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CFA announces 2006-07 season
Offerings to include dance, theater, comedy, opera, speakers and concerts
By DAVID WEDEKINDT
Reporter Contributor
The Center for the Arts has announced its 2006-07 season, featuring the best in professional dance, theater, comedy, opera, speakers, international companies and concerts.
Monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery will perform "Sacred Music Sacred Dance for World Healing" at 3 p.m. Sept. 17 in the Mainstage Theater in the Center for the Arts. The monks’ performance is one of numerous events the CFA has planned in conjunction with the upcoming visit to UB of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
The season will open tomorrow night with the premiere of the new national tour of the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar," starring Ted Neeley, who created the role of Jesus on Broadway. The first masterpiece from the legendary writing team of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, "Jesus Christ Superstar" exploded onto the scene in 1971, changing the world of musical theater forever. It will be presented for six performances tomorrow through Wednesday.
The CFA has planned numerous events in conjunction with the Sept. 18-20 visit to UB of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The CFA will host the monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery, who will work in residence to create a mandala sand painting, with an opening ceremony Sept. 16 and a closing ceremony Sept. 19 (See story in this issue for details). The monks also will perform "Sacred Music Sacred Dance for World Healing," a music-and-dance concert that features their famed multiphonic singing, traditional instruments and masked dances. The concert will be held at 3 p.m. Sept. 17 in the CFA Mainstage theater. On Sept. 18, UB's Center for 21st Century Music will present its inaugural concert, featuring legendary composer Philip Glass, as part of an evening of Buddhist-themed events opening the center. The music of Glass will be performed at 7 p.m. in the Mainstage; he will speak and answer questions from the audience following the concert.
Music Is Art Live @ The Center, showcasing Western New York's best contemporary musicians and visual artists in a series of live performances and exhibitions, will resume on Sept. 26, Oct. 3, Oct. 16, Oct. 24, Nov. 7 and Nov. 14. Doors will open at 8:30 p.m., with music beginning at 9 p.m. All events will be taped for broadcast to be aired in the spring. The event is free and open to the public. Visit http://www.ubcfa.org for a listing of confirmed musicians and artists. Events from last spring's series will be broadcast each Sunday at 10:30 p.m. on CW 23, starting on Sept. 24. Music Is Art Live @ The Center is a collaboration between the CFA, Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls and the Music Is Art Foundation.
The CFA concert series will open with a performance of the modern country duo the Wreckers, featuring Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp, on Sept. 28. Other concerts scheduled are Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins on Oct. 8; the Spirit of Fès, the touring element of the Fès Festival of World Sacred Music, on Oct. 17; the "Music of Frank Zappa," starring Dweezil Zappa, with special guests Steve Vai, Terry Bozzio and Napoleon Murphy Brock, on Oct. 23; Canadian Celtic sensation Leahy performing toe-tapping, fiddle-driven music on Nov. 3; the Black Crowes on Nov. 6; the New Cars with Todd Rundgren on Nov. 13; country music legend George Jones on Nov. 16; Bruce Hornsby on Nov. 19; Broadway vocalist Linda Eder in a special holiday concert on Dec. 16; Celtic fiddle dynamo Natalie MacMaster on March 6; and CFA regular the Derek Trucks Band on May 15.
The CFA will present a variety of special events this season, beginning with a performance by Configuration Dance Company, a contemporary ballet company led by Joseph Cipolla and Cathy Batcheller, on Oct. 6. The Office of Student Affairs will offer a "Homecoming Night of Comedy with Chris Bliss and Alan Zweibel" on Oct. 7, and Cirque Voila!, a family-friendly spectacle of internationally acclaimed aerialists, contortionists, tight-rope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and clowns, on Oct. 14 as part of Family Weekend. Neglia Ballet Artists will perform Sergio Neglia's "Baba Yaga" on Oct. 28 and "Spartacus" on March 17. The American Academy of Ballet will present its annual performance of "The Nutcracker" Dec. 1-3, while the Greater Buffalo Youth Ballet will perform "The Firebird" on March 9.
Among the speakers to appear in the CFA Mainstage this season are humorist and best-selling author David Sedaris on Oct. 10, and Ira Glass, producer and host of "This American Life" on National Public Radio, on Feb. 24.
The Department of Theatre and Dance will present numerous offerings this season. Theater offerings include performances of "Card Index Scattered," Oct. 25-29; "She Loves Me," Nov. 15-19; "Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill," Jan. 10; "Two Rooms," March 1-4; and "The Importance of Being Earnest," April 18-22.
Among the dance offerings are performances of the Zodiaque Dance Company Oct. 18-22, Feb. 23-25 and March 1-4; the Zodiaque Studio Dance Ensemble Dec. 7-10; and Young Choreographer Showcase April 27-29.
The Key Bank Dance Series will return for the eighth consecutive season with four performances. New York City urban artists Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular will perform the finest in hip-hop dancing on Nov. 11. The Bellydance Superstars will present a cross section of tribal, cabaret and Egyptian styles of the trendy dance phenomenon on Nov. 15. The CFA will bring in contemporary, New York-based Ronald K. Brown/Evidence for a month-long residency, culminating in a performance on March 23. Concluding the series, by popular demand, will be the Moscow Festival Ballet presentation of the classic "Swan Lake" on April 10.
The Bulgarian State Opera will perform "The Marriage of Figaro" on Feb. 6. Composed by Mozart in 1786, "The Marriage of Figaro" is one of the most beloved operas in the world.
Tickets for all CFA events may be obtained at the center's box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at all Ticketmaster outlets, including Ticketmaster.com. Prices vary for each show and series. Student discounts and group rates are available. For information, call 645-ARTS or visit the CFA Web site at http://www.ubcfa.org.