RCC ANNOUNCES 2014-2015 PROFESSIONAL TOURING ARTIST SERIES

Tickets go on sale to Reston residents on August 1

RESTON, VA — Reston Community Center (RCC) proudly announces the 2014-2015 Professional Touring Artist Series at the CenterStage. The season begins in September 2014 and continues through May 2015 with performances by an exciting mix of new artists and those that Reston audiences have come to know and love. Whether they’re a returning favorite or making a Reston debut, these artists are sure to entertain audiences of all ages with new and exciting performances. Tickets will be available to Reston residents and employees on August 1 and to the general public on August 8.

The season kicks off with a 10-day festival by Reduced Shakespeare Company in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Reston. These comedians have been entertaining Reston audiences for decades and return with a series of eight performances and additional special events. The Reduced Shakespeare Extravaganza takes place September 12 – 21.

In addition to the performances, Reston Community Center is proud to continue the Parents Time Out Series. During select PTAS performances, parents will have the opportunity to sign up children ages 4-9 for activity-based childcare while they attend the performance. This option is available for DakhaBrakha and New York Festival of Song. Parents Time Out for 2015 shows will be announced in the 2015 Winter/Spring Program Guide, due out in mid-November.

Featured performances in the 2014-2015 Professional Touring Artist Series include:

• Reduced Shakespeare Company: The Complete History of Comedy (abridged)

Friday, September 12 at 8:00 p.m. ($30 Reston/$60 Non-Reston)
Reston Premiere plus opening Night Party

• Reduced Shakespeare Company: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [Revised]

Saturday, September 13 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston)
In honor of the Sesquiquadricentennial of Shakespeare’s Birth!

• Reduced Shakespeare Company: The Complete History of America (abridged)

Sunday, September 14 at 3:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston)

• Reduced Shakespeare Company: Selected Readings from The Lost Works (abridged)

Wednesday, September 17 at 8:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$30 Non-Reston)
Including (but not limited to) The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) & The Complete Millennium Musical (abridged), songs/verses cut from other shows, readings
from RSC books and radio shows. Recorded live for future podcast.

•  Reduced Shakespeare Company: The Complete World of Sports (abridged)

Thursday, September 18 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston)

• Reduced Shakespeare Company: The Bible: Complete Word of God (abridged)

Friday, September 19 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston)
…Questioning? Seek answers after the show with the cast!

• Reduced Shakespeare Company: All the Great Books (abridged)

Saturday, September 20 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston)

• Reduced Shakespeare Company: Completely Hollywood (abridged)

Sunday, September 21 at 3:00 p.m. ($30 Reston/$60 Non-Reston)
Plus a post-show discussion with Bob Mondello and a farewell toast!

• 2014 National Heritage Award Fellows at the Reston Multicultural Festival

Saturday, September 27, at RCC Lake Anne (Free; open to the public)
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) National Heritage Fellowships are the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Reston Community Center is proud to welcome two fellows to the annual Multicultural Festival. Jewish klezmer musician Elaine Hoffman Watts will perform with her band, The Fabulous Shielkes. Ukrainian embroiderer and bead artist Vera Nakonechny will also be on hand to showcase her fantastic work.

• Richard Blanco, Poet

Wednesday, November 12 at 8:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$30 Non-Reston)
In 2013, Blanco was chosen to serve as the fifth inaugural poet of the United States, following in the footsteps of such great writers as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou. Blanco wrote and performed One Today, becoming the youngest, first Latino immigrant, and openly gay writer to hold the prestigious honor.

• DakhaBrakha

Saturday, November 15 at 8:00 p.m. ($20 Reston/$40 Non-Reston)
This astonishingly powerful and uncompromising vocal range of this Ukrainian quartet is accompanied by traditional Indian, Arabic, African, Russian and Australian instrumentation to create a transnational sound rooted in Ukrainian culture.

• Cashore Marionettes: Simple Gifts

Saturday, November 22 at 3:00 p.m. ($5 Reston/$10 Non-Reston)
Children of all ages will love this series of touching portrayals and poignant scenes from everyday life set to stunning music by composers such as Vivaldi, Strauss, Beethoven and Copland. Children can make their own sock puppet after the show (Space is limited, separate registration required).

• Cashore Marionettes: Life in Motion

Saturday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$30 Non-Reston)
Appropriate for ages 14 and up, this collection of marionette masterworks presents characters of depth, integrity and humanity in a series of scenes set to beautiful classical music from Beethoven, Vivaldi, Strauss and Copland.

• New York Festival of Song: At Harlem’s Height

Friday, December 5 at 8:00 p.m. ($20 Reston/$40 Non-Reston)
Founded in 1988 by pianists Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, NYFOS is hailed for its thematic programming, which The New Yorker said has “reinvented the song recital.” At Harlem’s Height celebrates the creative and intellectual power of black American music of the Harlem Renaissance.

• Anna Deavere Smith: Snapshots: Portraits of a World in Transition

Sunday, January 18 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston)
Best known for crafting one-woman, multi-character plays about American social issues, Anne Deavere Smith uses Walt Whitman’s idea “to absorb America”  to present a “complex identity of America” that recreates a diversity of emotions and points of view on controversial issues.

• Anna Deavere Smith: Reclaiming Grace in the Face of Adversity

Reston Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Keynote Address & Community Lunch
Monday, January 19 at 12:00 p.m. ($5 Reston/$10 Non-Reston)
Anna Deavere Smith specially devises a performance focused on themes inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King and the idea of grace in the face of adversity. Afterwards, join members of the audience for a community lunch and discuss the issues raised in the performance.

• Lúnasa

Wednesday, March 18 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston)
This delightful group of Irishmen continues its 20-year tradition at the CenterStage with famed Celtic music that blends intelligence, innovation, virtuosity and passion.

• Mr. Vaudeville and Friends with Mark Brutsché

Sunday, March 29 at 3:00 p.m. ($5 Reston/$10 Non-Reston)
Buddy Silver, the self-proclaimed Mr. Vaudeville and alter-ego of local funny man Mark Brutsché, returns to the CenterStage Motion Picture & Vaudeville House to prove, once again, that nothing can take the place of live entertainment. With help from friends and the audience, it’s an afternoon of fun that will leave the whole family in stitches.
 

• Boom! A New Duet Choreographed by Cynthia Oliver

Wednesday, April 1 at 8:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$30 Non-Reston)
Presented in partnership with Dance Place, choreographer Cynthia Oliver fuses Caribbean performance textures with African and American aesthetic sensibilities to create a new duet that uses spoken word and dance to explore black femininities and gender and racial dynamics.

• Trout Fishing in America with Special Guest Dana Louise

Sunday, April 26 at 3:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$30 Non-Reston)
Reston favorites Trout Fishing in America redefine “family music” when they welcome Ezra’s daughter Dana Louise to the stage for an afternoon of infectious folk/pop music influenced by reggae, Latin, blues, jazz and classical music.

• Persistent Voices Choreographed by Daniel Phoenix Singh

Wednesday, May 6 at 8:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$30 Non-Reston)
Co-commissioned in partnership with Dance Place, this world premiere by local choreographer Daniel Phoenix Singh combines poignant choreography, thought-provoking poetry and evocative visual designs to explore the effect of AIDS in our lives.

• Turtle Island Quartet with Special Guest Tierney Sutton (vocals): Poets & Prayers

Saturday, May 30 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston)
Turtle Island Quartet returns with acclaimed jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton to present a celebration of the muse – from the moving traditional hymn Wade in the Water to Joni Mitchell’s All I Want to settings of Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. Come early for a 7:00 p.m. pre-show meet-and-greet with members of Turtle Island Quartet.
Unless otherwise noted, all performances take place at the CenterStage, located at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods. Additional information about each of the performances is available online at www.restoncommunitycenter.com.

Tickets will be available for purchase as follows:

August 1: Sales Open to Reston Residents and Employees
Residents and employees within Small District 5 can purchase tickets. Proof of residence or employment status is required.
 
August 8: Sales Open to the General Public; Online Sales Begin
The general public, along with Reston residents and employees, can purchase tickets.

Box Office Business Hours are as follows:
            Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday:       4:00 – 9:00 p.m.
            Saturday:                                            1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
            Two Hours Prior to Curtain Time for Each Performance

About Reston Community Center

Each year RCC offers more than 2,000 positive, self-development experiences that enhance the quality of life for all people living and working in Reston. RCC provides a wide range of programs in arts, aquatics, enrichment and life-long learning. We also create and sustain community traditions through special events, outreach activities and facility rentals. To find the programs or events that are right for you, visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com
or call 703-476-4500.

Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all county programs, services and activities. Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request. For further information, contact Reston Community Center at (703) 476-4500, Virginia Relay (800) 828-1120 (TTY) or visit the website at http://www.restoncommunitycenter.com. Reston Community Center is located at 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston, VA 20191. The Reston Community Center is completely accessible to persons with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Enriching Lives. Building Community. ©