Artists Rep in Concert
Noël at Noël – Susannah Mars & friends sing Noël Coward
WHO: Artists Repertory Theatre
WHAT: Noël at Noël – Susannah Mars & friends sing Noël Coward
WHEN: Mondays, December 1 and 8 @ 7:30pm
WHERE: Artists Repertory Theatre – Morrison Stage, 1515 Morrison St. Portland, OR 97205
TICKETS: $30 | www.artistsrep.org or 503.241.1278
MORE: Show/Ticket Info
BLITHE SPIRIT
By Noël Coward
Directed by Christopher Liam Moore
Morrison Stage
Starts November 25 and has been EXTENDED through December 28
Information about our production of Blithe Spirit here
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 10, 2014. Artists Rep is pleased present a two-night concert event called Noël at Noël – Susannah Mars & friends sing Noël Coward on the set of Blithe Spirit. This is the first of a new series at the theatre, called Artists Rep in Concert, which adds a musical programming complement to the play being presented on stage.
Immerse yourself in the world of Noël Coward’s music for this intimate and sophisticated evening on the drawing room set of Artists Reps’ production of the classic comedy Blithe Spirit. With six singers and one baby grand piano, it will be an elegant night of evening dresses, tuxedos, champagne and song. The show will include nearly two dozen songs written by the talented Noël Coward and grouped by tone to demonstrate Coward’s aesthetic and artistic range from the charming and bittersweet, to the wry, witty, world weary elegant, longing and generous. The music shared this evening will enchant and entertain audiences, young and old, while showcasing another facet of one of the 20th Century’s most prolific and influential artists.
Acclaimed singer and recording artist, Susannah Mars, a Resident Artists at Artist Rep, is leading Noël at Noël, which will be directed by Resident Artist Sarah Lucht, with musical direction by Rick Lewis. Noël at Noël will also feature three young performers from Staged!, a Company in Residence at Artists Rep that provides pre-professional musical theatre training to young people. Mars will serve as the Artists Rep in Concert curator for upcoming TBA concerts in conversation with main stage productions.
“When I saw Sir Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit on our season I knew that I had to find a way to share his musical genius with our audiences, and adding an educational piece with Staged! interns is a dream,” said Susannah Mars. “I can’t imagine a musical world without an acquaintance with the exquisite and witty work of Noël Coward!”
“I’m so happy to launch our new Artists Rep in Concert program, led by the incomparable Susannah Mars,” said Dámaso Rodriguez, Artists Rep Artistic Director. “When Susannah became a Resident Artist this year, we committed to making music performances a more regular part of our programming. Our goal is that each In Concert performance will entertain, while expanding and complementing the experience of seeing the play that inspired it.”
CREATIVE TEAM & CAST
Curator, Artists Rep in Concert – Susannah Mars*^
Director – Sarah Lucht*^
Music Director – Rick Lewis
Singers – Del Lewis* and Susannah Mars*^, with Voni Kengla, Aimee Martin, Isaiah Rosales three apprentice performers from Staged!
Piano – Rick Lewis
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
^ Artists Rep Resident Artist
SIR NOËL COWARD
“He was simply the best all-rounder of the theatrical, literary and musical worlds of the 20th Century. He invented the concept of celebrity and was the essence of chic in the Jazz Age of the 20s and 30s. His debonair looks and stylishly groomed appearance made him the icon of ‘the Bright Young Things’ that inhabited the world of The Ivy, The Savoy and The Ritz. No one is totally sure when and why it happened but following his success in the 1930s he was called ‘The Master’, a nickname of honour that indicated the level of his talent and achievement in so many of the entertainment arts. Lord Louis Mountbatten said of Coward at his 70th birthday celebration in 1969: ‘There are probably greater painters than Noël, greater novelists than Noël, greater librettists, greater composers of music, greater singers, greater dancers, greater comedians, greater tragedians, greater stage producers, greater film directors, greater cabaret artists, greater TV stars. If there are, they are fourteen different people. Only one man combined all fourteen different labels – The Master.’” (Bio courtesy of the Noël Coward Society)
ABOUT ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE
Portland’s premiere mid-size regional theatre company is led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodriguez and Managing Director Sarah Horton. Founded in 1982, Artists Repertory Theatre is the longest-running professional theatre company in Portland. For the 2014/15 season Artists Rep will offer eight bold and entertaining plays written by internationally acclaimed playwrights, and guided by esteemed directors. Artists Rep productions will feature the work of a core group of accomplished Resident Artists, each with a shared history and a shorthand for collaboration, working alongside guest artists from Portland and beyond. Artists Rep’s mission is to engage diverse audiences in fresh, thought-provoking and intimate theatre. We are committed to world-class acting, directing, design and stagecraft that support new playwriting and aspire to embody great literature, moving audiences to truly feel — to experience — storytelling in a way that only the best live theatre can.
The 2014/15 Artists Repertory Theatre season is presented by Ronni Lacroute/WillaKenzie Estate. Our season media sponsors are The Oregonian and KINK. Other season support comes from the Regional Arts Culture Council, The Oregon Community Foundation, the Collins Foundation, the Harold and Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation and Rafati’s Catering.
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Artists Repertory Theatre
1515 SW Morrison St.
Portland, OR 97205
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May the holidays lift your ethereal spirits …
BLITHE SPIRIT
By Noël Coward. Directed by Christopher Liam Moore.
A supernatural farce invoking hilarity perfect for escaping the yuletide madness. Let this otherworldly comedic masterpiece haunt your holiday season with ghosts who are decidedly not Dickensian, ill-fated séances and delightful trickery.
Starts Nov. 25. ALREADY EXTENDED through Dec. 28.
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