Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host E R O M E Z a B
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CAL PERFORMANCES PRESENTS Saturday, March 29, 2014, 8pm Zellerbach Hall Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host e r o m e z a B d i v a D Ira Glass, Monica Bill Barnes, Anna Bass Ira Glass, Monica Bill Barnes, Anna Bass Performers Monica Bill Barnes Director and Choreographer Jane Cox Lighting Designer Kelly Hanson Set and Costume Designer Robert Saenz de Viteri Production Director and Stage Manager Tess James Lighting Director and Stage Manager Alex Mannix Lighting Supervisor and Stage Manager Michelle Rose Production Assistant and Company Manager Anthony Roman Music Clearance The photographing or recording of this performance is prohibited. Cal Performances’ – season is sponsored by Wells Fargo. PLAYBILL PROGRAM NOTES a show that’s unlike anything I’ve ever chore - ographed before.” As the title indicates, the show is in three acts. Act One is about the job of being a per - former. Act Two: falling in love and what it means to stay in love. Act Three: losing what you love. “People who like This American Life will probably like this,” says Mr. Glass, “be - cause it’s just like the radio show, um, if you picture dancing during all the stories.” Mr. Glass is the creator and host of WBEZ Chicago’s public radio show This American e r o Life , which is distributed by Public Radio m e z a International and heard on over 500 public B d i radio stations; its podcast most weeks is the v a D most popular podcast in America. Monica Bill ABOUT THE SHOW Barnes & Company is a contemporary American dance company with the mission to Monica Bill Barnes & Company and Ira Glass, celebrate individuality, humor, and the innate host of This American Life , have been work - theatricality of everyday life. The company has ing together to combine two art forms that— performed in more than 30 venues in New as Mr. Glass puts it—“have no business being York City, including New York City Center, the together: dance and radio.” The result is a Joyce Theater, Joe’s Pub, and Upright Citizens funny, lively, and heartfelt evening of dance Brigade, and out-of-town venues including and stories that brought down the house in its Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the American first test-run at Carnegie Hall. Dance Festival, and the Kennedy Center for The show includes radio interviews restaged the Performing Arts. In May 2012, Mr. Glass, as dance pieces, plus stories from the lives of Ms. Barnes, and Ms. Bass collabo rated on each of the three performers, Ira Glass, three short dances that were a part of This Monica Bill Barnes, and Anna Bass. “What American Life Live! , a live performance that makes it work is a shared sensibility,” says was beamed into movie theaters nationwide. It Mr. Glass. “As dancers, Monica and Anna are was such a success that they decided to do a these amazingly relatable and funny story - full show that combines stories and dance. tellers without words.” Ms. Bass notes, “I think Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host is it’s still blowing Ira’s mind to see some of the exclusively co-represented by Steven Barclay radio pieces remade this way, with props and Agency and Pomegranate Arts. For more in - costume changes and lighting cues.” Ms. Barnes formation, visit 3acts2dancers1radiohost.com. adds, “Combining these art forms has led to CAL PERFORMANCES PROGRAM NOTES Ira Glass is the host and creator of the public now serves as Associate Artistic Director. She radio program This American Life . The show has performed Barnes’s work all over the is heard on more than 500 pu blic radio sta - country and on stages ranging from public tions in the United States, and most weeks it’s fountains and city parks, to New York City the most popular podcast in America. It airs Center and Carnegie Hall. Ms. Bass and on public radio in Canada and Australia. Ms. Barnes began their duet work in 2006 and Under Mr. Glass’s editorial direction, This have been dancing side by side ever since. She American Life has won the highest honors for assists Ms. Barnes with dance works, com - broadcasting and journalistic excellence; a tel - missions (her favorite being David Rakoff’s evision adaptation of the program ran on the solo for This American Life Live! ), and theater Showtime network for two years, winning work. Ms. Bass was the Assistant Chore - three Emmy Awards. American Journalism ographer for The Jammer at the Atlantic Review declared that the show is “at the van - Theater, Goodbar at the Under the Radar guard of a journalistic revolution.” The radio Festival at the Public Theater, and These Paper show has put out its own comic book, greatest Bullets at Yale Repertory Theatre. She also hits compilations, live stage shows, two fea - teaches master classes and workshops for ture films, a “radio decoder” toy, temporary MBB &Co., and yoga throughout New York tattoos, and a paint-by-numbers set. This is City. Ms. Bass is originally from Virginia, has Mr. Glass’s professional dance show début. studied almost every dance style from classi - cal ballet to country line dancing, and holds a Monica Bill Barnes (Director and Choreographer ) B.A. in dance and theater from James is the Artistic Director of Monica Bill Barnes & Madison University. She lives in Brooklyn. Company (MBB &Co.), a New York City-based contemporary dance company founded i n Jane Cox (Lighting Designer ) has designed 1997. MBB &Co. has performed in more than with Monica Bill Barnes & Company for more 50 cities throughout the United States, been than a decade, and her collaboration with the commissioned and presented by the company is central to her creative life. In 2013 , American Dance Festival, the Kennedy Ms. Cox was awarded the Henry Hewes Center for the Performing Arts, and Jacob’s Design Award and was nominated for a Lortel Pillow Dance Festival, and performed all over and a Drama Desk for her theatrical designs. New York City, in venues ranging from Recent designs on Broadway include Upright Citizen’s Brigade to Lincoln Center. Machinal , All the Way , and Picnic . Other re - Ms. Barnes has been an invited guest artist at cent New York theater includes Dinner with many universities, has choreographed for var - Friends for the Roundabout , Passion at Classic ious theater productions, and has been com - Stage Company, and The Whale and The Flick missioned by Parsons Dance and the Juilliard at Playwrights Horizons. Opera designs in - School. Since 2006, Ms. Barnes has been mak - clude Sydney Opera House, Houston Grand ing duets for herself and Anna Bass with the Opera, New York City Opera, Minnesota goal of reaching audiences beyond dance ven - Opera, and Glimmerglass. Jane also enjoys a ues. They have performed in comedy festivals, long-term collaboration with choreographer films, and at literary events. Ms. Barnes began Doug Varone, with whom she was awarded a working with Ira Glass in 2012 when she cre - Bessie, and has been teaching about light and ated a solo for David Rakoff and performed design at Princeton University since 2007 . with MBB &Co. as a part of This American Life Live! This is the first show where she has let Kelly Hanson (Set and Costume Designer ) is anyone speak on stage. Ms. Barnes would like an original company member of MBB &Co., to publicly thank her parents (who are in the and has been collaborating with Ms. Barnes audience tonight) for supporting this unlikely since 2001. Sh e is also an Emmy-nominated career choice every step of the way, starting art director for television. Ms. Hanson cur - with driving her to six dance classes a week. rently spends most days directing art for NBC’s new Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon . Anna Bass (Dancer ) began working with Ms. Hanson was born in Bryan, Texas, earned Monica Bill Barnes & Company in 2003 a nd her M.F.A. in set design at UC San Diego, and PLAYBILL ABOUT THE ARTISTS joined the New York community in 2001 . She Company ’s mission is to celebrate individu - lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two chil - ality, humor, and the innate theatricality of dren, and a big black dog. everyday life. The company is committed to bringing dance to a diverse audience through Tess James (Lighting Director and Stage public performances, touring, artistic and Manager ) is a freelance lighting director and teaching residencies, and innovative projects designer. Throughout her career she has had that expand the possibilities for dance. the privilege of working with a wide range of MBB &Co. is a four-member company of amazing artists and companies, including New longstanding collaborators: Monica Bill York City Opera, BAM, New York City Center, Barnes ( Artistic Director and Performer ), Glimmerglass Opera, American Repertory Anna Bass ( Associate Artistic Director and Theater, Dallas Opera, Center Stage in Performer ), Jane Cox ( Lighting Designer ), and Baltimore, Public Theater, Summer Scape at Kelly Hanson ( Set and Costume Designer ). Bard College, and Den Nye Opera in the This team has created more than 30 shows for Netherlands. She currently resides in Brooklyn. stages large and small, formal to site-specific, producing work together for over a decade. To Michelle Rose (Production Assistant and learn more, visit www.monicabillbarnes.com. Company Manager ) has worked across arts disciplines ranging from performance to pro - Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host is duction. Ms. Rose has artistic directed and supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. stage managed productions throughout west - It is also made possible with public funds from ern Massachusetts, and was on the video pro - the National Endowment for the Arts, and duction team at Bates Dance Festival in further supported by The Dianne and Daniel Lewiston, Maine.