FEZ: QUEEN OF CITIES to Receive World Premiere at UCLA's Royce Hall

Kamal Oudrhiri, President of the Moroccan American Cultural Center of Los Angeles (MACCLA), has announced that MACCLA, with the endorsement of the United Nations (UN) in Geneva and United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, in association with Gustav E. von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies (CNES) at UCLA and The Association For 1200 Years of the Foundation of the City of Fez will present a free event, the World Premiere of an original live music and dance spectacular, "FEZ: Queen of Cities," at UCLA's Royce Hall, 325 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA  90024, on Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.  This event celebrates the 1200th anniversary of the city of Fez and the designation of the city as a UNESCO world heritage site.  Oudrhiri, who serves as Artistic Director of "FEZ:  Queen of Cities," said after the performance at UCLA's Royce Hall, the show will embark on an International Tour, including stops in New York, Morocco and Paris.

The full concert and musical, "FEZ:  Queen of Cities" features a multi-ethnic and multi-religious cast including musicians from Europe, Africa and Asia with American dancers from diverse ethnic groups.  The performance surveys the diverse history of Fez, the site of the world's oldest University, and city that was founded by Muslims, Jews and Christians, Arabs, Sub-Saharan Africans, Berbers and Europeans.  The show also reinforces the role that women play and have played historically in Islamic cities and culture.
 
The cast of master musicians will include:  Fatah Abou of Aza, Momo Loudiyi, Abderrahim Amarani, Ali Alaoui, Moultaqa Salam and A.J. Racy and dancers from the Venice, CA based blue13 dance company with choreography set by Achinta S. McDaniel.  Dancers include blue13 principals Kory Keith (of Los Angeles) as The City of Fez; Arun Mathai (of Hollywood) as The People of Fez; Marisa Cleghorn (of Venice) as Kenza; D. Valentine (of Monterrey) as Idriss and Erin Dwyer (of Studio City) as Fatima.  Ensemble dancers include:  Tammie Johnston, TJ Cruz, Kyrra Richards, Kelly Allen, Christopher Fox, Joelle Cosentino and Jade Haviland.
 
This event is presented in celebration of the 1200th Anniversary of the city of Fez, Morocco, considered the spiritual and religious center of Morocco.  This event is made possible by grants from the Association 1200ième Anniversaire de la Fondation de la Ville de Fès and the Social Science Research Council.  "FEZ:  Queen of Cities" is being presented in conjunction with the conference, "Fez, Morocco, Crossroads of Knowledge and Power:  Celebrating 1200 Years of Urban Life" being held November 14 – 15, 2008 at UCLA and UC-Riverside.
 
For the free performance at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 8:00 p.m., tickets may be picked up in advance at UCLA's Central Ticket Office located near the James West Alumni Center, 325 Westwood Plaza (between Westwood Boulevard and Strathmore Avenue, just east of the Pauley Pavilion and next to Parking Structure #6), Los Angeles, CA  90024 on weekdays, from Monday through Friday, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.  UCLA's Central Ticket Office is open on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. for phone calls only.  Tickets on the evening of the performance will also be available on a first-come, first-served basis.  This event is free, but tickets are required.  Parking for the Central Ticket Office is available at the metered rate of $.50 per 15 minutes in Parking Structure #6.  Parking is also available for $9.00 per entry at the Parking Kiosk on Westwood Boulevard.  For further information, please call the UCLA Central Ticket Office at 310-825-2101.  For further information, please visit the websites, www.international.ucla.edu/cnes or www.moroccanamericanculturalcenter.org
 
For the free performance at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space in New York on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 8:00 p.m., tickets may be picked up on the evening of the performance only at the Symphony Space Box Office, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York, NY 10025-6990.  This is event is free, but tickets are required.  Tickets on the evening of the performance will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Box Office hours are Tuesday – Sunday from 12 Noon – 6:00 p.m. For further information, please call the Symphony Space Box Office at 212-864-5400, or visit the website, www.symphonyspace.org.

After debuting at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles and its East Coast Premiere at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space in New York, "FEZ:  Queen of Cities," will receive its European debut will on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at the Theatre Mohamed V in Rabat, Morocco.  The international tour will culminate in a UNESCO-sponsored bow at UNESCO headquarters on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 in Paris, France. All performances in each city are free of charge.  A Preview Performance of the musical elements of "FEZ:  Queen Of Cities" was presented on October 24, 2008 at the United Nations's Palais des Nations in Geneva with the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in attendance.

Photo courtesy of UCLA