No One Spells Romance Like Jane Austen

This Thursday, Jane Austen has a date at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.  

Celebrating with a classic romantic comedy on Valentine's Day, L.A. Theatre Works' radio theater style performance of Pride and Prejudice promises to be as entertaining as the author intended 200 years ago.

The British novel is in good hands with this renowned company. Under the leadership of Producing Director, Susan Albert Loewenberg, L.A. Theatre Works (LATW) has been the foremost radio theater company in the United States for more than two decades. 

L.A. Theatre Works is broadcast weekly in America on public radio stations, daily in China on the Radio Beijing Network, streamed online at latw.org and programs are aired internationally on the BBC, CBC, and many other English language networks. LATW has single handedly brought the finest recorded dramatic literature into the homes of millions. 

The company records the majority of its productions annually in Los Angeles before an enthusiastic and loyal audience of season subscribers. Works by Arthur Miller, Tom Stoppard, Lillian Hellman, Athol Fugard, Joyce Carol Oates, Wendy Wasserstein, Neil Simon, David Mamet, Lynn Nottage and others have been performed and recorded by LATW with casts of the most critically acclaimed film and stage actors. 

On the road, LATW has delighted audiences with its unique live radio theater style performances in over 300 small towns and major cities, including New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington and Chicago, Beijing and Shanghai. An L.A. Theatre Works performance is immediate, spontaneous, and features a first-rate cast, live sound effects, and a connection to the audience rarely felt in a traditional theater setting. This theater is an event.

Today, LATW’s Audio Theatre Collection includes more than 500 classic and contemporary titles – the largest library of its kind in the world. Much lauded, the L.A. Theatre Works Audio Theatre Collection is available in over 9,000 libraries and has received awards from the Audio Publishers Association, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Publisher’s Weekly, Writer’s Guild of America, American Library Association, GRAMMY® Awards and many others. 

Additionally, over 3,000 high schools nationwide use the recordings and accompanying study guides to teach language arts, literature, history and civics through LATW’s Alive & Aloud educational outreach program. LATW’s newest initiative, The Play’s the Thing for Higher Education, makes over 300 digitized works from their collection available to universities and colleges across the country for use in a variety of disciplines. 

For more information on these programs, LATW’s Audio Theatre Collection, national radio broadcast information and other exciting projects, visit latw.org.

Tickets are still available for L.A. Theatre Works' Pride and Prejudice 

Thursday, February 14!

 Biography provided by Baylin Artist Management

Join Us for Fox Cities P.A.C. Fan Day with Scrap•Arts•Music

For more than a decade, theater fans have graciously supported the Fox Cities P.A.C. On Wednesday, March 20, allow us to say, “thank you!"
 

Scrap•Arts•Music is a great family-friendly show, perfect for special pre and postshow activities. Arrive early for a preshow talk led by Scrap•Arts•Music’s co-founder Gregory Kozak and fun family activities. Enter for a chance to win Super Fan prize packs or a seat upgrade to the Entrance 21 Luxury Suite, and be sure to add your autograph on the Fan Day celebrity board, just like the stars. Activities are free for all ticket holders, and the doors open at 6:00 p.m.


ABOUT SCRAP•ARTS•MUSIC
Scrap•Arts•Music is the creation of Vancouver artists Gregory Kozak and Justine Murdy. He’s a percussion virtuoso with a talent for welding, a commitment to recycling and energy to burn. She’s a designer with a passion for spectacle. Together with talented musicians Spencer Cole, Christa Mercey, Greg Samek and Malcolm Shoolbraid, Scrap•Arts•Music tours the world, transforming the stage into an eco-friendly musical empire made vibrant with creative energy. In a highly physical, wildly theatric performance, sculptures that are gorgeous enough to stand on their own become ensemble instruments in masterful compositions. For more information, visit ScrapArtsMusic.com.

To purchase tickets to Scrap•Arts•Music,

visit foxcitiespac.com today!

Don’t have tickets yet for Scrap•Arts•Music? Enter our Share Your Story promotion, and tell us your favorite memory of the Fox Cities P.A.C. One hundred lucky winners will be selected at random and receive two tickets to Scrap•Arts•Music! For details or to enter, visit foxcitiespac.com/ten or shareyourstory1213.blogspot.com .

Hurry, Share Your Story ends Wednesday, February 20!  

         

 

War Horse Tickets Are On Sale Now!

This morning, tickets for the Wisconsin premiere of War Horse June 25-30 went on sale at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton! 


As World War I begins, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped from England to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.
 
At its heart are astonishing life-sized puppets created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, that bring to life breathing, galloping, charging horses strong enough for men to ride.

In honor of today's on sale, we'd like to introduce you to the star of the show, Joey the Horse!

Joey Facts & Figures

1. The puppet (Joey), which weighs 120lbs, is handmade by 14 people. Its frame is mostly cane, soaked, bent and stained.

2. An aluminum frame along the spine, lined partly with leather for comfort, allows the horse to be ridden.

3. Stretched, hosiery-like Georgette fabric makes up the “skin” beneath the frame.

4. A puppeteer at the head controls the ears and head; one in the heart controls breathing and front legs; a third in the hind controls the tail and back legs.

5. A harness connects the puppet’s and puppeteer’s spines so his or her movements become the breathing of the horse.

6. The tail and ears are moveable instead of the lips or eyelids, because that’s how horses usually express themselves.

7. Two levers connected with bicycle brake cables control the leather ears.

8. The puppet, just under 10ft long and about 8ft tall, has about 20 major joints. Vertical levers curl the knees and lift the hooves.

9. The neck is made of carbon fiber glass for flexibility.

10. The eyes are black color behind clear resin so light refracts through them.

11. The right hind lever moves the tail up and down; the left hind lever, left to right; moved together, it spirals.

12. The hair in the mane and tail is made of Tyvek, a plastic-like paper.

Tickets for War Horse start at $55.  

 

Content Disclaimer: Although War Horse is based on a children’s book, it includes scenes depicting some war violence and is recommended for ages 10 and up. All patrons regardless of age must have a ticket.

250 Reasons to Love Spirited Songs February 9

Why do people love choral music?

If you were to ask all 250 singers preparing for Spirited Songs: A Celebration of Choral Music, you would probably get 250 different answers. Here are just a few they've shared!
 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, February 9 three of the leading Fox Cities choral music groups will perfor together onstage for the first time since the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center opened in 2002. Enjoy the experience as the Appleton Boychoir, Lawrence Academy Girl Choir and White Heron Chorale join together in a rare ensemble performance, highlighting the best of each group and combining their talents for a spectacular choral event! 

Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for students.

 

 

Familiar Face Among the BBC Concert Orchestra

You may recognize a familiar Fox Cities name among the composers for next Tuesday night's performance by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Alongside Benjamin Britten, Edward Elgar and George Butterworth, you can expect to see Appleton resident and composer, Maury Laws.

Shortly before the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center opened in 2002, Maury Laws was asked to compose a "Fanfare" to be played over the sound system, reminding everyone that the performance was about to begin or resume. He wrote the 10 second fanfare for brass quintet.

In honor of the Center's 10th Anniversary, Laws has expanded the motif into a longer piece. Keith Lockhart agreed to include it in the program featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra, so the modest reminder has become the opening fanfare of this special evening. The music suggests the activities that take place backstage as performers ready themselves for the opening curtain. The piece is called “Curtain Call.” 

Maury Laws began playing the guitar and singing at the age of 12. By age 16, he was a featured soloist with local dance bands and jazz groups in his native North Carolina. After returning from World War II, he performed in clubs and theaters throughout the U.S. and Canada. He eventually settled in New York where he pursued a formal education in music. Among his teachers was Tibor Serly, the associate of Bela Bartok. In the early days of television, he appeared with vocal groups on the most popular variety shows while writing arrangements for many of the top recording artists of the 1950s and ’60s. In 1964, Maury became the musical director for the animated production of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” 

He went on to compose, arrange and conduct music for more than 30
television specials and films including “The Hobbit,” which won a Peabody Award and received an Emmy nomination. He also composed for the off-Broadway theater and scored symphonic works for orchestras in the U.S. and Europe. His most recent works include “The Baseball Music Project” with Fred Sturm and featuring Hall of Fame great, Dave Winfield.
 
In 2011, Maury was inducted into the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. He also received the 2012 Hanns Kretzschmar Award for Excellence in the Arts. More  information about his work can be seen at maurylaws.com.

Tickets for the BBC Concert Orchestra start at $35.