Friday, July 13, 2001

WILMINGTON, NC – The 2001-02 schedule for the UNCW Arts in Action Performing Arts Series “Beyond Boundaries” features a variety of musical and theatrical entertainment.

Seven events comprise the series that is sponsored by the Campus Activities and Involvement Center at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Featured artists include jazz singer Jane Monheit, Australia’s Bangarra Dance Theatre and political satirists The Capitol Steps.

Season tickets will be on sale Wednesday, Aug. 1, through Tuesday, Oct. 9. Purchasers of season tickets save 20 percent over the cost of buying tickets to each performance as well as receive priority seating for all events. Season tickets are $26 for students, $55 for UNCW faculty and staff and $84 for all others. With the exception of the musical political satire group, The Capitol Steps (performing at Thalian Hall as a co-presentation with the hall and WHQR 91.3 FM), all performances will be held in Kenan Auditorium.

A smaller ticket package, the “Choose-Your-Own-Series” option, will also be available on Aug. 1. This will offer a 10-percent savings for purchases of tickets to four or more events. Tickets for individual performances will be on sale beginning Monday, Aug. 27, and will cost $5.50 for UNCW students and children age 12 and under, $11.50 for UNCW faculty/staff and $17.50 for all others. Ticket prices include Kenan Auditorium’s $1.50 handling charge.

The complete 2001-02 UNCW Arts in Action Performing Arts Series schedule is listed below.

Bangarra Dance Theatre

8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9

Mingling the essence of centuries old indigenous traditions with contemporary movement and energy, Bangarra Dance Theatre is at the forefront of a new wave of Australian dance. Vibrantly alive and radiantly brilliant, Bangarra is one of Australia’s most respected and innovative dance companies, drawing boldly on the essence and spirituality of the Aboriginal and island culture through music, dance and song. Internationally acclaimed for its unique fusion of the traditional with modern stage savvy, Bangarra is a dance company with a language like no other.

Ethos Percussion Group

8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27

Celebrating extraordinary music-making for more than a decade, the Ethos Percussion Group leaves no percussion instrument unexplored. From evocative Guatemalan marimba music to the high energy of Japanese taiko drumming to performing contemporary masterworks by composers like John Cage and Lou Harrison, Ethos is revolutionizing the world of percussion.

Aquila Theatre Company in Homer’s “The Wrath of Achilles”

2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11

Revisit the plains of Troy for a compelling and epic theatrical experience – “The Wrath of Achilles” based on Homer’s epic war poem The Illiad. Renowned for its bold and innovative staging of Greek drama, Aquila will hurl their audience into a world at war where the desperate struggle for survival in mortal combat tests the mettle of these great classical heroes. Homer’s great epic poetry will live again in this invigorating and exciting production described by The New York Times as “a performance of staggering power.”

Jane Monheit,

8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19

At age 23, Jane Monheit is creating quite a buzz as one of the hottest new voices on the jazz scene. Her first recording Never Neverland (N-coded Music) made it onto Billboard’s Top 10 charts, a rare achievement for a jazz record. Monheit’s latest album is entitled Come Dream With Me.

Eighth Blackbird

8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15

Taking its name from the Wallace Stevens poem Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, Eighth Blackbird is a sextet comprised of clarinet, violin, flute, piano, cello and percussion. Their stunning intensity, effortless virtuosity, and seamless ensemble playing has won over audiences across the country and has earned Eighth Blackbird an impressive collection of accolades, including the 2000 Walter W. Naumburg Foundation Award.

K. Sridhar: North Indian Classical Music on Sarod

8 p.m. Saturday, March 16

In the tradition of Indian classical music, K. Sridhar is poised to carry forward the music of the sarod and India. A former student of India’s music superstar, Ravi Shankar, K. Sridhar is one of today’s finest exponents of the sarod. Sridhar will transport audiences to his exotic homeland with traditional music of the subcontinent, making a musical language so different from our own that it enables us to discover the richness of Indian music.

The Capitol Steps

4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at Thalian Hall

The Capitol Steps is musical political satire performed by a troupe of Congressional staffers-turned-comedians who travel the country satirizing the people and places that once employed them. The “Steps,” which had their start at a Christmas party in the office of the former U.S. Senator Charles Percy in 1981, perform more than 500 shows a year all over the country. According to humorist P.J. O’Rourke, “The Capitol Steps are what Washington would be like if everyone were smarter and could sing.” This performance is co-presented in conjunction with Thalian Hall and WHQR 91.3 FM.



To arrange advance telephone interviews with artists, contact Shannon Hooker at 910/962-7600 or e-mail hookers@uncwil.edu. Additional information about the series is on the World Wide Web at www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/arts.

For tickets, call the Kenan Auditorium Box Office at 962-3500 or 1-800-732-3643. The box office is open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets for The Capitol Steps may be purchased through the Thalian Hall Box Office, call 910/343-3664.