The Alden in McLean Kicks Off 2015-16 Season of Comedy, Dance, Theatre, Magic and More

By: Sep. 30, 2015
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The Alden in McLean kicks off its next season of national and international touring artists. Professional artists from the worlds of comedy, dance, theatre, music, jugging, children's theatre and more will visit the 383-seat performing arts venue located inside the Beltway and minutes from downtown DC.

Tickets for all season performances will go on sale online at the Alden's website www.aldentheatre.org on Saturday, Aug. 1. The Alden is located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue, inside the McLean Community Center.


Speakers and Education

Fall for the Book: Peter Straub

fallforthebook.org

Tonight, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.

Free. Reservations are not required.

A monster of the horror genre, author Peter Straub has won multiple Bram Stoker Awards for superior achievement in dark fantasy and horror writing, both on his own and with his collaborator, Stephen King. Books will be available for sale and signing. Cosponsored by Fall for the Book and the Fairfax County Public Library.

Kids and Families

Theatre IV's "Sleeping Beauty"

www.theatreiv.org

Saturday, Oct. 3, 2 p.m.

$15/$10 MCC district residents
For ages 4+. This musical adaptation of the original story by Charles Perrault follows the plot of the traditional fairy tale, but adds delightful surprises and comic situations. This classic tale illustrates that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and true goodness is found only in a loving heart.

Music

Julie Fowlis: "Music of the Scottish Isles"

www.juliefowlis.com

Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 p.m.

$35/$20 MCC district residents

Julie Fowlis is one of Scotland's true contemporary treasures. Her perfect, authentic singing voice enticed Pixar to feature her in the soundtrack to "Brave," and Alden audiences will remember the voice that finds that place between haunting and soothing. Julie pushes accepted musical boundaries with her adaptations of songs from her native Scottish Gaelic tradition and her clear, gently thrilling vocals. Come be transported!

Movies at the Alden

Classics of the Silent Screen - Special Halloween Edition

"The Man Who Laughs"

Saturday, Oct. 31, 2 p.m.

$12/$8 MCC district residents

Based on a Victor Hugo novel and the inspiration for The Joker character in "Batman," this sad, horrific and swashbuckling film is a great way to start off your Halloween. The movie is shown on 16mm film with an introduction by film historian Bruce Lawton and a live, improvised score by composer Ben Model.

Juggling

Playing by Air

playingbyair.com

Sunday, Nov. 1, 2 p.m.

$20/$15 MCC district residents

Playing by Air captivates audiences with a joyful fusion of music, juggling and circus in which traditional theatricality meets absurd comedy. The award-winning performers of Playing By Air share their sense of playfulness and breathtaking feats in a production enjoyed equally by adults, families and children. Audiences are drawn into the performance with a contagious attitude of expressive play and creativity.

Comedy

Big and Tall: Bruce Vilanch and Judy Gold

Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 p.m.

$35/$20 MCC district residents

Oscar audiences will know Bruce Vilanch's hysterical, Emmy Award-winning writing for more than 20 years. He's written many other award shows, television series and variety specials, and his stand-up comedy routine draws on his years of being a Hollywood insider. Judy Gold is also an Emmy Award-winning actress and comedian, best known as the star of her two critically acclaimed long-running Off-Broadway hit shows, including "25 Questions for a Jewish Mother." Together, Bruce and Judy will fill the BIG & TALL order of making you laugh and laugh!

WARNING: This show is for mature audiences only.

Kids and Families

Elska

islandofelska.com

Sunday, Nov. 8, 2 p.m.

$15/$10 MCC district residents
Ages 4+. Welcome to the Island of Elska, the imaginary volcanic island off the coast of Iceland that is home to the singer Elska and a small population that includes her two-foot-tall best friend the Goobler, an arctic fox and a colony of lost socks. Her live show is packed with kid-friendly electronic pop songs and a blend of theater, storytelling, and musical performance

Theatre IV's "A Christmas Carol"

www.theatreiv.org

Saturday, Dec. 12, 1 and 4 p.m.

$15/$10 MCC district residents

For ages 5+. Perhaps the best loved holiday story of all time, this adaptation of Dickens' classic is particularly suited for children and features a magnificent score by Jule Styne, the composer of Broadway's immortal "Peter Pan," "Gypsy" and "Funny Girl." All the joy, sentiment and meaning are here, without being too frightening for young audiences.

Music

John Eaton Holiday Spectacular

www.eatonpiano.com

Saturday, Dec. 19, 2 p.m.

$35/$20 MCC district residents

Have we got a holiday gift for you! Jazz pianist, musicologist and humorist John Eaton will treat you to an afternoon of American Songbook standards and commentary that The Washington Post called "as reliably entertaining as 'The Simpsons.'" You'll probably even hear a holiday classic or two.

Comedy

The Capitol Steps

www.capsteps.com

Saturday, Jan. 9, 8 p.m.

$50/$35 MCC district residents
Hold on to your hats, it's an election year! More fodder for the ever-changing political comedy troupe ... and we're not talking about Congress.

Kids and Families

Barter Theatre's "A Wrinkle in Time"

www.bartertheatre.com/barter-players.php

Saturday, Jan. 16, 2 p.m.

$15/$10 MCC district residents

For ages 7+. On a dark and stormy night, the eccentric Mrs. Whatsit arrives at the home of Meg Murray, a tomboy who doesn't fit in at her high school. Aided by Mrs. Whatsit, Meg and her brother are transported through time and space on a mission to rescue their missing father from the frightening forces that hold him prisoner on another planet. John Glore's delightful and wildly theatrical adaptation brings this acclaimed story magically to life.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration

Julian Bond: "How I Got in the Movement"

Sunday, Jan. 17, 2 p.m.

$25/$10 MCC district residents

Legendary as founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee nominee and former Chairman of the NAACP, Bond continues to deliver a powerful message of equality, freedom and justice with a renewed sense of relevance. Bond was a first-hand eyewitness to many watershed moments in the history of the Civil Rights Movement, and you'll have the chance to experience his personal story of his work with Dr. King and beyond.

Insider Knowledge Series

"Brush Up Your Shakespeare"

Thursday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.

$6/$3 MCC district residents

Experts from the Shakespeare Theatre, American Shakespeare Center and the Folger Shakespeare Library are back to give you a guided tour of the world of Shakespeare in preparation for American Shakespeare Center on Tour's Shakespeare Weekend at The Alden.

Theatre

American Shakespeare Center on Tour's Shakespeare Weekend at The Alden

www.americanshakespearecenter.com

Back by popular demand, American Shakespeare Center (ASC) on Tour brings their fast-paced, super-accessible interpretations of the Bard's best. ASC recreates the theatre experience the way Shakespeare's audiences would have enjoyed it, with the lights on. Audience members are encouraged to sit on stage and, at times, even interact with the performers. And just as in Shakespeare's time, before the show the cast sings and plays contemporary music related to the play, but in ASC's case it's Weezer and James Brown.

"Julius Caesar"

Friday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m.; Live music starts at 7:30 p.m.

$35/$20 MCC district residents

In this profoundly moving, breathtaking and deeply human play, Shakespeare shows us a world on fire; a world turned upside down; a world where some of history's most famous men commit horrific crimes in the name of patriotism and honor. "Julius Caesar" is a dazzling thrill ride of betrayal, violence and perhaps most surprisingly, love.

"The Importance of Being Earnest"

Saturday, Jan. 23, 2 p.m.; Live music starts at 1:30 p.m.

$35/$20 MCC district residents

Oscar Wilde's brilliant and wicked comic masterpiece defines wit and style. This "trivial comedy for serious people" is at once blissfully silly and outrageously shrewd. One-hundred twenty years after its first performance, "The Importance of Being Earnest" continues to delight audiences with its playful language, charming characters and biting look at contemporary society, and ASC on Tour's production will have you in absolute hysterics.

"The Life of King Henry V"

Saturday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m.; Live music starts at 7:30 p.m.

$35/$20 MCC district residents

The story of England's hero-king and the greatest upset in European military history is Shakespeare's finale to his great history plays. More than that, Henry V-at once touching, heroic, savage and comic-explores the nature of greatness and its connection to theatre; and, perhaps more than any other of Shakespeare's works, it makes the audience part of the story.

Other Alden Season Offerings include:

Kids and Families

Puppet Festival

Saturday, Feb. 20, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Ages 4+.

$15/$10 MCC district residents

Music

U.S. Navy Commodores

www.navyband.navy.mil/commodores.shtml

Saturday, Apr. 2, 8 p.m.

Free. Reservations are not required.

Comedy and Dance

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

www.trockadero.org

Thursday, Apr. 7, 7:30 p.m.

$50/$40 MCC district residents

Theatre

New York Neo Futurists

"Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind"

www.nyneofuturists.org

Saturday, Apr. 16, 8 p.m.

$25/$15 MCC district residents

Kids and Families

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia's

"Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny"

www.mermaidtheatre.ca

Saturday, Apr. 23, 2 p.m.

Ages 4+.

$15/$10 MCC district residents

Kids and Families

ArtsPower's

"Chicken Dance"

www.artspower.org

Saturday, May 14, 2 p.m.

Ages 4+.

$15/$10 MCC district residents

Speakers and Education

"Gut Churn" from Radiolab's Jad Abumrad

www.jadabumrad.com

Saturday, June 11, 8 p.m.

$30/$15 MCC district residents

Kids and Families

Morgan Taylor's

"Gustafer Yellowgold's Show"

gustaferyellowgold.com

Sunday, June 12, 2 p.m.

Ages 4+.

$15/$10 MCC district residents

Magic

The Magic of Bill Blagg Live!

www.billblagg.com

Saturday, June 18, 8 p.m.

$20/$15 MCC district residents

Speakers and Education

Jazz Masters with John Eaton

www.eatonpiano.com

Saturday, April 30

$12/$5 MCC district residents

Speakers and Education

Jazz Masters with John Eaton

www.eatonpiano.com

Saturday, June 25, 1 p.m.

$12/$5 MCC district residents


Tickets sales begin Saturday, Aug. 1, at noon. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit: www.aldentheatre.org or call 703-790-0123, TTY: 711.

Built in 1975, the 383-seat Robert Ames Alden Theatre, "The Alden," is a cultural resource for the citizens of McLean and the Washington Metropolitan area that presents a full professional season of interdisciplinary and high-quality performances, lectures and educational programs for audiences of all ages. The Alden is ADA-compliant and will make arrangements for accommodations. To request this information in an alternate format, call 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, or visit: www.aldentheatre.org.

The Robert Ames Alden Theatre is a cultural resource for the citizens of McLean that presents high-quality performances, lectures and educational programs for audiences of all ages. The Alden Theatre is ADA-compliant and will make arrangements for accommodations. To request this information in an alternate format, call 711.



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