UMS Adds Free Performance And Livestream To U.S. Premiere Of FK Alexander's OVER THE RAINBOW

The University Musical Society (UMS) of the University of Michigan will add a free performance of Glasgow-based performance artist FK Alexander's (I Could Go On Singing) Over the Rainbow on Monday, January 29, 2018 at 7 pm. This special performance, which will last about an hour, will be streamed at ums.org/live and via Facebook Live at facebook.com/UMSNews. Tickets for the free, in-person experience will be distributed via lottery at ums.org/rainbow. The lottery is open for registration now and will close on Tuesday, January 23. Lottery winners will be notified via email no later than Thursday, January 25. Attendees must consent to be filmed during the performance for the livestream and archive.

UMS will also host a livestream viewing party at Light Box Performance Space in Detroit (8641 Linwood Street). Admission to the viewing party is free and open to the public.

FK Alexander's sonically immersive production of (I Could Go On Singing) Over the Rainbow will run from Friday, January 26 through Saturday, February 3 in the Stamps Gallery in downtown Ann Arbor (201 S. Division Street). The production receives its U.S. premiere with these performances and is not currently scheduled to be seen anywhere else in the country this year.

FK Alexander identifies as living in recovery from drug addiction and mental collapse. Her work is concerned with issues of wounds, recovery, aggressive healing, radical wellness, industrialization, and noise music, an "outsider music" that still exists on the fringe.

In this unique experience, self-selecting audience members are invited into an intimate, personal moment, where they take Alexander's hand as she sings alongside a distorted recording of the last time that Judy Garland sang "Over the Rainbow," just months before she died. The music is played through a wall of sound by the abrasive noise band Okishima Island Tourist Association. This deeply personal experience is intended to create a therapeutic space through ritual, repetition, and intimate connection.

This performance is part of UMS's No Safety Net theater festival, a three-week look at stage work that delves into socially relevant topics, including recovery from addiction and depression, slavery and race in America, terrorism, and transgender identity. More details available at ums.org/NoSafetyNet.

Presented in partnership with the Stamps Gallery.

A recipient of the 2014 National Medal of Arts, UMS (also known as the University Musical Society) contributes to a vibrant cultural community by connecting audiences with performing artists from around the world in uncommon and engaging experiences. One of the oldest performing arts presenters in the country, UMS is an independent non-profit organization affiliated with the University of Michigan, presenting over 70 music, theater, and dance performances by professional touring artists each season, along with over 100 free educational activities. UMS is committed to bold artistic leadership, engaged learning through the arts, and access and inclusiveness. Since 1990, the organization has co-commissioned and supported the production of nearly 80 new or reimagined works. Matthew VanBesien joined UMS as its seventh president in July 2017.

Photo Credit: Jannica Honey Photography

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