Theater
William Kentridge’s The Great Yes, The Great No; Mummenschanz 50 Years; SLAM! by Cirque FLIP Fabrique; and Story Boldly’s Defining Courage
Fri–Sat, Mar 14–15, 8pmSun, Mar 16, 3pm, Zellerbach HallWilliam Kentridge, concept and directorNhlanhla Mahlangu, associate director and choral composerPhala O. Phala, associate directorThulani Chauke, dancer Teresa Phuti Mojela, dancer
Internationally acclaimed for his visual art and theater productions, South African artist William Kentridge returns to campus with his latest creation for the stage, a chamber opera set on a 1941 sea voyage from Marseille to Martinique. Conceived in collaboration with theater maker Phala Ookeditse Phala and choral conductor and dancer Nhlanhla Mahlangu, The Great Yes, The Great No fictionalizes the historic wartime escape from Vichy France by, among others, the surrealist André Breton, the anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, and the Cuban artist Wilfredo Lam—and adds a distinguished and colorful cast of characters to the passenger list, like Aimé Césaire, Josephine Baker, Leon Trotsky, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Joseph Stalin.
In Kentridge’s hands, the ship becomes a fantastical menagerie of thinkers, makers, and revolutionaries in a production that merges surrealist imagery with real-life events, lush South African choral music, dance, poetry, and anti-rational approaches to language and image. Kentridge’s breathtaking visual inventiveness combines animated drawings, video projection, masks, shadow play, and bold sculptural costumes with spoken and projected text that explores the relationship between surrealism and the anticolonial Négritude movement.
The San Francisco Chronicle raved about SIBYL, Kentridge’s 2023 presentation at Cal Performances, so get your tickets now!
Support for this performance is provided by The Great Yes, The Great No Council for Kentridge.Lead Sponsor: Nadine TangMajor Sponsors: Bob Ellis (3/15); Janice & Nicholas E. Brathwaite (3/15)Sponsors: Helen Berggruen for Five Arts Foundation; The Edgar Foster Daniels Foundation; Divesh & Diksha MakanCommissioning support is provided by Sakurako and William Fisher.
An Illuminations: “Fractured History” event.
I did!
No, I missed it.
Fri–Sat, Oct 4–5, 8pm Sun, Oct 6, 3pm, Zellerbach Hall
Robert Lepage, director
In this new adrenaline-infused collaboration, Québécois troupe Cirque FLIP Fabrique partners with renowned opera and theater director Robert Lepage to bring the breathtaking spectacle and daring physicality of pro wrestling to the stage. SLAM! explores and celebrates wrestling cultures from around the world through the circus arts, with captivating lighting and sets, exuberant choreography, and compelling plot twists and turns. Get your ringside seat now for this one-of-a-kind production!
Patron Sponsors: Peter Washburn and Rod Brown (10/4)
Sat, Oct 26, 2pm & 8pm Sun, Oct 27, 3pm, Zellerbach Hall
The delightful Swiss mime troupe Mummenschanz visits with a retrospective program celebrating 50 years of wonderfully inventive—and totally silent!—storytelling. The company resurrects mesmerizing larger-than-life creatures and creations from its favorite repertoire, such as the Clay Masks and the Toilet Paper Faces, the delicate air-filled Giants and the Pipe Creature, bringing them to life with its distinctive charm and wit. A visual feast for all ages! "The group has to be seen—and sometimes touched—to be believed. But if you imagine the Muppets heavily influenced by French surrealism and a few psychotropics, you will have some idea" (The New York Times).
Fri, Apr 4, 8pm, Zellerbach Hall
Defining Courage commemorates the struggles and sacrifices of the Nisei soldiers of World War II through vivid cinematography, stirring live music, eyewitness interviews, and deft storytelling. Serving in segregated units, these Americans of Japanese ancestry were among the war’s most decorated soldiers, unsung heroes fighting for the US while many of their families were held in incarceration camps back at home. The production is a creation of Story Boldly, a nonprofit initiative devoted to journalistic storytelling founded by Emmy Award-winning creators David Ono (an anchor on KABC-TV in Los Angeles) and television producer Jeff MacIntyre. Ono has described the project as a work of historic reclamation: "They’re truly some of America’s greatest heroes, some of the toughest guys we’ve ever created. To learn about these guys and learn about their adversity and how they overcame it…[I was shocked at] how they just kind of faded back into the background, never to be adored, never to be thanked or congratulated."
Patron Sponsor: Anonymous
William Kentridge’s The Great Yes, The Great No
SLAM!
Mummenschanz 50 Years
Story Boldly's Defining Courage
They all look great, but I'm more into Music and Dance
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