ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE DURING UCLA LIVE'S NEW SEASON.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Writer The current tally is 94 performances of 51 events spanning acts from 18 countries, all on a single campus. For the 2008-09 season of UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX Live, artists will come from as far away as Iran and Morocco and from as close to home as McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. . The season kicks off Oct. 1 with the opening night of "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Australia's Barrie Kosky and concludes June 20, 2009, with Goran Bregovic and his Wedding and Funeral Orchestra, a personal favorite of UCLA Live director David Sefton. Among the 55 musicians that hit the stage for the Wedding and Funeral Orchestra: a Serbian gypsy band, a 12-piece string ensemble, a 15-man choir, an electric guitarist and rock drummer. "I saw it at the Montreal Jazz Festival Noun 1. jazz festival - a festival that features performances by jazz artists festival, fete - an organized series of acts and performances (usually in one place); "a drama festival" and it was like watching the Rolling Stones Rolling Stones, English rock music group that rose to prominence in the mid-1960s and continues to exert great influence. Members have included singer Mick Jagger (Michael Phillip Jagger), 1943–; guitarists Brian Jones ," says Sefton of the Bregovic concert, which he says will be the largest world-music concert ever staged at Royce Hall Royce Hall is a building on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Designed by the Los Angeles firm of Allison & Allison (James Edward Allison, 1870-1955, and his brother David Clark Allison, 1881-1962) in the Italian Romanesque Revival style and completed . "It took years to work this out." As usual, the acts aren't confined to dancers and musicians. Novelist John Updike will visit (Nov. 13), as will playwright Edward Albee (Feb. 7) and medical writer Dr. Oliver Sacks (April 23). Filmmaker Werner Herzog hosts a discussion of the film concert "Requiem for a Dying Planet." (Feb. 20) Now in its eighth year, the International Theatre Festival features five American premieres, including "The Blue Dragon," (opening Nov. 12) a commissioned work by Canadian director Robert Lepage. The Druid Theatre Company The Druid Theatre Company, founded in Galway in 1975, was the first Irish professional theatre company to be established outside Dublin. Founded by Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen and Mick Lally after the three had met and put on productions together while members of the University brings a pair of plays by John Millington Synge Noun 1. John Millington Synge - Irish poet and playwright whose plays are based on rural Irish life (1871-1909) Edmund John Millington Synge, J. M. Synge, Synge to the Freud Playhouse, including "The Playboy of the Western World" (opening Oct. 14). The festival also includes a return of Germany's Volksbuhne am Rosa- Luxemburg-Platz performing Chekhov's first play "Ivanov" (opening Dec. 3). According to Sefton, the Volksbuhne visit was a logistical challenge, since it involves figuring out how to reroute the air conditioning system for smoke effects. The dance season brings Moroccan-Flemish choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui with "Myth," (Oct. 17-18), the Batsheva Dance Company The Batsheva Dance Company is a highly respected dance company based in Tel Aviv, Israel and founded by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva De Rothschild in 1964, after whom it was named. Ohad Naharin has been its in house choreographer since 1990. (Feb. 28-March 1), local David Rousseve's "Reality" (opens April 1) and Ballet Preljocaj (May 1-2). Joining Bregovic in the world-music series are Lila Downs (April 9), Sing Sing (May 7), the Klezmatics (March 5) and Tania
Audiences will see the marriage of producer Hal Willner with music from Disney films in the 20th anniversary concert "Hal Willner's Stay Awake" (Oct. 30). The 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records arrives (Jan. 22) as does a 50th anniversary tribute to McCabe's Guitar Shop, which will feature Jackson Browne, Richard Thompson, Odetta, David Lindley and Jennifer Warnes. (Oct. 2). Former Miles Davis bandmates John McLaughlin and Chick Corea reunite for an evening of jazz (March 19) and the Irish folk group Moving Hearts will come together again for the first time in nearly two decades (March 17). Popular draws Dan Zanes (March 14) and David Sedaris (April 29) return in the spring. Organist Christoph Bull commemorates the 10th anniversary of organ concerts at UCLA (April 5) as well as a live accompaniment to the Harold Lloyd film "Speedy" (Jan. 31). For the full 2008-09 lineup, visit www.uclalive.org. Evan Henerson (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) "Tell-Tale Heart," above, and "Playboy of the Western World," right, are highlights of UCLA Live's 2008-09 season. |
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