natalie Cole for many years, and today he continues to elevate the world of jazz to new heights.
Additional music artists to be announced.
About Boston Court Pasadena
Located in Pasadena, California, Boston Court Pasadena is nonprofit arts center primarily dedicated to new and original work by living artists. Founded in 2003 by philanthropist Z. Clark Branson, Boston Court features a state-of-the-art, intimate facility designed to bring audiences and artists closer together. The 80-seat Marjorie Branson Performance Space and the 99-seat Main Stage serve as homes for Boston Court's season of bold, risky theatre and its eclectic, diverse music series. Boston Court is also the home of an annual new play reading festival, an Emerging Artists Series, as well as Art Upfront, a rotating visual arts program. Boston Court is led by an 14-member Board of Directors, Executive Director Kyle Clausen, and Artistic Directors Jessica Kubzansky and Michael Michetti (Theatre), and Mark Saltzman (Music).
Key funding is provided by Los Angeles County Arts Commission, The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Shubert Foundation, The Colburn Foundation, Lazy L Foundation, Pasadena Arts & Cultural Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division, The Amphion Foundation, and the Z. Clark Branson Foundation. The 2019 theatre season is sponsored by the S. Mark Taper Foundation.
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