'Tis the season
The 2007-2008 Masterpiece Season brings exciting shows and performances to JMU
Posted on August 27, 2007
Masterpiece Season has begun preparing for its 2007-2008 season, bringing culture to Harrisonburg through the arts. Masterpiece Season is a collaboration of student, faculty and guest artists’ talent that brings together dance, music and theatre for the enjoyment of Harrisonburg residents and students of all ages.
The season will begin with the New Dance Festival performance. It will feature BosmaDance from Washington, D.C., as the guest company, as well as faculty members Cynthia Thompson, Shane O’Hara and Suzanne Miller-Corso. The show will be held in Latimer-Shaeffer Theatre Sept. 7 and 8 at 8 p.m..
Part of Masterpiece Season is the encore series, which features guest talent from all over the county. This year the Encore Series is set to debuts with Neil Berg’s tribute to 100 years of Broadway magic. It will showcase the actual stars of shows such as “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miserables” and “Jekyll & Hyde,” and will include songs by Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Weber. This one night performance will be on Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Wilson Hall.
The JMU theatre department will be opening with “What the Butler Saw” by Joe Orton as one of four main stage plays during the Masterpiece Season. “What the Butler Saw” is a mix of crime drama and comedy. The effect is a series of mishaps that will cause audience members to die of laughter. The show opens on Oct. 2 and will run through the sixth. It will be performed at Latimer-Shaeffer at 8 p.m..
Among the plethora of different musical acts offered by the Masterpiece Season is the JMU Wind Symphony, which will kick off the season’s music series. This year JMU welcomes a new conductor, Dr. Steven Bolstad, who will get his first chance to showcase the musical talent that JMU has to offer on Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. in Wilson Hall. Other musical acts that will be performing throughout the course of the year include the JMU Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Band, JMU Symphony Orchestra, JMU Opera Theatre which will feature the opera “The Merry Widow,”, and newcomer to Masterpiece Season, the JMU Brass Band.
Masterpiece Season continues its theatre performances with the Charlotte Brontë classic “Jane Eyre.” In this adaptation by Polly Teale inventive production techniques and musical underscoring are used to produce a theatrical experience that has entertained audiences in London and New York. The annual musical this year will be the comedy “Urinetown,” which was originally a book by Greg Kotis and has been adapted for the stage by Max Hollman. Rex Reed of The New York Observer has described it as “fresh, unique, original, impudent, colorful, exciting, irreverent, surprising and wonderful!” This year’s main stage productions conclude with Shakespeare’s comedy “Twelfth Night.”
Honorary Oscar winner Mickey Ronney, accompanied by his wife Jan, shares his many Hollywood experiences in his new show. Ronney’s extraordinary career includes involvement in over 200 films, five Oscar nominations, one Emmy Award, five Emmy nominations and two Golden Globes. On October 18th Mickey and Jan will be at Wilson Hall ready to audiences with tales of dreams, love, and loss through music and storytelling. Other acts that will make up this year’s Encore Series are Grammy Award-winning African-American female a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, America’s new first family of bluegrass CherryHolmes, and Dublin’s Traditional Irish Cabaret.
In December, the dance series continues with the Virginia Repertory Dance Company performance. Kate Trammel directs a group of eight JMU students who will perform new choreography by JMU faculty members and national guest artists, including the award-winning quintet, “Day in the Life of the Brain.”The final dance concert of the year will showcase new work by JMU dance students, a guest artist and faculty members Cynthia Thompson and Suzanne Miller-Corso. This year’s guest artist is choreographer and former Erick Hawkins protégé Todd Rosenlieb of Norfolk.
Masterpiece Season provides entertainment and culture for both adults and children. The season includes a family series, which will showcase the carnival-esque drama “If You Give a Pig a Party.” This festive performance mixes puppets, bicycles, bumper cars, pillow fights, ballet and ice cream, and will delight children of all ages.
For more information on Masterpiece Season and for a complete list of events, times, and ticket prices, call the Masterpiece Season Box Office at 568-7000, or view it online at cvpa.jmu.edu/masterpiece/.