Imes I Wonder What "Wrang with Me. I Keep Hearing People Soy That They Have Changed Jobs Because Five Or Ten Years in a Job Is Enough
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BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC Letter from the President ~imes I wonder what "wrang with me. I keep hearing people soy that they have changed jobs because five or ten years in a job is enough. And here I am after 25 years, still at it, and still, for the most part, enjoying the ride. BAM has changed over the years and yet remains steadily on course. The outpouring of new work by some of our "old-timers" and by young, developing artists trying their wings, and the pursuit of several new initiatives, plus the stimulation of my BAM colleagues, have managed to keep me (or part of me) virgin, available and interested. The first major attraction of my initial season at BAM was Sarah Caldwell's newly formed American National Opera Company, which featured the first staged production in New York of Alban Berg's LULU. The next season, in 1968, had the return of The living Theater in four productions new to New York. In 1969, we introduced Jerzy Grotowski's Polish laboratory Theatre in three productions, and also Twyla Tharp's company on the Opera House stage, with the audience also onstage, seated on three sides. Robert Wilson's LIFE AND TIMES OF SIGMUND FREUD also appeared at BAM in 1969. What is the point of view that informed those early years and that is still operative today? It may seem to be contemporary work by artists outside the mainstream. I think it is deeper and more inclusive than that. For me, it is the application of a critical approach informed by a contemporary sensibility, to what is being produced for the stage today. This way of looking at things has combined with BAM's position as an 'alternative' performing arts center in guiding BAM's direction. In other words, the idea is to do what is not being done in New York, while also doing what is done in compelling and unconventional productions. It is only by following what artists are creating today that we can understand how the 'classics' can be reborn. During the past year, there was Aeschylus and Euripides, staged by Ariane Mnouchkine; Philip Glass' and Robert Wilson's EINSTEIN ON THE BEACH; Monteverdi's THE RETURN OF ULYSSES directed by Pierre Audi for the Netherlands Opera; Ibsen's PEER GYNT and Mishima's MADAME DE SADE in lngmar Bergman productions from Sweden's Royal Dramatic Theatre; Robert Lepage's staging of Bartok's BLUEBEARD'SCASTLE and Schoenberg's ERWARTUNG with the Canadian Opera Company; and concert performances of Rameau's LES IN DES GALANTES and CASTOR ET POLLUX by William Christie and les Arts Florissants. Also there were new works by David Rousseve, Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker, Mark Morris, Philip Glass, Saburo Teshigawara, Robert Lepage, Spiderwoman Theatre and others. I want to salute not only the artists but also the BAM staff, who have provided the foundation for these glittering public displays. Need I mention Karen Brooks Hopkins and Joseph Melillo. Also thanks to a super Board of Trustees, led by Bruce Ratner and Fred Henry, and in charge of the BAM Endowment Campaign, Bettina Bancroft. Thanks to Richard Fisher for heading up the BAM Endowment Trust; and most of all to our patrons and to our loyal and growing audience, I say, hey there, thanks and ... Salud. Editor: Seen Keepers Written by: Mono Heinze (C) 1993 BAM Design/Biezer Editoriallntem: Broil Lipsig Cover photo: Tll61ter du Soleil's Ltrs Atrides. by Martine Froolc/Mognu• Plloto All other photos by Martha Swope Associates except where noted. Letter from the Chairman Board of Trustees I Officers ChairMan OC a year of momentous evenh. from stoO to finish, the leadership Bruce C. Ratner support provided by the City of New York was an anchor. Likewise, I want to acknowledge President the generous support of state and federal agencies including the New York State Council on Harvey Lichtenstein the Arts, the Natural Heritage Trust, and the National Endowment for the Arts, which ChairMan of the awarded BAM a new Challenge IV Grant in 1993 to support theater programming. I also Executive Co111111IHee want to thank our foundation, corporate and individual sponsors for their continuing commitment to special projects and Frederick B. Henry general operating funds. Vice ChairMen Neil D. Chrisman* My thanks to the BAM Board of Trustees for its assistance and dedication. During the 1992-93 season, we were pleased to Rita Hillman* welcome to the BAM Board: Norman J. Buchan of The Chase Manhattan Bank, Henry Christensen Ill of Sullivan and Cromwell, I. Stanley Kriegel * Franklin R. Weissberg* Dr. Charles W. Meredith of New York City Technical College (CUNY), John Morning of John Morning Design, Inc., Jonathan Newcomb of Simon &Schuster , and David J. Peeker of Hachette Filipacchi Magazines. I also want to thank departing Trustees Honorary Trustees Me111lters Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo and Stephen Greenwald. Bettina Bancroft * Seth Faison Jenne K. Britell Leonard Garment Norman J. Buchan Paul Lepercq Ariane Mnouchkine's LES ATRIDES could not have been possible without the generous support of the French Government, Air Kevin Burke Arne Vennema William I. Campbell France, Elf Aquitaine, Inc., Fondation Elf, The Florence Gould Foundation, and many more. Bravo to former French Cultural Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo Ex-oHiclo Counsellor Annie Cohen-Solal for her boundless dedication to this project. Henry Christensen, Ill Hon. David N. Dinkins Beth Rudin DeWoody * Hon. Howard Golden Charles M. Diker Hon. Luis R. Cancel Most sincere thanks to Philip Morris Companies Inc. for continuing its sponsorship of the NEXT WAVE Festival and Gala for a Brendan J. Dugan seventh consecutive year. The Gala, featuring Mark Morris's THE HARD NUT, fell on December 11 : the day the great Arnold J. Eckelman Nor' easter hit New York City. After the performance, thanks to the NYC Transit Authority and MetroNarth, the "Pirlipat" Asher B. Edelman OFFICERS Chaim Edelstein express subway carried over 400 gala guests to Grand Central Terminal's historic waiting room, for a much-deserved dinner. Mallory Factor Harvey Lichtenstein Leading the brave souls were Gala Chairmen Anna Wintour of Vogue and Patrick McCarthy of W, Philip Morris Vice President Ronald E. Feiner President and Executive Stephanie French; Producers Council Chairman Michael Fuchs; and Associates Chairmen Maria Cuomo, Kenneth Cole, Cathryn Alan H. Fishman * Producer Robert L. Forbes Collins and Kim Hastreiter. Michael Fuchs Karen Brooks Hopkins Stephen R. Greenwald Executive Vice President Robert M. Johnson In May 1993, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden attended the gala benefit on the opening night of PEER GYNT Sidney Kantor Joseph V. Melillo featuring the Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden. Christina Moliteus chaired the evening which was generously underwritten by Stanley H. Kaplan Producing Director Hachette Filipacchi Magazines. Our thanks also to Volvo and Procordia for their leadership support. Andrew K. Klink Edgar A. Lampert* Robert Bennett Marylin B. Levitt General Manager On June 15, BAM celebrated Harvey Lichtenstein's first twenty-five years at the Academy with a testimonial/roast at the BAM Eugene H. Luntey Majestic Theater. Many thanks to the special friends and former BAM Board Chairmen for underwriting the evening and to Laurie Mallet David Kleiser Charles W. Meredith Vice President New York Newsdayfor making possible "The Harvey Tabloid," which raised $100,000 for BAM. The most memorable gift Finance and Ad111lnlstratlon Martin F. Mertz presented to Harvey that night was when BAM Trustee Bettina Bancroft announced the formation of The Campaign for BAM, a John Morning Rick Thompson drive to establish a permanent endowment for the Academy, which she will chair. Johnathan Newcomb Evelyn Ortner VIce President Marketing ancl Pro111otlon David J. Peeker Bravo to you all and many thanks! David L. Ramsay Jonathan F.P. Ro se Robert C. Rosenberg * Mikki Shepard Vaughn C. Williams Bruce C. Ratner * Executive Committee Member Robert Lepage in NEEDLES AND OPIUM How to celebrate the tenth anniversary of a festival dedicated to a spirit of innovation in the performing arts? The 1992 NEXT WAVE Festival did it in stride, assembling, once again, artists from all over the world whose vision inspired and entertained. The 1992 season of ten events and 55 performances opened with FRIDA, a music-theater performance art piece based on the life of artist Frida Kahlo. Writer director Hilary Blecher, composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez and lyricist Migdalia Cruz captured the story of a woman and a country finding their respective voices. During FRIDA's run, the lobby of the Majestic Theater was devoted to an exhibition, "Pasion por Frida," featuring photographs, memorabilia and works inspired by the artist. The Festival encompassed Native American artists Robert Mirabal and the vocal ensemble Pura Fe with NATIVE VOICES: MUSIC OF THE PUEBLO, SONGS OF THE CITY. Mirabal, master of the double-chambered Native American flute, performed "Simple Science," an improvisational work that made the audience a vocal participant in the piece. The ensemble Pura Fe performed "One Shield We Walk," crossing both historical and cultural boundaries by combining Native American "vocables" (vocals made up of syllables) with harmonies and jazz arrangements. Spiderwoman Theatre, the oldest continually running women's theater in North America, presented the premiere of POWER PIPES. In a process described as "storyweaving," the company developed a piece that examined contemporary issues through the tradition of Native American storytelling. David Rousseve and his company Reality added to the NEXT WAVE with the New York premiere of URBAN SCENES/ CREOLE DREAMS. The choreographer combined stories of his Creole grandmother with an EINSTEIN ON THE BEACH exploration of racism and the losses caused by AIDS, through a fusion of performance art, African American traditional and pop art culture, and modern dance.