The Washington Center 2011-2012 Season Brochure

2 0 11 / 1 2 S E A S O N 21st Century Masters

HAHN-BIN IS BACK! MOMIX

Transporting audiences from their everyday lives to a fantasy world

The New Mel Brooks Musical

Young Frankenstein

C ONT EN T S | WC PA 11/12

Features

Every Season

2011/12 Season

7 | India.Arie & Idan Raichel

5 | CenterFest 2011

6 | Lorna Luft in

An Open Door to Musical Expression.

12 | 21st Century Masters

Our 16th consecutive year presenting the world’s finest young concert musicians.

13 | The Miles Davis Experience A Collaboration with Blue Note Records.

21 | The Klezmatics

Globally-renowned world music superstars.

28 | Playing for Change

Inspiring peace through music.

31 | In The Heights

Honoring Broadway traditions.

33 | Masters of Tradition Celebrating Irish Music in its purest form.

18 | Ensure a Future for the Arts 20 | Community Events 36 | Culture Vultures

7 | India.Arie & Idan Raichel 9 | National Geographic Live!

Featuring Kenny Broad

The Center’s younger patron club.

37 | The Big Mini Golf Weekend

25 | Silent Movie Series

10 | Cocktails with Larry Miller 11 | Comedy in the Box 12 | 21st Century Masters Featuring Hahn-Bin

13 | 15 | 16 |

17 |

The Miles Davis Experience MOMIX The National Broadway Tour of Spamalot Cashore Marionettes

26 | Don’t Fence Me In Songs, Music and Poetry of the American West

27 | 27 | 28 | 29 |

The Capitol Steps Guitar Republic Playing For Change Band 21st Century Masters Featuring Ran Dank

29 | The Mitch Show 30 | Silent Movie Series

Featuring Peter Pan

30 | National Geographic Live!

Featuring Paul Nicklen

21 | The Klezmatics 22 | National Geographic Live!

31 | The National Broadway Tour of In The Heights

22 | 21st Century Masters

33 | Masters of Tradition 34 | Ragamala Dance

Featuring Annie Griffiths

Featuring Narek Arutyunian

23 | ScrapArtsMusic

Thank you to our 2011/12 Sponsors

Featuring Last Laugh

Songs My Mother Taught Me

35 | Silent Movie Series

Featuring Iron Horse

24 | The National Broadway Tour of Young Frankenstein

Watch for the following keys throughout the brochure:

The Miles Davis Experience

P.13 Cover photo by: Workroom K

WCPA C ALE ND AR 2011/12

October 27, 2011 7:30PM Comedy in the Box Additional performances: 11/17/11, 1/19/12, 2/23/12, 3/15/12, 4/26/12, 5/10/12, 6/14/12

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October 28, 2011 7:30PM The Miles Davis Experience

November 5, 2011 7:30PM MOMIX

February 9, 2012 7:00PM Silent Movie Series: Last Laugh

February 18, 2012 7:30PM Don’t Fence Me In

March 1, 2012 7:30PM

Songs, Music and Poetry of the American West

Guitar Republic

April 18, 2012 7:30PM Masters of Tradition

April 20, 2012 7:30PM Ragamala Dance

May 17, 2012 7:00PM Silent Movie Series: The Iron Horse

New Frontiers at the Minnaert

November 9, 2011 3:00PM & 8:00PM The National Broadway Tour of Spamalot

November 11, 2011 7:30PM

March 8, 2012 7:30PM The Capitol Steps

March 16, 2012 7:30PM Playing for Change Band

New Frontiers at the Minnaert

September 30, 2011 7:30PM Lorna Luft in Songs My Mother Taught Me

October 8, 2011 7:30PM India.Arie & Idan Raichel

December 21, 2011 7:30PM The Klezmatics

January 20, 2012 7:30PM National Geographic Live!

Annie Griffiths

January 25, 2012 7:30PM

March 23, 2012 7:30PM

March 28, 2012 7:30PM

March 29, 2012 7:00PM Silent Movie Series: Peter Pan

Cashore Marionettes

New Frontiers at the Minnaert

The Mitch Show

21st Century Masters Series

Ran Dank, piano

October 11, 2011 7:30PM National Geographic Live!

Kenny Broad

21st Century Masters Series

Narek Arutyunian, clarinet

October 20, 2011 7:30PM Cocktails with Larry Miller

October 26, 2011 7:30PM

February 4, 2012 7:30PM ScrapArtsMusic

February 7 & 8, 2012 7:30PM The National Broadway Tour of Young Frankenstein

April 3, 2012 7:30PM National Geographic Live!

Paul Nicklen

April 11, 2012 7:30PM The National Broadway Tour of In The Heights

21st Century Masters Series

Hahn-Bin, violin

MOMIX P.15 www.washingtoncenter.org |

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center fest 2011 AN EVENING WITH

LORNA LUFT

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 • 6:30-11:00PM The Washington Center is delighted to present Lorna Luft in Songs My Mother Taught Me, as our headlining entertainment for the return of our annual CenterFest celebration! The Gala evening will include a glittering pre-show party in The Center lobby, into the theater for Luft’s “chill-inducing perfection” as she performs from Garland’s legendary songbook, then when the performance is over, a special VIP reception on the mainstage with food, music and maybe an opportunity to meet Lorna! $100.00 per person

ART GALLERY RECEPTION - 26 FEET OF ART!

Lorna Luft

IN Songs My Mother Taught Me – A Celebration of the Music of

Judy Garland

Free Event!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 • 5:30-9:00PM - FREE! The celebration begins with an art reception and wine tasting as we bring back the very popular online auction with 26 Feet of Art. 26 artists will contribute 12”x12” artwork that will be on display in The Center galleries, and the finest vintages will be available from local vintners with accompanying hors d’oeuvres. The online auction will run through ArtsWalk and close October 9th.

“A rousing, dramatically riveting musical event.” VARIETY

SEPT 30/Friday 7:30PM

AFTERNOON DANCE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2011 • 2:00-5:00PM The afternoon dance returns! You can hit the dance floor and dance to songs from the big band and swing era, mix and mingle over snacks, tea and maybe even a little Champagne! $15.00 per person

The daughter of legendary entertainer Judy Garland and producer Sid Luft, Lorna has been intimately involved with music and entertainment since she was born. At age 11 she made her television debut singing on her mother’s television show, The Judy Garland Show, and at 16 she shared the bill with Garland at Broadway’s famed Palace Theater.

One of Luft’s most ambitious projects to date is this highly-acclaimed multi-media production, melding one of the world’s most familiar songbooks with the personal memories of a loving daughter. Variety calls it “a rousing, dramatically riveting musical event,” and the LA Times calls her performance “heart-stopping and thrilling . . . an incandescent revelation not to be missed.”

Performance only: $47.00 - $42.00 Adult $42.00 - $38.00 St/Sr $23.50 - $21.00 Youth

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An Open Door to Musical Expression

India.Arie & Idan Raichel Open Door is the highly anticipated new project from Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter India.Arie. In this fresh musical offering, Arie partners with Israeli artist Idan Raichel – a driving force in contemporary world music – to create a cross-genre collection of songs that are poignantly relevant to a global audience. In a stripped down setting, emboldened by their cause, the two artists confidently deliver one of the most honest musical expressions to have reached the stage in years.

A

rie’s smoldering voice and broad appeal have helped her sell more than 8 million albums worldwide.

From the moment that her first single Video and her multi-platinum debut album Acoustic Soul were released in 2001, her ascent into the mainstream consciousness was rapid, establishing an extraordinary bond of trust, affection and communication with her followers. Arie traveled to Israel in 2008 and met producer, and composer Idan Raichel, whose entrancing recordings with the prolific Idan Raichel Project have now gone triple-platinum. Together, they have since written more than fourteen tracks and have performed together onstage at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, Norway; the Kennedy Center in

Washington D.C.; and New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage. At a private listening show held last summer in Atlanta, the artists debuted Open Door, an album’s worth of emotionally stirring material.

Open Door delivers consistent themes of acceptance and unity that lay the foundation for an impassioned body of work.

This penetrating collection forges cultural divides and exemplifies the raw power of open, simple production. Arie has found in Raichel a self-described “musical soul mate” who breathes new life into her signature brand of raw, empowered soulful R&B/ pop/folk music. Open Door is a stunning array of effortlessly blended styles that Arie describes as, “the most authentic musical expression of my life thus far.” The authentic East-meets-West experience features minimal production; piano, percussion, strings, winds, and multilingual lyrics sung in Hebrew and English.

The two artists confidently deliver one of the most honest musical expressions to have reached the stage in years.”

OCT 8/Saturday 7:30PM India.Arie’s smoldering voice and broad appeal have helped her sell more than 8 million albums worldwide. From the moment her first album Acoustic Soul was released in 2001, her ascent into the mainstream consciousness was rapid, establishing an extraordinary bond of trust, affection and communication with her followers. Arie traveled to Israel in 2008 and met producer and composer Idan Raichel, whose entrancing recordings with the prolific Idan Raichel Project have now gone tripleplatinum. Together, they have released Open Door, an album’s worth of emotionally stirring material. Open Door delivers consistent themes of acceptance and unity that lay the foundation for an impassioned body of work. $73.00 - $58.00 Adult $66.00 - $52.00 St/Sr $36.50 - $29.00 Youth

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Cocktails with Larry Miller: Behind every great National Geographic story there is a great storyteller: the writers, photographers, filmmakers, scientists, explorers, and adventurers who bring the world home. Through National Geographic Live - a rich public program of speakers, concerts, and films - we present these storytellers on our stage. Our second season with NG LIVE will include:

Little League, Adultery & Other Bad Ideas

Kenny Broad

Beyond the Invisible: Secrets of the Blue Holes Take a deep breath and join veteran cave explorer Kenny Broad on a harrowing expedition into some of the most dangerous and scientifically significant places on Earth.

National Geographic Live!

Speaker Series

(see pages 22 & 30 for details about these additional speakers):

Annie Griffiths

Paul Nicklen

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OCT 11/Tuesday 7:30PM

OCT 20/Thursday 7:30PM

Largely unexplored, and considered among the most hazardous places to dive, the flooded caves, or “blue holes” of the Bahamas, are a potential treasure trove of scientific knowledge. Recently, National Geographic Emerging Explorer Kenny Broad, a diver and advocate for freshwater conservation, led a scientific expedition to these dangerous but fascinating blues holes, making discoveries with implications for fields as diverse as microbiology, archaeology, and even astrophysics.

Comedian Larry Miller has one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces— he’s appeared in over 50 films including Pretty Woman, The Nutty Professor, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and The Princess Diaries.

He also appears as a regular guest on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

“Underwater caves may just look like dark, eerie holes,” says Broad, “but they can be critical reservoirs of clean fresh drinking water and are integral to the health of the surrounding habitats,” he says. “If pollution or climate change threatens that ecosystem, it also threatens local people.” An entertaining speaker and committed scientist, Broad will share the adventure and science of exploring this incredible underwater world, as seen in the August 2010 issue of National Geographic. $27.00 - $22.00 Adult $24.00 - $20.00 St/Sr $13.50 - $11.00 Youth

“Larry Miller is, was and will always

be the funniest guy I know.”

JERRY SEINFELD

“A raconteur and storyteller of the first order.” JAY LENO

Now Mr. Miller takes to the stage in a new one-man show that includes two parts comedy, one part theater, a dash of music, and a twist of truth. The Perils of Plumbing, The Unmasking of Marriage, and A Debate Between Moses and God are just the salt on the rim of what is slated to be one of the funniest cocktail parties you will ever attend. $75.00 VIP TICKET $36.00 - $26.00 Adult $32.00 - $23.00 St/Sr $18.00 - $13.00 Youth

VIP ticket purchase includes special seating, a post-show cocktail party and a meet & greet with Larry Miller!

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HAHN-BIN violin The Washington Center is proud to present its 16th consecutive year of presenting three of the world’s finest young concert musicians in association with Young Concert Artists, Inc. Each season we are thrilled to bring to the stage performers whose skills are already of the highest caliber early in their careers.

It is a valuable opportunity to witness the virtuosic skill and development of young talent, but perhaps more importantly, the program allows us to offer a range of educational programs for students to learn directly from the next generation of great concert performers.

Eight performances in the Black Box throughout the season: 10/27, 11/17/11, 1/19/12, 2/23/12, 3/15/12, 4/26/12, 5/10/12, 6/14/12

This will be the fourth full season for our wildly popular comedy cabaret, booked in conjunction with the Seattle Comedy Competition. Join us as we transform the Black Box theater into a cozy cabaret and present some of the finest touring comedians working today. Most evenings feature a headlining act with two opening performers, and a full bar is available in the lobby throughout the evening. Some comedians may be a bit more blue than others, but you’re sure to have a great time!

These evenings are 21+.

Choose any 4 shows:

$50.00 Adults over 21

Young Concert Artists, Inc., was founded in 1961 to discover and launch the careers of extraordinary young musicians—a mission that has been achieved to a phenomenal and unprecedented degree. Many of today’s great performers started their careers with Young Concert Artists—Dawn Upshaw, Emanuel Ax, Eugenia Zukerman, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, the Tokyo String Quartet, Olympia’s internationally rising star Charlie Albright, and last season’s New Frontiers performer Christopher O’Riley.

21st Century Masters Series

(see pages 22 & 29 for details about these additional Young Artists):

or $15.00 each Adult ticket

OCT 26/Wednesday 7:30PM After incredible educational outreach and the most electrifying performance on our stage last season rising star Hahn-Bin is back! A special protégé of the legendary Itzhak Perlman, the dynamic 22-year-old violin virtuoso embodies the renaissance of classical music.

Narek Arutyunian

Ran Dank

Born in Seoul, Hahn-Bin made his international debut at age twelve at the 42nd Grammy Awards in an event honoring Isaac Stern. Following a decade under the tutelage of Itzhak Perlman at The Juilliard School, HahnBin made his critically-acclaimed debut in 2009 at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall as the recipient of the Peter Marino Concert Prize, following his First Prize win at the prestigious Young Concert Artists International Auditions. $19.00 Adult $9.50 Youth

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The goal is to leave the audience member with a feeling of what it was like to live in America during this important period.”

The

Miles Davis Experience: 1949-1959 A Collaboration with Blue Note Records OCT 28/Friday 7:30PM

R

ecapturing

the

period,

sound,

historical

and cultural context of this critical period

of American history through the lens of jazz music and its most iconic innovator, Miles Davis, The Miles Davis Experience includes live music performed in the manner it was first presented, with era photos and film clips brought together by a beat poet-style narrator.

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2011/12 Season Season | 2010/11

B

y following Miles’ musical development in linear chronology, we will tell the story of post-war America, the challenges and optimism, the civil rights struggle, the historical milestones, and the creative cauldron of new music that Miles pioneered and nurtured.

The show will be an immersive experience -- more than a concert, less narrow then a scripted play or media presentation.

The goal is to leave the audience member with a feeling of what it was like to live in America during this important period.

The Miles Davis Experience: 1949-1959, a Collaboration with Blue Note Records features the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet with Ambrose Akinmusire on the trumpet.

The Los Angeles Times recently named Akinmusire one of their 2011 “Faces to Watch,” and offered this descriptive of the quintet’s recent LA performance: “Akinmusire and his band demonstrated a remarkably fluid, adventurous interplay and patiently imaginative way with melody that sounded as steeped in the music’s history as it was hard-wired with the sound of something new. With a chameleonic tone that can sigh, flutter or soar, Akinmusire sounds less like a rising star than one that was already at great heights and just waiting to be discovered.”

Capturing one of America’s most exciting periods in cultural history is no small feat, but The Miles Davis Experience deftly evokes the decade from 1949-1959 through the lens of one of jazz music’s most iconic innovators.

The evening is a chronological exploration of Davis’s earlier work leading up to his seminal recording Kind of Blue, including live music as it was first presented, photographs and film clips from the era, and a beat poet-style narrator.

By following Davis’s musical development as it unfolded, the show provides a unique perspective on the story of post-war America, the challenges and optimism of the birth of the Civil Rights struggle, historical milestones in the nation and around the world, and a rare look into the creative cauldron of a musical style pioneered and nurtured by Davis. The show is an immersive experience—more than a concert, less tied to form than a scripted play or traditional multimedia presentation, the audience is left with the feeling of having experienced life in America during this turbulent, thrilling time, as well as the unprecedented opportunity to have seen the work of Miles Davis presented as true to the original as possible more than sixty years after its debut. $37.00 - $29.00 Adult $33.00 - $26.00 St/Sr $18.50 - $14.50 Youth

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MOMIX Botanica

TWO PERFORMANCES

“A savvy mix of puppetry, strobe lights and multi-media.”

STAR LEDGER

NOV 5/Saturday 7:30PM MOMIX has been transporting audiences from their everyday lives to a rich fantasy world in over 22 countries for 30 years. Through a magical combination of movement, illusion, sound, color, and light, Artistic Director Moses Pendleton integrates athletic dance, riveting music, outrageous costumes, inventive props, and pure talent to create a wildly entertaining, transcendent evening that is like no other. This will be MOMIX’s third time visiting the Washington Center. $42.00 - $32.00 Adult $38.00 - $29.00 St/Sr $21.00 - $16.00 Youth

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The National Broadway Tour of

Spamalot

NOV 9/Wednesday 3:00PM & 8:00PM Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005. Telling the legendary tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and featuring a bevy of beautiful showgirls, not to mention cows, killer rabbits, and French people, Spamalot “raises silliness to an art form” (The Sunday Times) and has been hailed as a “no-holds-barred smash hit.” (The New Yorker). $82.00 - $67.00 Adult $74.00 - $60.00 St/Sr $41.00- $33.50 Youth

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ENSURE A FUTURE FOR THE ARTS The Washington Center began managing the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts, located on the campus of South Puget Sound Community College, in the fall of 2009. This will be our second season at the Minnaert produced by the Washington Center. 2011-2012 New Frontiers performers are: The Cashore Marionettes, Guitar Republic (page 27) and The Mitch Show (page 29).

THE CASHORE MARIONETTES Life in Motion

FRIENDS

Artistic Endowment

The Friends of the Washington Center are people just like you. For over 25 years the Center has been a part of the South Sound community and, like all non-profit arts organizations, we cannot exist on the strength of ticket sales and rentals alone. We need the help of community members who love the arts, culture, and community that the Washington Center helps foster. Your Friends membership will ensure the Washington Center is able to continue as a home for the arts next week, next month, next year, and in years to come.

The Washington Center was born from the belief that a regional performing arts center is fundamental to the cultural pursuits of our community, and providing access to the arts in a way that aims to enrich the lives of its patrons is our primary goal. The Center recognizes a need in our community for diverse opportunities in arts education and cultural outreach as essential to achieving our aims, and we are committed to providing a distinctive cultural experience and connecting the community with new and innovative artistic expression.

In addition to helping support the Center’s regular season programming, your Friends contribution helps us provide an affordable, wellequipped and maintained performing arts facility for dozens of local arts organizations. As one of the only available local venues, it is increasingly important that the Center is able to help keep costs low for these community-based groups.

Your support of the Center gives us the artistic freedom to present a broad selection of national and international performances, bringing world-class music, dance, theater, film, and guest speakers to the South Sound region.

The Washington Center for the Performing Arts Artistic Endowment fund is a unique permanent fund that will provide our community greater access to the arts, increase arts education funding, encourage collaboration between local arts and culture organizations, and, by accomplishing these goals, strengthen the cultural fabric of our community. As an arts leader in the South Puget Sound region with committed staff and board leadership, the Center is uniquely positioned and prepared to develop, maintain, and utilize this permanent endowment fund.

Not only does your support help bring the community together through art, your generous donation affords you exclusive privileges, including program recognition, complimentary ticket exchanges, priority seating, and more!

The endowment accepts gifts of cash, stock and real estate, charitable remainder trusts, bequests, or other planned gifts. Individual endowments may be paid over a period of several years. As always, your gift is tax deductible.

Liberty Lounge

Our Liberty Lounge was designed for Friends contributing at the Patron level or higher. Named after the original theater that existed on the current site of the Washington Center, the Liberty Lounge is open for nearly all regular Washington Center season performances before the show and at intermission. Come in, hang up your coat, and have a drink from our full-service no-host bar.

New Frontiers at the Minnaert Series (see pages 27 & 29 for details about these additional shows):

Guitar Republic

The Mitch Show

NOV 11/Friday 7:30PM Master puppeteer Joseph Cashore brings his collection of stunning marionettes to life in this beautiful, unique performance.

Characters of depth, integrity, and humanity are portrayed in a full evening unlike anything else in theater today. The program is a series of scenes taken from everyday life, set to gorgeous music

by Beethoven, Strauss, Vivaldi, Copeland, and others. Through a combination of virtuosic manipulation, humor, pathos, music, and poetic insight, The Cashore Marionettes take the audience on a journey celebrating the richness of life. Life in Motion is a powerful, entertaining, surprising, one-of-a-kind evening for adults and young adults alike. $27.00 Adult $13.50 Youth Performance held on the Campus of South Puget Sound Community College

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Directors Circle

The Washington Center Director’s Circle is comprised of donors who have given $1,500 and above. The Director’s Circle provides critical support for the Center, and was created for those individuals whose resources allow them to dedicate their support to the health and vitality of the arts in our community. As a Director’s Circle member, you receive exclusive benefits including complimentary tickets to our annual fundraising Gala, tickets to season events, and the highest seating priorities.

Your gift provides greater funding stability for the organization by augmenting annual giving and helping the Center fulfill its mission to serve as the primary connection between the encouragement and development of cultural horizons in the South Puget Sound area.

For more information about how you can help us ensure a future for the arts, please contact Development Director Patrick Rofe at (360) 753-8585 x102, or at profe@washingtoncenter.org

OVATION SOCIETY The Ovation Society of the Washington Center for the Performing Arts has been formed to honor and recognize the generous Friends who remember the Center in their estate plans. To become a part of this esteemed group, you can provide for the Center in your will, name us as the beneficiary of a trust, life insurance policy, or annuity. Your gift will ensure that the Center continues to provide the exceptional quality of art and performance you have enjoyed, well into the future. Your gift provides a lasting legacy for the community, bringing the mission and spirit of the Washington Center to future generations. www.washingtoncenter.org |

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Subscribe Today! All it takes is 5!

SUBSCRIBER INFORMATION

BOX OFFICE INFORMATION

Seating Priority

The Box Office at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts:

Please Note: All subscriptions are processed based upon Friends level status and in the order received.

• Same Seat Subscribers are seated first in the seats they occupied last season guaranteeing those seats for all of their chosen events. The same seat option is available only until July 8, 2011. Only those that have subscribed one or more consecutive years are eligible for same seats.

• Subscribers requesting a change in their seating or those requesting same seats for the first time are seated next.

The same seat option is available only until July 8, 2011.

• Renewing Subscribers who request Flexible Seating and order by July 22, 2011 are seated next in the best available seats within the parameters specified on their order form.

• New subscribers who order before August 5, 2011 are seated next.

• Tickets are mailed to the address provided by September 6.

Discounts

• Purchase 5 or more events and request Flexible Seating to receive a 10% discount off your entire ticket order.

• Purchase 8 or more events and receive an additional 10% off your entire ticket order.

• All subscribers pay a one time handling fee of $15.00 per order instead of the non-subscriber handling fee of $3.00 per ticket!

Easy Subscription

Payment Plan Options PAYMENT PLAN DEADLINE: July 22, 2011 You are welcome to pay for your entire ticket order and Friends contribution now using cash, check, or credit card - or You may pay 1/2 of your ticket order and Friends contribution by credit card only, and the remaining balance will be automatically charged to your credit card on August 19.

- or You may pay 1/4 of your ticket order and Friends contribution by credit card only, and the remaining balance will be automatically charged to your credit card, in equal installments, on August 19, September 16, and October 14.

We’re here for you!

Box Office: (360) 753.8586 For other information, call our Administrative Office: (360) 753.8585

12:00 pm - 5:30 pm Tuesday through Friday, 2:00 pm - 5:30 pm Saturdays Box Office closed Saturdays in July & August Two hours before any ticketed event Closed Sunday and Monday Box Office (360) 753.8586 www.washingtoncenter.org • www.olytix.org

Community Events at the Center

OLYMPIA ARTS WALK Join us in the Center Gallery at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts

The Box Office at The Minnaert Center for the Performing Arts is open 90 minutes before any ticketed event • www.olytix.org

FALL: October 7th, 2011

You may exchange your tickets for any Washington Center produced event in advance of the performance in person or by mail, exchanges subject to availability and non-Friend exchange fee. Please call the Box Office for more information.

If you are unable to attend the event for which you hold tickets, consider ticket donation! This opens the seats you held for another patron to experience The Washington Center and you will receive a tax deductible receipt in the mail in the following weeks. To donate tickets, contact the Box Office at your earliest convenience prior to the show.

Tickets will always be replaced when lost or forgotten.

Students (18 and younger or current college students of any age with valid Student ID) and Senior adults (65 and older) receive a 10% per ticket (rounded to the nearest 25¢) discount for all Washington Center presented events.

Youth Tickets For those 14 and under, Youth Tickets are typically 50% off adult ticket prices and are available for most performances, although not all performances are suitable for all ages. We make every effort to accurately represent event content when available.

Parent/Guardian discretion is encouraged.

Student Rush “Ten Buck Tix” $10 Rush tickets for all events presented by The Washington Center are available all day on the day of the show, in person with valid Student ID. Rush tickets available through the Box Office only, please call for more information. Based on ticket availability.

Group Sales Include a Washington Center event as an activity for your club, social group or school outing! Groups of 20 or more are eligible for a 20% discount, groups of 10-19 members receive a 10% discount. Group discounts are in addition to the regular Student and Senior discounts if applicable. Group Sales available through the Box Office only, please call or come by for more information.

Accessibility The Washington Center is committed to providing accommodations for those with physical challenges. Please make these needs known in advance by contacting the Box Office. Wheelchair seating is not available online. Accommodations include: • Seating with lifting armrests.

• Accessibility for wheelchair occupants and their companions.

• Infrared listening assistance headsets for the hearing impaired.

• Large print event descriptions available with advance notice.

SPRING: April 27 & 28, 2012

SING-ALONG MESSIAH December 19, 2011 at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts.

Co-produced with Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia (SOGO).

Join us in a community sing-a-long.

COME TO SING — COME TO LISTEN

SAVE THE DATES! March 3 & 4, 2012

at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts Co-produced by Olympia’s own Ballet Northwest and the Washington Center, this community event will feature Thurston County’s top dance groups performing together on one program! Experience an amazing diversity of dance, ranging from ballet to social dance, and jazz to ethnic dance!

* Please make these needs known in advance.

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The Ecstatic Klezmatics

“...making music that is wild, mystical, provocative, reflective and ecstatically danceable.”

Annie Griffiths

T

he Klezmatics are globally-renowned world music superstars — and the only klezmer band to win a Grammy award. The Klezmatics emerged out of the vibrant cultural scene of New York City’s East Village in 1986 with klezmer steeped in Eastern European Jewish tradition and spirituality, while incorporating contemporary themes such as human rights and anti-fundamentalism and eclectic musical influences including Arab, African, Latin and Balkan rhythms, jazz and punk. In the course of over twenty years and nine albums they have stubbornly continued making music that is wild, mystical, provocative, reflective and ecstatically danceable.

Over the years the Klezmatics have had the privilege of working with many musical luminaries, including visionary American folksingers Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Theodore Bikel and Odetta, classical virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, Israeli pop icons Chava Alberstein and Ehud Banai, singer-songwriters Ben Folds and Natalie Merchant, Beat poet legend Allen Ginsberg, avant-garde experimentalist John Zorn, Morocco’s Master Musicians of Jajouka, Nubian Egyptian percussionist Mahmoud Fadl and Kosher Gospel belter Joshua Nelson.

Their collaborations have extended to numerous theatrical, film, dance and television projects, including Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner’s A Dybbuk and It’s An Undoing World.

The Klezmatics have reached millions through performances and features on Late Night with David Letterman, PBS’ Great Performances, BBC’s Rhythms of the World, BBC’s John Peel Show, various NPR programs (A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, New Sounds Live and Soundcheck), CBS Nightwatch, FOX After Breakfast, MTV News and HBO’s Sex in the City. Additionally, their “NY Psycho

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A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel

JAN 20/Friday 7:30PM

As perhaps the only photographer in history to pack her camera gear in Pampers, Griffiths has blazed a trail for other photographers, and other working parents. With warmth and humor, she explores the realities of juggling family and career as she travels the world for National Geographic.

For more than 25 years, Annie Griffiths has circled the globe on assignment for National Geographic, capturing stunning images and living one adventure after another—from traveling with Bedouins in the Middle East to swimming with sea turtles in the Galápagos Islands. Along the way, she had two children, and kept right on going to far-flung destinations across the globe, with kids in tow. A warm, accessible presenter with a delightful sense of humor, Griffiths is sure to inspire as well as entertain with images and stories from her travels through remote places and cultures. $27.00 - $22.00 Adult $24.00 - $20.00 St/Sr $13.50 - $11.00 Youth

Freylekhs” was chosen as a theme song for Air America Radio’s Al Franken Show. They have performed in over twenty countries at some of the most storied venues and festivals worldwide, including Central Park Summerstage, Carnegie Hall, Pirineos Sur (Spain), Colours of Ostrava (Czech Republic), Pohoda Festival (Slovokia), Jazzsomer Graz (Austria), Heimatklänge Festival (Germany), London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

The Klezmatics have topped the Billboard world music charts on numerous occasions and have garnered numerous awards and accolades throughout their career, including a GLAMA (Gay and Lesbian American Music Award) and the German Critics Prize (twice), They were the recipients of the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album for their CD Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie.

DEC 21/Wednesday 7:30PM The Klezmatics are the world-renowned, Grammy-winning superstars of the klezmer world. They erupted out of New York City’s East Village in 1986 and revitalized klezmer for a new century with music that is steeped in Eastern European Jewish tradition and spirituality while incorporating themes such as human rights and anti-fundamentalism with eclectic musical influences including Arab, African, Latin and Balkan rhythms, jazz, and punk. Don’t miss this exciting, energetic, cross-cultural explosion of music, tradition, and energy! $29.00 - $22.00 Adult $26.00 - $20.00 St/Sr $14.50 - $11.00 Youth

Narek Arutyunian clarinet

JAN 25/Wednesday 7:30PM 18-year-old clarinetist Narek Arutyunian won First Prize in the 2010 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and was also awarded the Meridian Symphony Prize to perform as soloist with the orchestra, and was invited to perform in the Embassy Series in Washington, DC, the Brownville Concert Series (NE) and at the Usedom Music Festival in Germany. Next season, Mr. Arutyunian will be presented in his recital debut in the Young Concert Artists Series in New York, sponsored by YCA’s Rhoda Walker Teagle Concert Prize, and at the Kennedy Center, as well as in Boston at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Mr. Arutyunian has performed widely in Europe, with concerts at the Louvre Auditorium in Paris and the Palazzo del Principe in Genoa, and as soloist with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra in the Czech Republic, the Kaliningrad Philharmonic in Russia, and with the Moscow Philharmonic, Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and State Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Arutyunian’s clarinet is a personal gift of the conductor and violinist Vladimir Spivakov. $19.00 Adult $9.50 Youth www.washingtoncenter.org |

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TWO PERFORMANCES

“It’s Mel Brooks, the mad genius, for goodness’ sake, so of course you laugh!”

THE WASHINGTON POST

ScrapArtsMusic

FEB 4/Saturday 7:30PM

FEB 7/Tuesday & FEB 8/Wednesday 7:30PM

Started by Gregory Kozak—a percussion virtuoso with a talent for welding, a commitment to recycling, and energy to burn—and Justine Murdy— a designer with a passion for spectacle and head for making things happen, ScrapArtsMusic excites the senses with intricate rhythms, raw energy, athletic choreography and the most inventive reuse of materials on stage today. Joined by four of the percussion world’s freshest and most adventurous talents, ScrapArtsMusic’s original compositions are as visually striking as they are sonically riveting. With instruments fashioned with recycled materials from accordion parts to artillery shells, this electrifying quintet has been welcomed by audiences on four continents with unbridled enthusiasm. Their intoxicating mix of music, movement and spectacle transcends language, cultural and age to provide a highly physical, wildly theatrical, and thoroughly entertaining taste of the musical vanguard.

IT’S ALIVE! An inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend based on Mel Brooks’ classic comedy masterpiece, the story follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein (that’s Fronkensteen) as he attempts to complete his grandfather’s masterwork and bring a corpse to life. Together with his oddly shaped and endearing helper Igor (that’s Eye-gor), his curvaceous lab assistant Inga, and in spite of his incredibly self-involved madcap fiancé Elizabeth, Frankenstein succeeds in creating a monster—but not without scary and quite often hilarious complications.

With such memorable tunes as “The Transylvania Mania,” “He Vas My Boyfriend,” and “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” the MEL BROOKS Musical Young Frankenstein is scientifically-proven, monstrously good entertainment!

$35.00 - $25.00 Adult $32.00 - $23.00 St/Sr $17.50 - $12.50 Youth 23

| 2011/12 Season

The National Broadway Tour of

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

$82.00 - $67.00 Adult $74.00 - $60.00 St/Sr $41.00 - $33.50 Youth

www.washingtoncenter.org |

24

“It’s 1924!”

Silent Movie Series

with Dennis James on the Wurlitzer Theater Organ The Washington Center is proud to present It’s 1924!, our fourth year of screening three classic silent films with live music. This season we commemorate the year the original Liberty Theater opened on the current site of the Washington Center with three exciting films: THE LAST LAUGH (Der Letste Mann) – Emil Jannings PETER PAN – Betty Bronson

Don’t Fence Me In Songs, Music and Poetry of the American West

Dennis James

has dedicated his professional career to the continuation of the theatrical traditions of, and public interest in, the theater pipe organ. From the time he began concertizing while still in his teens, James has been at the top of the theater organ profession. He has played virtually everywhere pipe organs are to be found, from preserved movie palaces through the United States and Canada to concert halls and theaters in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

THE IRON HORSE – John Ford The series provides a contemporary opportunity to experience a style of entertainment from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and official Center organist Dennis James offers an intriguing look into the history of each film, as well as a new, original score played on the Center’s beautifully restored Andy Crow Wurlitzer pipe organ.

Silent Movie Series

(see pages 30 & 35 for details about these additional movies):

THE LAST LAUGH (DER LETSTE MANN) Directed by F.W. Murnau, Starring Emil Jannings

FEB 9/Thursday 7:00PM

FEB 18/Saturday 7:30PM

F.W. Murnau’s silent film The Last Laugh tells the tragic story of a self-confident hotel porter, brilliantly portrayed by Jannings, who is demoted to lavatory attendant. The porter’s entire identity is based upon his position and especially on his uniform, which symbolizes power and respectability to his lower-middleclass community of family and friends. The film’s most shocking and brutal moment comes when the hotel manager unrelentingly strips the pleading porter of his uniform; it is as if the porter’s skin were being ripped off. But this is only the beginning of his trials. The film’s unexpected deus-ex-machina ending tries to whitewash the porter’s suffering, but his tragic decline remains unforgettable.

Few places in the world capture the imagination like the American West. From the range to the roadhouse, the valley of the Rio Grande to the Bitterroot Mountains, this tour—produced by the legendary National Council for the Traditional Arts—explores the region’s celebrated musical and oral storytelling culture. Cowboy songs and poetry, high plains yodeling, western swing fiddle and vocal harmonies, lively Tex-Mex polkas and rancheros, and Northern Plains pow-wow drumming and songs are performed by a group of exceptional artists, including Wylie and the Wild West, The Quebe Sisters Band, Los Texmaniacs, North Bear, and Paul Zarzyski.

Dispensing with the customary intertitles, and filming while moving the camera in extraordinarily inventive ways, Murnau and his cinematographer, Karl Freund, transformed the language of film. In shooting the opening sequence, the camera descended in the hotel’s glass elevator and was then carried on a bicycle through the lobby. In addition, The Last Laugh succeeds in combining expressionist elements, such as extreme camera angles, distorted dream imagery, and disturbing light and shadow effects, with a complex psychological study of the main character in his fall from privilege.

$35.00 - $25.00 Adult $32.00 - $23.00 St/Sr $17.50 - $12.50 Youth

$15.00 Adult $7.50 Youth

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www.washingtoncenter.org |

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CAPITOL STEPS MAR 8/Thursday 7:30PM The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom to not quit their day jobs, but taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience. And they’re funny! A Capitol Steps visit to Olympia has been an annual tradition for over a decade! $42.00 - $32.00 Adult $38.00 - $29.00 St/Sr $21.00 - $16.00 Youth

Guitar Republic MAR 1/Thursday 7:30PM Before Guitar Republic, Pino Forastiere, Stefano Barone, and Sergio Altamura were Italy’s most successful solo acoustic guitarists. All friends hailing from different parts of the country, they were united by a love of the guitar and a passion to explore new musical territory. Combining their talents (Pino’s melodies, Stefano’s rhythms, and Sergio’s experimentation), Guitar Republic went from one viral YouTube video to a widely praised CD to concerts through Italy, and now a tour of North America. $27.00 Adult $13.50 Youth

Performance held on the Campus of South Puget Sound Community College

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| 2011/12 Season

Inspiring Peace through Music:

Playing For Change Band

W

hat began as a PBS documentary with the lofty goal of fostering hope and inspiration through music has now become a worldwide phenomenon. Inspired by the passion and energy of street musician Roger Ridley’s rendition of “Stand by Me,” Grammy award winning producer Mark Johnson set out across the globe on one of the most incredible journeys in modern music: Playing For Change.

Johnson traveled the world, recording and filming street musicians of different faiths, backgrounds, and ethnicities, then blended their contributions into one unified and moving performance. Many of these artists would never actually meet, but their talents and passion were brought together in song.

Johnson explains the process as “layering musicians on top of each other. They could all hear whatever had come before them, and then they could find a way to make their track something that was more of a universal song.” The final product aired as a documentary on PBS called Playing For Change: Peace Through Music and went completely viral on YouTube, with PFC’s “Stand By Me” video reaching well over 20 million views.

A collection of musicians from the documentary came together for a live performance at the 2009 SXSW festival as the Playing For Change Band. The group’s fervent delivery of blues, gospel, reggae and Afropop led to an amazing run of sold out shows, moving audiences worldwide and earning them a remarkable debut on Billboard’s Top 10 with Playing For Change – Songs Around The World.

PFC continues in their mission to inspire, connect, and bring peace through music with the release of Playing For Change Live – a special two-disc CD/DVD that documents their critically acclaimed 2009 world tour.

The group’s fervent delivery of blues, gospel, reggae and Afropop led to an amazing run of sold out shows...”

MAR 16/Friday 7:30PM What began as a PBS documentary with the lofty goal of fostering hope and inspiration through music has now become a worldwide phenomenon. Inspired by the passion and energy of street musician Roger Ridley’s rendition of “Stand by Me,” Grammy award winning producer Mark Johnson traveled the world, recording and filming street musicians of different faiths, backgrounds, and ethnicities, then blended their contributions into one unified and moving performance. The final product aired as a documentary on PBS and went completely viral on YouTube, with well over 20 million views. A collection of musicians from the documentary came together for a live performance at the 2009 SXSW festival as the Playing For Change Band. The group’s fervent delivery of blues, gospel, reggae and Afropop has moved audiences worldwide and earned them a remarkable debut on Billboard’s Top 10 with Playing For Change – Songs Around The World. $42.00 - $32.00 Adult $38.00 - $29.00 St/Sr $21.00 - $16.00 Youth www.washingtoncenter.org |

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It’s 1924! Silent Movie Series

RAN DANK

with Dennis James on the Wurlitzer Theater Organ

Peter Pan

piano

MAR 28/Wednesday 7:30PM

Starring Betty Bronson

MAR 29/Thursday 7:00PM In the story, Peter Pan, a magical boy who refuses to grow up, brings the Darling children (Wendy, John, and Michael) from London to Neverland, where they have adventures that include a confrontation with the pirate Captain Hook and his crew. Later, the children feel homesick and wish to go home. Wendy invites Peter and the Lost Boys to come with them so they can be adopted. The Lost Boys are eager to do so, but Peter refuses because he does not wish to grow up. Wendy and her brothers and the Lost Boys are captured by the pirates, but rescued by Peter, who forces Captain Hook to walk the plank and be eaten by the crocodile who once ate his hand. Wendy and the boys return to the Darling home, where Mrs. Darling meets Peter for the first time and offers to adopt him, but he refuses for the same reason that he refused to go back with Wendy and the boys - he has no intention of growing up. Peter asks Wendy to return to Neverland with him, and Mrs. Darling agrees to allow Wendy to go back once a year to help Peter with his spring cleaning.

Pianist Ran Dank deploys his brilliant technique with astonishing skill however, it is his interpretive powers that captivate audiences and garner critical acclaim. During the 2010-11 season, Mr. Dank makes his debut in the Washington Performing Arts Society’s prestigious Hayes Piano Series at the Kennedy Center. He will be appearing in recital at the Morgan Library in New York, the University of Florida, and with Sunday Musicale (NJ). Mr. Dank performs as soloist with the Pensacola Symphony (FL), performing Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1, with the Phoenix Symphony and conductor Michael Christie as part of their Beethoven Festival, and at Lincoln Center with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and conductor Pinchas Zukerman. He returns to the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, performs in the Young Concert Artists Musical Marathon at Symphony Space, at the 6th Young Concert Artists Festival in Tokyo, in a two piano concert with pianist Vassilis Varvaresos, and performs with Fourtissimo, a piano quartet featuring pianists Vassilis Varvaresos, Soyeon Lee and Roman Rabinovich, at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall.

The film closely follows the plot of the original play, and even goes so far as to incorporate much of its original stage dialogue in the intertitles. Added scenes include Nana the dog pouring out Michael’s medicine and giving him a bath, and Nana bursting into the home at which a party is being given, to warn Mr. and Mrs. Darling that Peter Pan and the Darling children are flying around the nursery. Like the original play and several other versions, and unlike the 1953 Disney film, the 1924 version makes it clear that Wendy harbors a romantic attachment to Peter, but Peter, to Wendy’s annoyance, only thinks of her as his mother.

$19.00 Adult $9.50 Youth

$15.00 Adult $7.50 Youth

THE MITCH SHOW MAR 23/Friday 7:30PM The Mitch Show is a fast-paced evening of comic films and audience-participation pieces by former choreographer and performance artist Mitchell Rose. Now a prizewinning filmmaker, Mitch’s offbeat films have won 54 festival awards and are screened across the globe, from the Getty Museum to the CBS Jumbovision screen in Times Square to a State Department tour of Kosovo. Maniacally funny, often poignant, and always surprising, The Mitch Show appeals equally to fans of film, theater, dance, and comedy. $27.00 Adult $13.50 Youth

Performance held on the Campus of South Puget Sound Community College

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| 2011/12 Season

PAUL NICKLEN Ends of the Earth

Paul Nicklen’s photographic mission is to celebrate the beauty of the lands and creatures at the ends of the Earth and to show the rest of us what is truly at stake in the ongoing debates over global warming. Join us for an evening exploring the breathtaking beauty of the polar regions and the impact of climate change on their fragile ecosystems.

APR 3/Tuesday 7:30PM Paul Nicklen has published nine feature stories in National Geographic since 2003, making a huge imprint in the world of natural history photography by documenting wildlife’s struggle with rapid environmental change—from the southern oceans to the high Arctic. Growing up in a small Inuit community on Baffin Island, he learned to travel the ice and track its wildlife. Nicklen takes his audience underwater to see stunning, close-up images of leopard seals, whales, walruses, polar bears, and narwhals; and over the ice to look at grizzly bears, caribou, foxes, and more. In November 2009, National Geographic will publish Polar Obsession, a major new book featuring his work from both Antarctica and the Arctic.

Join us for an evening exploring the breathtaking beauty of the polar regions and the impact of climate change on their fragile ecosystems. $27.00 - $22.00 Adult $24.00 - $20.00 St/Sr $13.50 - $11.00 Youth

www.washingtoncenter.org |

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The National Broadway Tour of

IN THE HEIGHTS:

Honoring Broadway Traditions

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place anywhere else. It’s a descendant of such landmark and disparate musicals as On the Town, Guys and Dolls, Wonderful Town, West Side Story, Company, and Rent: even the grittiest of these works are under the city’s spell. In In the Heights, a magical, sparkling, George Washington Bridge twinkles beyond the barrio, and beckons with possibilities.

in-Manuel Miranda, who conceived the Tony Award-winning In the Heights and wrote the music and lyrics, is a new voice with an old soul. The show, which celebrates life in a Washington Heights barrio, is propelled by the rhythms of hip hop and Latin music – uncommon sounds, to be sure, in musical theater – but the invigorating beat belies a musical steeped in Broadway tradition.

In the Heights, with a book

by Quiara Alegría Hudes, direction by Thomas Kail, and choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, follows a close-knit community of hard-working Latino immigrants as they strive for a better life; search for love; dream the American Dream; and create a haven, a home, in northernmost Manhattan. The central figure in the piece is Usnavi, who, like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, is both leading man and storyteller. In fact, if you change the setting and translate the language into contemporary, urban, Spanish-inflected English, Tevye could be speaking for Usnavi when he tells the audience that everyone in his village is “a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck.” Both shows are about very specific worlds, but the stories that unfold are universal.

“Fiddler is in the DNA of Heights,” says Miranda, who created the role of Usnavi on Broadway, and won a Tony award for Best Score. “If you look at our opening number, it’s ‘Tradition’ with hip hop. It’s very deliberately modeled after ‘Tradition.’ Tevye speaks of ‘the circle of our little village,’ and in Heights, Usnavi starts with the business owners and widens the scope, moving on to the people who are important in his life. Fiddler is about a community where nothing’s changed

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“I’m a lifelong New Yorker,” says Miranda, “and one of the things I love about Washington Heights is that it’s always been an immigrant neighborhood. I think that comes through in the show.

It has such a different energy from everywhere else in the city because it’s got a terrain that was never conquered. If you go to 181st Street, you’re a mile above sea level. You take the subway there and it’s unreal – the escalator is longer than anything I’ve ever seen. It’s also got Fort Tryon Park and Inwood Hill Park, which is the only unplanned park on Manhattan Island. It’s a very special place. In many ways, the show is a valentine to Washington Heights.” for hundreds of years. Heights is about a community where everything is changing everyday. And if we all come from different communities with our own traditions, what do we take with us, what do we keep? When Jerome Robbins was directing Fiddler, he said, ‘This show is about tradition, and if there’s anything that doesn’t have to do with tradition, it’s out.’ For us, the watchword was ‘home.’ If there was anything in the show that didn’t have to do with the concept of home, we took it out.”

In the Heights is also carrying on a very different tradition: it is part of the canon of New York musicals, shows in which the city provides the engine, shows in which the character of the city is integral to the fabric of the piece, shows that could not possibly take

It didn’t start out that way.

Miranda began writing In the Heights in his sophomore year at Wesleyan University, and it was a very different show. “My high school sweetheart was going abroad to study in the Dominican Republic,” he says, “and I was very conflicted about it. We’d been together for about four years, and this was my first time on my own. I started writing In the Heights the day after she left, and finished it two weeks later. It was all about the angst I had over the relationship. It’s got the same mix of Latin and hip hop music, but only certain chord progressions have survived. And the first version was not about community at all.

That came later, when I moved back home, $27.50 - $21.50 Adultand realized back into my neighborhood, $24.50 - $19.50 how much material was there.St/Sr ” $13.75 - $10.75 Youth

But his college effort was such a success that two Wesleyan seniors, Neil Stewart and John Mailer, who had plans to start a theater company, told Miranda that they wanted to help him bring In the Heights to New York.

They were good to their word. They founded Back House Productions, along with fellow Wesleyan alumni Kail and Anthony Veneziale, and the week after Miranda graduated in 2002, he began meeting with them about transforming a college musical into a professional theater piece.

“The credit for this show getting from Wesleyan to Broadway really goes to Tommy Kail,” says Miranda. “He’s an incredible director. He’s excellent at making sure that everyone’s writing the same show, which is one of the hardest things to do in musicals.

Even before we had producers, he had us meet every Friday, bring in songs, bring in scenes, and pick them apart. There have been five different plots, and 60 cut songs.

Writing this show was like my grad school degree.”

In 2004, Hudes joined the artistic team as book writer. By this time Miranda knew, much to his surprise, that he would be portraying Usnavi in any future productions. He had been recruited to play the role for the show’s first workshop – until they could find a “real actor” down the road – and his effect on the audience was apparent. “I fell into the role,” he says. “And it became clear that I couldn’t

...a magical, sparkling George Washington Bridge twinkles beyond the barrio, and beckons with possibilities.” write the music, the lyrics, and the book, and be in the show. It was too much. So we started looking for a book writer, and Quiara was recommended. I was blown away by her when we met. From that first day, we had an immediate sibling relationship. We had very similar upbringings. She grew up in North Philly, I grew up in Northern Manhattan.

We’re both first-generation Puerto Rican kids who went to really good schools and tried to figure out where we were in the interim. She did a great job of making In the Heights her story as well as mine.”

In the Heights opened off-Broadway at 37 Arts Theater on February 8, 2007, and was an instant hit with critics and audiences. It ran through July 15, 2007, and, following rewrites and revisions, opened on Broadway on March 9, 2008 where it won the 2008 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations.

There is a considerable amount of Spanish spoken and sung in the show, but it’s not

necessary to be bilingual to understand the thoughts and emotions expressed. “Most of our audience is your typical, theatergoing audience,” says Miranda. “It’s wonderful that we’ve become an event show for Latinos on Broadway, but the overwhelming majority of people who come to see our show – and this was particularly true off-Broadway – don’t speak a word of Spanish. And they come away loving it. They understand it.

We’ve taken great care to make sure you get everything in context. We sneak in Spanish little by little at the top of the show, and by the end, we’re giving whole dollops of it. People are with it, they’re nodding their heads. We’ve tried to use Spanish in the way that Jerome Robbins used dance: when we get to a point where English won’t suffice, we break into Spanish.”

Miranda hopes that In the Heights enables audiences to appreciate his culture, his neighborhood, his community. “The reality about New York is that it’s always changing,” he says. “Some of the neighborhoods that were memorialized in songs or in plays don’t exist anymore. So what I want most is for people to be aware of the neighborhood that I love. In a lot of ways, it’s already changed.

There’s already a Starbucks on 181st Street.

I think what’s universal about the show is that we’ve all had someone in our lives who wanted us to do better. We’ve all had a place we call home, or we’ve yearned to find home.

APR 11/Wednesday 7:30PM In The Heights is the kind of musical that comes around once in a generation: a musical about the importance of home, family, and finding where you belong. Winner of 4 Tony awards in 2008—including Best Musical—In The Heights tells the story of a vibrant community in Manhattan’s Washington Heights—a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change; full of hopes, dreams, and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be decided which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.

“A singular new sensation! This

musical about chasing your dreams and finding your true home.” THE NEW YORK TIMES

$82.00 - $67.00 Adult $74.00 - $60.00 St/Sr $41.00 - $33.50 Youth

www.washingtoncenter.org |

32

RAGAMALADANCE Masters of TRADITION

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Celebrating Irish Music in its Purest Form

asters of Tradition is a unique festival held each August in the Irish coastal town of Bantry, Co. Cork, to celebrate traditional Irish music in its purest form.

Artistic Director and fiddler, Martin Hayes, devised the festival, in collaboration with the classical music organization, West Cork Music, in order to create a space where the heart of traditional music could be exposed.

The intimate performances of solos, duets and trios, take place in an old stone church in the town center and in the wood-paneled library of Bantry House, one of Ireland’s most beautiful 18th century Georgian mansions.

The concept has evolved to produce a performance format that gives a real insight into the musical journeys that these musicians, and the masterful music they play, have taken over the years.

Dennis Cahill - Guitar: Born in Chicago to parents from County Kerry, Dennis Cahill’s innovative accompaniment is acknowledged as a major breakthrough for guitar in the Irish tradition. Cahill’s playing turns minimalism into an art form.

as a child and then learned guitar, banjo, mandolin, bouzouki and bodhrán. He toured with the band Dervish for six years and then with Máirtín O Connor and Cathal Hayden for over a decade, a collaboration that continues to this day.

Máirtín O’Connor - Accordion: With an accordion style displaying astounding skill, dexterity and versatility, Máirtín O’Connor has played with many of traditional music’s leading groups as well as collaborating with artists including Elvis Costello, The Chieftains, De Danann and The Dubliners.

David Power - Uilleann Pipes: David Power was born into a musical family in County Waterford. He played the whistle from a young age, and at 10 was encouraged to take up the uilleann pipes. David won the Senior All-Ireland Piping Championship and the coveted Oireachtas Piping competitions in 1992. He has represented Ireland at the Lorient Interceltic Festival and was a member of Liam Clancy’s Fairweather Band.

Cathal Hayden – Fiddle: Cathal Hayden is from a musical family in Co. Tyrone. He has In 2009, the Sydney International Festival a natural and distinctive style, original and invited Martin to create a touring version of inventive. Cathal was the catalyst for the Masters of Tradition to play at the Sydney formation of Four Men and a Dog, one of the Opera House. Drawing together a remarkable foremost Irish traditional bands. line-up of Irish musicians, the 3000 seat Opera House quickly sold out for the two Seamie O’Dowd - Guitar: From Co. night engagement and the performances Sligo, Seamie O’Dowd grew up steeped captivated the audience. in traditional music. He played the fiddle

Steve Cooney - Guitar: An Australian of Irish ancestry, Steve Cooney has been living in Ireland for many years. He spent a number of years living in the parish of Moore where he got to know and play with the local musicians, one of those being Maidhc Dainín. One of Ireland’s leading guitarists, he is also a much sought-after and highly regarded producer, having worked with many of the big names in the Irish music industry.

Masters of Tradition is an evening-length performance featuring the following musicians: Martin Hayes - Fiddle: Born and raised in East County Clare, a part of Ireland renowned for music and a particularly lyric style, Martin is considered one of its most distinguished native sons. He has both remained faithful to the East Clare style and transformed it, to convey its deep and essential musicality that can stand along side any of the world’s greatest music. He tours the world in a duet with guitarist, Dennis Cahill.

Iarla Ó Lionáird – Vocals: Born into a small, Irish-speaking enclave in West Cork, Iarla Ó Lionáird’s upbringing revolved around singing as the dominant form of expression.

As vocalist for Afro Celt Sound System, Ó Lionáird played festivals all over the world and 33

recorded five albums with the group before he embarked on his remarkable solo projects.

| 2011/12 Season

APR 18/Wednesday 7:30PM An amazing evening of music performed by some of Ireland’s most esteemed traditional musicians, this concert is based on a festival that has been held for the past 8 years in the West Cork town of Bantry. The festival, curated by fiddler Martin Hayes, has been critically acclaimed for its unique approach to the presentation of traditional music. This tour will include Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill (a duo that has performed at the Washington Center several times) with the great Irish vocalist Iarla Ó Lionáird, guitarist Steve Cooney, the Mairtin O’Connor Trio, and piper David Power. Traditional Irish music at its finest! $37.00 - $29.00 Adult $33.00 - $26.00 St/Sr $18.50 - $14.50 Youth

“Aparna Ramaswamy’s creative vision seamlessly carries Bharatanatyam into the 21st century...”

APR 20/Friday 7:30PM Founded in 1992, Ragamala Dance performs innovative works within the classical tradition of Bharatanatyam, the classical dance of souther India.

Artistic Directors Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy’s creative vision seamlessly carries Bharatanatyam into the 21st century while respecting the form’s rich tradition. They will perform an evening length work entitled Sacred Earth, bringing two rich and ancient Indian visual art traditions—Warli paintings and Kolam rice flour drawings—into conversation with Bharatanatyam. Performed against large-scale painted panels by master fold artist Anil Chaitya Vangad, Sacred Earth transforms the stage into a sacred space and invokes a deep connection to the Earth. $37.00 - $27.00 Adult $33.00 - $24.00 St/Sr $18.50 - $13.50 Youth

www.washingtoncenter.org |

34

It’s 1924! Silent Movie Series with Dennis James on the Wurlitzer Theater Organ

IRON HORSE

John Ford

Culture Vultures

MAY 17/Thursday 7:00PM

The Washington Center’s Younger Patron Club

Springfield, Illinois. Brandon, a surveyor, dreams of building a railway to the west, but Marsh, a contractor, is sceptical. Abraham Lincoln looks on as their children, Davy Brandon and Miriam Marsh, play together.

Brandon sets off with Davy to survey a route. They discover a new pass which will shave 200 miles off the expected distance, but they are set upon by a party of Cheyenne. One of them, a white renegade with only two fingers on his right hand, kills Brandon and scalps him. Davy buries his father... Years pass. It is 1862 and Lincoln signs the bill authorizing construction of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railways. Marsh is principal contractor and Miriam is engaged to Jesson, the chief engineer... Crews of Chinese, Italians, and Irish work to build the railway while resisting Indian attack. When the pay train is delayed by Indian ambush, the Italians go on strike. Miriam persuades them to return to work...

It’s our second year of Culture Vulture excitement, and this season we’re making it better than ever! An opportunity for our younger patrons to get involved with programs and events at the Center, Culture Vultures get exclusive access to special events including pre – and post-show receptions for select performances, reserved seating, and drink and dining discounts at some great local bars and restaurants.

$15.00 Adult $7.50 Youth

For $25, Culture Vultures can participate in some of our season’s most adventurous offerings with parties, meetand-greets with performers, and invitations to the Center’s regular art openings and other special events, as well as an additional ten percent off standard ticket prices with greater discounts closer to selected performances!

We’ve put together a special Culture Vulture Season Package, with performances selected based on their originality, daring, energy, and spirit. Culture Vultures can purchase this package at half off the regular season rate, and have full access to the fantastic events before or after the shows, with delicious snacks, a full bar, music, dancing, and, for very special events, the chance to meet and greet the performers!

The Washington Center is committed to being Your Center for the Arts in the South Puget Sound and our commitment centers around education.

This season’s Culture Vulture Package includes: The Washington Center receives support from the cities of Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater.

The Washington Center prides itself on providing educational opportunities to enhance students learning. Our initiative – nExt_ gEneraTioN - consolidates our efforts.

We would like to acknowledge the many individuals who contribute to the Friends of the Washington Center.

We provide an education rental rate to qualifying groups, keeping our rental costs down so groups such as Olympia Junior Programs can bring in thousands of children and introduce them to the theater.

We also discount our ticket prices in several ways to allow students who may not normally be able to attend performances to have a chance to see Washington Center Presents performances in music, theater and dance. The Center offers a 10% student discount, youth tickets at half off the adult price, and $10 rush tickets all day of the show in person with I.D. The Center created the 21st Century Masters series, now in its 16th year, with the Young Concert Artists Association in New York and brings three budding young classical musicians each year to perform as part of our season. As part of their time in the South Sound, they conduct master classes at The Center, perform recitals in local area schools, and teach workshops with area young musicians.

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| 2011/12 Season

Additional season marketing support provided by: We annually host “Pet the Instruments” in conjunction with the Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia (SOGO) during the Spring ArtsWalk, where kids and adults of all ages can come to the theater free of charge and see, touch, and play the instruments of their choice.

We have also worked with the Timberland Regional Library - a rural Library District servicing 7,000 square miles through 27 community libraries where all our Washington Center Presents performances are researched

by TRL and a quarterly Resource Guide created so students interested in a study guide of upcoming performances can find extended, thorough materials. Many student groups and classes center projects around a performance and this allows them to use the resources available through TRL to gain a greater understanding of an artist or a performance.

The Washington Center receives additional funding from the following organizations:

India.Arie and Idan Raichel MOMIX The Klezmatics ScrapArts Music Playing for Change Each of these performances features a reception exclusively for Culture Vulture members. CV members can purchase up to two additional half-price tickets to these performances starting 48 hours in advance.

Culture Vultures qualify for Rush pricing for all New Frontiers and National Geographic Live! events.

See backside of Order Form for Culture Vultures Pricing Information.

www.washingtoncenter.org |

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FAMILY DAY SPONSOR:

19TH HOLE SPONSOR:

EVENT SPONSOR:

HOLE SPONSORS (to date):

The Weekend of January 27, 2012 Sponsor Night: Friday, January 27, 2012 / 6PM-10PM

Foursomes will compete on the Big Mini Golf course that winds throughout the building. A chipping contest will be on the main stage and ‘watering holes’ will be set up in various locations so that no one has to wait until the 19th hole. After a round, golfers will enjoy dinner on the main stage. Must be 21.

Family Day: Saturday, January 28, 2012 / 10AM-4PM

A great opportunity for young people to wind their way throughout the performing arts center, ending up on stage with an inflatable obstacle course, face painting and a hot dog! Bring the entire family and putt your way through the theater.

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A-Pro Home Inspection Chicago Title EN&T Associates SW, Inc. Law Office of Harold Carr Party Outfitters Setina Manufacturing Company, Inc. Shankz Black Light Miniature Golf Williams, Wyckoff & Ostrander, PLLC Zia Betta

MEDIA SPONSOR:

Additional Support provided by:

Thank you to our 2011/12 Sponsors A-Pro Home Inspection Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters Bayview Thriftway California Presenters Capital Medical Center Capitol City Press Cascadia Grill Chicago Title Design Edge Dr. Dan Davidson EN&T Associates SW, Inc. Governor Hotel Heritage Bank Johansen Olympia Dance Center L&E Bottling Law Office of Harold Carr Marine View Beverages MCP & Bookkeeping Services, Inc. New England Foundation for the Arts

Old School Pizzeria Olympia Federal Savings Pardiman Productions Panorama Party Outfitters Red Lion Hotel REI ROXY 94.5 Setina Manufacturing Company, Inc. Shankz Black Light Miniature Golf South Sound Magazine Swing Wine Bar & Cafe The Olympian Thurston First Bank Titus-Will Weekly Volcano Wells Fargo Home Mortgage/Kathy Randich WESTAF & NEA William, Wyckoff & Ostrander Zia Betta

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

OLYMPIA, WA PERMIT NO. 445

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

2011

LORNA LUFT IN SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME SEPT 30 INDIA.ARIE & IDAN RAICHEL OCT 8 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE! - KENNY BROAD OCT 11 COCKTAILS WITH LARRY MILLER OCT 20 HAHN-BIN, violin oct 26 comedy in the box oct 27 the miles davis experience oct 28 momix nov 5 the national broadway tour of spamalot nov 9 cashore marionettes nov 11 comedy in the box nov 17 the klezmatics dec 21

2012

comedy in the box jan 19 national geographic live! - annie griffiths jan 20 narek arutyunian, clarinet JAN 25 scrapartsmusic feb 4 the national broadway tour of young frankenstein feb 7 & 8 silent movie series - last laugh feb 9 don’t fence me in songs, music and poetry of the american west feb 18 comedy in the box feb 23 guitar republic mar 1 capitol steps mar 8 comedy in the box mar 15 playing for change band mar 16 the mitch show mar 23 RAn Dank, piano mar 28 silent movie series - peter pan mar 29 national geographic live! - paul nicklen apr 3 in the heights apr 11 masters of TRADITION apr 18 ragamala apr 20 comedy in the box apr 26 comedy in the box may 10 silent movie series - the iron horse may 17 comedy in the box june 14

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Events to Become a Subscriber and Receive a 10% Discount!

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