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JUST ANNOUNCED: @KimmelCenter & @JoesPub unveil artists chosen to participate in 2016 Theater Residency program. Details at kimmelcenter.org
Press Contacts:
Amanda Conte, Kimmel Center
215-790-5847
aconte@kimmelcenter.org
Yuri Kwon, Joe’s Pub at the Public
212-539-8563
ykwon@publictheater.org
JOE’S PUB AT THE PUBLIC & KIMMEL CENTER PRESENT
2016 KIMMEL CENTER THEATER RESIDENCY, JUNE 13-26
ARTISTS CAROL LIPNIK, DAWN LANDES, THEO BLECKMANN,
COURTNEE ROZE, JOHNNY SHOWCASE & MORE TO PARTICIPATE IN COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM BASED IN PHILADELPHIA
New York, NY – June 6, 2016 – Joe’s Pub at The Public partners, once again, with Philadelphia’s renowned Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts for the Kimmel Center Theater Residency. Under the guidance of Jay Wahl, Artistic Director of Programming & Presentations at the Kimmel Center, and Shanta Thake, Director of Joe’s Pub, the intensive program serves as an incubator for artists and collaborators to create and develop innovative new musical theater projects and music. The program will be held in the Kimmel Center’s SEI Innovation Studio (300 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA) from June 13-26 with free public workshops with audience feedback and Q&A on June 25 and 26.
Working together on the selection process, Thake and Wahl are thrilled to bring together a group of artists, largely from New York and Philadelphia: bohemian cabaret chanteuse Carol Lipnik with Mexico City-based composer and performer Tareke Ortiz; imaginative singer-songwriter Dawn Landes with theater director Danny Goldstein; jazz singer and new music composer Theo Bleckmann with multimedia composer and performer Jacob Cooper; percussionist and bandleader Courtnee Roze with musician and producer Jeffandy AllTogether; andabsurdist funk rock front man Johnny Showcase with Ross Bellenoit and Michael Baker.
The partnership provides guidance and dramaturgy to artists in the creation of their works, with additional opportunity for further development and production at Joe’s Pub, Kimmel Center and beyond. While the ultimate goal of the program is to produce completed works, the immediate aim is self-exploration, meaningful peer review and the creation of new insights regarding musical narratives. Theater director Elena Heyman will join the program this year to offer dramaturgical support.
“With just one year under our belt, the residency has already proved to be a rare and invaluable experience. Both the luxury of time and access to their peers’ works have afforded our artists such a conducive environment to develop their ideas,” said Shanta Thake, Director of Joe’s Pub at The Public. “Case in point, Ethan Lipton’s new show Outer Space, which will be a part of The Public Theater’s mainstage season in 2016-2017, was conceived in the 2015 Theater Residency.”
“This is a significant partnership between two leading organizations in top cultural cities which gives us unparalleled access to some of the country’s greatest artists,” said Jay Wahl, Artistic Director, Programming & Presentations for the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “The process and resources that guide this program are first-class and we hope that this collaboration can serve as a model for other artists and organizations to create more new works.”
The program is held at SEI Innovation Studio from June 13-26 with FREE public readings on June 24 and 25 (reservations required). Tickets are available by phone at 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office at Broad & Spruce Streets (Daily 10:00AM-6:00PM).
About the Artists
Carol Lipnik is the spellbinding, darkly-humorous singer and songwriter recently called an "ethereal vocal phenomenon" by The New York Times. A fixture at Pangea, she also recently completed a three-week run at Joe's Pub for her new album, Almost Back to Normal, and is the winner of the 2015 Broadway World New York Cabaret Award for best Alternative Cabaret Show. Lipnik's music evokes a shadow-world of mysterious, often misunderstood creatures, from sideshow freaks and B-movie monsters to love's obsessive victims, through her stunningly versatile four-octave voice and expressive, impeccably crafted songs. Her repertoire ranges from mad, carnival-ride tangos and waltzes to dramatic Bowie-esque rock and intricate, semi-acoustic art songs. Her collaboration with Tareke Ortiz is called Borders, Myths and the Natural World – an original song cycle exploring borders, both real and imagined, and myths rooted in cultures indigenous to contemporary Mexico.
Dawn Landes is a Kentucky-bred singer-songwriter whose music you might have heard if you watch Bored to Death, House, Gossip Girl or The Good Wife. Along with releasing five albums since 2005 (and an EP inspired by yé-yé, ‘60s French pop music), she is a frequent collaborator with contemporaries such as Sufjan Stevens, Norah Jones and composer Nico Muhly. She has appeared with the Boston Pops, the NYC Ballet and in Lincoln Center’s prestigious American Songbook Series. She recently gave a TED talk on Louisville native Tori Murden McClure’s quest to become the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean, performing a preview of ROW, her (music and lyrics) and Daniel Goldstein’s (book) musical about McClure. During the Kimmel Center Theater Residency, Landes and Goldstein will continue work on ROW, which was originally commissioned as part of the Joe’s Pub artist commissioning program New York Voices.
Theo Bleckmann is a Grammy Award-nominated jazz singer and new music composer, making music that is accessibly sophisticated, unsentimentally emotional, and seriously playful. The New York Times has called him, “a vocalist of inventive instinct and assiduous musicality.” Prolific in his output, Bleckmann has released a series of gorgeous and irreverent albums on Winter & Winter, including Las Vegas standards, Weimar art songs, and “bar songs” with pianist Fumio Yasuda; newly-arranged songs by Charles Ives (with Kneebody); acoustic solos for voice I dwell in possibility; and Hello Earth - the Music of Kate Bush. Bleckmann has collaborated with artists, including Ambrose Akinmusire, Laurie Anderson, Uri Caine, Philip Glass, Ann Hamilton, John Hollenbeck, David Lang, Kirk Nurock, Frances MacDormand, Ben Monder, Michael Tilson Thomas, Kenny Wheeler, John Zorn and the Bang on a Can All-Stars. With Meredith Monk, Bleckmann has worked as a core ensemble member for over 15 years. Bleckmann partners with fellow new music composer Jacob Cooper for his new work.
Courtnee Roze is a composer, producer, vocalist and percussionist (djembe and conga drums), leading an eclectic New York-based instrumental fusion/percussion-driven project and band known as Courtnee Roze: The Musical. The project tells an in-depth testimony of a young female musician through song and dance. The stage visual celebrates the triumph, hardships and barriers broken by this phenomenally creative artist. Roze’s project combines funk, fusion, afrobeat, soul, jazz stylings, live dance and heavy percussion. Roze is also well known for her work musically arranging bands for artists, such as Jack Nkanga from Angola. She and fellow bandleader Jeffandy AllTogether will collaborate on a project sure to push the boundaries of sound and genre.
Johnny Showcase is a sweaty, charismatic showman, who is equal parts Andy Kaufman and Prince. Surrounding him is a rag tag group of performers, including spiritual adviser Rumi Kitchen, two vacuous vocalists collectively named The Truth, and knife sharp backing band the Mystic Ticket. Altogether, they are an electrifying experience. An 8-piece absurdist soul outfit based in Philadelphia, it is an innovative, joyful tour-de-force that blissfully toes the line between performance art and a psychedelic soul revival. Carrying the torch of our funk-rock pioneers, they have gained a massive following and propelled Johnny to something that of a funky Philly folk hero legend. Ross Bellenoit and Michael Baker, pillars of the local music scene in Philadelphia, join Johnny for his project, a new musical for kids.
Elena Heyman is a New York City theater director. She directed The Traveling Imaginary; a theatrical rock show rated "top five shows of the year" by NPR and a Time Out "Critic's Pick" on two continents. Heyman is the Co-Artistic Director of The Orbiting Human Circus with Julian Koster (Neutral Milk Hotel). She recently directed Erin Markey’s Deleted Scenes from Fun Home, Heather Litteer's Lemonade, Becca Blackwell's They, Themself and Schmerm and LongYarn by Jason Craig/Banana Bag & Bodice. Elena’s work has been presented by The Kennedy Center, The Drama League, Abrons Art Center, The Bushwick Starr, Brown University, Duke University, La Mama, Boston Center for American Performance, Laguardia Performing Arts Center, En Garde Arts and indie rock clubs across America. Currently Elena is developing Elevation 509 in Bulgaria with Yasen Vasilev through the generous support of The Drama League. She is a graduate of Northwestern and Boston Universities (MFA) and a Drama League Directing Fellow.
About Kimmel Center for The Performing ArtsLocated in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, The Kimmel Center’s mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience through diverse programming, arts education, and community outreach. The Kimmel Center campus is comprised of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, SEI Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center), the Academy of Music (owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association), and the University of the Arts’ Merriam Theater. The Kimmel Center is also home to eight Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly Pops, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Curtis Institute of Music. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is the season sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2015-2016 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia.
For all press inquiries, please contact Yuri Kwon at ykwon@publictheater.org or (212) 539-8563 or Amanda Conte at aconte@kimmelcenter.org or (215) 790-5847.
ABOUT JOE'S PUB AT THE PUBLICNamed for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub at The Public debuted in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. In 2013, Joe's Pub celebrates 15 years of the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. It received a top-to-bottom renovation in 2011, leading to improved sightlines, expanded seating capacity and a new menu from acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually.
ABOUT THE PUBLIC THEATER The Public Theater, under the leadership of Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare, the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. Celebrating his 10th anniversary season at The Public, Eustis has created new community-based initiatives designed to engage audiences like Public Lab, Public Studio, Public Forum, Public Works, and a remount of the Mobile Unit. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues—including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe’s Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City’s five boroughs. The Public’s wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company’s dedication to making theater accessible to all; Public Works, an expanding initiative that is designed to cultivate new connections and new models of engagement with artists, audiences and the community each year; and audience and artist development initiatives that range from Emerging Writers Group and to the Public Forum series. The Public is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; and in October 2012 the landmark building downtown at Astor Place was revitalized to physically manifest the Company’s core mission of sparking new dialogues and increasing accessibility for artists and audiences, by dramatically opening up the building to the street and community, and transforming the lobby into a public piazza for artists, students, and audiences. The Public is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning Fun Home and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s acclaimed American musical Hamilton, and Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed featuring Lupita Nyong’o. The Public has received 47 Tony Awards, 168 Obie Awards, 52 Drama Desk Awards, 54 Lortel Awards, 32 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics Awards, and five Pulitzer Prizes.
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For a PDF version of this press release, please click here.