Kennedy Center Announces Lineup for WORLD STAGES: International Theater Festival 2014
By: BWW News Desk Feb. 19, 2014
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will host 22 theatrical offerings from 20 different countries during WORLD STAGES: International Theater Festival 2014 that will run for three weeks March 10-30, 2014 throughout the Center. The international festival features contemporary theater works offering 13 fully staged productions, 4 theater-focused installations, 3 readings of new works, and 2 forums. From Olivier and Tony Award-winning puppetry to innovative perspectives on old classics, a diverse showcase of theatrical expression will be represented by countries spanning the globe including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, England, France, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Pakistan, Palestine, Scotland, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, and the United States.
"WORLD STAGES is the Center's first theater-focused international festival," explains WORLD STAGES: International Theater Festival 2014 curator Alicia Adams. "Over the span of three weeks, audiences will have the unique opportunity to experience works by some of the very best theater companies from across the globe-all under one roof at the Kennedy Center. Featuring many new and innovative works, most not yet seen in the U.S., the festival will showcase top-notch and diverse theatrical expression from cultures around the world."
Among the festival's many offerings, the Bristol Old Vic's Artistic Director Tom Morris and Handspring Puppet Company, known for their collaboration on the Tony Award® winning play War Horse, reimagine Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. World-renowned Academy Award® nominee Dame Janet Suzman will perform in the U.S. premiere production of Solomon and Marion from South Africa's Baxter Theatre Centre. The National Theatre of China makes the U.S. premiere of its production, Green Snake directed by one of China's most highly acclaimed female directors, Tian Qinxin. In an ever- timely production, one of Australia's most renowned playwrights takes on media mogul Rupert Murdoch in an eponymous production by the Melbourne Theatre Company, which makes its international debut. Olivier Award winning playwright Ariel Dorfman's award winning play La Muerte y La Doncella (Death and the Maiden) is presented by Chile's LA MAFIA Teatro, and much more.
Information about the festival can be found on the following pages, online at kennedy-center.org/worldstages.
WORLD STAGES: International Theater Festival 2014 Schedule*
*Artists and performances are subject to change
March 10, 2014
Hall of States/Hall of Nations
Installations Open
Raw to Real: Carving Theater - Handspring Puppet Company
Pequeno Teatro (Little Theater) - Rosa Magalhães
March 11, 2014
Atrium/Atrium Foyers
Installations Open
5x6: Costume Designs for the American Theater
Five Truths - A touring installation from the Victoria and Albert Museum
March 11 - 13, 2014
Terrace Theater
The Suit
Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord (France)
March 12 - 15, 2014
Eisenhower Theater
Rupert
Melbourne Theatre Company (Australia)
March 14 - 16, 2014
Terrace Gallery
Incendios
Tapioca Inn (Mexico)
March 14 - 16, 2014
Family Theater
La Muerte y La Doncella (Death and the Maiden)
LA MAFIA Teatro (Chile)
March 15 - 16, 2014
Terrace Theater
Harmsaga
The National Theatre of Iceland (Iceland)
March 18, 2014
Terrace Gallery
Staged Reading of The Petrol Station SABAB Theatre (Kuwait/England)
March 19 - 22, 2014
Family Theater
Savannah Bay
Théâtre de l'Atelier (France)
March 20 - 23, 2014
Eisenhower Theater
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Bristol Old Vic in association with Handspring Puppet Company (England/South Africa)
March 20 - 22, 2014
Terrace Theater
Penny Plain
Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes (Canada)
March 22, 2014
Terrace Gallery
Staged Reading of A Great Wilderness Williamstown Theatre Festival (United States)
March 23, 2014
Terrace Gallery
PANEL DISCUSSION
Recasting Home: Conflict, Refugees, and Theater
March 23, 2014
Terrace Gallery
DIRECTORS FORUM
March 25 - 26, 2014
Terrace Theater
Not by Bread Alone
Nalaga'at Theater Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble (Israel)
March 27 - 30, 2014
Eisenhower Theater
Green Snake
National Theatre of China (China)
March 28 - 30, 2014
Terrace Theater
Solomon and Marion
Baxter Theatre Centre (South Africa)
March 28 - 30, 2014
Public Spaces Throughout the Center
Les Souffleurs commandos poétiques
Tokyo Theatre Company KAZE and Les Souffleurs commandos poétiques (Japan/France)
March 28 - April 6, 2014
Family Theater
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Visible Fictions co-commission with Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences (Scotland/United States)
March 29, 2014
Terrace Gallery
Staged Reading of Fallujah
Heather Raffo and Tobin Stokes (Iraq/Canada)
March 10-30, 2014
PRODUCTIONS*
*All artists and performances are subject to change.
The Suit
From Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord (France)
Based on The Suit by Can Themba, Mothobi Mutloatse, and Barney Simon
Direction, adaptation, and musical direction by Peter Brook, Marie-Hélène Estienne, and Franck Krawczyk March 11 - 13, 2014 at 7:30pm; Terrace Theater
Based on The Suit by Can Themba, Mothobi Mutloatse, and Barney Simon, renowned director Peter Brook
gives The Suit new life by returning to the source language of English. Marie Hélène Estienne (Peter
Brook's long-time collaborator) and composer Franck Krawczyk worked with Mr. Brook to adapt the play
and set it to music from diverse sources including Franz Schubert and Miriam Makeba. The story centers
on Philomen, a middle-class lawyer, and his wife, Matilda. When Philomen catches Matilda having an
affair, he makes her treat her lover's left-behind suit as an honored guest-she must feed it, entertain, it,
and take it out for walks as a constant reminder of her adultery. Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne's
work was last seen at the Kennedy Center in the production of Fragments in April 2011. Recommended for mature audiences. Performed in English.
Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord (France) was founded in 1876, though it did not find consistent success until 1974, when it was reopened under the leadership of renowned British director Peter Brook. A registered historic monument, the building itself is famous and part of the theatric experience. The Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord's productions are various, spanning theater, opera, dance, and musical performances. For more information, visit www.bouffesdunord.com/en.
Rupert
From Melbourne Theatre Company (Australia)
U.S. premiere
Written by David Williamson and directed by Lee Lewis
March 12 - 15, 2014 at 7:30pm; Eisenhower Theater
David Williamson, one of Australia's most acclaimed and prolific playwrights, takes on Rupert Murdoch, one of the most powerful media magnates in modern history, in this new commission from Australia's oldest professional theater company. Directed by Lee Lewis and featuring an ensemble cast in multiple roles, Rupert is a timely, unconventional, revue-style imagining of the life and times of this influential yet elusive man who has shaped our world. In his stellar rise to the top, watch as Rupert tap dances (sometimes literally!) his way through his first newspaper acquisitions, discoes toward his American breakthrough, shares a fiery flamenco with Margaret Thatcher, and charms some of the most colorful characters of the 20th century. But what happens when the man behind the news suddenly becomes the news? Recommended for ages 15 and up. Performed in English.
Melbourne Theatre Company (Australia) was founded in 1953, and is Australia's oldest professional theater company. It has a rich history of championing Australian writing, having introduced the works of Patrick White, David Williamson, Hannie Rayson, Louis Nowra, and Joanna Murray-Smith, among others. Following this tradition, along with its own repertoire of main stage productions, readings, workshops and education shows, MTC regularly hosts independent productions. For more information, visit www.mtc.com.au.
Incendios
From Tapioca Inn (Mexico)
U.S. premiere
Written by Wajdi Mouawad
Spanish translation by Humbero Pérez Mortera
Drection and adaption by Hugo Arrevillaga
March 14 - 16, 2014 at 7:30pm; Terrace Gallery
Written by award winning Lebanese-Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad with Spanish translation by Humbero Pérez Mortera and presented by Tapioca Inn theater company, Incendios follows the conflict of grown twins Julia and Simon after they attend the reading of their mother's will. The twins embark on a journey taking them backwards in time, traveling from present to past to unravel the secrets of their mother-a completely different person to the one they thought they knew. Recommended for ages 15 and up. Performed in Spanish with English supertitles.
Tapioca Inn (Mexico) was founded in 2003 by graduates of the Centro Universitario de Teatro (CUT) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in order to foster the growth of their young creative talent. Since its inception, the company has produced numerous plays, particularly many of the other works by Wajdi Mouawad, including both of the other plays from the tetralogy La Sangre de las Promesas (The Blood of the Promises), which includes Incendios. For more information, visit tapiocainn.com.
La Muerte y La Doncella (Death and the Maiden)
From LA MAFIA Teatro (Chile)
U.S. premiere
Written by Ariel Dorfman and directed by Moira Miller
March 14 - 15, 2014 at 7:30pm; March 16, 2014 at 1:30pm; Family Theater
Based on the Chilean transition to democracy, the Olivier Award winning production La Muerte y La Doncella (Death and the Maiden) by Argentine-Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman describes the encounter of a former torture victim with the man she believes tortured her. More than 20 years after being written, having been performed in more than 80 countries and made into a feature film in 1994 by Roman Polanski, the play holds its global relevance. Ariel Dorfman's work was last seen at the Kennedy Center in 2000 with the premiere of Speak Truth to Power: Voices from Beyond the Dark starring Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin, and John Malkovich. Recommended for mature audiences. Performed in Spanish with English supertitles.
LA MAFIA Teatro (Chile) was born in the bosom of the Miller-Brescia family, better known as the "Clan Miller-Ross." It is made up of Liliana Ross, her three daughters Daniela, Vanessa, and Moira Miller; Pablo Villalabeitia; and Felipe Bennett. The company's works include Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll (1997), Miss Patria (1999), Sinvergüenzas (2000), Divorciadas, evangélicas y vegetarianas (2004), The Retreat from Moscow (2006), The Grönholm Method (2006), Words in Chains (2007), Sinvergüenzas Deluxe (2008), The Goat (2010), and Death and the Maiden (2011).
Harmsaga
The National Theatre of Iceland (Iceland)
U.S. Premiere
Written by Mikael Torfason and directed by Una Thorleifsdóttir
March 15, 2014 at 7:30 pm; March 16, 2014 at 2:00 pm; Terrace Theater
Harmsaga, a new Icelandic play starring Elma Stefanía Ágústsdóttir and Snorri Engilbertsson, is a contemporary love story about everything that went right and perhaps more importantly, about everything that went wrong. The story portrays a young couple who goes out of their way to save a marriage that is about to destroy them. The play unveils their love, their heartache, broken promises, and shattered dreams.
This production made its premiere at the National Theatre of Iceland, Black Box on September 20, 2013.
Recommended for mature audiences. Performed in English.
The National Theatre of Iceland opened in 1950. It is at the forefront of Icelandic dramaturgy: the theater produces approximately 10 new plays per season. Its complete repertoire-roughly 30 productions per season-also includes Icelandic and foreign classics, new foreign works, musicals, dance pieces, and children's productions. Tinna Gunnlaugsdóttir has served as Artistic Director since 2005. For more information, visit http://leikhusid.is/bak-vid-tjoldin/thjodleikhusid/english.
Savannah Bay
Théâtre de l'Atelier (France)
U.S. premiere
Written by Marguerite Duras and directed by Didier Bezace
Featuring Geneviève Mnich and Anne Consigny
March 19 - 22, 2014 at 7:30pm; Family Theater
Featuring Geneviève Mnich and Anne Consigny, Savannah Bay explores questions of identity, aging, and the fugitive memory of personal tragedy. A young woman desperately tries to discover the truth about the suicide of her mother in Savannah Bay, the day after her birth. Recommended for mature audiences. Performed in French with English supertitles.
Théâtre de l'Atelier (France) was founded in 1922 under the direction of Charles Dullin, whose name was given to the street in Montmarte where the theater is located. The building, a historic monument, originally opened in 1822 as the Théâtre Montmartre, one of the first theaters built by Pierre-Jacques Seveste outside of the town limits of Paris. Currently under the leadership of Laura Pels, the Théâtre de l'Atelier produces a variety of work by French, English, and American theater artists. For more information, visit www.theatre-atelier.com.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Bristol Old Vic in association with Handspring Puppet Company (England/South Africa)
Directed by Tom Morris
Puppetry design by Handspring Puppet Company
March 20 - 22, 2014 at 7:30pm; March 23, 2014 at 1:30pm; Eisenhower Theater
Internationally acclaimed War Horse collaborators, Bristol Old Vic's Artistic Director Tom Morris and Cape Town's Handspring Puppet Company, reunite to re-envision Shakespeare's romantic comedy of love triangles, fairies, and kings. In this production, the story focuses on love, transformation, survival and song, where a belief in the mystical presence of fairies isn't superstition, but a magic lore encoded in the routines of a community living on the edge. Recommended for age 12 and up. Performed in English.
Bristol Old Vic (England) was established in 1946. It operates out of the Theatre Royal, which was built between 1764 and 1766, making it the oldest continuously running theater in the U.K. The company prioritizes its engagement with younger artists. Through this collaboration, Bristol Old Vic produces pioneering theater. For more information, visit www.bristololdvic.org.uk.
Handspring Puppet Company (South Africa) was founded in 1981 by Artistic Director Adrian Kohler and Executive Producer Basil Jones. Handspring has participated in the creation of 16 theater productions, and its work has been performed in more than 30 countries. The company has also done work for television and young audiences. For more information, visit www.handspringpuppet.co.za.
Penny Plain
From Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes (Canada)
Created and performed by Ronnie Burkett
March 20 - 22, 2014 at 7:30pm; Terrace Theater
Through the puppetry of creator Ronnie Burkett, Penny Plain tells a story of a frail but indomitable old lady named Penny Plain who keeps a boarding house. She is blind, but hears plenty about the state of mankind. When her companion dog Geoffrey leaves to live as a man, Penny sits waiting for the world to end, but her vigil is interrupted by survivalists, a serial killer, a cross-dressing banker, talking dogs, and mysterious strangers seeking sanctuary as Mother Earth reclaims her ground. Recognized as one of Canada's foremost theater artists, Ronnie Burkett has been credited with creating some of the world's most elaborate and provocative puppetry. Recommended for age 14 and up. There will be no late seating or re- entry. Performed in English.
Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes (Canada) was founded in 1986 by puppeteer, playwright, performer, and designer Ronnie Burkett. One of the most respected theater artists in Canada's history, he has established box office records at numerous Canadian theaters and sparked a revival in adult puppet theater. For more information, visit the Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes Facebook page.
Not by Bread Alone
From Nalaga'at Theater Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble (Israel)
Directed by Adina Tal
March 25 - 26, 2014 at 7:30pm; Terrace Theater
Eleven deaf and blind actors take the audience on a tour of their inner world; the world of darkness, silence and...bread. As the process of bread-making unfolds on stage - the dough is being kneaded, raised, and actually baked-a unique encounter occurs between actors and audience. Together they re-enact vivid and distant memories, recall forgotten dreams and joyful moments, and touch the spark of creation present in every one of us. The production is presented in partnership with VSA. Recommended for ages 12 and up. In Hebrew with English supertitles and American Sign Language.
Nalaga'at Theater Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble (Israel), founded in 2002, comprises Israeli actors who are both deaf and blind. It is the world's only theater ensemble of its kind. In January 2013, Nalaga'at (Hebrew for "Please Do Touch") made its United States debut of Not By Bread Alone, the show for which they are best known, to wide acclaim. For more information, visit www.nalagaat.org.il/home.php.
VSA (United States), the international organization on arts and disability, was founded more than 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to provide arts and education opportunities for people with disabilities and increase access to the arts for all. With a network of national and international affiliates, VSA is changing perceptions about people with disabilities around the world. VSA is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, visit www.kennedy-center.org/vsa.
Green Snake
From the National Theatre of China (China)
U.S. premiere
Based on the original novel by Lilian Lee (Li Bihua)
Adapted and directed by Tian Qinxin with co-writer An Ying
March 27 - 29, 2014 at 7:30pm; March 30, 2014 at 1:30pm; Eisenhower Theater
Based on the celebrated novel by Hong Kong writer Li Bihua and directed by Tian Qinxin, Green Snake is about two snake spirits, White and her sister Green, and their forbidden love for an innocent man and a powerful monk. Moral values are overruled by love and temptation and both goddesses and mortals find themselves beyond redemption. Recommended for mature audiences. In Putonghua with English supertitles.
National Theatre of China, the official state theater of China, was founded in 2001, when the China National Youth Theatre combined with the China National Experimental Theatre. It performs both Chinese and foreign works, both in classical and experimental forms. For more information, visit arts.cultural-china.com/en/192Arts7797.html.
Solomon and Marion
From Baxter Theatre Centre (South Africa)
U.S. premiere
Written and directed by Lara Foot
Featuring Dame Janet Suzman and Khayalethu Anthony
March 28 - 29, 2014 at 7:30pm; March 30, 2014 at 2pm; Terrace Theater
Featuring Academy Award® nominee Dame Janet Suzman (Nicholas and Alexandra), Solomon and Marion is the story of two injured souls searching for redemption in the fragile, post-apartheid South Africa. Marion has watched her life drain away. Children and husband gone, she ekes out an existence in a country utterly transformed. But it is the only home she has. As the new South Africa prepares for the World Cup finals, old divisions and suspicions seem as deep as ever, and the intruder she has been expecting, dreading and needing, arrives. Recommended for mature audiences. Performed in English.
Baxter Theatre Centre (South Africa) was built in 1976, amidst apartheid. Because of its affiliation with the University of Cape Town, it had relative autonomy from the government, and so was able to present multiracial, progressive work at a time when all other non-racial interactivity was banned or censored. Nearly four decades later, it continues its tradition of vibrant, multicultural productions and community outreach. For more information, visit www.baxter.co.za.
Les Souffleurs commandos poétiques
From Tokyo Theatre Company KAZE and Les Souffleurs commandos poétiques (Japan/France) U.S. premiere
Conceived by Olivier Comte
FREE, no tickets required
March 28 - 30, 2014; In Public Spaces Throughout the Center
Since 2007, Tokyo Theatre Company KAZE has been collaborating with France's nontraditional performance company Les Souffleurs commandos poétiques, a collective of artists world-renowned for their installations in public areas of everyday life. Led by award-winning actor, writer, and artist Olivier Comte, these Souffleurs ("whisperers") use tenderness as a provocative posture-appearing seemingly out of nowhere to whisper secrets, poems, and other literary and philosophical expressions into the ears of passers-by through long hollow canes they call rossignols ("nightingales"). Their intent: to create spontaneous, peaceful, and meaningful poetic interruptions as an endeavor to slow down the world. Performed in English.
Tokyo Theatre Company KAZE (Japan), founded in 1987, is committed to multinational exchange and collaboration. It is particularly well-known for its productions of Anton Chekhov and Bertolt Brecht, and for debuting works by the exiled Romanian writer Matei Visniec. Since 2003, it has hosted the Biennial KAZE International Theatre Festival, which attracts artists and theater goers from France, Romania, Poland, Germany, and Moldova, among other countries. For more information, visit www.kaze-net.org.
Les Souffleurs commandos poétiques (France) founded in 2001 by Olivier Comte, is a nontraditional performance group that creates installations in public areas of everyday life with members of the company whispering poems and other literary and philosophical tidbits to audience members through long hollow canes, called Rossignols or Nightingales. For more information, visit www.les-souffleurs.fr.
The Adventures of Robin Hood
From Visible Fictions Co-Commission with Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences (Scotland/United States)
U.S. Premiere
March 28 at 7pm; March 29 - 30 at 1:30pm & 4pm;
April 4 at 7pm; April 5 - 6 at 1:30pm and 4pm
Family Theater
Scotland's acclaimed theater company Visible Fictions presents an updated, inventive, and humorous adaptation of the classic tale brought to life by a few actors and lots of imagination. The Adventures Robin Hood is a co-commission with Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences. Visible Fictions was previously seen at the Kennedy Center during the 2008-2009 season with Jason and the Argonauts. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Performed in English.
Visible Fictions (Scotland) has been creating vibrant theater, accessible to all ages, for 21 years. In addition to its international tours, Visible Fictions works with Scottish schools and communities to engage students through the arts. It believes in the power of creative instruction, and thinks the arts capable of presenting challenging material in a compelling format. For more information, visit www.visiblefictions.co.uk.
Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences (United States), for more than 35 years, has commissioned and produced world-premiere theatrical works while also presenting some of the most innovative, world-renowned national and international performances in theater, dance, music, and puppetry for children, young people, and families. KCTYA is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in the development of new plays and musicals for young audiences, both through the work commissioned and produced in the Family Theater as well as through its award-winning New Visions/New Voices program.
STAGED READINGS*
*All artists and events are subject to change.
A Staged Reading of The Petrol Station From SABAB Theatre (Kuwait/England)
A new play written by Sulayman Al-Bassam FREE, tickets required
March 18, 2014 at 7pm; Terrace Gallery
The Petrol Station, a new play by the internationally acclaimed playwright and director Sulayman Al- Bassam, unravels in a remote petrol station near a desert border in an unnamed country somewhere in the oil-rich Arabian Peninsula. The story follows the lives of a pair of half-brothers as they vie for the loyalty and favors of their aging father, against the backdrop of a fast approaching civil war in a neighboring country. Examining themes of love, identity, ambition and betrayal, this compelling new drama uses the iconic setting of the deserted petrol station as a poetic space to explore both the oppressions and aspirations of the Gulf Arab region. Recommended for age 16 and up. Performed in English.
SABAB Theatre (Kuwait/England) productions are known for their bold revisions of classical scripts, and for their unflagging engagement with issues surrounding the Arab world. For more information, visit www.sabab.org/
International playwright and theater director Sulayman Al-Bassam (Kuwait/England) founded Zaoum Theatre in London in 1996, and SABAB Theatre, its Arabic arm, in 2002 along with Georgina Van Welie. His plays have been performed at leading venues across the globe, published in various languages and study of his work forms part of higher education curricula at universities in the USA and the Middle East. Sulayman Al-Bassam's work was last seen at the Kennedy Center in a production of Richard III: An Arab Tragedy as part of the international festival ARABESQUE: Arts of the Arab World in 2009.
A Staged Reading of A Great Wilderness
From Williamstown Theatre Festival (United States)
Written by Samuel D. Hunter
FREE, tickets required
March 22, 2014 at 3pm; Terrace Gallery
At the edge of forced retirement, and on the cusp of dementia, Walt, a man who has devoted his life to counseling teenage boys out of their homosexuality, has decided to take on one last client. But when tragedy strikes and his life and mind begin to unravel, he is forced to confront some demons of his own. Recommended for mature audiences. Performed in English.
Williamstown Theatre Festival (United States), which began in 1956, is a resident summer theater on the campus of Williams College. Throughout its 58 years, its goals have remained constant: attracting top talent, cultivating young artists, and embracing anew the classics. In 2002, the American Theater Wing awarded Williamstown Theater Festival a Tony® for Outstanding Regional Theater. For more information, visit www.wtfestival.org.
Playwright Samuel D. Hunter's plays include The Whale (2013 Drama Desk Award, 2013 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, 2013 GLAAD Media Award, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Play), A Bright New Boise (2011 Obie Award for Playwriting, 2011 Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), and his newest plays, The Few, A Great Wilderness, and Rest, all set to premiere in the 2013-14 season. His plays have been produced by Playwrights Horizons, South Coast Rep, The Old Globe, Victory Gardens, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and others. Sam is the winner of a 2012 Whiting Writers Award, the 2013 Otis Guernsey New Voices Award, the 2011 Sky Cooper Prize, and the 2008-2009 PONY Fellowship. He has active commissions from LCT3, Steppenwolf, Playwrights Horizons, and MTC/Ars Nova. He is currently a Resident Playwright at Arena Stage.
A Staged Reading of Fallujah
From creators Heather Raffo and Tobin Stokes (Iraq/Canada)
Libretto by Heather Raffo, music by Tobin Stokes, and direction by Joanna Settle
Conducted by Miloš Repický
Inspired by the life and work of USMC Christian Ellis
FREE, tickets required
March 29, 2014 at 3pm; Terrace Gallery
Fallujah is a contemporary chamber opera that examines the human and social effects of the legacy of the Iraq War. The opera spans a 72-hour holding period in a veteran's hospital following the third suicide attempt by United States Marine Corps (USMC) Philip Houston. Though his mother wants to see him, Philip has not been able to face her since he returned from war. Constant flashbacks to the battlegrounds in Fallujah provide a glimpse inside real hearts and minds before one of the biggest battles of the Iraq War. In a war where every heart is blown open, Fallujah questions who we become when bearing witness to violence and what relationships piece us back together. Recommended for mature audiences. Performed in English.
Heather Raffo is an Iraqi-American playwright, actress, and theater producer. She has received many awards, among them the Lucille Lortel Award and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Most known for writing and acting in 9 Parts of Desire, a one-woman play that details the lives of nine Iraqi women throughout the Gulf Wars and American occupation, she is now at work on an opera that explores the trauma of the Iraq War. For more information, visit http://heatherraffo.com/.
Tobin Stokes is a Canadian composer, most known for his work in opera, film, choral and orchestral music. Among his many credits, he has composed for BBC, CBC, the Victoria Symphony, the XV Commonwealth Games, and the 2010 Winter Olympics. In addition to Fallujah, he is also working on the opera Pauline, based on Canadian poet, writer and actor Pauline Johnson. He is the Composer in Residence for the Pacific Region International Symphony Music Academy, the International Choral Kathaumixw (Canada), and the Urban Youth Choir Festival (Sweden). For more information, visit www.tobinstokes.com.
FORUMS*
*All artists and events are subject to change.
PANEL DISCUSSION: Recasting Home: Conflict, Refugees, and Theater
FREE, tickets required
March 23, 2014 at 1:30pm; Terrace Gallery
This panel discussion is presented in collaboration with the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University. In English.
Liwaa Yazji (Syria) is a writer, translator, editor, and publisher of cultural studies, cinema, poetry, and literature. She occasionally acts and directs.
Ali Mahdi Nouri (Sudan) is a director, producer, and actor. He is the founder of the National Group of Puppet Theatre, the Al Bugaa Theatre Group, the Al Bugaa Sudan Theatre Festival, the Centre for Theatre in Conflict Zones, and the Mahdi Art Centre.
Shahid Nadeem (Pakistan) is a director and playwright of works championing human rights, Democracy Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy, recipient of the 2009 President of Pakistan's Pride of Performance Award and the 2012 Otto René Castillo Award for Political Theatre.
Nabil Al-Raee (Palestine) is Artistic Director of The Freedom Theatre, where he also directs productions and teaches acting. In his workshops and work with youth and young adults, he has been developing a pedagogy of theater under occupation.
Derek Goldman (United States) is the Artistic Director of the Davis Performing Arts Center, Founding Co-Director of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, and Professor of Theater and Performance Studies at Georgetown University.
Ambassador Cynthia P. Schneider (moderator, United States) is a distinguished professor in the practice of Diplomacy and Founding Co-Director of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University; she leads the Arts and Culture Initiative at the Brookings Institution and co-directs Muslims on Screen and Television.
DIRECTORS FORUM
FREE, tickets required
March 23, 2014 at 4:30pm; Terrace Gallery
A moderated open-dialogue discussion about the productions as part of the festival. In English.
Adina Tal (Israel), director of Not by Bread Alone, worked with The Jerusalem Theater Company, Haifa Theater, and Tsavta Theater before co-founding the Nalaga'at Center in 2002, becoming President and Artistic Director in 2009. Her awards and prizes include a Doctor philosophiae honoris causa from Tel Aviv University, The Boston Parliament's Certificate of Excellency, The Medal of Equality, and the Willie Trump Chesed Award.
Didier Bezace (France), director of Savannah Bay, was a co-founder of the Théâtre de l'Aquarium à la Cartoucherie in 1970 and has led Théâtre de la Commune, Centre dramatique national d'Aubervilliers, since 1997. His work has been recognized with a number of awards, including Molières, Grand Prix, and the SACD Prix du Théâtre for his lifetime achievements. He has also acted in films by Claude Miller, Bertrand Tavernier, Jeanne Labrune, Claude Zidi, and Rémi Bezançon, in which he worked alongside Marion Cotillard.
Derek Goldman (moderator, United States) is the Artistic Director of the Davis Performing Arts Center, Founding Co-Director of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, and Professor of Theater and Performance Studies at Georgetown University.
INSTALLATIONS*
Installations will be on display throughout the building during the duration of the festival.
*All artists and events are subject to change.
Pequeno Teatro (Little Theater)
Created by Rosa Magalhães (Brazil) Kennedy Center Commission FREE, no tickets required
March 10 - 30, 2014
10am-Close; Hall of States
Puppets enchant people around the globe. They stimulate the imagination of children and adults alike, proving that nothing is impossible. In this Kennedy Center-commissioned work, Brazilian artist Rosa Magalhães (one of the most successful Carnaval designers in Rio de Janeiro, and an Emmy Award winner for her costumes at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro) has created puppets depicting four theatrical writers from different time periods and regions of the world. Visitors can look inside a miniature four-walled "theater" to experience the colorful details of Magalhães's playwright puppets positioned amidst some of the most memorable characters they've created:
William Shakespeare (England; 1564-1616) with the title characters from Romeo and Juliet, Desdemona and Othello from Othello, and Lady Macbeth from Macbeth.
Luigi Pirandello (Italy; 1867-1936) with Sampogneta and Totina from Tonight, We Improvise and Pierro the Father from Six Characters in Search of an Author.
Molière (France; 1622-1673) with Harpagon from The Miser, M. Jourdain from The Bourgeois Gentleman, Sganarelle from The Doctor in Spite of Himself, and Lélie from The Blunderer.
Stephen Sondheim (United States; born 1930) with Anita and dancers from West Side Story.
Raw to Real: Carving Theater
From Handspring Puppet Company (South Africa) Kennedy Center Commission
FREE, no tickets required
March 10 - 30, 2014
10am-Close; Hall of Nations
Widely recognized as South Africa's preeminent puppet theater company, and one of the most important in the world, Handspring, under the leadership of Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones, has created puppets for more than 16 theatrical productions, including the runaway hit War Horse, produced by the National Theatre in London, for which they won the Special Tony Award® in 2011. For the festival, Handspring will exhibit a special selection of puppets from some of their most popular shows, including War Horse. Handspring has previously appeared at the Kennedy Center in War Horse (2012) and Tall Horse (2005), originally commissioned by the Kennedy Center titled Zarafa, as well as two productions as part of the Center's African Odyssey festival: Faustus in Africa (1997) and Ubu and the Truth Commission (1998).
Five Truths
A touring installation from the Victoria and Albert Museum (England) U.S. Premiere
Directed and devised by Katie Mitchell with Fifty Nine Productions for the V&A in association with the National Theatre
FREE, no tickets required
March 11 - 30, 2014
10am - 9pm; Atrium
Katie Mitchell, one of Europe's leading theater directors, presents five interpretations of Ophelia's "mad scene" from William Shakespeare's Hamlet in the style of five of 20th-century Europe's most influential directors: Constantin Stanislavski (Russia), Antonin Artaud (France), Bertolt Brecht (Germany), Jerzy Grotowski (Poland), and Peter Brook (England). In this immersive video installation blending theater and technology, Mitchell's five short films are played simultaneously across ten screens of different sizes on a ten-minute loop. Each Ophelia, portrayed by 2011 Olivier Award-winning actress Michelle Terry, tells a unique story by accentuating different aspects of the same text inspired by Hamlet Act IV, Scenes V and VII. At once quiet and introspective, wild and untamed, detached and distant, each version offers its own truth-suggesting how these five directors might have interpreted the dramatic action-while at the same time contradicting and challenging the other versions. Curated and produced for the V&A by Kate Bailey with video design by Leo Warner, set design by Vicki Mortimer, lighting design by Paul Constable, and sound design by Gareth Fry. Please note that some scenes may not be suitable for younger children.
5X6: Costume Designs for the American Theater
From the United States
FREE, no tickets required
March 11 - 30, 2014
10am - 9pm; Atrium Foyers (North and South)
This installation will showcase 30 theatrical costume sketches from six distinguished, award-winning American designers.
Susan Hilferty: Sketches for Wicked
Susan Hilferty won the Tony®, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk awards for Best Costume Design for Wicked in 2004. Other Tony® nominations: Spring Awakening, Lestat, Into the Woods.
Geoffrey Holder: Sketches for The Wiz
Geoffrey Holder won the Tony Award® for Best Costume Design and Best Direction of a Musical for The Wiz in 1975 and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design for the same show. Other Tony® nomination: Timbuktu!
Willa Kim: Sketches for The Will Rogers Follies
Willa Kim won the Tony Award® for Best Costume Design for The Will Rogers Follies in 1991 and for Sophisticated Ladies in 1981. Other Tony® nominations: Legs Diamond, Song and Dance, Dancin', Goodtime Charley.
William Ivey Long: Sketches for Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
William Ivey Long won the Tony Award® for Best Costume Design for Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella in 2013. Other Tony® wins: The Producers, Hairspray, Grey Gardens, Nine, Crazy for You.
Clint Ramos: Sketches for The Good Person of Szechwan
Clint Ramos won an OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence in Costume Design in 2013. Other honors: a Lucille Lortel Award, TDF's Irene Sharaff Young Masters Award, and the American Theatre Wing's Henry Hewes Award.
Julie Taymor: Sketches for The Lion King
Julie Taymor won the Tony Award® for Best Costume Design and Best Direction of a Musical for The Lion King in 1998. Other Tony® nominations: Juan Darien: A Carnival Mass.
KC CAFÉ AND ROOF TERRACE RESTAURANT: Throughout the entire run of the festival, the KC Café and Intermission Bars will be offering weekly food and beverage specials from featured countries. To learn more about the fare available at the Café and Intermission Bars, call (202) 416-8559. For menu details at the Roof Terrace Restaurant, or to make a reservation, call (202) 416-8555. You can also book online at opentable.com. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org/visitor/restaurants.
WORLD STAGES: International Theater Festival 2014 runs from March 10 to 30, 2014 throughout the Kennedy Center. $29 discount tickets are available to select festival performances when purchasing three or more shows together in the World Stages Passport 3-Pack. The Passport 3-Pack tickets can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org/subscriptions or by calling the Subscriptions Office at 202-416-8728. All staged readings and forums are FREE but require tickets. Free tickets will be distributed, up to two (2) per person in line, in the States Gallery, approximately 30 minutes prior to the event. Tickets are subject to availability. All other tickets can be purchased at the Kennedy Center box office, online, or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600. Patrons living outside the Washington metropolitan area may dial toll- free at (800) 444-1324.
For more information about WORLD STAGES: International Theater Festival 2014, please visit kennedy-center.org/worldstages and viewer.zmags.com/publication/73b1936c.
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