We are excited to present the acclaimed new music ensemble Sō Percussion in an exclusive, livestreamed performance on July 1 at 7 PM on our Facebook page. The four members of Sō will perform a short series of back-to-back solo works live and then join Erin Busch, a doctoral fellow in music composition at Penn, for a discussion and Q&A. Audience members are encouraged to comment during the event with any questions for Sō.
In advance of its originally scheduled performance in April, Sō Percussion had been collaborating with Busch and the Penn Sound Collective, a graduate composition group, since fall 2019. The April performance would have featured world premieres by Busch, Nathan Courtright, Flannery Cunningham, James Diaz and Ania Vu, but unfortunately had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While we look forward to welcoming Sō for its Annenberg Center debut in the future, for now we are eager to gather online for an evening of mesmerizing solo percussion. See you July 1 at 7 PM on Facebook Live. (Please note, you do not need to have a Facebook account to watch this event.) Read more...
In January of this year, we welcomed back a longtime Annenberg Center and NextMove Dance favorite, Paul Taylor Dance Company, to the Zellerbach stage. It seems like so long ago now! They are among our many friends in New York City who have been in our thoughts these past few months, and looking back on their remarkable artistic accomplishments is providing us some solace as we navigate the road ahead. We were excited to stumble on this wonderful film from 2012, which marks the 50th anniversary of the company’s first-ever performance in Paris. The remarkable program, recorded at the Théâtre National de Chaillot for the Les Étés de la Danse festival, features Brandenburgs, set to Bach’s Brandenburg concertos #3 and #6, and Beloved Renegade, set to music from Francis Poulenc’s Gloria.
Brandenburgs is a magnificent interpretation of one of Bach’s most beloved musical masterpieces. Paul Taylor was the ultimate renaissance man of choreography, tackling music from medieval to rock, and in this case, he does a superb job of communicating through Bach’s sublime music. In a review of the work, the Manchester [UK] Guardian notes, “Beauty is the only word for Brandenburgs…[which] celebrates the good things in life. Such a radiant, seamless flow of invention that the choreography seems an entirely natural way of moving to this music.” Read more...
“I know some good games we could play,” said the cat. “I know some new tricks,” said the Cat in the Hat.
Arden Theatre Company audiences were looking forward to the company’s live adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat this spring. While those performances are on hold until next season, the Cat can instead visit families at home in The Cat in Hat Teaches THAT! Learn how to balance a flower on one finger or stop a spinning coin without knocking it over. Geared for elementary-aged children, Doug Hara, who would have co-directed and starred in the title role at the Arden, demonstrates some of the Cat’s best tricks from the show. Hara even shows off the trickiest trick that he mastered for the role – balancing atop a ball! Don’t try that one at home though. Read more...
Grammy®-nominated a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock has performed at the Annenberg Center many times over the years. The group’s powerful performances have always left us feeling inspired, encouraged, energized and comforted, with a renewed faith in humanity. On Friday, June 19 at 8 PM, we look forward to Sweet Honey in the Rock’s virtual concert and discussion honoring Juneteenth, the anniversary of when the last enslaved Black Americans received word that the Emancipation Proclamation granted them their freedom, two-and-a-half years after its signing.
In an evening of spirit and song, Sweet Honey in the Rock will reflect on the historical significance of Juneteenth through song, poem and discussion. Read more...
London’s National Theatre is known for its excellent theatrical productions, ranging from classics to cutting-edge new works. No stranger to world-wide broadcasts, the National has been producing high-quality live recordings of its performances and sharing them globally for over a decade through its National Theatre Live initiative. Now, as no one is able to gather in front of a stage or large-scale screen, the National has captivated the world again with over 12 million views of its National Theatre at Home performances, streamed free each week. Make a date on Thursdays for the next five weeks to enjoy the following productions via the National’s YouTube channel:
Small Island - The epic stage version of Andrea Levy's prize-winning novel, directed by Rufus Norris
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Gwendoline Christie plays Titania in the Bridge Theatre's immersive production, directed by Nicholas Hytner
Les Blancs - An African country teeters on the edge of civil war in Lorraine Hansberry’s epic, directed by Yaël Farber Read more...
Photo by Emilio Parra Doiztua / The New York Times
One of the most beautiful things about art is how it brings people together. Whether we see a concert, visit the museum or take a dance class, we expect to interact with people at every one of those experiences. But what happens when the communal element of art is taken away from us due to a global health crisis? And what role does art play when issues of systemic racism and social justice leave us feeling even more distanced and divided as people?
As international art dealer David Zwirner puts it, “While art can reach into the darkest places of the human psyche, it does so to help us understand and hopefully transcend. Art lifts us up. In the end, I think its mission is simply to make us better people.” In other words, the messages and meaning behind art are how we appreciate our differences as humans. Art is both literally and figuratively our canvas for expression and contemplation. We use visuals, music, dance or whatever art form speaks to us most to depict what words alone cannot. In doing so, we make art that can be poignant, controversial, insightful or whatever we want it to be. Read more...
The Annenberg Center believes that Black lives matter, and we stand in solidarity with the nationwide movement to eliminate the racism, violence, oppression and systemic injustice that is endemic across our country. As part of an institution of higher education and as an arts organization, we recognize that we are often at the forefront of addressing issues that confront our society. We must be leaders of change and part of the solution.
This statement is the beginning of a process, not the end. We recognize that we have much work ahead of us and we pledge to work toward creating an environment that is inclusive and free from discrimination for artists of color on our stages, for our patrons of diverse cultural backgrounds, and for staff, board, faculty, students and all persons of color across the Penn campus.
While we have a long history of supporting artists of color and offering diverse programming on our stages, and that will not change, this is not enough. We must examine our own institution and dig deep to challenge our assumptions and examine the ways our organization has operated out of privilege. We must work not only to ensure inclusivity on our stages and in our operations, but we must also pledge to actively fight against racism and injustice. Read more...
Martha Graham Dance Company is one of the oldest and most celebrated contemporary dance companies on the planet. True to its tradition of social activism, this iconic company continues to respond to the issues of today with a digital reinvention of Graham’s Immediate Tragedy, to be premiered live online on June 19. Originally created in 1937 in response to the Spanish Civil War, this collaborative piece with composer Henry Cowell was never filmed and considered lost for decades. Today, inspired by archival remnants of Graham’s original solo, this reimagined, digital work draws on the shared experience of our current, immediate tragedy, the global pandemic.
Commissioned by The Soraya, this new iteration of Immediate Tragedy features an original score by Christopher Rountree to be performed by the Los Angeles-based collective, Wild Up. These musicians took inspiration from shards of Cowell’s music notations found in the Graham archives, while 14 dancers each worked to develop specific movement phrases based on photos of the original piece. From around the world, these artists collaborated from the safety of their homes through a variety of technologies to synchronize movement, music and digital design.
Story Time with Stim is a new read-aloud collaboration with Penn’s student-led Stimulus Children’s Theatre Company, or Stim, for short. Every year, Stim visits local schools and hospitals to share the performing arts with kids through performances and workshops. After Stim’s spring musical, A Year with Frog and Toad, was cancelled due to COVID-19, we were motivated to find a new way to tell stories to kids in a virtual format.
Please note, these videos are no longer available due to arrangements with the publishers.
June 23: Curious George Rides a Bike:
June 18: Where Have the Unicorns Gone?:
June 11: Frog & Toad Are Friends:
Guest contributor Jaden Cloobeck is a rising junior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Psychology with a minor in Theatre Arts. He is the Chair of Stimulus Children's Theatre Company for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Arthur Mitchell, in 2015, holding a photograph of himself dancing with Diana Adams in Agon in 1957. Credit: EYEVINE
The monumental legacy of Arthur Mitchell, self-described as the “Jackie Robinson” of professional ballet, defies definition. His tap audition for LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts propelled him on a trailblazing path, forging creative opportunities for generations of Black and Brown artists worldwide. In 1957, he stunned audiences in George Balanchine’s neo-classic Agon (1957), partnering with white ballerina Diana Adams, and crushing racial boundaries and 400 years of ballet history. Known for his technical virtuosity, powerful artistry, elegant lines and pure charisma, he quickly rose to international stardom. As a Balanchine protégé, he joined New York City Ballet in November 1955, replacing the injured Jacques d’Amboise in Western Symphony, and is credited as being the first African American principal dancer (1962-1968) in a major American ballet company. Mitchell’s legendary roles include his naughty and mercurial Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1962) and his passionate partnering with Suzanne Farrell in Metastaseis & Pithoprakta (1968). However, it was Mitchell’s performance in Balanchine’s Requiem Canticles (1968), a tribute to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. that shaped dance history. Greatly impacted and galvanized by King’s passing, Mitchell needed to follow his dream. Read more...
