DMPA: Family Series 1 - January/February 2014

CENTERSTAGE, Jr. DES MOINES CIVIC CENTER

THE FIREBIRD • Saturday, January 11, 2014

SPIRIT OF UGANDA •

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Central Iowa’s most advanced pediatric care

THE FIREBIRD

Des Moines Symphony in collaboration with Enchantment Theater Company SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2014

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SPIRIT OF UGANDA Produced by Empower African Children

At Blank Children’s Hospital, we know the highest quality care involves more than simply treating childhood illness. It means using tools and approaches that help demystify the hospital, ease kids’ fears and maintain their natural enthusiasm.

It means helping them focus on what it is they do best – be kids.

Blank Children’s Hospital is committed to your family in more ways every day.

The point of unity is you.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2014

Contents From the President & CEO

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The Firebird

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Methodist | Lutheran | Blank Children’s Methodist West | Stoddard Cancer Center UnityPoint Clinic | UnityPoint at Home

From the Sponsor

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Spirit of Uganda

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blankchildrens.org

Activities & Fun Facts

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Stuart g n i m o C n! Little Soo •

SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2014 Des Moines Civic Center 1 p.m.

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Cirque Mechanics: Birdhouse Factory • SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014 Des Moines Civic Center 1 p.m.

Des Moines Performing Arts Board of Directors and Staff

Love •

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014 Des Moines Temple Theater 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

WELLMARK BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD FAMILY SERIES

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Guest Information

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From the President & CEO

Dear friends, It is my pleasure to welcome you to the fifth season of the Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Family Series. Our thanks go to Wellmark and to more than 6,000 Des Moines Performing Arts Donors for making this series possible.

Des Moines Performing Arts is committed to presenting top-quality professional performing arts programs—that includes educational (and fun!) productions for families and for young audiences.

Please join us prior to each Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Family Series show for the Discovery Party—a time to learn, create and explore.

Enjoy the show!

Jeff Chelesvig President & CEO Des Moines Performing Arts

0712 - 06456

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DES MOINES CIVIC CENTER A Des Moines Performing Arts Theater Jeff Chelesvig, President & CEO

STRAVINSKY: THE FIREBIRD Des Moines Symphony in collaboration with Enchantment Theatre Company Theatrical Adaptation by William Leach Joseph Giunta, conducting Mikhail GLINKA Overture to Ruslan & Ludmilla (1842) Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Flight of the Bumblebee (1900) Aram KHACHATURIAN Sabre Dance (1942) Igor STRAVINSKY The Firebird (1910) Enchantment Theatre Company Shannon Rose Fitzsimons, Firebird Puppeteer Sara Nye, The Unicorn Adrian Plascencia, Prince Ivan Jennifer Blatchley Smith, The Princess Landis Smith, The Evil Magician Kaschei DES MOINES SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA musicians are sponsored by grants from UnityPoint Health – Des Moines and Principal Financial Group.

This production is dedicated to the memory of Enchantment Theatre Company’s friend and colleague, William Leach.

We believe that music, like theatre, has the power to illuminate and transform.

Our collaborations with symphony orchestras are inspired by a shared vision that by bringing together the magic of music and theater, greater possibilities are born.

-Enchantment Theatre Company

P R E S E N T E D BY D E S M O I N E S P E R F O R M I N G A R T S • S a t u rd a y, J a n u a r y 1 1 , 2 0 1 4

The Family Series is made possible through the generous support of Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Des Moines Performing Arts Donors.

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MAESTRO JOSEPH GIUNTA One of America’s most distinguished, versatile and dynamic conductors, Joseph Giunta is a musician of international acclaim. He is recognized as an important American conductor for his innovative programming and for his compelling interpretations of traditional and new music. His musical depth, combined with his boundless energy and contagious enthusiasm makes him one of the most respected and successful orchestra leaders in the United States.

This season Giunta is celebrating his 25th Anniversary as Music Director & Conductor of the Des Moines Symphony, and he has transformed the Orchestra into one of the finest regional orchestras in America. He has guest conducted many of the great orchestras of the world including the Chicago Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, the London Philharmonic and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London.

He continues to value his life-long goal of exposing as many people as possible to great classical music at all age levels. He inaugurated the Des Moines Symphony’s Yankee Doodle Pops, which is now, after 20 years, the largest single day concert event in Iowa, attended by more than 100,000 people each July. In 2003, he also developed and launched the Des Moines Symphony Academy, housed in The Temple for Performing Arts in downtown Des Moines.

The Symphony Academy currently has more than 450 students enrolled in private lessons, chamber music and three Des Moines Symphony Youth Orchestras.

The many honors and distinctions awarded to Joseph Giunta include the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Award for adventurous programming and commitment to new American music.

ABOUT ENCHANTMENT THEATRE COMPANY Enchantment Theatre Company thrills audiences with its innovative and visually dramatic family theater productions.

The company was founded in 1979 by Jennifer Blatchley Smith and Landis Smith, both actors and playwrights, and expanded to an artistic partnership with Resident Director Leslie Reidel in 1995. Enchantment Theatre Company’s distinctive artistry combines masked actors, puppets, magic, music and more. Their original and inspiring productions have served more than a million children and families across America and around the world including performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lincoln Center in New York City; the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; the Academy of Music and the Kimmel Center with the Philadelphia Orchestra in their home town of Philadelphia; and in the Far East, performing in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The company has appeared with major orchestras in North America, including those of Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Houston, Seattle, Montreal and Vancouver, and with the Boston Pops on the PBS “Christmas at the Pops” television special.

Other Enchantment symphonic concert productions include Scheherazade, Mother Goose, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and The Merry Pranks of Till Eulenspiegel.

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR Enchantment Theatre is a fable-based company. Our stories are myths, fables or authored fairy tales often drawn from older legends. We choose these stories because they are usually tales of startling transformation. The Firebird is the essence of such a story. Coupled with the brilliant Stravinsky score, this tale of physical and spiritual transformation is rich and finely textured. The journey of the Prince is a voyage of true self-discovery. Through the magic of live performance, actors, musicians and audience create a world of new possibilities for love and friendship. Let your imagination work as you join us on this journey.

-Leslie Reidel, Resident Director WELLMARK BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD FAMILY SERIES

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76 th SEASON 2013-2014 The Des Moines FIRST VIOLINS DOUBLE BASSES HORNS MUSIC LIBRARIAN Symphony Orchestra Jonathan Sturm David Enters Bret Seebeck Charles Miranda frequently employs Concertmaster Principal Principal Violoncellos Timpani additional musicians to The Connie & David The John Merriman The Robert E. &English Gladys G.Horn STAGE & EQUIPMENT meet the instrumentation Belin Endowed Chair & Dr. Barbara Beatty Wilkins Endowed Chair MANAGER Julie Sturm Michael Geary Benjamin Holthaus requirements and musical Julie Fox Henson Endowed Chair, in Michael Wilson Alan Dyer Principal Principal demands of the works Assistant Honor of Eva & the late Assistant Principal Concertmaster The Robert & Gloria Burnett James Brauninger The Kruidenier Endowed Heidi Foster First Violins Clarinets * Second Violinists, other performed.

Cheryl Kutscher Kory Johnson Charles Harris Endowed Chair Chair, in Honor of Elizabeth Jonathan The musicians of the Patti Ruisch Sturm Gregory Oakes Donita McCoy Peter Kortenkamp than the Principal, are & David Kruidenier Pshonik Concertmaster Des Moines Symphony Tracy Engman Jeremy Mary Dearduff Principal listed in alphabetical Orchestra are represented Finkelshteyn Ashley Eidbo order.

Seating is on a TRUMPETS The Connie & David Belin Sandra Tatge

by Local 75 of the Linda Pfund Swanson Patricia Aparecida da Silva Derek Stratton Clarence Padilla rotational basis.

Percussion Endowed Chair American Danna Pins MichaelMichele J. Van RynSenger Principal Williamsof Musicians.

Julie Fox Seaeun Lee Henson ** Leave of absence. AaronFederation Rachael Means**Craig Swartz E-flat Clarinet JohnAssistant Helmich Concertmaster Carl Eitzen Principal HARP George Work Leah Kolner Mary Foss Kariann Voigts The Gardner & Florence Cheryl Kutscher Kevin Amidon Principal Wendy Enters TROMBONES Call Cowles Foundation Christine Johnson Patti Ruisch Stuart ABOUT THE Andrew Holm David Aaron Hanson Endowed Chair Principal Bass Clarinet FLUTES DES MOINES SYMPHONY Tracy Engman Casey Maday Paul Virgilio Masha Popova Robert Meunier Joyce Wheeler SECOND VIOLINS Finkelshteyn Principal Hyerim Jeon Misha Rosenker Thomas Mackey BASS TROMBONE The Irene T. Sideman Bodnar** Alice Principal The Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Newbegin Endowed Chair Bassoons now celebrating its 76th season, is Central Mary LindaDahlby* Pfund Swanson KimberlyDouble Helton Basses Kathleen Hykes most active year-round TUBA Kevin Judge Iowa’s largest andKeyboard Katherine Slocum Danna Juneau, Pins Jr. Thomas professional performing arts producing Ravil ‘Bo’ Atlas David Enters Instruments Principal Trisha McGovern** Seaeun Lee Principal organization. Led by Music Director Joseph PICCOLO Principal Matt Meyer Timothy Gale Giunta for the pastChiu-Ling The Gene Wibben 25 years, Lin** the Orchestra Katherine Slocum John Helmich The John Merriman & Dr. Benjamin Munson Memorial Chair Principal national has established an outstanding Donald Sieberns Barbara Beatty Endowed Leah Kolner reputation as one of the The country’s Drs. Robertleading & Rebecca OBOES Jacqueline Stanek Horns Chair, in Honor of TIMPANI Eva & the regional orchestras, performing a regular Kevin Amidon Shaw Endowed Chair Jennifer Wohlenhaus Gretchen Theesfield Michael Geary Bret Seebeck series of Masterworks, Pops, Family and Principal late James Brauninger Christine Johnson Cynthia Giunta The Meredith VIOLAS Kory Johnson Principal Principal Education concerts, as well as performing The Kruidenier Endowed Acting Aaron Josephson Hanson for special events. With the Principal establishment Corporation Foundation Sherida Chair, in Honor ofThe Robert E. & Gladys G. Donita Endowed ChairMcCoy in 2003 of the Des Moines Symphony Principal Elizabeth & DavidWilkins Endowed Chair Susan Odem The R.W. & Mary Nelson Academy, the organization is one of only a Jeremy Dearduff Kruidenier Orchestra Second Violins Benjamin Holthaus Endowed Chair handful of American orchestras to sponsor Michael Wilson Ashley Eidbo Charles Miranda an Academy of Music – the Des Moines Personnel Manager Misha Rosenker Assistant Principal PERCUSSION Betty Miller Patricia ENGLISH HORN Aparecida da Symphony Academy – as an integral Aaron Williams Principal Clarence Padilla Heidi Foster part of its core mission. The Symphony Elizabeth Geistkemper Benjamin Holthaus Silva Principal Linda MaryBenoit Dahlby* Charles Gardner & FlorenceHarris& Academy together are now the largest Lauren Freeman Michael Van Ryn The CLARINETS employer of professional artists in Iowa.

Call Cowles Foundation Kathleen Music Librarian Peter Kortenkamp Abby MeyerHykes Gregory Oakes

Endowed Chair Jonanne ThomasBaysden Juneau, Jr. Principal Charles Miranda Performances at the Des Moines Civic Robert Meunier Yu-Fang Chen Harp Clarence Padilla Thomas Mackey Center on its regular season of seven pairs Trisha McGovern Trumpets

ORCHESTRA

Mary Foss of Masterworks concerts have included VIOLONCELLOS Matt Meyer Stage & Equipment E-FLAT CLARINET the major works of the orchestral repertoire KEYBOARD Derek Stratton Principal Julie Sturm Kariann Voigts INSTRUMENTS Principal and collaborations with some of the music Manager Benjamin Principal Munson Chiu-Ling Lin most prominent soloists including Donald The Robert & Gloria Sieberns Craig Swartz world’s Alan Dyer BASS CLARINET Principal Flutes John Browning, Van Cliburn, Alicia De Burnett Endowed Chair Joyce Wheeler The Drs. Robert & Jacqueline Mary Pshonik Stanek Simon Estes and Yo-Yo Ma Masha Popova Rebecca ShawCarl Eitzen Larrocha, Sandra Tatge * Second Violinists, other among many others.

The Orchestra has than Gretchen Theesfield Endowed Chair Principal BASSOONS Michele Senger offered a well-received, highly creative the Principal, are listed in Cynthia GiuntaTrombones Kevin JudgeThe Irene T. Sideman Rachael Means** and diverse mix of programming andSeating alphabetical order.

Principal Endowed Chair Acting Principal George the world ViolasWork David Stuart has commissioned and is ongiven a rotational basis.

Timothy Gale Wendy Enters premieres of 18 new works during the last Katherine Slocum Principal Sherida Josephson Andrew Holm ORCHESTRA ** Leave of absence 20 years.

PaulPrincipal Virgilio PERSONNEL MANAGER Casey Maday The Des Moines Symphony Hyerim Clarence Padilla TheJeon R.W. & Mary Nelson Endowed Chair

Piccolo Katherine Slocum

Charles Miranda 6 WELLMARK BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD FAMILY SERIES Betty Miller Oboes Elizabeth Geistkemper

Bass Trombone Andrew Newbegin

Orchestra frequently employs additional musicians to meet the instrumentation requirements and musical

MEET THE TOURING COMPANY SHANNON ROSE FITZSIMONS (Ensemble) hails from the small town of Red Hook in New York’s Hudson Valley.

She has been working with Enchantment since her graduation from Muhlenberg College in 2009. Shannon holds a B.A. in Theatre for Acting and Directing, and a B.A. in Music for Vocal Performance, and received conservatory training in commedia dell’arte and physical theatre from the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy.

Shannon then joined Enchantment in the creation and two national tours of The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon, and she continues to perform with Enchantment and symphony orchestras throughout the U.S. and Canada. She is a proud member of the creation team for the world premiere of Ma Mere L’Oye (Mother Goose). She was in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Halloween Spooktacular and serves as one of the lead teaching artists for Enchantment’s Educational Residency programs in Philadelphia. Shannon is a teaching artist of voice, piano and theatre with the Swedesboro Performing Arts Academy and has worked as a teaching artist of vocal expression, classical verse, scene study and stage combat with companies in Pennsylvania and New York.

SARA NYE has been living and working in Philadelphia

since 2007. As a contemporary dance performer she’s collaborated with RealLivePeople(in)Motion, Kathryn TeBordo/Workshop for Potential Movement, Cie. Willi Dorner, Danse4Nia Repertory Ensemble, Jenn Rose/ Loose Screws Contemporary Tap Co., Daniele Strawmyre/

readySetGO and Scott McPheeters. She has performed several times in the Philadelphia Fringe Arts Festival, and in 2010 she participated in the Lower Manhattan staging of Willi Dorner’s bodies in urban spaces, a part of the Crossing the Line Festival. Sara holds a B.A. in English from Dickinson College, where she also studied creative writing, modern dance, contemporary dance and theater. She has served as a teaching artist for the Kimmel Center, the Walnut Street Theatre, Theatre Horizon, The Philadelphia Dance Academy and Arden Theatre Company. In 2012 she received puppetry training for the Allens Lane Theater production of Something Wicked This Way Comes. Sara is also an administrator, serving as Enchantment Theatre’s Program Associate and the Program Manager of The Philadelphia Dance Academy.

She most recently appeared in RealLivePeople(in)Motion’s The Jobs Project.

ADRIAN PLASCENCIA (Ensemble) A native of California’s Bay Area, Adrian made the move to the east coast to pursue an education in dance at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA where he received a degree in Modern Dance performance. While in school, Adrian received stellar training from his faculty and was awarded a scholarship to attend the Martha Graham School for Contemporary Dance. Adrian has had the opportunity to perform with Enchantment Theatre, Cardell Dance Theater, Brian Sanders’ JUNK, Curt Haworth Movement and Performance, SHARP Dance Company,

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MEET THE TOURING COMPANY Grounded Aerial, Choreosplat Danceworks as well as local Philadelphia choreographers Zane Booker, Anna Rubio, Jillian Harris, Manfred Fischbeck, Jaamil Kosoko and Leanne Grieger, among others. Outside of dance, Adrian has studied theater, trained in several aspects of circus arts, teaches dance throughout the Philadelphia community, and is a teaching artist with Enchantment Theatre.

JENNIFER BLATCHLEY SMITH (Ensemble, Artistic Director - Literary & Education) studied writing and theater at Bennington College. For the last 30 years, Jennifer has co-created and performed in 18 original productions that have been presented around the U.S. and abroad. As a founding member of Enchantment Theatre Company, Jennifer has created roles as diverse as the Broom in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to Beauty in Beauty and the Beast. She has performed in Enchantment productions at Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in

New York; the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; and the Annenberg Center, the Kimmel Center, and the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and she has traveled to Asia six times with Enchantment. Her most recent roles have been as an ensemble player in Enchantment’s productions of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose, which premiered with Orchestra Symphonique de Montreal in January 2013. Her recent Enchantment creations have been The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon, which toured nationally 2009-2011; Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, which premiered October 2011 and toured nationally, and Aladdin and Other Enchanting Tales, currently on national tour.

LANDIS SMITH (Ensemble, Artistic Director-Production)

studied theater with Jewel Walker at Carnegie-Mellon University and with Jacobina Caro at Webster University Conservatory in St. Louis. He began performing magic at age six, and studied violin and voice beginning at age nine. His love of theater, music and the art of illusion led to the founding of Enchantment Theatre Company in 1979. Landis has created, produced and performed in productions in America and in the Far East. In 1985, Enchantment collaborated with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to premiere The Symphony and the Sorcerer, the first of a series of programs introducing young people to the magic of symphonic music. Since then, Landis has appeared with major orchestras across the U.S. and Canada, including the premiere of Enchantment’s theatrical adaptation of Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose with Orchestra Symphonique de Montreal in January 2013. Landis has appeared with the Boston Pops on their annual holiday PBS television special. He has performed in symphonic productions of Cinderella, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Merry Pranks of Till Eulenspiegel and Scheherazade. He worked on the creation of ETC’s most recent national tours of The Velveteen Rabbit, The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, and Aladdin and Other Enchanting Tales. He has toured in the Far East six times.

LESLIE REIDEL (Artistic Director, Resident Stage

Director) is Professor of Theatre at the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) and a director with The Resident Ensemble Players. His recent productions have included As You Like It, A Doll’s House, You Never Can Tell, The Homecoming, The Little Foxes and The Weir. He has directed for Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre, the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, New York’s Young Playwright’s Festival, and the Colorado, Utah, Ft. Worth, and Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festivals.

He taught acting, text analysis, scene study and directing

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MEET THE TOURING COMPANY in the actor-training program at Temple University for ten years, then he served at the PTTP at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before the program moved to Delaware. Leslie was drama critic for the Philadelphia Review and Philadelphia After Dark, and was the resident director for the Great American Children’s Theatre. He is currently the co-artistic director of Philadelphia’s Enchantment Theatre Company, whose productions have been seen across the U.S. as well as the Muhlenberg Summer Theatre. His recent works for Enchantment include The Velveteen Rabbit, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and Aladdin and Other Enchanting Tales. He has staged pantomimes of The Firebird, Cinderella and Scheherazade. Enchantment’s newest symphony work is Ravel’s Mother Goose, which premiered with the Montreal Symphony in January of 2013. He directed the New York workshop of The Magician, and recently received his fourth grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is a member of the International Shakespeare Conference and a graduate of Muhlenberg College and Temple University (M.F.A.). He is currently at work on a new book entitled, On Stage, You are it: a manual for actors.

C. DAVID RUSSELL (Production Designer) has a career including costume and scenic design, costume and property crafts, event design, project management and teaching. He is head of the Scenic Design Program at Ohio University School of Theater. Russell has designed numerous productions with the REP/PTTP Company at the University of Delaware. He designed the costumes for The Importance of Being Earnest in 2010. In 2009, he designed the scenery for Hay Fever for which his design was featured in Theatre Design and Technology magazine.

Russell designed the costumes for Tartuffe in 2007, for which he received a USITT Ezekiel Award. He created the scenic design for Travesties and Ah, Wilderness in 2002. Russell is the head Production Designer for Enchantment Theatre Company and was responsible for the costumes, puppets and scenic designs for Ma Mere L’Oye, which premiered with the Montreal Symphony, as well as Scheherazade. He designed national tours of Aladdin and Other Enchanting Tales, The Velveteen Rabbit and Pinocchio. Other Costume Design work includes: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, and The Tempest; Lobby Hero; and Spinning Into Butter, Lobby Hero, and The Laramie Project. Other Scenic Design credits include: Appalachian Christmas Carroll and Rounding Third and Eurydice, which received a USITT Ezekiel Award. In addition to his design work, C. David Russell has been on staff at The Santa Fe Opera since 1993, where he has served as the Master Craftsperson in the prop shop. Russell received his M.F.A. from New York University TISCH School for the Arts.

JESSICA WALLACE (Technical Director) is a lighting designer, technician and teaching artist. Recent Philadelphia designs include Antigone at Bryn Mawr College, The Importance of Being Earnest with Mauckingbird Theatre Company, Our Town and Cinderella at Wolf Performing Arts Center, and several productions at Temple University, including Sweeney Todd, Big Love, and Shot!. In addition to designing, Jessica is an Albert M. Greenfield Teaching Artist Fellow with Philadelphia Theatre Company. Jessica has an M.F.A. from Temple University and a B.A. from the University of Maryland.

BRADLEY K. WRENN (Associate Director) is a performer, writer and creator whose work focuses on alternative comedy, spectacle, physical humor and puppetry. With The Berserker Residents, he has created, written, and performed in five original shows including two commissions: A Very Merry Xmas Carol Holiday Adventure Show (which was published by Playscripts Inc.) at Philadelphia-based Theater Horizon and The Lapsburgh Layover at New York-based Ars Nova. In addition to his own original work, Brad has performed locally with numerous theater companies including: Mum Puppettheatre, Enchantment Theatre Company, Theatre Horizon, Commonwealth Classic Theatre Co. and Lantern Theater Company.

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F rom

the Sponsor

Dear friends, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield is proud to partner with Des Moines Performing Arts to bring the wonder of live theater to audiences of all ages through the third season of the Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Family SeriesSM. For more than 75 years, Wellmark has committed itself to serving Iowa families by working hand in hand with cultural and civic organizations to build vibrant and healthy communities. Our partnership with Des Moines Performing Arts continues that longstanding tradition.

We hope you enjoy the imagery, humor, song and spectacle only family theater can provide.

Indeed, this season’s productions are certain to entertain and inspire.

From Council Bluffs to Davenport and all towns in between, Wellmark is pleased to welcome you to this performance.

Thank you for being our guest – enjoy the show!

John Forsyth, Chairman & CEO Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield

A proud sponsor of the Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Family Series

SM

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Celebrate the Arts From the magic within our hearts, to the inspiration on stage, the arts help us capture the moments that are worth celebrating.

There are lots of reasons we support the arts. Your family is one of them.

A proud sponsor of the Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Family Series

SM

Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield is an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Š2011 Wellmark, Inc. 1750 12/11

DES MOINES CIVIC CENTER A Des Moines Performing Arts Theater Jeff Chelesvig, President & CEO

Artistic Director & Master of Ceremonies

PETER KASULE

Guest Artist RACHEL MAGOOLA The Company Kuluthum Aketch Jimmy Ayo Rajab Basoga Frank Isabirye Anthony Kiranda Sharon Kyomugisha George Lukwago Tonny Lwerere Bernard Muwonge Betty Nabaweesi Yudaya Nabbanja

Faith Ruth Nabukenya Joyce Nagujja Percy Nakaggwa Donatina Nakimuli Sylvia Namaganda Miriam Namala John Baptist Nyanzi Brian Odong Ivan Ogambo Hassan Onegu-Rwoth

Lighting Design by Dan Ozminkowski Produced by

Empower African Children www.EmpowerAfricanChildren.org

Alexis Hefley, Founder & President The 2014 Spirit of Uganda Tour is presented by arrangement with Lisa Booth Management, Inc. Running Time - 55 minutes Program and cast subject to change.

The taking of photographs or other recording in any media is prohibited.

P R E S E N T E D BY D E S M O I N E S P E R F O R M I N G A R T S • S a t u rd a y, F e b r u a r y 8 , 2 0 1 4

The Family Series is made possible through the generous support of Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Des Moines Performing Arts Donors.

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DIRECTOR’S NOTE To empower children, to make a change in this world, nothing is better than letting their voices be heard. Our African cultures are educative, entertaining, history keeping and forever reviewable – forever renewable. They unite our voices and connect each of us to one another. I love what I do because art requires discipline, patience, love, control and above all, it never loses its attachment to its roots.

For these reasons and so many more, I am honored that Rachel Magoola accepted our invitation to join Spirit of Uganda this year. For Rachel’s is a clarion voice of Uganda – a strong and proud presence whose work so powerfully and creatively links past to present.

Like Uganda’s rich and diverse cultures, our program is rooted in shared expressions across borders, across generations, and is the result of joyful and respectful collaborations among mentors and friends, elders and students – artists all. Improvisation is a hallmark of creativity and the best performers are great innovators whose moves and sounds are absorbed, transmuted and transmitted. In this way, traditions are continually evolving; as they draw from the past, each generation adds its own voices, rhythms and movements.

The works featured in Spirit of Uganda’s program may be named after an instrument, a song’s lyric, a particular rhythm or phrase, or its place of origin. Some pieces are drawn from specific peoples – such as the Acholi who live in northern Uganda and southern Sudan, or the Baganda whose centuries-old home is the kingdom of Buganda.

Other pieces are suites that link rhythms and phrases from multiple regions, playing with differences and similarities to combine sounds and movements in new ways. Still others are original works that provide a window into contemporary Uganda today.

Thank you for joining us on this journey, and welcome to Uganda! – Peter Kasule

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SPIRIT OF UGANDA PROGRAM NIYE Company member Jimmy Ayo’s original song of praise champions faith to overcome temptation, provide salvation from suffering and to set the righteous before the almighty God. BWOLA Bwola is considered the most important traditional dance of the Acholi people in the Kitgum region of northern Uganda. Originally, it was performed only on orders of the chief. The men carry drums and play intricate rhythms while dancing; the movement of their feet matches rhythmically with the beating of their drums. The dance’s leader moves independently and sets the tempo. He is considered a very important person and traditionally was among the few people the community allowed to wear a leopard skin.

BUGWANJUBA This suite of dances from the land ‘where the sun sets’ reflects an exchange of dance movements between the Lugbara of Uganda and their neighbors to the west in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Musically, the suite features the adungu, a nine-stringed plucked harp. We see and hear new sounds and rhythms that have emerged from this West Nile region fused with sounds of Kampala, Uganda’s capital city.

KYEMULI KYETWAALI, KYETULI KYEMULIBA showcases the boy’s drumming skills in a selection of African rhythms, signifying Uganda’s ability to welcome and celebrate all the goodness of Africa.

OBUTEBENKEVU (Balance) Past and present meet in this bravura showcase for the girls as they perform while

balancing traditional clay pots on their heads. The moves are from dances now popular in the streets, clubs and festivals of Uganda. The music is by company member Jimmy Ayo, and the song’s lyrics encourage us to “listen to the sweet sounds and pitches of the African drums, and how well they are played.”

LARAKARAKA In northern Uganda near the Sudanese border, Larakaraka has become a rallying cry and therapeutic

dance for those who have been abducted by rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Derived from am Acholi

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SPIRIT OF UGANDA PROGRAM courtship dance, this piece is accompanied by rhythms pounded out on gourds struck with bike spokes to attract attention. Gourds or calabashes are multi- purpose vessels used to fetch water, sat upon as stools, and held overhead to limit the effects of the hot sun; mothers will lightly tap out rhythms on them to console crying babies on their backs and help them fall asleep.

EMAALI This traditional song celebrates the birth of a girl in the family – an auspicious and welcome occasion.

In Uganda, when a girl gets married, the groom’s family makes a financial tribute to the bride’s family. Guest artist Rachel Magoola takes the vocal lead.

BAKISIMBA is a traditional dance of the court of Buganda, the largest ethnic group of Uganda. Originally performed only by women, it celebrates the creation of banana wine for the king. The drummers’ rhythms and the dancers’ movements mirror the king’s words of thanks, “speaking” for him and reflecting his increasingly celebratory mood.

JOWA Jimmy Ayo’s call to all people to work for peace, harmony, and development in the face of apathy and complaint driven by poverty and war reunites the entire troupe.

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EMPOWER AFRICAN CHILDREN From January to March of 2014, Spirit of Uganda is touring to 18 cities from coast to coast. Ranging in age from 13-21, the group’s 21 young artists represent the power and promise of Uganda’s youth. Professional, critically recognized and publicly acclaimed, the company has performed at leading performing arts centers around the USA since 2007. Through their performances, educational activities and community exchanges, these goodwill ambassadors share their stories, promote East African culture and raise awareness to help ensure that they and their peers are fully prepared to assume leadership roles in their communities.

The troupe is a program within Empower African Children (EAC), a non-profit organization based in Dallas, TX and Kampala, Uganda. Spirit of Uganda exemplifies Empower African Children’s three pillars of their mission: to provide a transformative education, to create global connections and to prepare students for a lifetime of leadership.

Empower African Children provides scholarships to 50 young Ugandans. Each student attends a prominent boarding school in Kampala where they receive a high quality education. Each student is supported with individual counseling and programming that promotes healthy child development. Scholarship recipients also receive postsecondary education at a university or vocational school to help them meet their career goals and prepare them for a lifetime of influence.

A college-level U.S. Scholarship program makes it possible for a few of these exceptional students to deepen their education at leading colleges and universities in the Unites States. Over the last year, four students have graduated from leading universities in the U.S. Visit EmpowerAfricanChildren.org for more information and opportunities to support the education of students in Uganda.

SPIRIT OF UGANDA CREDITS TOUR STAFF

Peter Kasule, Artistic Director Rachel Magoola, Guest Artist Dan Ozminkowski, Lighting Designer and Production Manager David Kasata, Assistant to the Artistic Director Peter Mugga, Audio Supervisor and Assistant Production Manager Sandy Siu, Scenic Designer Rukia Nalwoga, Teacher and Spokesperson Libby Nichols, Company Manager

COSTUMES DESIGNED BY David Kasata and Mariah Nakitto, and made by Mariah Nakitto and Company, Kampala, Uganda.

PHOTOS BY Dan Ozminkowski, Doug Menuez TOUR COMMITTEE

Kate Kingman (Chairperson); Donna Malouf, Anne O’Brien, Teddy Namirembe Miti, Cecilia Nipp, Amy Steurer, Monica Wommack

TOUR MANAGEMENT

Lisa Booth & Deirdre Valente, Lisa Booth Management, Inc., NYC

PRODUCER

Empower African Children PO Box 141226 Dallas, TX 75214 www.EmpowerAfricanChildren.org Empower African Children is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Alexis Hefley, Founder and President; Donna Malouf, Co-Founder; Jeremy Phillips, Executive Director; Libby Nichols, Operations Manager, Dallas

PARTNERS

UGANDA: J.E. Nsubuga & Associates; Taibah International School, Great Lakes Safaris; White Lines Shuttle Services USA: Quentin Faust, Andrews and Kurth, LLP: General Counsel; Darrell Harris, Microbooks Management: Accountant; Bryan Young, Graphic Designer; Betsy del Monte: Architect, Ursuline Academy of Dallas; The Parish Episcopal School; Babson College, The Greenwood School, Wynne Motorcoaches, LLC

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Activities &

u F n Facts

?

THE FIREBIRD Did you know

B A

Match It Up!

Can you match the instument pictured to its correct name?

Flute Violin

Igor Stravinsky wrote more than 100 pieces of music in his lifetime. The Firebird is just one of those works!

C

Trombone

D

String Bass

IF YOU HAD A MAGIC FEATHER…

Spirit of Uganda

The Firebird gives Prince Ivan a magic feather, which helps him save the day. What would you do if you had a magic feather?

?

Did you know

The Spirit of Uganda performers are between the ages of 13-21!

Tell a story with dance Spirit of Uganda uses movement as one of the ways to tell their story.

How could you use movement to tell a story?

Start by thinking of a story you want to tell, then jump up and try telling it with movement and dance rather than words.

MAKE A SHAKER!

In Uganda, shakers are known as “ensasi”. There are many different kinds of “ensasi”. Most are made from hollowed gourds filled with dried seeds. Others may be made out of tin or have stick handles. Try to identify an “ensasi” during the performance, and then make one of your own!

What You’ll Need:

• 2 paper plates • Tape • Dried popcorn or rice • Paint, markers or crayons

Decorate your plates (not on the eating side). Once dry, put a handful of popcorn or rice on one plate, place the other plate on top and tape around the edges. Now, SHAKE IT to the rhythm of the music!

Answer Key: Violin – A, Trombone – B, Flute – C, String Bass - D WELLMARK BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD FAMILY SERIES

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Board

Mary Stier * Past Chair/ Compensation Chair The Brilliance Group

OFFICERS

Thomas Brown * Chair Brown NationaLease

Barbara Hanson Accountant Chris Browning Office Manager Julie Houghton Executive Assistant

BUILDING SERVICES

Earl Smith Building Services Manager Ly Ung Assistant Building Services Manager The backstage employees of Des Moines Performing Arts are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 67.

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Christine Lauridsen Sand Lauridsen Groupl

Jon Garnaas G3 Development Travis Gjoraas Deloitte

Robert Brownell Polk County Board of Supervisors

Sheryl Grimm Community Leader

Rick Clark City of Des Moines

Laure Guisinger Holmes Murphy & Associates

Frank Cownie City of Des Moines

S taff Bill McElrath Business Director

Michael Eberle, DVM UnityPoint Health De

DIRECTORS

Rosemary Parson * Secretary EquiTrust Life Insurance Company

Laura Sweet Vice President & COO

Monica Kirgan The Principal Financial Group

Patrick Mack * Finance Chair John Deere Financial

Thomas E. Press * Treasurer Midland’s Choice

Jeff Chelesvig President & CEO

Eric T. Crowell UnityPoint Health Des Moines

Karen J. Lynn * Audit Chair Athene USA

Mary Kramer * Vice-Chair/Assests Chair Ambassador, Ret.

ADMINISTRATION

of Directors

John Craig Sammons Financial Group

Building Services Associates: Danny Glover Francisco Hernandez Khom Mao Francisco Mora Irene Perez Hank Teav Dominick Ung

DEVELOPMENT

Todd Fogdall Director of Development Tiffany Spinner Annual Fund Manager Brett Smith Research Specialist Rachel Woodhouse Donor Relations Coordinator

GUEST SERVICES

Joel Cox Guest Services Manager

Terry Johnson Wells Fargo Wealth Management

Doug Kouba Evonne Kouba Sharon Montgomery Cynde Pool Shirley Ramirez Sandra Sapp Marion Singleton

MARKETING

Barb Preuss Director of Marketing Cindy Hughes Anliker Communications Manager Matt Spangler Marketing Manager

PROGRAMMING & EDUCATION

Eric B. Olmscheid Director of Programming & Education Karoline Myers Education Manager Michelle McDonald School Programs Coordinator Sarah Bannon Community Programs Coordinator

TECHNICAL OPERATIONS

Brian Anstedt Production Director

Summer Evans Marketing Manager

Greg Tracy Production Manager/ Head Audio

Leslie Jasper Group Sales Manager

Alan Dyer Technical Operations Manager/Head Electrician

Manager House Managers: Greg Votava Kerry George Shirley Kleywegt Digital Marketing Manager

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Nicholas Romano Stage Operations Manager/Head Carpenter

Judith McKay DuPont Pioneer Bob O’Hollearn Allied Insurance Thomas E. Stanberry * Wells Fargo Advisors Angela Williams The Great Frame Up * Indicates member of the Executive Committee

LEGAL COUNSEL

Mike Kulik Davis Brown Law Firm

Jamie L. Stepp Production Supervisor

TICKET OFFICE

Julia Duvall Ticket Office Director Misty Enderson Ticket Office Database Manager Jeff Waldschmitt Ticket Office Manager Jessica Peters Ticket Office Staff Manager Laura Arenson Customer Service Team Member Margo Jones Customer Service Team Member Candance Bell Customer Service Team Member Chontel Berthelsen Group Sales Coordinator

Guest ATM An ATM is located in the Ticket Office Lobby.

BINOCULARS Binoculars are available for rent at the Nollen and Prairie Meadows Lobby Guest Services Counters for $5.

CAMERAS The use of cameras or any type of recording devices in the main hall is prohibited at all times.

CELL PHONES Please turn your cell phone off or set it to the silent mode. Please also refrain from text messaging and using your phone as a light source during the performance.

ELEVATORS Elevators to the second level of the lobby are located in the Nollen Lobby and near the Stoner Theater.

Information

LATE SEATING Late seating will be accommodated

by House Staff at the earliest appropriate time. Pay attention to lobby chimes, which are sounded five minutes before the show begins, as well as after intermission.

LISTENING DEVICES Infrared listening devices are available for use at no charge at the Nollen and Prairie Meadows Lobby Guest Services Counters.

LOST ITEMS Lost items may be reported or claimed at the Nollen Lobby Guest Services Counter area during an event. After an event, please contact our Ticket Office at (515) 246-2300 or stop by Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Items are kept for 30 days.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE If you have a medical need, please

notify the House Staff. Medical services are provided by lowa Health Des Moines in the Prairie Meadows Lobby.

SPECIAL SEATING NEEDS Seating is available for all performances for a variety of accessibility requirements (including wheelchair, motorized cart, difficulty with stairs and sight impairment).

Please call the Ticket Office at (515) 246-2300.

TOBACCO USE The use of tobacco products is not allowed in the Des Moines Civic Center or within 15 feet of any entrance.

WHEELCHAIRS Des Moines Performing Arts has wheelchairs available to assist guests with mobility concerns. Guest Services staff may be contacted to assist.

STAY CONNECTED!

JOIN OUR EMAIL CLUB!

Des Moines Performing Arts

@DSMPerforming DesMoinesPerformingArts.org Des Moines Performing Arts 221 Walnut Des Moines, IA 50309-2104 (515) 246-2300

AT THE BEAUTIFUL AND HISTORIC TEMPLE FOR PERFORMING ARTS LOCATED AT LOCUST & 10TH DOWNTOWN

Give your child the gift of

Great Music...For a Lifetime Enroll in Private Lessons with one of our outstanding faculty. Lessons are available from age 3 to adult.

PIANO VIOLIN VIOLA

CELLO DOUBLE BASS FLUTE TROMBONE

TRUMPET PERCUSSION HARP

For more information on the Academy, please visit dmsymphony.org/academy or contact Joshua Barlage, Managing Director, at Joshua@dmsymphony.org or 515.280.3332.

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Pediatric Department Pediatric Department Pediatric Department

We Put Your Family We Put Family WeCenter Put Your Your Family Stage Center Center Stage Stage

875-9000 | iowaclinic.com | D E D I C AT I N G O U R L I V E S T O TA K I N G C A R E O F Y O U R S

875-9000 | iowaclinic.com | 875-9000 | iowaclinic.com | D E D I C AT I N G O U R L I V E S T O TA K I N G C A R E O F Y O U R S D E D I C AT I N G O U R L I V E S T O TA K I N G C A R E O F Y O U R S For more information about our services and a full listing of providers, visit iowaclinic.com For more information about our services and a full listing of providers, For more information about services and a full listing of providers, visitour iowaclinic.com Family Medicine ALTOONA | ANKENY | JOHNSTON | WAUKEE | WEST DES MOINES | URBANDALE visit iowaclinic.com Pediatrics ANKENY | WEST DES MOINES Family Medicine ALTOONA | ANKENY | JOHNSTON | WAUKEE | WEST DES MOINES | URBANDALE Family Medicine ALTOONA | ANKENY | JOHNSTON | WAUKEE | WEST DES MOINES | URBANDALE Pediatrics ANKENY | WEST DES MOINES