ProMusica Arizona to wrap up season with Musical Tales
Concert to Feature Youth and Adult Orchestras
For its final production of the 2011-2012 season, ProMusica Arizona (PMAZ) will present Aesop and Other Musical Tales, a delightful concert intended for students and adults alike.
The concert has something for everyone – from “Duncan’s Tales” based on the children’s book about Duncan the precocious dog, to “Slavonic Dances,” the story of a Gypsy dancer, to Mozart’s “Magic Flute” about the bird man Papageno and his magic flute, to “The Winds of Poseidon” with the sounds of the sirens who attempt to allure Odysseus and his men in Homer’s Odyssey.
A highlight will be the performance of a new piece written specifically for this concert titled, “The Sun and the North Wind,” based on a classic fable about strength and co
mposed by Boulder Creek High School trumpet player, Bill Fitzgibbons. Orchestra conductor, Kevin Kozacek, and Bill Fitzgibbons have been working together throughout the season on the concert piece, and Bill is extremely excited to hear his composition in concert.
Performances will be at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 19 at Boulder Creek High School Performing Arts Center.
Each piece will be introduced by a narrator who will tell audience members the story of the piece, and explain which musical elements to listen for that will help it “come alive” in the listener’s mind. The program is intended to be an educational experience, particularly for young musicians interested in developing their musical talent.
The progressive nature of the concert will showcase the various opportunities within the PMAZ Orchestra as well as demonstrating the benefits of the adult members playing side-by-side with the youth, helping to build their skills. The repertoire begins with more simple string orchestra music, then builds in difficulty throughout the performance, culminating with the final three pieces being performed by the full Adult and Youth Orchestras.
Prior to the concert, the PMAZ Brass Ensemble will perform fun, youth-oriented music including “George of the Jungle,” “SpongeBob” and “Lassus Trombone.”
An instrument “petting zoo” is planned following the concert when kids can get up-close to the instruments, meet musicians and learn more about PMAZ’s Youth Program.
Aesop’s and Other Musical Tales is being underwritten by Dave Janssen’s School of Music in Anthem.
Performances will be at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 19 at Boulder Creek High School Performing Arts Center, 40404 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway, Anthem. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased by going to the PMAZ website at www.pmaz.org or calling 623-889-7144. Tickets also are available at Andrew Z Jewelers, the Deer Valley Credit Union and Dave Janssen’s School of Music in Anthem.
MAY 9, 2012
Childsplay and the Indiana Repertory Theatre announce “Write Now”
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation awards $100,000 to develop new plays for young audiences. Playwrights invited to submit scripts for K-12 audiences.
TEMPE – Childsplay and the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) announce the creation of Write Now, a new collaboration funded through a generous grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The two acclaimed theatre companies are joining forces to advocate for playwrights and promote the development of new plays for young audiences. Write Now will bring playwrights, directors, actors, teachers, and theatre artists from across the country together in an effort to create strikingly original theatre for a new generation of young people and families.
Artistic Directors David Saar of Childsplay in Tempe and Janet Allen of IRT in Indianapolis have been long-term advocates for the creation of new work. "We believe that children deserve the best - the best directors, designers, actors, and of course the best and brightest playwrights creating scripts that speak to the experience of today's young people" says Saar. "Write Now is a national effort to support the work of these playwrights." Allen adds "By developing the work of emerging and established playwrights, and convening producers and experts from across the country to hear their scripts read, we will ensure that American theatre continues to deliver exciting and relevant plays for young audiences." Write Now will replace The Bonderman Playwriting for Youth National Competition and Symposium, which grew under the leadership of Dorothy Webb to be one of the leading voices in new play development for young audience.
In the spring of 2013, the first Write Now gathering will take place at Childsplay in Tempe, AZ, followed by the second Write Now in 2015 at IRT in Indianapolis. The event will consist of a week long development process including discussions and workshops for four new scripts followed by rehearsed readings of the plays. Local schools and community groups will participate as audience members. Both emerging and established playwrights from across the country are encouraged to submit their scripts for K-12 audiences to Write Now by July 31, 2012 at www.writenow.co.
Significant support for Write Now comes from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, which awarded $100,000 to Childsplay and IRT for this partnership effort.
"The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is delighted to support Write Now" says Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts. "Theatre for young audiences offers families and young people some of their most important artistic experiences. We look forward to the work that Childsplay and Indiana Repertory Theatre will take together to strengthen this too frequently under-resourced part of the theatre field."
About Childsplay: Childsplay, Inc. is a nonprofit theatre company of professional, adult artists who perform for and teach young audiences and their families. The mission of Childsplay is "to create theatre so strikingly original in form, content or both, that it instills in young people an enduring awe, love and respect for the medium, thus preserving imagination and wonder, the hallmarks of childhood which are keys to the future."
About IRT: Founded in 1972, the Indiana Repertory Theatre is the largest and leading fully professional not-for-profit theatre in the state and has grown into one of the leading regional theatres in the country. The IRT continues to be one of the top-flight cultural institutions in the city and state, providing experiences that engage, surprise, challenge and entertain.
About the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child abuse, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties.
For more information about Write Now contact Jenny Millinger at 480-921-5770 or [email protected]
