NEXT TO NORMAL, 9 to 5 THE MUSICAL, GUYS AND DOLLS & More Set for Ordway's 2010-11 Season

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts today announced its 2010-11 performance season. The ambitious schedule features a theater season with six productions, the Target® World Music and Dance Series with seven productions, two community partnerships, and the annual Flint Hills International Children's Festival.

Taken together, The Combined Ordway seasons span vast periods in time and space, from a gospel-infused retelling of a Greek tragedy to the sounds and rhythms of England, Africa, China, Latin America, and the American South.

"Our mission is to bring audiences the best in musical theater, world music and dance from around the globe, and on this point the new season certainly delivers," says Patricia A. Mitchell, Ordway president and CEO. "The Target® World Music and Dance Series features breathtaking choreography and cutting edge music from around the world, while our theater season illuminates the American creative spirit at its finest, whether it be the sounds of gospel, iconic music of the '50s, '60s and '80s, or award-winning contemporary scores."

James A. Rocco, Ordway's vice president of programming and producing artistic director adds, "Musical Theater is a potent and rich art form that is steeped in American culture and tradition. It puts classic performing art into popular cultural contexts and creates entertainment that inspires and exhilarates. That's what the Ordway is all about: a melting pot of classic international performing arts that speaks directly to our hearts."

"The Target World Music and Dance Series is bursting with global energy and adventure," says Heather T. Spicuzza, the Ordway's director of world music, dance and the International Children's Festival. "These performers reach out and touch our hearts with their dazzling technique and generosity of spirit."

World Music Series audience members who are tempted to jump out of their seats and dance will be encouraged to do so, as the hall will be set up for dancing in the aisles and in front of the stage.

In addition to performing on the Ordway stage, the Target World Music and Dance artists participate in Ordway's community engagement programs, where they interact with students and adults in workshop and master class settings.

2010-11 Ordway Theater Season

THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS
August 5 - 11, 2010
Conceived and directed by Lee Breuer; music by Bob Telson.
"The Gospel at Colonus" retells Sophocles' classical tragedy "Oedipus at Colonus" through the medium of modern gospel. Taking up the dramatic tension and emotional turmoil of classical tragedy and infusing it with inventive performances and an electrifying musical montage, this soul-stirring production features the heart-pounding sounds of the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Legendary Soul Stirrers, and The Steeles.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR® DREAMCOAT
December 7, 2010 - January 2, 2011
An Ordway Production
Lyrics by Tim Rice; music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
It's going to be a Technicolor® holiday from biblical Egypt onstage as the Ordway produces Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's irresistible story of Joseph, his jealous brothers and one very colorful garment. American Idol finalist Anthony Fedorov is slated to appear as Joseph. Joining the performers onstage will be 40 Twin Cities-area school children. This new and playful production is filled with surprising humor for adults and dazzling delights for children.

Twin Cities favorite Lori Dokken will entertain patrons with special holiday music in the Marzitelli Foyer prior to each performance.

STOMP
March 29 - April 3, 2011
Explosive, provocative, sophisticated, sexy, and utterly unique, STOMP appeals to audiences of all ages. The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments - matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps - to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. Updates include two new pieces, "Paint Cans" and "Donuts," plus revisions to the favorite piece "Bins." "Donuts" implements huge tractor-tire inner tubes worn around the waist on a bungee cord. The San Francisco Chronicle declared "STOMP has a beat that just won't quit!"

NEXT TO NORMAL
May 10 - 22, 2011
From the director of "Rent" comes "Next to Normal," an emotional powerhouse of a musical with a thrilling contemporary score about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. Winner of three 2009 Tony Awards including Best Score, "Next to Normal" is the most talked about new show on Broadway, having recently been chosen as "one of the year's ten best" by major critics around the country. The New York Times calls "Next to Normal" "a brave, breathtaking musical. A work of muscular grace and power. It is much more than a feel-good musical; it is a feel-everything musical."

GUYS and DOLLS
June 15 - 26, 2011
Frank Loesser's "Guys and Dolls" is one of the greatest musical theater scores of all time, set amidst the colorful background of Damon Runyon's New York and filled with everyone from gangsters, gamblers, and scantily clad showgirls to a doll trying to save their souls. This classic American musical comes to the Ordway with a spanking new production by the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. The Ordway's last collaboration with the 5th Avenue brought Twin Cities audiences the unforgettable Ivey Award-winning production of "Cabaret."

9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL
July 12 - 24, 2011
A hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. This new musical comedy, direct from Broadway, is based on the hit movie and features Dolly Parton's original hit title song along with her new Tony Award and Grammy Award nominated score. "9 to 5: The Musical" tells the story of three unlikely friends who conspire to take control of their company and learn there's nothing they can't do - even in a man's world. Outrageous, thought-provoking and even a little romantic, "9 to 5: The Musical" is about teaming up and taking care of business.

2010-11 Target® World Music and Dance Season

Bridgman/Packer Dance
October 12, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Guggenheim Fellows Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer are acclaimed for their innovative choreography and integrated video technology that explodes the partnering form into a magically populated stage where image and reality collide. To the Ordway stage they bring their latest dance work, "Double Expose," a fantastical, raucous, sensual exploration of identity, relationship, and the human psyche.

CONTRA-TIEMPO
November 19, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Dedicated to transforming the world through dance, the social activist dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO takes Latin social dancing to new heights by infusing elements of Salsa, Afro-Cuban, hip-hop and contemporary dance-theater in physically intense and energizing performances.

Tiempo Libre
November 20, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Hot off its third Grammy Award nomination, Tiempo Libre will set loose a tropical musical storm through a joyful concert of timba music, an exciting and incendiary combination of Latin jazz and traditional Cuban son. Audience members are invited to Tiempo Libre's musical party celebrating their Cuban heritage and new American experience.

Angélique Kidjo
January 21, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Grammy Award-winner Angélique Kidjo cross-pollinates the West African traditions of her childhood in Benin with elements of R&B, funk and jazz, as well as influences from Europe and Latin America. She shares her very own brand of rhythmic Afro-funk and pop from the four corners of the globe. With her fun-loving personality, her onstage charisma and her totally unique voice, Ms. Kidjo is certainly one of the most popular and acclaimed artists on the current world scene.

Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience
February 13, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Grammy Award-winning musician Terrance Simien, an 8th generation Louisiana Creole, takes you on a musical tour of the world. Incorporating his hypnotic blend of Zydeco, New Orleans funk, and reggae-flavored Afro-Caribbean sound, he aims to propel you out of your seat and onto the dance floor. With his extraordinary voice he finds expression as a relevant musician who remains reverent to his roots and musical legacy.

BeijingDance/LDTX
April 5, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
BeijingDance/LDTX was born out of a controversial time of cultural change in China, becoming the country's first non-governmental and independent professional dance company. Founded by veteran choreographers and a new generation of dancers in China, BeijingDance/LDTX mixes Chinese traditions and Western contemporary movement styles to create captivating and technically breathtaking performances.

TU Dance
May 6, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
TU Dance, led by Alvin Ailey veterans Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands, has quickly become a leading voice in the Minnesota dance scene. Inspired by the depictions of urban life and dance in the paintings of African American artist Ernie Barnes, choreographer Uri Sands brings the movement of Barnes' work from the canvas to the stage in this commissioned World Premiere. Also on the program for TU Dance's Ordway debut are selections from the company's growing repertory. This performance is supported by The Joyce Foundation with a Joyce Award.

Community Partnership Events

Each year, the Ordway partners with outstanding local arts organizations to host their Dynamic Productions in the intimate McKnight Theatre. For the 2010-11 season, the Ordway is pleased to be collaborating with two outstanding ensembles, Theater Latté Da and Mu Performing Arts.

EVITA
September 30 - October 31, 2010 - McKnight Theatre
Lyrics by Tim Rice; music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
A Community Partnership with Theater Latté Da
First Lady of Argentina Eva Perón was a legend in her time. An illegitimate country girl, she rose to become the most powerful woman Latin America had ever seen-a potent symbol of hope and change. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's opera is the powerhouse telling of her brief and fascinating life.

Mu Daiko: SOUL OF THE DRUM
June 15 - 26, 2011 - McKnight Theatre
A Community Partnership with Mu Performing Arts
Mu Daiko is excited to bring its theatrical flair and intense Japanese style drumming to the McKnight stage. Based in the Twin Cities for the past twelve years, Mu Daiko has performed around the country and at the National Taiko Conference in 2005. The first weekend will feature Mu Daiko in a full program and the second weekend will have special nationally recognized guest taiko artists.

2011 FLINT HILLS INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL
Family Days: June 4 & 5, 2011
Acclaimed international performing artists for younger audiences and their families fill the Ordway indoor stages, while local world artists perform continually on free outdoor stages. An array of international cuisine is available for purchase, and the many creative activity tents in the parks surrounding the Ordway offer fun for little hands and big kids at heart.

Ordway celebrates the Festival's 10th anniversary this spring, with Family Days June 5 & 6, 2010

PRE- AND POST-PERFORMANCE EVENTS
Offered in conjunction with select performances, Ordway Extras explore the themes of the evening's performance one hour prior to curtain. Ordway Extras take place in the Marzitelli Foyer and are free with a ticket to that night's show.

Talk Backs are the Ordway's informal Q & A sessions presented in the Main Hall immediately after select performances. These lively sessions often include members of the cast, company and creative team.

More information about these events is available at http://www.ordway.org/events/

Season Subscriptions On Sale Now

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts offers a variety of subscription packages with great benefits for season ticket holders. Benefits include discounted pricing, priority seating, flexible ticket exchanges, opportunities to purchase additional single tickets before they go on sale to the public, advance purchase of reserved parking, and Ordway Concierge Service. For more information please call 651.224.4222 or visit www.ordway.org. For group sales, call 651.282.3111.

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Ordway is widely recognized as one of the nation's leading not-for-profit performing arts centers and Saint Paul's most elegant and inviting performance space. The Ordway's Main Hall and McKnight Theatre stages attract diverse audiences with an array of productions encompassing the finest in American musical theater, world music, dance, jazz, and vocal performance. In addition, each year Ordway presents its Flint Hills International Children's Festival and serves over 50,000 children and adults through its Ordway Center Education programs. The Ordway is part of a unique Arts Partnership with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera and the Schubert Club, hosting their renowned productions each season. The Ordway is also proud to sponsor the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a professionally guided academic and artistic environment that trains aspiring pre-professional performing artists in the areas of instrumental and vocal music, theater and dance.

 

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