Richard Alston Dance Company Photo by Chris Nash

February 20 I 21 I 22 I 23, 2020 Alexander Kasser Theater Dr. Susan A. Cole, President Daniel Gurskis, Dean, College of the Arts Jedediah Wheeler, Executive Director, Arts + Cultural Programming Richard Alston

Dance Company Artistic Director Sir Richard Alston CBE Executive Director Isabel Tamen Associate Choreographer/Rehearsal­­ Director Martin Lawrance Touring Administrator Rebecca Staple Production Manager Kieran Enticknap Lighting Designer/Technical Manager Zeynep Kepekli Sound Engineer Mark Webber Wardrobe Supervisor Inca Jaakson

Dancers Elly Braund, Joshua Harriette, Jennifer Hayes, Monique Jonas, Nahum McLean, Nicholas Shikkis, Jason Tucker, Ellen Yilma, Niall Egan, Alejandra Gissler Program

Voices and Light Footsteps (US Premiere) Choreography Richard Alston Music Claudio Monteverdi Lighting Martin Lawrance Costumes Peter Todd Music and Dancers: Sinfonia (instrumental) Joshua Harriette Zefiro Torna (madrigal for two tenors) Joshua Harriette, Nicholas Shikkis, Nahum McLean, Jason Tucker, Ellen Yilma, Monique Jonas, Jennifer Hayes Dara La Notte Company Si Dolce e il Tormento (madrigal for solo soprano) Monique Jonas Sinfonia (instrumental from Orfeo) Elly Braund, Nicholas Shikkis Sinfonia (instrumental from Orfeo) Jennifer Hayes, Jason Tucker Ballo (instrumental) Company Tempro La Cetra (madrigal for solo tenor) Ellen Yilma, Joshua Harriette Sinfonia a sei (instrumental) Alejandra Gissler, Nahum McLean, Monique Jonas, Niall Egan Damigella Tutta Bella (madrigal for three voices) Company Voices and Light Footsteps is dedicated to the memory of Belinda Quirey, a formidable authority on historical dance and an utterly inspiring teacher.

Credits: Under the title Arrived parts of this dance were originally commissioned by Virginia Arts Festival 2019 and, with extra material created for twenty students from the Governor’s School for the Arts, it was first presented on March 21, 2019, at Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, Virginia. Voices and Light Footsteps was first performed September 27, 2019, at Festival Theatre Edinburgh. Supported by Festival Theatre Edinburgh.

Detour (US Premiere) Choreography Martin Lawrance Music Akira Miyoshi, Ripple for Solo Marimba, performed by Emiko Uchiyama; Michael Gordon, from the album Timber Remixed, performed by Mantra Percussion, remixed by Jóhann Jóhannsson Lighting Design Zeynep Kepekli Costumes Jeffrey Rogador Dancers Alejandra Gissler, Nicholas Shikkis Ellen Yilma, Jason Tucker Jennifer Hayes, Nahum McLean Monique Jonas, Joshua Harriette Credits: Music by arrangement with Classic Concert Records, Cantaloupe Music, and Chester Music LTD, trading as G. Schirmer on behalf of G. Schirmer Inc. First performed at Festival Theatre Edinburgh September 20, 2018. Supported by Festival Theatre Edinburgh. ~~Intermission~~

Shine On (US Premiere) Choreography Richard Alston Music Benjamin Britten, On this Island for high voice and piano, Op. 35, words by W. H. Auden Lighting Zeynep Kepekli Costumes Fotini Dimou Pianist Jason Ridgway Singer Gelsey Bell 1. Company Opening with a fanfare, extrovert and confident, “Let the florid music praise…Let the hot sun shine on.”

2. Ellen Yilma, Jennifer Hayes With rapid speed “Now the leaves are falling fast” travels inexorably towards images of death. “Cold, impossible, ahead, lifts the mountain’s lovely head, whose white waterfall could bless travellers in their last distress.”

3. Company “Seascape.” “Look, stranger on this island now…Stand stable here, and silent be” but the music is far from silent. Images of cliffs and waves, birds and ships create music and dance full of restless waves…

4. Niall Egan, Joshua Harriette The haunting “Nocturne” begins peacefully before turning darker, “Now the ragged vagrants creep, into crooked holes to sleep… Awkward lovers lie in fields, where disdainful beauty yields.”

5. Nicholas Shikkis, Ellen Yilma, Company “As it is, plenty” starts out as a wry picture of a seemingly prosperous man and his family “And the car, the car, that goes so far” before we notice that all is not well, that bankruptcy is looming. “Let him see in this, the profits larger… lest he see as it is, the loss as major, and final.” 6. Company Reprise of “Let the florid music praise.”

Richard Alston Dance Company very much regrets that for copyright reasons we are unable to print the full W. H. Auden poems.

Shine On is dedicated to Lizzie Fargher, whose marvellous enthusiasm for dance (and music) has sustained and encouraged me every time we’ve been to Snape and Dance East.

Credits: Music by arrangement with Boosey and Hawkes. Commissioned by DanceEast and Snape Maltings. Generously supported by The Tezmae Charitable Trust. First performed at Snape Maltings on November 1, 2019. Supported by The London Community Foundation, Cockayne—Grants for the Arts.

Brahms Hungarian Choreography Richard Alston Music Johannes Brahms, Hungarian Dances for solo piano Pianist Jason Ridgway Lighting Zeynep Kepekli Costumes Fotini Dimou Costume Maker Hilary Wili Dancers Alejandra Gissler, Nicholas Shikkis Ellen Yilma, Joshua Harriette Jennifer Hayes, Jason Tucker Monique Jonas, Nahum McLean Credits: The creation of Brahms Hungarian was made possible through the generous support of John Ellerman Foundation.We would like to thank the Hattori Foundation for their support towards Jason Ridgway. We would like to thank Janet Eager (Mop) for her generous contribution towards the costumes for Brahms Hungarian. First performed at Festival Theatre Edinburgh on September 20, 2018. Supported by Festival Theatre Edinburgh. Duration: Two hours, including one 20-minute intermission.

In consideration of both audiences and performers, please turn off all electronic devices. The taking of photographs or videos and the use of recording equipment are not permitted. No food or drink is permitted in the theater.

Acknowledgments

I and my Company need to thank the truly remarkable Jed Wheeler and his team at the Alexander Kasser Theater. We have been fortunate enough to have performed at Montclair on four separate occasions, and each time PEAK Performances have been so good to us. We thank them from the heart. —Richard Alston

First Impressions: Saturday, February 22, post-performance discussion Share your first impressions with Richard Alston; Janet Eilber, Artistic Director Martha Graham Dance Company; Emily Coates, director of Dance Studies and associate professor in Theater Studies at Yale University; and Arts + Cultural Programming’s executive director, Jedediah Wheeler.

Program Notes

Voices and Light Footsteps Monteverdi wrote not only sensually expressive madrigals for voices but also balli (dances) of marvellous light-footed rhythm. Some madrigals cross this divide—“Zefiro Torna” is a ciaccona (chaconne) and “Damigella Tutta Bella” an exhilarating folk-dance. With his opera Orfeo, Monteverdi more or less invented a new art form. Included in Voices are two sinfonias from Orfeo depicting the underworld, dark and dissonant. They accompany two duets, the first depicting Orpheus and Eurydice, a man and woman who are utterly forbidden to look at each other as they leave the underworld— if they do Eurydice will be lost forever. (Renaissance dances at court often took on mythological subjects).

Detour Martin Lawrance started to make this piece with one destination in mind but on the way it changed—hence the title Detour.

Shine On On this Island is early music by Britten and the piece was born of a close friendship with the poet W. H. Auden. The words of the poems are superb, searing in their stark clarity and pessimism, and Britten has set them to music of powerful simplicity. Shine On has been made at a hard time for me, losing my Company of twenty-five years. I’m resolutely proud of what the Company has achieved and know that the dancers will indeed shine on. I have a serious need to believe that my work might too—I don’t quite know how or where but I promise to do my damnedest to find a way.—R.A.

Brahms Hungarian The young Brahms visited Hungary on a concert tour and gathered together folk melodies on his journey. He arranged them for piano duet, which proved widely popular because so many people could get to play them and they were tremendous fun to tackle. A later version (used here) was made for one pianist. Traditional Hungarian music, enlivened by a strong Gypsy influence, is full of racing bursts of acceleration and then sudden stops—catching one’s breath. The music is both raunchy and aristocratic, speedy bucolic gallops combined with haughty grandeur. About the Company

Since its founding in 1994, Richard Alston Dance Company has become an avidly followed contemporary dance company, performing the work of its artistic director Richard Alston and associate choreographer Martin Lawrance. Richard Alston Dance Company made its US debut in 2004 with a week-long season at New York’s Joyce Theater. The Company returned to the US in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011. The Company has performed several times at New York City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival in 2011, 2013, and 2016 and at Peak Performances at Montclair State University in 2012, 2014, 2017, and now 2020. They have been invited to the Virginia Arts Festival in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2019. Other overseas tours have included China, Southeast Asia, Holland, Greece, and Russia, where the Company represented Britain at Moscow’s first International Festival of Contemporary Dance in 1999. The Company have performed as part of the Schrittmacher Festival in Germany, Poland, Italy, and most recently in Switzerland. At the end of March 2020 Richard Alston Dance Company will cease activity in line with new priorities for touring, agreed between The Place and Arts Council England.

About the Artists

Sir Richard Alston CBE (Artistic Director) choreographed his first work in 1968, as one of the 12 students of the newly formed London Contemporary Dance School. On leaving in 1972, he formed the UK’s first independent dance group, Strider. In 1975 Alston went to New York to study at the Merce Cunningham Dance Studio. On his return two years later, he worked throughout the UK and Europe as an independent choreographer and teacher. In 1980 Alston became resident choreographer with Ballet Rambert and later was appointed artistic director, a position he held from 1986 to 1992. In his time there he created 25 dances for the company and was also commissioned to create work for the Royal Danish Ballet (Kingdom of Pagodas, 1982) and the Royal Ballet (Midsummer, 1983). In 1992 Alston was invited to create a full evening of his own work, including Boulez’s Le Marteau Sans Maître, for the Ballet Atlantique in France. He made another full evening for London Contemporary Dance Theatre at the 1994 Aldeburgh Festival, going on to form his own company when he became artistic director of The Place in 1994. Over the past 25 years Alston has made over 50 dances for his own Company. Commissions from other companies have included Ballet Theatre Munich (2006), Ballet Black (2008), Scottish Ballet (2009), New York Theatre Ballet (2011), Holland Dance Festival (2012), and Phoenix Dance Theatre (2013). This season sees Alston take up the position of resident choreographer with New York Theatre Ballet. He was made an honorary doctor of philosophy (in Dance) at Surrey University (1992), received an honorary MA from University College Chichester (1993), made an honorary doctor of the arts by the University of Kent (2015), an honorary doctor of the arts by Kingston University (2016), and an honorary fellow of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (2017). Alston was made Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France (1995) and received the CBE in the New Year Honours list (2001). Alston received the De Valois Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards (2008). He was presented with the Award for Excellence in International Dance by the International Theatre Institute (2012).

Martin Lawrance (Associate Choreographer/Rehearsal Director) was born in Leicester, England, and began dancing with Leicester Youth Dance Theatre under the direction of Sue Rosenbloom. He trained at Coventry Centre for the Performing Arts and then at London Contemporary Dance School. He first worked with Richard Alston while performing with the postgraduate performance group 4D. He danced with Richard Alston Dance Company from 1995 to 2007, having over 25 works created on him, becoming rehearsal director in 2007. In 2000, Lawrance was invited by Meltdown Festival director and composer Scott Walker to make Thimble Rigging to an original score. He has created five works for London Contemporary Dance School and two works, Grey Allegro and Silken Steel, for the State School of Dance in Athens. In June 2003, Lawrance presented a full evening of his work at The Place and in 2004 Charge was commissioned for The Place Prize. Grey Allegro and Charge were subsequently taken into the Richard Alston Dance Company repertoire. Creations for RADC: About Face, Brink, Stealing Poison, Body & Soul, To Dance and Skylark, Lie of the Land, Other Than I, Madcap, Burning, Stronghold, Tangent, Cut and Run, and Detour. For Ballet Black: Pendulum, Captured, and Limbo. For Scottish Ballet: Run for It (for Dance GB) and Dark Full Ride (for Edinburgh International Festival 2013). For Ballet Manila: Misfit or Maverick, Rebel, Amid Shadows, Aria, and Winding Road.

Dancers Elly Braund trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, graduating in 2011, and joined Richard Alston Dance Company as an apprentice. Braund has also performed in works by Joseph Toonga, Kerry Nicholls, Travis Clausen-Knight, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham. Braund danced in the London cast for Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event, performing in commemoration of Merce Cunningham at the Barbican. She most recently took part in the West End premiere and Asia tour of INALA Live: A Zulu Ballet, choreographed by Mark Baldwin OBE. In 2015 she received her master’s degree in Contemporary Dance. Braund was Dancing Times’ dancer of the month in October 2017.

Niall Egan started his training at CAPA College in Wakefield, England, where he performed works choreographed by James Cousins and Alex Bowen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016. He then began his training at London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS) in 2016. During his three years at LCDS Egan has worked with choreographers and artists including Sasha Roubicek, Hannes Langolf, Sam Coren, and Richard Alston and most recently performed a Merce Cunningham event restaged by Jeannie Steele. He also has a keen interest in developing his own dance theater and has been working on combining drama with dance. Alongside his training, Egan has modelled for London Queer Fashion Show 2017/18 and worked with choreographer Holly Blakey for the A/W Burberry collection in the Tate Modern at London Fashion Week. Egan joins Richard Alston Dance Company as an apprentice this season.

Alejandra Gissler was born in Colombia and trained at schools in France, the United States, Canada, and Brazil. She recently graduated with a first class degree from London Contemporary Dance School. As part of her studies she has performed works by Leila McMillan, Florence Peake, and Eve Stainton and choreographies restaged by Jeannie Steele, Chisato Ohno, and Kate Price. She has a strong interest in developing her choreographic practice as well as as a performer. In December 2018 she presented the piece “Love every inch of my body,” created in collaboration with the composer Sam Gooderham from Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Alongside dance, she has continued to train in circus arts and gymnastics. Gissler joins Richard Alston Dance Company as an apprentice this season.

Joshua Harriette, after training at Rambert School, went on to dance with Michael Clark Company, Matthew Bourne at New Adventures, INALA, and Ballet Black. Alongside company work, he collaborated with artist Anthea Hamilton on a Tate commission, The Squash, featured in Vogue. Harriette has also worked with ASOS (active wear and “Do You” campaign), Gucci (Second Summer of Love, New York), Diesel, Alexander McQueen, Pringle of Scotland, Puma, NOWNESS, BBC Arts, and Matches Fashion as well as being featured in various fashion publications and fashion weeks. Collaborating within the field of dance, he also designs lighting. This is Harriette’s second season with Richard Alston Dance Company.

Jennifer Hayes started performing with Shift Youth Dance Company at London Contemporary Dance School and worked with choreographers Avatara Ayuso, Rick Nodine, and Zoë Demitriou. Hayes went on to train at Northern School of Contemporary Dance and created works with Andrea Buckley, Jennifer-Lynn Crawford, and Alexander Whitley. She has worked with Joseph Toonga and Ballet Hamburg and most recently performed with James Muller as part of Multiphonics Arts in Peckham. In 2013 Hayes started as an apprentice for Richard Alston Dance Company, becoming a full member of the company in 2014. Since completing her yoga teaching training in India she regularly teaches yoga, technique, and creative dance classes for professionals and the wider community.

Monique Jonas began dancing with the Chance to Dance program before training at the Arts Educational Schools London in musical theater and jazz dance. She completed her training at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Upon graduating, Jonas has worked with Rambert Dance Company on A Linha Curva and Garsington Opera, Sally Marie, Hubert Essakow, Kim Brandstrup, Arielle Smith Company, Arcade Fire, Theo Adams Company, and Chris Thomas Dance. She has recently been with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures for their latest production, Romeo and Juliet. Jonas joined the Richard Alston Dance Company as an apprentice in 2016. Nahum McLean began his formal training at The Hammond School and continued his training in Cuba at the Prodanza Ballet. Soon after, McLean moved to New York to study at The Ailey School on the scholarship program. During this time he performed in the Ailey Gala at Lincoln Center. As a freelance dancer he performed works by George Faison, Camille A. Brown, Marcelo Gomes, and Matthew Rushing, to name a few, and has also performed with companies such as Ballet Laura Alonso, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Most recently he took part in the West End premiere and Asia tour of INALA Live: A Zulu Ballet choreographed by Mark Baldwin OBE. McLean is excited to be joining Richard Alston Dance Company for their final season. Theater credits include the West Side Story international tour and The Wiz 40th-anniversary concert.

Nicholas Shikkis was born in Cyprus, where he began training in Latin American and ballroom dance at the age of three. He became the National Champion of Cyprus in Latin American Dance at 17, representing Cyprus in various international competitions. He trained at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London, graduating in 2016. He performed in La Traviata at the Royal Opera House and danced with Rambert in A Linha Curva by Itzik Gallili and The Creation by Mark Baldwin at Sadler’s Wells. Shikkis has also worked with Davide Bombana (for DanceCyprus Company), Antonia Franceschi, Kerry Nicholls, and Fotis Nikolaou. He most recently took part in the West End premiere and Asia tour of INALA Live: A Zulu Ballet, choreographed by Mark Baldwin OBE. Shikkis has been dancing with the Richard Alston Dance Company since 2016 and he has just completed his MA with distinction in Contemporary Dance from the London Contemporary Dance School.

Jason Tucker joined Richard Alston Dance Company as an apprentice in 2018 and is honored to be back this season as a full company member. Tucker has also worked as a freelance dance artist for choreographers and companies including the INALA Live West End premier and international tour, Carlos Pons Guerra, Charlotte Edmonds, and Arielle Smith. Tucker studied at the Rambert School, graduating with a first-class honors degree in 2018, and is currently reading for an MA in Contemporary Dance at London Contemporary Dance School. Prior to this, he trained at The Place Centre for Advanced Training and as a Central School of Ballet senior associate. Tucker also makes work and has choreographic credits that comprise pieces for Central Saint Martins, Barbican Concert Hall, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and Brighton Fringe Festival. Ellen Yilma trained at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts before joining London Contemporary Dance School and graduating in July 2011. On completing her BA (Honors) she joined Tavaziva Dance Company as an apprentice dancer and then company member, performing with them for five years. Yilma gained her MA with Distinction in 2014 and has performed as part of the following companies and projects: Clod Ensemble, Akademi (in collaboration with Jose Agudo), Watkins Dance Company, the “Dancing around Duchamp season” at the Barbican curated by Jeannie Steele, IJAD Dance Company, Second Hand Dance, and most recently with Joss Arnott Dance with guest choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Yilma joined Richard Alston Dance Company in August 2017.

Collaborators

Jason Ridgway (Pianist) studied in Salzburg, Paris, and London at the Guildhall School of Music, where he graduated with one of the highest honors in the history of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has performed with many of the UK’s leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican, the Philharmonia at St. John’s Smith Square, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic at the Hope Concert Hall. The Sunday Times described his playing as “scintillating and of the highest quality,” and the Scotsman wrote, “Ridgway’s Chopin was truly captivating.” Other accolades include “Ridgway played with rhythmic verve, vivid colour and 20-fingered bravura” (Financial Times), “Ridgway was a joy” (Evening Standard), “played with tremendously impressive command” (Arts Desk), and “Ridgway’s splendid rendering of Stravinsky, torrents and cascades...” (The Sunday Times). He has won prizes in competitions, including the Julius Isserlis Prize presented by the Royal Philharmonic Society and First Prize at the Guild Competition, and he was a piano finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year.

Gelsey Bell (Singer) is a singer, songwriter, and scholar. She has been described by the New York Times as “a charismatic and fiercely intelligent performer” whose performance of her own music is “virtuosic” and “glorious noise.” She has released multiple recordings, is a current HARP Artist at HERE Arts Center, and received a Foundation for Contemporary Arts award for music/sound. She is a core member of thingNY, Varispeed, and the Chutneys. Her works include Bathroom Songs, Scaling, Our Defensive Measurements, shuffleyamamba (with Yasuko Yokoshi), Prisoner’s Song (with Erik Ruin), This Takes Place Close By (with thingNY), and the acclaimed adaptation of Robert Ashley’s Perfect Lives (with Varispeed). Performance highlights also include Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (Broadway) and Ghost Quartet, Robert Ashley’s Improvement and Crash, Matthew Barney and Jonathan Bepler’s River of Fundament, Kate Soper’s Here Be Sirens, and Gregory Whitehead’s On the Shore Dimly Seen. She has a PhD in Performance Studies from New York University and is currently completing a book about American experimental vocal music in the 1970s. She is the Critical Acts co-editor for TDR/The Drama Review and an associate editor for The Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies.

Fotini Dimou (Costume Design for Brahms Hungarian and Shine On) trained in Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium, before studying Theatre Design at Central Saint Martins in London. Her most recent credits include set and costumes for The Bay at Nice at the Menier Chocolate Factory, costume design for the musical Man of La Mancha at English National Opera (ENO), and Uncle Vanya for Theatre Royal Bath. She has designed sets and costumes for the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, the West End, and several regional tours as well as for Fringe Theatres. She has designed for opera including the Metropolitan Opera, ENO, the Royal Opera, Teatro alla Scala Milan, Baden-Baden Festspielhaus, and Opera North. She also designs costumes for film and television and has won a BAFTA award for best costume design for the BBC film The Dresser, starring Anthony Hopkins and Ian McKellen. Works for RADC include Stampede, Beyond Measure, Light Flooding into Darkened Rooms, Orpheus Singing and Dreaming, Illuminations, Phaedra, Holderlin Fragments, An Italian in Madrid, Carnaval, and most recently Brahms Hungarian.

Zeynep Kepekli (Lighting Design for Brahms Hungarian, Detour, and Shine On), born in Istanbul, is a London-based designer who predominantly works with lights. Trained at University of Istanbul, she moved to London in 2000 and has been working mainly in dance since. She has toured around the world with shows of Sylvie Guillem, Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Crystal Pite, and many more. Her design credits include Twenty (Yorke Dance Project), Dance Journeys (English National Ballet), Collapse (New Movement Collective), Lie of the Land, Unfinished Business, Darkness Visible, Madcap, Isthmus, Mazur, Mid Century Modern, Nomadic, Out of the Strong, Burning, Rejoice in the Lamb, Buzzing around the Hunisuccle, Carnaval, Cut and Run, Detour, and Brahms Hungarian (RADC). She is the technical manager of Sadler’s Wells Theatre and one of the resident lighting designers of RADC. This is her 19th collaboration with the company.

Jeffrey Rogador (Costume Design for Detour) trained in Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas and Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute, both in Manila, Philippines. In 2004, he was a finalist in the MEGA Young Designers Competition, which led to him showing over 20 collections at Philippine Fashion Week. In 2012 he represented the Philippines in the Jeansation 2 Awards in Monte Carlo, Monaco, where he emerged as the Best Jeans Award winner. Following his international success, he was chosen as an ambassador for Levi’s. In 2013, Rogador was asked back to MEGA Young Designers Competition All-Stars as a mentor. One of his apprentices emerged as the season winner. Rogador’s Manila Streetwear was the silver awardee and recipient of Stevie Awards for Asia Pacific. For Richard Alston Dance Company Rogador has collaborated with Martin Lawrance on Detour, Cut and Run, Tangent, and A Far Cry and with Richard Alston on Red Run. Rogador also collaborated with Martin Lawrance on Rebel, Amid Shadows, Aria, and Winding Road for Ballet Manila.

Peter Todd (Costume Design for Voices and Light Footsteps) studied design at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Recent designs for dance include Chacony for Richard Alston Dance Company, Rewind Forward for Yorke Dance Project, and An Anatomie in Four Quarters for Clod Ensemble at the Lowry. Recent theater design includes costumes for Hansel and Gretel and Alice in Winterland for the Rose Theatre Kingston, Frankenstein for Aquila Theatre, and set and costumes for Vantastic and Lobster for the Oval House. Todd has designed costumes for several choreographers and companies including Richard Alston (collaborating on a number of works for RADC since 2004), Martin Lawrance, Henri Oguike, Will Tucket, Robert Cohan, Lea Anderson, Charlotte Edmonds, and Ballet Black. Todd also works as a costume supervisor. Current projects include The Lost Thing, a collaboration with the Royal Opera and Candoco Dance Company. Recent projects include The Hunt for the Almeida; Stories, As You Like It, and People, Places and Things for the National Theatre; Julius Caesar for London Theatre Company at The Bridge; and Flight Pattern by Crystal Pite for the Royal Ballet. Staff

Office of Arts + Cultural Programming Jedediah Wheeler, Executive Director Stephanie Haggerstone, Managing Director Jill Dombrowski, Producing Director J. Ryan Graves, Director of Production Chrissy D’Aleo Fels, Cultural Engagement Director Camille Spaccavento, Marketing & Media Director Robert Hermida, Audience Services Director Regina Vorria, Associate Producer Colin Van Horn, Technical Director Andy Dickerson, Production Coordinator Andrew R. Wilsey, Master Stage Electrician Jeff Lambert Wingfield, Box Office Manager Laurel Brolly, Business Administrator Patrick Flood @ Flood Design, Art Director Blake Zidell Associates, Media Representative Natalie Marx, Media Creator Martin Halo, Website Claudia La Rocco, PEAK Journal Editor David DeWitt, PEAK Journal Managing Editor Susan R. Case, Program Editor Bart Solenthaler, Program Layout Design Maureen Grimaldi, House Manager Stephanie Benjamin Flores, Kevin Johnson, Daniel Mackle, Jennifer Motta, Production Run Crew Maya Siguenza, Student Assistant, Administration and Marketing College of the Arts Daniel Gurskis, Dean Ronald L. Sharps, Associate Dean Linda D. Davidson, Assistant Dean Marie Sparks, Director of Administration Zacrah S. Battle, College Administrator Abby Lillethun, Art and Design Thomas McCauley, John J. Cali School of Music Keith Strudler, School of Communication and Media Randy Mugleston, Theatre and Dance Patricia Piroh, Broadcast and Media Operations Elizabeth McPherson, PhD, Director of Dance

The Office of Arts + Cultural Programming (ACP) enhances the cultural, creative, and academic life of the Montclair State campus and the broader community. Its signature program, PEAK Performances, features innovative works by international contemporary artists of exceptional merit, and by the next generation of great artists training at Montclair State University’s College of the Arts. Through its Cultural Engagement program, ACP offers master classes, workshops, lectures, and discussions designed to deepen participants’ understanding of the aesthetic, cultural, and social contexts of the performances presented. ACP gratefully acknowledges our student staff and volunteers: Box Office Representatives Alexis Amore, Jose Baez, Crystal Bass, Jacob Batory, Imani Carney, I’meera Coston-Cox, Noelle Florio, Dale Harris, Tony Jordan, Shannon Mulraney, Vic Ortiz, Gabriella Presilla, Martin Pyda, Tamir Rios, Will Taylor, Tashae Udo, Lauren Winston Assistant House Managers William Collins, Jocelyn Hernandez Ushers Eleziel Castro, Andrew DeSisto, Patzy Gutierrez, Katherine Hall-Lapinski, Azariah Johnson, Ivy Meyer, Joseph Respicio, Christie Rosales, Steven Ruiz, Madalyn Rupprecht, Nia Soanes, Danielle Sossi, Belah Watson Where page and stage converse.

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In a time when traditional arts journalism seems evermore embattled and diminished, it is crucial to have thoughtful, nuanced writing about the arts, and to acknowledge that criticism itself is a literary art form. Who is writing about the art, and how they are allowed to write about that art, is just as important as who is making it. Claudia La Rocco, Editor

Next Up

World Premiere Kate Soper The Romance of the Rose Opera in two acts and two epilogues April 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 Programs in this season are made possible in part by funds from:

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts Discover Jersey Arts New England Foundation for the Arts–National Dance Project The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc. PEAK Performances is in partnership with WNET’s All Arts.

PEAK Patrons: Mary Brislin; Susan Campbell; Yong Chang; The Aaron Copland Joanna Conrad; Bob Fisher/Monroe Denton; Julie Harris; Fund for Music Paul Horowitz; Eric Levin; Karen Lundry; Michael Peroff; Gerard Piserchia, Jr.; Martin Wechsler To view our complete season and for more information, visit peakperfs.org.

@peakperfs @peakperfs