MATRIX:MIDLAND Festival Runs 5/27-6/14 With Events At Midland Center

MATRIX:MIDLAND at Midland Center for the Arts has announced the launch of its 31st annual MATRIX:MIDLAND Festival, featuring world-class performers, musicians and professional speakers. This year's festival runs from Wednesday, May 27 through Sunday, June 14 with all events taking place at Midland Center for the Arts. Tickets go on sale Monday, April 13, 2009. Information and ticket prices are available online at www.mcfta.org or by calling the Ticket Office at 989-631-8250 or 800-523-7649.

Always an exhilarating and eclectic array of entertainment, this year's MATRIX:MIDLAND Festival highlights include: improvisational comedy the whole family can enjoy with two of the best-known comics in the field; an entertaining and enlightening evening celebrating the return of the cocktail; a master of origami demonstrating the art and the science of the fold; a frolicsome performance by Cirque veterans combining dance, acrobatics and theatre; and a multi-platinum country music performer turning up the heat with his chart-topping songs.

The 2009 MATRIX:MIDLAND Festival is sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Corning Corporation, MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland, William Blair & Company, Tri-Star Trust Bank and MATRIX:MIDLAND Lecture Series Support Fund.

MATRIX:MIDLAND Festival 2009 - AT A GLANCE:

· An Evening with Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood - Get ready for non-stop laughs when these comic stars from ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?" take the stage! (May 27)
· "How's Your Drink?" with Eric Felten - Cocktails are king once more! Learn why they're making such a comeback with this award-winning author and Wall Street Journal columnist. (May 28)
· From Flapping Birds to Space Telescopes: The Modern Science of Origami - Physicist-turned-artist Robert Lang discusses some surprising applications for this ancient art of paper folding. (Jun 1)
· Origami Workshop: "Learning to Fold Artistically" - Learn to fold an origami figure in this fun-filled two-hour workshop with renowned origami artist Robert Lang. (May 31 & June 1)
· Cirque Mechanics in Birdhouse Factory - The incomparable troupe of veteran Cirque performers fly, climb and contort their way in a circus-like setting. Industrial-strength family fun! (June 5)
· "Purse Universe" - Is a woman's purse a window into her soul? Find out at this entertaining presentation with photographer Barbara G. S. Hagerty, author of Handbags. (June 10)
· Blake Shelton - This multi-platinum country music artist will turn up the heat performing songs from his new album Startin' Fires and more! (June 14)

MATRIX:MIDLAND Festival 2009 - DETAILS:

An Evening with Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood
Wednesday, May 27 @ 8 p.m. - Auditorium - Midland Center for the Arts
Get ready for an evening of non-stop laughs when these two comic stars from the Emmy-nominated "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" take the stage! Using only their lightning-fast wit, Mochrie and Sherwood take suggestions from the audience and instantly invent hilarious, unrehearsed skits, games and songs.
Don't miss this evening of wholesome fun intended for the whole family. This is genuine improvisational comedy at its very best! Arrive early to enjoy the Garden Pub & Patio beginning at 6 p.m.!
Visit www.colinandbradshow.com for more information.
Tickets: $34 to $38

"How's Your Drink" with Eric Felten
Thursday, May 28 @ 7:30 p.m. - Little Theatre and Garden Patio - Midland Center for the Arts
Cocktails are king once more! But after almost four decades of obscurity, they seem like curious artifacts from a lost civilization. Where do they come from? What do they mean? Satisfy your curiosity by spending an elegant evening with award-winning Wall Street Journal columnist Eric Felten, author of "How's Your Drink? Cocktails, Culture and the Art of Drinking Well." During this witty and insightful presentation, Felten will illuminate the culture of the cocktail, showing how it has been an essential part of American life, making its mark on literature, music and even politics. Along the way, enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a sampling of some extensively researched cocktail recipes! Felten has a vast knowledge, a sly sense of humor and a knack for telling wonderful stories that makes the evening both stimulating and satisfying - just like a great cocktail.
Tickets: $30 + cash bar

From Flapping Birds to Space Telescopes: The Modern Science of Origami
Monday, June 1 @ 7:30 p.m. - Little Theatre - Midland Center for the Arts
If origami, the centuries-old Japanese art of paper-folding, only conjures up images of flapping paper birds and "cootie catchers," think again. This intriguing craft has undergone a revolution, developing mathematical techniques that have led to some surprising practical applications, from safer airbags to unfolding "stents" that expand clogged arteries to gargantuan space telescopes!
Physicist Robert Lang is one of the world's leading masters of origami and a pioneer in the marriage of origami and mathematics. His repertoire includes some of the most complex origami designs ever created, displaying unbelievable detail and realism. In this fascinating presentation, Lang will provide some demonstrations of this art as well as discuss how geometric concepts of origami have even solved practical engineering problems - from simply folding paper. Visit www.langorigami.com for more information about Robert Lang and view his incredible origami.
Tickets: $27 adult, $17 student

Origami Workshop: "Learning to Fold Artistically"
Sunday, May 31 @ 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. OR
Monday, June 1 @ 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Garden Room - Midland Center for the Arts
Learn to fold an origami figure in this fun-filled workshop! World renowned origami artist Robert Lang will teach traditional style designs, along with some modern techniques that create organic, lifelike paper forms. No prior experience is required! By the end of the workshop you'll have created your own origami figure and learned techniques you can apply to future paper creations. Recommended for ages 14 and up.
Visit www.langorigami.com for more information about Robert Lang and origami.
Tickets: $16 (includes materials)

Cirque Mechanics in Birdhouse Factory
Friday, June 5 @ 7:30 p.m. - Auditorium - Midland Center for the Arts
Roll right up and see how a woeful widget factory becomes a frolicsome funhouse! The incomparable Cirque Mechanics fly, climb and contort their way through rotating gears, trampoline walls and aerial hoops. These twelve agile and inventive performers - including veterans of the Moscow Circus, Cirque du Soleil, and other world-renowned companies - take an unlikely setting for a circus - a factory - and transform the "workers" into acrobats and the "mechanics" into circus props!
Enjoy this seamless blend of dance, acrobatics, and theater in an inventive production ideal for audiences of all ages. Much more than just cogs in a wheel, these literally off-the-wall performers ignite endless "oohs" and "aahhs."
Visit www.birdhousefactoryshow.com for a video and more information.
Tickets: $27-$30 adult, $16-$20 student, $69-$80 Family 4-Pack

Blake Shelton
Sunday, June 14 @ 7:30 p.m. - Auditorium - Midland Center for the Arts
The multi-platinum artist will turn up the heat while performing songs from his new album Startin' Fires. "She Wouldn't Be Gone," currently in the top 10 on the country charts, quickly followed his 2008 chart-topper "Home." He's a young man with an old soul, playing New Traditional country music like he's lived each song he sings. Shelton's voice is warm and passionate and his appreciation for country music is evident in his charming vocal tone. Arrive early to enjoy the Garden Pub & Patio beginning at 6 p.m.!
Visit www.blakeshelton.com for more information about Blake Shelton.
Tickets: $37-$47

MATRIX:MIDLAND presents professional, world-class entertainment to the mid-Michigan region. Now in its 31st season, Matrix hosts an extraordinary schedule of cutting-edge entertainment including cinema, music, comedy, family programs, world-renowned authors and more.

Midland Center for the Arts, Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation formed under the laws of the State of Michigan incorporating six groups: Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art, MATRIX:MIDLAND, Midland County Historical Society, Midland Symphony Orchestra, Music Society and Theatre Guild. Activities at Midland Center for the Arts are supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. For the latest Center news, visit our web site at www.mcfta.org.

 

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