University Relations and Communications, 715-346-3046, Fax 715-346-2042, http://www.uwsp.edu/news
A night of improv comedy by The Second City will be the first of several events as singers, dancers, musicians, acrobats and entertainers come to Stevens Point as part of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 2010-2011 Performing Arts Series.
The Second City will give an original performance of scripted improv, scenes and music at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2, at the Laird Room of the Dreyfus University Center on campus. Alumni of this leading improv troupe have included Bill Murray, John and Jim Belushi, Mike Myers and Chris Farley.
The series continues Wednesday, Sept. 22, with a performance of the Golden Dragon Acrobats, recognized internationally as the premier Chinese acrobatic touring company. The show, held at 7:30 p.m. at the Theater@1800 at Sentry Insurance Headquarters, includes award-winning acrobatics, theatrical techniques, ancient and contemporary music, traditional dance and spectacular costumes as well as breathtaking skill and beauty.
Luna Negra Dance Theatre will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 15, also at the Theater@1800. This dance company, founded in Chicago in 1999, has been a springboard for Latino contemporary choreographers. Its distinctive style blends ballet with the dynamic moves of contemporary dance infused with the energy of Latin and Afro-Caribbean dance.
On Wednesday, December 1, Broadway singer Andrea Burns will perform at the Theater@1800 at 7:30 p.m. Having appeared as Belle in “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” and as Daniela in the Tony Award-winning musical “In the Heights,” Burns has sung concerts at Carnegie Hall and at other halls around the country. She is best known for her performance in the original company of Jason Robert Brown’s critically acclaimed “Songs for A New World,” which was performed by the UWSP Theatre and Dance Department in 2007.
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue will bring their mix of rock, funk, jazz, hip-hop and soul to the Theater@1800 on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrew is a New Orleans artist who has the respect of jazz legends while delivering a high-energy rock show that he has named “supafunkrock.”
Pianist and UWSP Assistant Professor of Music Raffi Besalyan will join the North Shore String Quartet as a special guest for their performance at 7:30 p.m. at the Theater@1800 on Tuesday, March 15, 2011. Based out of Green Bay, the quartet is comprised of violinists Yuliya Smead and Yuri Segawa, violist Matthew Michelic and cellist Laura Kenn Henckel, who all perform with the Green Bay Symphony and bring a wealth of international experience to the stage, as does Besalyan.
A high-energy chamber music ensemble that blends classical music with jazz, rock and hip-hop, Project Trio will perform at the Theater@1800 on Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at 7:30 p.m.
Comprised of Greg Pattillo on flute, Eric Stephenson on cello and Peter Seymour on bass, Project Trio burst onto the scene with landmark videos and a sound that blurs the lines of classical music.
The last show of the series features radio host and producer Ira Glass of public radio’s program, “This American Life.” Glass will give a presentation on Saturday, April 30, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. in the Laird Room of the UWSP Dreyfus University Center. “This American Life” is heard by more than 1.8 million listeners and has won the highest honors for broadcasting and journalistic excellence, including several Peabody and DuPont-Columbia awards. It was adapted for television in 2007 and has since won three Emmy Awards.
Tickets for each show in the Performing Arts Series are $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens and $6 for youth. UWSP students with ID may buy tickets in advance for $4.50 or be admitted free the day of the show if seats remain. Tickets may be purchased through the University Information and Tickets Office in the Dreyfus University Center, 715-346-4100 or 800-838-3378, or by going online to http://www.uwsp.edu/centers/uit/ordering.asp. Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted.
UWSP’s Performing Arts Series is presented in part by Country Inn and Suites of Stevens Point and Sentry Insurance.
