We just had someone send in us the announcement for Live Arts 2008-2009 and I wanted to share it with you.
The arts enthusiast adds:
Before I go on, more important than the specifics of this list are the surprisingly moving words delivered by Live Arts Artistic Director John Gibson. When I say “surprisingly moving”, I am not exaggerating. I don’t get moved, but by God that man made me cry. The theater community of central Virginia has lost some members to God this year, even just this week. I didn’t know all of these people, but I am certain from the audible gasps in the audience that they were loved in the community. Perhaps others in this forum would know who was spoken of by John.
John’s elegy and birth announcement were so impassioned and earnest that I could see why Charlottesville is such a uniquely theater-heavy area, and Live Arts is such a unique theater, not just in Virginia but in the entire theater world. Our area’s theatrical heart beats big; it contains multitudes of creative spirits who unite daily to create our region’s tears and laughter, from Four County Players to the Hamner to Blackfriars and every theater, classroom, bar and ruin in between.
I was too entranced to write while John spoke, so anyone else who was there, please correct anything I’ve missed. Thank you very much!
The list is after the break..
High School Musical.
The official Disney theatrical version of the popular movies about…a high school musical.
Doubt, by John Patrick Shanley.
A priest and 2 nuns confront suspicions of child abuse in their Bronx catholic school in the 60’s.
Flying West, by Pearl Cleage.
The story of a family in a pioneer town settled by former slaves.
The yearly Gala fundraiser.
A independent dance show by Miki Liszt and…a dance company I can’t remember.
Sweeney Todd, by Stephen Sondheim.
A musical about a man who returns from being wrongfully imprisoned and changes his identity. But this Jean Valjean is looking for revenge, not redemption, and ends up eating Javert.
The Matchmaker, by Thornton Wilder.
The original play that led to the musical Hello Dolly.
Visit to a Small Planet, by Gore Vidal.
An alien visits 1950’s suburban NoVa.
Tartuffe, by Moliere.
The most famous comedy from Moliere, dissecting religious hypocrisy.
Accidental Death of an Anarchist, by Dario Fo.
The satire based on the mysterious exiting of a prisoner from the 4th-floor window of a Milan police station in 1969.
Eurydice, by Sarah Ruhl.
For the first time ever Live Arts is including the same playwright 2 seasons in a row. Eurydice is a retelling of the myth of Orpheus from the p.o.v. of…Eurydice.
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Tagged as: 2008, list, Live Arts, play, season, Show, theater
I’ve hung out/worked at Live Arts for special events and the people there are really interesting and talented. And I’m not very theatre-y.
Nice. Thanks to whoever sent this in.
The person that sent this in should write for the site!
I wanna know what John said.
P.S. If you google “birth control charlottesville”, this post is the 8th link.
Thanks to whoever sent this in. It was an unexpectedly intense evening for many of us, and sad, but John’s words were really amazing and moving. Even for those of us who didn’t know those we’ve lost very well (and it’s been many this past year, too many), it’s still difficult to feel that person missing and now you’ll never get the chance to get to know them better or see them grace a stage or backstage with their talent again.
This season is a really interesting one, and I can’t wait to see how it pans out. And for anyone interested in reading plays I highly recommend Eurydice. It is one of my all time favorites, and one of the most beautiful, moving plays about loss I’ve ever read.
Oh, and the other dance company involved in that project with Miki Liszt is Ground Zero.