Eisemann Center in Richardson announces 2009-2010 season events

by PegNews wire

The Eisemann Center and the City of Richardson have announced the 2009-2010 Season of Eisemann Center Presents continuing the diverse and compelling programming of the Spotlight Series including the return of the popular Canadian musical family Leahy and the acclaimed Pilobolus and presenting another four smash hit shows for the popular ViewPoint Bank Theatre Comedy Series including the Dallas premiere of ‘Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism 3.

SPOTLIGHT SERIES

Featuring an eclectic collage of dance, music and theatre in the Eisemann Center’s concert space, the Spotlight Series kicks off with America’s Favorite Cowboys, Riders in the Sky, appearing Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 8:00 pm. For thirty years, Riders In The Sky have been keepers of the flame passed on by the Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, reviving and revitalizing Western music. They have become modern-day icons by branding the genre with their own legendary wacky humor and way-out Western wit.

Second in the series is Cirque Shanghai Bai Xi on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 8:00 pm. Dating back more than 2000 years ago, Chinese acrobatic spectacles were first called “Bai Xi,” meaning “one hundred amazing acts,” in reference to the performer’s seemingly limitless skills and innumerable feats they could perform. Cirque Shanghai Bai Xi combines all aspects of the traditional and the modern in acrobatic stage performance: awesome displays of physical strength with incredible feats of balance; graceful folkloric pageantry with fast paced contemporary dance and energetic martial arts with phenomenal equilibrialist skills…all performed in spectacular costumes in a grand theatrical production.

Last seen at the Eisemann Center in March 2007, Leahy returns to the Eisemann Center with a very special Christmas show on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 8:00 pm. A Christmas show with Leahy is a multifaceted experience that takes audiences on a sensory and emotional ride with their music, dance and song. The audience will not only be treated to Christmas classics and new Leahy material, but their performance will be interspersed with stories and the warmth of a festive family Christmas.

Appearing Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 8:00 pm is Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in their Tribute to Cab Calloway. This hot jazz, blues and swing band is celebrating 100 years of Cab Calloway and five years of performing arts center performances from coast to coast. A truly “larger than life” figure in American pop culture, Cab Calloway also led one of the greatest bands of the Swing Era. 100 years later, the coolest swing band alive, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will be celebrating the birthday of Cab Calloway on tour performing classic hits such as “Minnie the Moocher” and others.

In partnership with the UT Dallas School of Arts & Humanities, The King’s Singers will appear in a public performance Friday, February 19, 2010 at 8:00 pm, sharing the stage with the UT Dallas Chamber Singers for selected works. Educational activities will include a Master Class on the UT Dallas campus and two open rehearsals for high school music students. The King’s Singers are known for their extraordinary a capella performances of classical and new works and are one of the most sought-after vocal ensembles in the world.

Wrapping up the Spotlight Series on Friday, March 5, and Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 8:00 pm is the exciting and always compelling dance sensation, Pilobolus, a unique but major American dance company of international influence. Now in its 38th year, the company employs a collaborative choreographic process giving the artistic directors and dancers a nontraditional but powerful set of skills to create one of the most popular and varied repertoires in the field. NYC Newsday observed, “Pilobolus is a mind-blowing troupe of wildly creative and physically daring dancers who leap, fly, intertwine and break all the rules...”

VIEWPOINT BANK Theatre Comedy Series

Featuring weeklong runs of four hilarious productions all set in the intimate surroundings of the 368-seat Bank of America Theatre, the series begins with Church Basement Ladies, playing October 22-25, 2009, featuring William Christopher of MASH fame (Father Mulcahy) as the Pastor. A celebration of the church basement kitchen and the women who work there, Church Basement Ladies is a new musical comedy featuring four distinct characters and their relationships as they organize the food and solve the problems of a rural Minnesota church about to undergo changes in 1964. From the elderly matriarch of the kitchen to the young bride-to-be learning the proper order of things, we see them handle a record breaking Christmas dinner, the funeral of a dear friend, a Hawaiian Easter Fund Raiser, and, of course, a steaming hot July wedding. They stave off potential disasters, share and debate recipes, instruct the young, and keep the Pastor on due course.

Next in the lineup is the hysterical comedy Robert Dubac’s Male Intellect: The 2nd Coming!, Nov. 19-22, 2009. This is the sequel to The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron? Robert Dubac’s Male Intellect: The 2nd Coming! is part theater and part stand-up as Dubac transforms himself into a cast of characters hell bent on crystallizing life's ironies. He picks up where he left off ― inside his head ― ransacking his brain trying to figure out what women want. The Miami Herald describes it as "the kind of indisputably riotous show that sets off regular explosions of laughter.”

‘Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism 3 is the latest class to be unveiled in this sinfully funny series playing February 11-14, 2010. After teaching countless students about the saints, venial sins, limbo and more, Sister is now offering up hilarious lessons on the Sacraments of Marriage and the Last Rites, including her own wacky version of the Newlywed Game. Classroom participation is a must, so bring along your sweetie and your sense of humor for a session with the country’s feistiest couples counselor!

Rounding out the ViewPoint Bank Theatre Comedy Series is the Texas premiere of The Talk of the Town, with performances running March 11-14, 2010. The story of seven of America’s greatest literary talents in 1920s New York, the legendary wits of the Algonquin Round Table: Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Alexander Woollcott, George Kaufman, Marc Connelly, Edna Ferber and Robert Sherwood. The New York Times said, The Talk of the Town draws from a sizable reservoir of snappy remarks. A singing and dancing anthology.”

FAMILY THEATRE SERIES - Sponsored by Friends of the Richardson Library

Eisemann Center Presents’ Family Theatre Series is a Sunday matinee series for children and families of all ages sponsored by Friends of the Richardson Library. The Family Theatre Series brings professional touring children’s productions to the Eisemann Center with a lineup of shows that promises to excite, entertain, educate and amaze our youngest patrons. All Family Theatre Series performances will take place in the Hill Performance Hall.

The series kicks off with Theatreworks USA’s production of Charlotte’s Web on Sunday, October 4, 2009 at 2:30 pm. The play is based on E.B. White's loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray spider named Charlotte. Wilbur has a problem: how to avoid winding up as pork chops! Charlotte, a fine writer and true friend, hits on a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman ― she will create a "miracle." Spinning the words "Some Pig" in her web, Charlotte weaves a solution which not only makes Wilbur a prize pig, but ensures his place on the farm forever. This treasured tale, featuring mad-cap and endearing farm animals, explores bravery, selfless love, and the true meaning of friendship.

Strega Nona: The Musical is based on the children's books by Tomie dePaola and will appear on Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 2:30 pm. Strega Nona is the musical tale of a friendly magical witch with a funny name who strives to cure the ills of her tiny Italian town of Calabria. The baker has bunions “as big as an onion,” his daughter wishes for witchery, and the local single ladies are always unlucky in love. The town faces real problems when a local lug named Big Anthony sneaks a peek at Strega Nona's magic book and uses Strega Nona’s magical ways for selfish means. When Anthony fools with the magic pasta pot, and can't figure out how to turn it off, pasta threatens to engulf the whole town ― unless Strega Nona can save the day. With an energetic and tuneful score, this fantastical tale teaches that witches can be good, and that and you can’t judge a pot by its pasta!

Next on the Family Theatre Series roster is A Year With Frog and Toad on Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 2:30 pm. A hit on Broadway, A Year With Frog and Toad was nominated for 3 Tony® Awards ― including Best Musical. Now, for the first time, an all-new production will tour across North America. Arnold Lobel's beloved characters hop from the page to the stage in Robert and Willie Reale's musical, A Year With Frog and Toad. The stage musical remains true to the spirit of the original stories as it follows two great friends, the cheerful and popular Frog and the rather grumpy Toad through four fun-filled seasons. Waking from hibernation in the spring, they proceed to plant gardens, swim, rake leaves and go sledding, learning life lessons along the way, including a most important one about friendship and rejoicing in the attributes that make each of us different and special.

Mark Nizer’s 3D Juggling Show will appear on Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 2:30 pm. Nizer wows the crowd wherever he goes with original comedy, world class juggling, movement, music and technology. He's been known to launch a handful of ping pong balls some 20 feet into the air then juggle them with his mouth. Imagine four brilliant lasers being juggled at 1,000 revolutions per minute, with the spinning laser beams dancing just above the patrons' heads! Mark Nizer makes the impossible seem commonplace with show-stopping tricks and technology, amazing the audience.

On Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 2:30 pm the phenomenal Fred Garbo Inflatable Theater Co. will perform in the Hill Performance Hall. The New York Times says “…the Fred Garbo Inflatable Theater Co. generates deserved applause when it shows off Mr. Garbo's prowess as a juggler, acrobat and mime (his escalator routine is first rate) and Ms. Santos's talents as an all-around dancer (from ballet to cancan) and comedian.”

The Family Theatre Series will wrap up the 09-10 season with American Family Theater’s production of The Little Mermaid on Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 2:30 pm. Family members of all ages will enjoy splashing into this wonderful under-the-sea world. The bright colors and constant stage movement keeps all eyes on the action, and the songs will have the young ones swaying and dancing in their seats. This timeless tale of the defiant teenage mermaid who wants to live on land delights your ears and captures your heart.

Special event - One Night of Queen is a stunning recreation and celebration of the music of Queen, complete with over-the-top staging, lighting and effects on Friday, February 26, 2010 at 8:00 pm. Since winning British TV’s Stars In Their Eyes talent show for his spot-on portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, Gary Mullen, along with his band The Works, has toured widely with One Night of Queen, selling out theatres and concert halls across Europe, New Zealand and the United States. The show will feature all of the Queen anthems that keep you listening to classic rock radio stations, including “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Show Must Go On” and “Killer Queen.”

Subscriptions for the Hill Performance Hall Spotlight Series and the Theatre Comedy Series go on sale to the public May 21st with a 15% discount on full series subscriptions. Spotlight Series subscriptions range from $141.00 to $286.00. ViewPoint Bank Theatre Comedy Series subscriptions range from $112.00 to $133.00. The Spotlight Focus Mini-Series allows patrons to create their own miniseries of four to six Spotlight Series events at a 10% discount. The Family Theatre Series subscriptions range from $48.00 to $96.00, a savings of 20% off single ticket prices. The Kidstuff Mini-Series is also available, allowing you to choose four or five Family Theatre Series shows at a 15% discount.

Single tickets go on sale to the public August 10, 2009 online at www.eisemanncenter.com, by telephone and in person. For more information, call the Eisemann Center Ticket Office at 972-744-4650. The Ticket Office is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm and one hour prior to curtain time for all events. The Ticket Office fax number is 972-744-5830. Series subscriptions are not available online, but orders are accepted by mail, fax, telephone, and in person at the Ticket Office.

The Eisemann Center is a City of Richardson facility located in the Galatyn Park Urban Center at 2351 Performance Drive in Richardson, Texas. The Eisemann Center is easily accessible from Highway 75 North taking the Galatyn Parkway/Renner Road exit going north and the Galatyn Parkway/Campbell Road exit going south or from the DART light rail station at Galatyn Park. Eisemann Center Presents 2009-2010 Season sponsors include ViewPoint Bank, Friends of the Richardson Library, PegasusNews.com, Eisemann Educates sponsor Opportunity Bank and media partners The Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV.

Source: Eisemann Center for Performing Arts