Saint Mary’s announces next Page Series season
WINONA, Minn. — The 26th season of the Saint Mary’s University Page Series is once again filled with music, dance, theatre, and family-friendly offerings from around the world!
You don’t have to travel far for world-class performances. Season subscriptions go on sale May 15. Individual tickets go on sale Aug. 21.
As part of the yearlong celebration of Saint Mary’s University Centennial, the Page Series is pleased to include artists with connections to Saint Mary’s and to Winona in this year’s programming.
Purchase tickets to three or more events to receive a 10 percent discount for new subscribers; returning 2011-12 subscribers receive 25 percent off the total order. Subscribers also have exchange privileges and guaranteed seating choice.
To order, go online to www.pagetheatre.org or call the box office, (507) 457-1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Summer box office hours, May 16-July 29, are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The 2012-2013 Page Series
• Thursday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m.
Tibetan Monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery
Sacred dance, music and sand mandala painting
Tickets: $22 for adults, $18 for seniors and students
The Monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery in India have toured North America for more than 20 years to support their monastery and to preserve and demonstrate their Tibetan cultural traditions. Their performance features multi-phonic singing, wherein the monks simultaneously intone three notes of a chord. They also utilize traditional instruments (such as 10-foot long dung-chen horns, drums, bells, cymbals and gyaling trumpets), wear rich brocade costumes and perform masked dances, such as the “Dance of the Sacred Snow Lion” and “Dance of the Skeleton Lords.” In addition, the monks will create elaborate sand mandala paintings, using colored sands and the traditional chakpur (metal funnel). Before the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy, the mandalas were created in private, sacred sites; the Dalai Lama, considered the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, suggested that the mandalas be created publicly as a way of healing. Several lecture and informal conversations opportunities will also be a part of their five-day residency.
• Tuesday, Oct. 9, 6:30 p.m.
“Bunnicula” with TheatreworksUSA
A Bunny-Tale of Mystery
Tickets: $12 for adults, $5 for seniors and students
Lock up your lettuce! Protect your parsley! Rescue your rutabaga! A floppy-eared bunny with mysterious habits is staking out its place in TheatreworksUSA’s spine-tingling new musical, co-written by Tony-nominated playwright Charles Busch and based on the best-selling books by James & Deborah Howe, “Bunnicula!” Chester the cat and Harold the dog get along like ... well ... cats and dogs, even though underneath their furry exteriors, they’re really the best of pals. But one dark and stormy night, the Monroe family comes home from the movies with an orphaned rabbit they found under their seats. He’s a very strange baby rabbit who has sharp fangs instead of buckteeth, and who sleeps all day and prowls around his cage all night. Meanwhile, all the vegetables in the house are drained of their color and turn white. Could this possibly be a coincidence, or could Bunnicula be a vampire? Chester thinks so, and he’ll stop at nothing until he vanquishes the new arrival, even if it means the end of his friendship with Harold. Will Harold and Chester remain friends? Will Bunnicula find his mother before it’s too late? Will the nocturnal assault on all that is good and green continue? Find out in TheatreworksUSA’s “Bunnicula.”
• Friday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Simone Perrin and Dan Chouinard
Sweet singing, accordion playing
Tickets: $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students
Simone Perrin is a Minneapolis-based theater artist, accordionista and chanteuse. She's also an artist and composer. She has appeared on “A Prairie Home Companion” and premiered two shows at the 2006 Minnesota Fringe Festival, her one–woman show, “Tall Tale of a Broken Heart,” and “In Hopes of Claudia” with Kevin Kling. She grew up on the banks of the mighty Mississippi in Winona, where she learned that singing for your supper is OK, houseboats are the best way to enjoy a lazy river, and family is the most important. But … as it goes with the learning, those revelations didn’t occur until she went away. After school in Ohio and years in New York, she came back to the Midwest. Settling in the Twin Cities, she has collaborated with storyteller Kevin Kling on numerous projects, as well as performed with everyone from Prudence Johnson to Dan Chouinard to The Brass Messengers. Perrin is inviting musician friend Dan Chouinard to join her for an evening of new songs, stories and fun.
• Thursday, Jan. 31, 6:30 p.m.
The Accidental Hero World War II
Czech-American story
Tickets: $12 for adults, $5 for seniors and students
Where do heroes come from? Lightning strikes and destiny awaits. A farm boy thinks he’s “only” fighting in World War II. Then a risky assignment miraculously brings him face-to-face with his long-lost tribe. Improbable coincidence? Fate? When you run away from your identity, it often finds you anyway. Laugh-out-loud funny and deeply moving, this unforgettable one-man show has wowed audiences across the country. The Czechs called him “liberator,” but they liberated him. A unique mix of narration with multi-media enhancements provides a way to tell the story of a grandfather’s role in World War II, unknown to all until the grandson dug into the past. The show includes WWII film footage shot with a home movie camera of the liberation of a Czech town. Actor/creator Patrick Dewane is an alumnus of Saint Mary’s University.
• Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
The Hornheads w/John Paulson’s Big Band Project
Jazz and more jazz
Tickets: $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and students
The Hornheads, an extraordinarily talented group of horn players, has been gathering international acclaim from artists and critics alike, since 1991. On tour with Prince and the New Power Generation from 1991-1994, the Hornheads performed for more than 2 million concert-goers in 20 countries. Q Magazine, London, described them as “a peerless horn section ... playing in bare brilliant syncopation, punching with a staccato precision beyond the grasp of science or Synclavier. Prince splashes their insouciant versatility all over the set list.” Performing on more than 60 CD projects, the Hornheads have recorded with national and international artists such as Prince, Chaka Kahn, The Jonas Brothers, Mavis Staples, Phil Upchurch, Ricky Peterson, Jimmy Jam, Mandy Moore, Pedro Abrunhosa, Yumi Matsutoya, Babyface, Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas, France Gal, Tevin Campbell, Rosie Gaines, Larry Graham, Sétimo Céu, Carmen Electra, Gegé Telesforo and Ben Jor. Opening this special evening of jazz will be John Paulson’s Big Band Project. Long-time SMU jazz faculty member Paulson has assembled a big band that will perform a number of his original charts. It promises to be a full-length evening of jazz and more jazz.
• Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2012, 6:30 p.m.
“The Gruffalo” by Tall Stories
One scary forest monster
Tickets: $12 for adults, $5 for seniors and students
Join Mouse on an adventurous journey through the deep, dark wood in this magical, musical adaptation of the Blue Peter award-winning picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Mouse can scare hungry animals away with tall stories of the terrifying Gruffalo, but what happens when he comes face to face with the very creature he imagined? Guaranteed songs, laughs and scary fun for children ages 3 and older, and their adults … Let your imagination run wild! Tall Stories, from London, England, was founded in 1996 by joint artistic directors Olivia Jacobs and Toby Mitchell. The company has grown to become a highly acclaimed, internationally touring, not-for-profit organization. They present old, new and timeless stories in fresh and exciting ways and their productions tour to theatres, community venues and schools in the UK, Europe, North America and Asia. Tall Stories aims to tell stories in a physical, visual style, and their performances link original music with movement and a lot of laughs.
• Saturday, March 16, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
Eileen Ivers
Irish-American Celtic music
Tickets: $22 for adults, $18 for seniors and students
The daughter of Irish immigrants, Eileen Ivers grew up in the culturally diverse neighborhood of Bronx, New York. Rooted in traditional Irish music scene since the age of 8, Eileen proceeded to win nine All-Ireland Fiddle Championships, as well as numerous other awards. In 1999, she established Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul, a compelling mix of African and Latin percussion and bass, traditional Irish instruments, and soulful American vocals. Ivers' recording credits include more than 80 contemporary and traditional recordings, as well as numerous film scores. She is the founding member of Cherish the Ladies and an original musical star of “Riverdance.” She has appeared with London Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony at The Kennedy Center, the Boston Pops, as well as The Chieftains, Sting, Hall and Oates, Randy Brecker, Patti Smith, Paula Cole, Al Di Meola and Steve Gadd. A Grammy winner, her music has been heard on numerous movie soundtracks including “Gangs of New York,” and she has performed for Presidents and royalty worldwide. In short, Eileen Ivers has established herself as the pre-eminent exponent of the Irish fiddle in the world today.
‘Off The Page’
“Off The Page” events, feature individually priced events that take place in venues around town. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, Aug. 21. This year’s “Off the Page” performances take place at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.
• Thursday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m.
Vanessa Trouble
Jazz with a holiday twist
Tickets: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students
Vanessa Trouble has been singing and producing shows with numerous artists for over a decade. Residing in New York City, she has honed her vocal and performance skills all over the country and abroad, fronting various jazz ensembles in New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Atlanta, New Orleans, London, Paris, Ireland, Norway and Asia. Vanessa attended Saint Mary’s University, but graduated from Carleton College before making her way to the New York City jazz scene. She performs constantly in New York, including standing engagements at Pierre’s in Bridgehampton, N.Y., and at Opia Lounge in Manhattan. Past engagements have included such New York-area jazz showcases as Tavern on the Green, The Bubble Lounge, The Screening Room, Café Deville, Torch, The Grand Havana Room, Cibar, Metronome, and The Mansfield Hotel “M” Bar. This intimate evening will feature Vanessa singing holiday songs with a jazz beat, backed up by some of the region’s best musicians. Her holiday-themed recording will be available.
• Thursday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.
Alison Scott
Dynamite vocals
Tickets: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students
The strongest new voice to come out of the Minneapolis music scene in years, Alison Scott delivers a unique sound, which combines soulful vocals and brilliant lyrics with a keen sense of creativity and passion. With a gorgeous voice that combines the confident swagger of Cassandra Wilson, the electrifying emotion of Aretha, and the sweeping emotion of Eva Cassidy, Scott’s brilliant songwriting paints pictures that dance in your head long after she’s left the stage. A true multi-talented performer, Scott’s voice can soar high one minute and be seductive and fragile the next. She’s also a keyboard talent, whose beautiful harmonies mesh with her skintight backing band. Along with local superstar and triple platinum songwriter, Kevin Bowe on guitar, Alison’s band includes veteran keyboardist James Tyler O’Neill, rock solid bassist Steve Price, and drum sensation Pete Anderson. Together, they fuse contemporary soul with undercurrents of ’60s Brit-pop, silky jazz, and full-throttle rock. Scott has opened for several national acts such as Bon Jovi, Chris Isaak, Marc Cohn, Boz Scaggs, and Nanci Griffith. Her latest CD release, “Chinese Whispers,” has been picked up for national distribution and is creating a lot of buzz around the Midwest. It was named one of the year’s 10 best albums by the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Saint Mary’s is a fiscal year 2012 recipient of an Institutional Presenter Support grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is funded, in part, by the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on Nov. 4, 2008.
* PLEASE NOTE: All tickets (individual & subscription) are subject to a $1 processing fee.
* Student price includes ages 4 and older. $10 student rush tickets may be available for some events 20 minutes before curtain.
