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RCC Announces 2015-2016 Professional Touring Artist Series (PDF)

RESTON, VA — Reston Community Center (RCC) proudly announces the 2015-2016 Professional Touring Artist Series at the CenterStage. The season begins in September 2015 and continues through May 2016 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 with new and moving, funny or touching shows for all ages and tastes. Tickets will be available to Reston residents and employees on August 1 and to the general public on August 8.

“This year’s Professional Touring Artist Series is going to be sensational,” says RCC Director of Arts and Events Paul Douglas Michnewicz. “From the special Veterans Day event Beyond Glory starring Stephen Lang, to the thrilling harmonies of Black Nativity, to the high-spirited beats of The Rhythmic Circus, the whole family will be delighted by this CenterStage season. Our youngest audience members (and the young at heart) will be amazed at the hijinks of our fourlegged friends when Mutts Gone Nuts arrives and woofs its way into our hearts.”

Featured performances in the 2015-2016 Professional Touring Artist Series include:

• Donal Fox, Pianist: Inventions in Blue
  Sunday, September 13 at 3:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston)
  Praised by The Boston Globe as “unique and utterly commanding,” pianist and Steinway Artist Donal Fox expertly fuses jazz, Afro-Latin, and classical idioms in intricate new works and electrifying performances.
• QuinTango: Tango Along the Silk Road
  Sunday, September 20 at 3:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston)
  This quintet of two violins, cello, bass and piano uniquely interprets tango music – universally experienced as the eternal dance of a man and a woman. Internationally renowned QuinTango will be joined by bandoneonist Emmanuel Trifilio for this Silk Road journey.
• 2015 National Heritage Award Fellows at the Reston Multicultural Festival
  Saturday, September 26, at Lake Anne Plaza (Free; performance times vary)
  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. Wayne Henderson is a master luthier and guitarist who received a 1995 National Heritage Award. Rahim AlHaj is a virtuoso oud musician and composer who has been named as a 2015 National Heritage Fellow.
• The Marcy & Zina Show
  Saturday, October 3 at 8:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston)
  Wonderfully wacky and heartbreakingly sincere, Marcy and Zina stand ready to take Broadway by storm with their new musical version of the Drew Barrymore Cinderella film Ever After. Marcy and Zina will have the whole family laughing through their tears.
• Gin Dance Company: Chasing Horizons
  Wednesday, October 21 at 8:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston)
  Gin Dance Company is a metropolitan DC-based dance company that blends eastern and western sensibilities with ballet and modern dance. Featuring music by Steve Reich, this evening of uplifting dance includes two World Premieres choreographed by Artistic Director Shu-Chen Cuff that will leave audiences breathless.
• Stephen Lang: Beyond Glory
  Tuesday, November 10 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$35 Non-Reston)
  Award-winning actor Stephen Lang brings the stories of eight different Medal of Honor recipients to life in this moving one-man show. Adapted from Larry Smith’s book, this Veterans Day tribute will reach into your soul and keep you thoroughly spellbound.
• The Richter Uzur Duo
  Friday, November 13 at 8:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston)
  Brad Richter (guitar) and Viktor Uzur (cello) pair exquisite originals with blazing improvisations and iconic works by composers such as Bartok, Gershwin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Saint-Saëns to produce an eclectic sound that is all their own.
• Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity – a concert version presented by Theatre Alliance
  Wednesday, December 2 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$35 Non-Reston)
  This retelling of the Christmas story from an Afro-centric perspective is infused with rich gospel, blues, funk, jazz, and dance with griot-style storytelling. The result is a deep exploration of cultural identity, pride, and unity that brings a fresh voice to this holiday classic.
• Melinda Doolittle: It Must Be Love
  Saturday, December 19 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$35 Non-Reston)
  Since rising to fame on American Idol, Doolittle has wowed audiences from the White House to the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. She brings charm and powerhouse vocals to the stage in a soulful evening of songs ranging from American Standards to Top 40 Hits.
• Anna Deavere Smith: From Rodney King to Michael Brown
  Sunday, January 17 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$35 Non-Reston)
  Using interviews she has conducted since the aftermath of the first Rodney King trial in 1992, acclaimed actress Anna Deavere Smith offers an update to her Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 show with this relevant exploration of race relations in America.
• Anne Deavere Smith: Keynote Address
  Reston Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Keynote Address & Community Lunch
  Monday, January 18 at 12:00 p.m. ($5 Reston/$10 Non-Reston)
  Ms. Smith returns to present an informed and inspired conversation that celebrates Dr. King’s message and seeks to reconcile it in today’s context. The weekend concludes with a community lunch to celebrate the diversity, progress, and hope in our community.
  
• VOICE with Matt Haimovitz: If Music Be the Food of Love
  Wednesday, February 24 at 8:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston)
  Cellist Matt Haimovitz joins this acclaimed British vocal trio to highlight the extraordinary roles of women in music – as composers, performers, and muses. The evening will include new and old songs that explore the beauty, heartache, and humor of love.
• Lúnasa with Tim O’Brien
  Wednesday, March 2 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston)
  An RCC tradition returns to the CenterStage featuring special guest Grammy Award-winner Tim O’Brien. Lúnasa and Tim O’Brien embark on a transatlantic journey by sharing the common roots, interplay, and mutual influences at the hearts of American and Irish music.
• Julian Sands: A Celebration of Harold Pinter, directed by John Malkovich
  Saturday, April 2 at 8:00 p.m. ($20 Reston/$30 Non-Reston)
  In our recognition of National Poetry Month, actor Julian Sands brilliantly performs playwright Harold Pinter’s poetry. Directed by John Malkovich and nominated for a 2013 Drama Desk Award, it offers rare insight into the Nobel Prize-winning playwright’s world.
• Mr. Vaudeville and Friends: The Great Vaudeville Radio Hour, with Mark Brutsché
  Sunday, April 3 at 3:00 p.m. ($5 Reston/$10 Non-Reston)
  RCC’s resident funnyman returns as Buddy Silver to broadcast a Vaudeville radio show from the theatre…except he doesn’t have enough cast members! Magic, mayhem, and laughter ensue as he convinces audience members to help save The Great Vaudeville Radio Hour.
• The Rhythmic Circus: Feet Don’t Fail Me Now
  Friday, April 8 at 8:00 p.m. ($20 Reston/$30 Non-Reston)
  Fresh off an appearance on America’s Got Talent, this Minneapolis-based troupe of hoofers are joined by a human beat-box and a seven-piece brass band for a parade of genre-hopping music and thrilling tap dance that will have you out of your seat and dancing to the beat!
• Mutts Gone Nuts – A comedy dog act
  Sunday, April 24 at 11:00 a.m. ($5 Reston/$10 Non-Reston)
  Sunday, April 24 at 3:00 p.m. ($5 Reston/$10 Non-Reston)
  The Mutts Gone Nuts Canine Cabaret unleashes havoc and hilarity as the mischievous mutts match wits with their human companions. This family-friendly performance features amazing rescue dogs and will leave audiences howling for more!
• Nejla Yasemin Yatkin: What Dreams May Come, in partnership with Dance Place
  Wednesday, May 4 at 8:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston)
  Nejla Yasemin Yatkin presents a multi-media dance solo exploring freedom, oppression, identity and anonymity. She incorporates contemporary movement with Turkish dance elements and projection body mapping designed by video artist Enki Andrews.
• Roz Chast: Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
  Wednesday, May 11 at 8:00 p.m. ($15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston)
  Staff cartoonist for The New Yorker, Roz Chast uses her talents as a cartoonist and storyteller as she shares excerpts from her newest book. She offers a comforting and amusing look at an aging parent’s shift from independence to dependence.
  
• The Reduced Shakespeare Company: The Complete History of Comedy (abridged)
  Friday, May 20 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston)
  Saturday, May 21 at 8:00 p.m. ($25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston)
  Reston’s favorite bad boys of abridgment return for two nights of laughs as they deconstruct the entire history of comedy in 90 rollicking minutes. From the high-brow to the low, they cover comedy from Aristophanes to Chris Rock and every joke in between.
  

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