The Orpheus Project
and
Collaborative Stages
presents
Orpheus & Euridice
By Ricky Ian Gordon
“Masterpieces of the 21st Century” – Opera News
(New York, NY) Collaborative Stages and The Orpheus Project are proud to announce a new production of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Euridice. Directed by Brian Letchworth, this staged production of the popular song cycle will run June 2-12, 2011 at the Duo Multicultural Arts Center in Manhattan. This co-production of Orpheus and Euridice will be the first New York City production of this beautiful song cycle since it’s premiere at Lincoln Center in 2005.
Completed in 2001, Ricky Ian Gordon’s hour-long song cycle Orpheus and Euridice is the most recent interpretation of the Orphic myth by a major composer. The text, which he wrote himself, is at once timeless and highly personal. The music is epic in scope while still maintaining the blend of modern art music and popular musical theatre for which Mr. Gordon is so well-known. In his setting of the tale, told by the soprano as she recounts a dream she had, Orpheus is represented by the clarinet, who speaks in music through his instrument. Labeled by the composer as a dramatic song cycle, Orpheus and Euridice was intended to be presented not only through music, but also through movement and stagecraft.
Orpheus and Euridice features an impressive ensemble of talented musicians: Heather Dudenbostel, soprano, Ryan Dudenbostel, clarinet and Jad Bernardo, piano.
Orpheus & Euridice is directed by Brian Letchworth and produced by Sarah Jane Arnegger for Collaborative Stages. The Production staff includes Dan Jobbins, Lighting Designer;
MEET THE ARTISTS: There will be a talkback with composer Ricky Ian Gordon and the performers following the 8:00pm performance on Thursday, June 2.
Orpheus & Euridice opens Thursday, June 2 at 8pm and runs June 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11 at 8pm and June 5 and 12 at 3pm. All performances will be held at The Duo Multicultural Arts Center located at 62 East 4th Street (between Bowery and 2nd Avenue) New York, NY. You can reach the theatre by taking the 6 Train to either Astor Place or Bleeker Street. Tickets to Orpheus & Euridice are $20 and can be purchased by visiting www.brownpapertickets.com. A limited number of tickets will be available one hour before each show at the box office. Discounts and groups rates are available. For more information please call 631-678-7839 or visit www.orpheusproject.org.
**************************************************************************************************************************************
Founded by Sarah Jane Arnegger (Executive Director) and Brian Letchworth (Artistic Director), Collaborative Stages is dedicated to establishing an active and ever-evolving environment that fosters innovative theatrical collaboration. Producing revivals and original works, Collaborative Stages challenges artistic boundaries, cultivates an ensemble spirit, and promotes dynamic dialogues between artist and audience.
Our company is committed to the work of the Ensemble and the advancement of the collaborative arts. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of small, fledgling theatre companies with a wide variety of goals and missions. We could spend hours and days, weeks and months pondering over how to be unique, how to stand out, but rather we’ve chosen to go with our gut instincts and let this organization develop into something on its own. There are far too many limitations in this world – why should we begin with an agenda that’s too rigid and defined?
The essence of Collaborative Stages is that we are seeking new and innovative ways to encourage and promote collaboration. Theatre is a team sport. It is collaboration. We strive to create an organization that ultimately highlights, encourages and fosters that sort of work and that seeks new and pioneering ways to create compelling, interesting, dynamic theatre. Our emphasis in on the theatre itself: The people involved and the work they do – they are our focus. Collaborative Stages is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.
**************************************************************************************************************************************
The Orpheus Project began over Thanksgiving dinner in 2008. Ryan and Heather Dudenbostel were hosting their first holiday meal in New York City that evening, and among the guests was the clarinetist Todd Palmer, who casually mentioned a piece for clarinet, soprano, and piano that he had commissioned from the composer Ricky Ian Gordon some years earlier. The following week, Todd gave the couple a copy of the recording of Orpheus and Euridice he had made with soprano Elizabeth Futral and pianist Melvin Chen following their performances of the cycle at the Lincoln Center Festival in 2006. Heather and Ryan listened to it together, and were immediately captivated, both by Gordon’s stunning music, but also by his intimate and highly relevant text. Form there The Orpheus Project was born. www.orpheusproject.org
