theatre by scott leonard UNITING IN MOVEMENT Segerstrom Center and American Ballet Theatre (ABT) have completed a new artistic
collaboration during which 18 dancers and the artistic staff of ABT developed and rehearsed three works that culminated in an exhilarating live performance in Segerstrom Hall and which can be streamed on-demand Wednesday, May 12 through Wednesday, May 26. Uniting in Movement is comprised of works of contemporary choreographers Lauren
Lovette and Darrell Grand Moultrie, each with very personal and unique visions for the future of ballet. The program also pays homage to ABT’s classical heritage with a virtuosic showcase of ballet technique grand pas classique choreographed by Victor Gsovsky and Swan Lake Act II pas de deux with choreography after Lev Ivanov. In order to perform Uniting in Movement, ABT was in residence at Segerstrom Center
beginning March 22, rehearsing this new program that received its world premiere before a live audience on Sunday, April 25 in Segerstrom Hall, followed by this streamed version. These performances are the first in Segerstrom Hall since the shutdown of all live theatre in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, just one week after the world premiere of ABT’s new production of Alexei Ratmansky’s Of Love and Rage. The choreographers, dancers and ABT artistic staff lived and rehearsed in a quarantined
“bubble,” isolating themselves at the Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa, venturing out only to rehearse in the center’s studios and, ultimately, perform in Segerstrom Hall. All rehearsal and performance activity adhered to strict medical and safety guidelines, with an initial quarantine and testing period prior to the start of ABT’s residency. Lovette’s work, La Follia Variations, is set to music of the same name by Francesco
Geminiani. With costumes by fashion designer Victor Glemaud, La Follia Variations brims with poetry, wit, nuance and power. Moultrie’s Indestructible Light, set to music by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Neal Hefti and Billy Strayhorn, is an expansion of his earlier work for the company created in an East Coast bubble in fall 2020. Indestructible Light is a work for eight dancers and celebrates the resilience of artists despite impossible odds. The pas de deux from Swan Lake, Act II has replaced the previously announced Let Me Sing Forevermore by Jessica Lang. “These creations reflect a time of recalibration on how we create and deliver new work,
reinvent how to gather together to create, and what it means to use this art form to lift us all, artist and audience alike,” said Kevin McKenzie, ABT artistic director. “Lauren’s use of classical vocabulary for dynamic effect of empowerment and Darrell’s facile use of classical technique fused with classic jazz are contrasted with two pas de deux. All of which exemplify the vibrant spirit of American Ballet Theatre.” “As you can imagine, Uniting in Movement is a complex project requiring the combined, or uniting, resources and experience of both the Center and ABT, particularly during this period of quarantine,” said Casey Reitz, Segerstrom Center president. “The project aligns with the mission of our Center for Dance and Innovation, which was established to support and advance the creative and sometimes even experimental process of developing new works by talented artists. The Center and ABT have a long history of producing extraordinary dance projects, including new productions, world premieres, and two projects that were broadcast on Great Performances: Dance in America. We are especially
proud of how Uniting in Movement so beautifully confirms the resilience and indomitable spirit of the arts and artists.”
scfta.org
Coronado Playhouse presents the
critically acclaimed play by Nick Payne, streaming on-demand from Wednesday, May 12 through Sunday, May 30. Constellations received the UK’s Evening
Standard Theatre Award for Best Play in 2012. The American premiere of Constel- lations opened on Broadway in January 2015 starring Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson. Constellations takes a chance encounter
between two drifting souls, Marianne and Roland, and opens a door to the infinite possibilities of their relationship. It’s a spellbinding exploration at how the tiniest change in the details of our lives can dramatically alter the lives we live. Suppose that life exists in a multiverse . . . a set of parallel existences that contain infinitely different outcomes. The pos- sibilities in our lives are then endless. Every possible event that could happen, does happen. And if Marianne and Roland meet . . . are drawn together in every version of existence . . . every possible happy ending and heartbreak that could befall them, will. Coronado Playhouse has assembled
an experienced creative team led by director Samuel Young to tell this poignant story. This marks Young’s third directing endeavor at the playhouse, after the 2019 production of The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare and the 2020 production of Moon Over Buffalo, which was cancelled just before opening night due to COVID-19. During the run of Constellations, the
playhouse is partnering with the San Diego Brain Tumor Foundation. The foundation serves the local community by providing money to patients and their families who are coping with the daily stresses and difficulties of a brain tumor diagnosis. Through donations and fundraising efforts, the foundation can provide a variety of essential services to the local brain tumor community.
coronadoplayhouse.org
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ragemonthly.com | MAY 2021
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