Reston Community Center (RCC) announced the 2017–2018 Professional Touring Artist Series at the CenterStage, located at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods. The season includes inspiring activists, captivating musicians, riveting theatre and dynamic dancers.
“It is my honor and pleasure to unveil the next Professional Touring Artist Series at the CenterStage,” says RCC Director of Arts and Events Paul Douglas Michnewicz. “The arts are a signature element of what makes Reston such a great place to be. We invite you to share these indelible experiences and see why art and community intertwine so beautifully in Reston.”
The 2017–2018 season includes:
2017 National Heritage Award Fellows at the Reston Multicultural Festival
Saturday, September 23,11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (performance times vary) at Lake Anne Plaza
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. RCC is excited to welcome two fellows to the annual Reston Multicultural Festival: Guinean dancer and drummer Sidiki Conde and Phil Wiggins Blues House Party featuring two of his favorite musical collaborators – guitarist Rick Franklin and violinist Marcus Moore.
Quetzal
Sunday, October 1 at 3:00 p.m.
$20 Reston/$30 Non-Reston
From the ashes of the Los Angeles 1992 rebellion/riots arose a collective of East Side musicians committed to continuing the legacy of 70-plus years of Chicano Rock. Quetzal’s unique combination of community activism with creative compositions has allowed them to travel the world using that music as a tool to create a global network of musicians committed to positive social change in celebration of Hispanic American Heritage Month.
Mucca Pazza
Saturday, October 7, 3:00 p.m.
$20 Reston/$30 Non-Reston
Combining marching band traditions and street theatre spectacle with rock and roll sensibilities, Mucca Pazza quickly found a home for more than two dozen band members in the thriving Chicago underground music scene. Mucca Pazza has appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts.
DakhaBrakha
Sunday, November 26, 7:00 p.m.
$25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston
Synthesizing fundamental elements of sound and soul, Ukrainian “ethno chaos” band DakhaBrakha creates a world of unexpected new music. At the crossroads of Ukrainian folklore and theatre, their musical spectrum is intimate then riotous, plumbing the depths of contemporary roots and rhythms, inspiring cultural and artistic liberation.
The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks
Presented by Terry Tempest Williams, Award-winning Author, Environmentalist, Activist
Saturday, December 2, 8:00 p.m.
$15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston
Terry Tempest Williams has been called “a citizen writer,” a writer who speaks out eloquently on behalf of an ethical stance toward all life forms. A naturalist and fierce advocate for freedom of speech, she has consistently shown us how environmental issues are social issues that ultimately become matters of justice.
The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged)
Presented by the Reduced Shakespeare Company
Saturday, December 16, 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
$25 Reston/$35 Non-Reston
The fruitcakes of Reduced Shakespeare Company take you on an irreverent yet heartwarming trip through the holidays in The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged). It’s festive, funny, physical, family fun as these Three Wise Guys send up and celebrate your favorite winter holiday traditions.
Reston’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Keynote Address and Community Lunch
Presented by Tamika D. Mallory, Co-Chair of the Women’s March on Washington
Monday, January 15, 12:00 p.m.
$5 Reston/$10 Non-Reston
Tamika D. Mallory is nationally recognized as an outspoken champion for social justice who worked closely with the Obama Administration as an advocate for civil rights issues, equal rights for women, health care, eradicating gun violence and eliminating police misconduct. She served as a national organizer for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. Mallory remains an urging and urgent voice for positive and necessary change.
The Color Orange: A Hip-Hop Concert about Friendship and Multiculturalism
Sunday, January 21, 3:00 p.m.
$15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston
Mohammed Bilal and Josh “Boac” Goldstein use their friendship to actively challenge the American stereotypes of Black and White, Jew and Muslim, urban and suburban. Through hip-hop, theatre and sheer mayhem, they create and demonstrate 10 steps we can take toward true cross-cultural communication and understanding.
What’s Going On: The Marvin Gaye Project
Wednesday, February 7, 8:00 p.m.
$20 Reston/$30 Non-Reston
The music of Marvin Gaye is given fresh perspectives with choreography by Vincent E. Thomas, Ralph Glenmore and Sylvia Soumah in this evening-length work that features modern, jazz and West African dance. What’s Going On begins conversations that can spark change in each community it touches.
Word Becomes Flesh by Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Presented by Theater Alliance
Directed by Psalmayene 24
Saturday, February 10, 8:00 p.m.
$20 Reston/$30 Non-Reston
Taken from a series of letters from a single father to his unborn son, Word Becomes Flesh examines masculinity and responsibility within the constructs of hip-hop culture. This searing performance received five Helen Hayes awards including Outstanding Play, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Supporting Actor and Outstanding Lighting Designer.
Recommended for adults ages 18 and older; younger audience members must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Mark Brutsché is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Sunday, February 18, 3:00 p.m.
$5 Reston/$10 Non-Reston
The “bear” facts are these: Mark Brutsché is a very funny man; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a very old story. Or is it that Mark Brutsché is a very old man and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a very funny story? You and your whole family can decide for yourselves!
Letters from Iraq, composed by Rahim AlHaj
Saturday, February 24, 8:00 p.m.
$20 Reston/$30 Non-Reston
In Letters from Iraq (Smithsonian Folkways, 2017), this two-time Grammy nominee’s eight compositions for oud, string quintet, and percussion convey the story of contemporary Baghdad from the fall of Saddam Hussein to the present day. AlHaj, one of the world’s most renowned oud masters, began writing the music after reading touching personal letters he received from Iraqi women and children during a 2014 trip to his homeland.
Lúnasa
Wednesday, March 21, 8:00 p.m.
$25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston
Lúnasa has sold more than quarter of a million albums in the course of the band’s career and boasts an impressive back catalogue of seven highly acclaimed and award-winning studio albums. Internationally acclaimed as one of the finest traditional Irish bands, they are renowned for their stunning shows and a constant touring cycle that has taken them to 36 countries for more than 1,500 shows since their 1997 launch.
Erth’s DINOSAUR ZOO LIVE
Special Spring Break Dinosaur Camp!
Tuesday, March 27, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
$10 Reston/$15 Non-Reston
Erth’s DINOSAUR ZOO LIVE leads you on a breathtaking tour that begins in prehistoric Australia. Meet and interact with an eye-popping collection of life-like dinosaur puppets presented in an entertaining and educational live theatrical performance created by Earth Visual & Physical Inc. of Sydney, Australia. Children can attend one of two ways – either by ticket purchase or enrollment in RCC’s Spring Break Dinosaur Camp. Enrollment for the camp will open on December 1.
An Evening with Maysoon Zayid, Comedienne
Saturday, March 31, 8:00 p.m.
$15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston
As a professional comedian, Maysoon has performed in top New York clubs and has toured extensively at home and abroad. She was a headliner on the Arabs Gone Wild Comedy Tour and The Muslims Are Coming Tour. Maysoon was a full-time On-Air Contributor to Countdown with Keith Olbermann and has appeared on The Queen Latifah Show and Huffington Post Live.
Recommended for adults ages 18 and older; younger audience members must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Liaisons: Re-imagining Sondheim from the Piano
Presented by Anthony de Mare
Saturday, April 7, 8:00 p.m.
$15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston
Liaisons is a landmark commissioning and concert project, conceived by acclaimed concert pianist Anthony de Mare. The project brought together 36 of the world’s foremost contemporary composers to reimagine Stephen Sondheim songs as solo piano pieces. Liaisons affirms Sondheim as one of the 20th century’s most influential composers – his music is as at home in the concert hall as on the Broadway stage.
PROJECT Trio: Greg Pattillo, Flute / Eric Stephenson, Cello / Peter Seymour, Double Bass
Sunday, April 22, 3:00 p.m.
$15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston
Blending classical training with their eclectic taste in musical styles, PROJECT Trio is a not-to-be-missed musical experience. Gramophone Magazine recently singled out the group as “an ensemble willing and able to touch on the gamut of musical bases ranging from Baroque to nu-Metal and taking in pretty much every stylism in between,” while The New York Times has called beatboxing flutist Greg Pattillo “the best in the world at what he does.”
Boys in Trouble, Sean Dorsey, choreographer
Sean Dorsey, choreographer
Wednesday, May 16,8:00 p.m.
$15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston
Boys in Trouble investigates modern masculine identity with four dancers who move seamlessly between full-throttle dance and beautiful “pas de deux.” The audience will be immersed in a lush, multi-layered score featuring excerpts of powerful recorded interviews, original music and Dorsey’s own narration. Sean Dorsey is the first widely-acclaimed transgender contemporary dance choreographer in the United States.
Recommended for adult ages 18 and older; younger audience members must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Furia Flamenca presents Flamenco to the MAX
Saturday, May 19, 8:00 p.m.
$15 Reston/$20 Non-Reston
Furia Flamenca brings the ferocity and passion of flamenco to the CenterStage and transports audiences to Southern Spain in technically refined, emotionally explosive and dynamically choreographed dancing.
Robert Krulwich, scientist, presents Saddam Hussein’s Secret Octopus and Other Stories
Saturday, June 2, 8:00 p.m.
$20 Reston/$30 Non-Reston
Co-host of NPR’s Radiolab, Robert Krulwich is one of the most widely listened to broadcasters in the world. His boundless curiosity and ability to explain complex subjects in compelling and entertaining ways has made him, as The New York Times hails, “a storied figure in public radio history.” Radiolab is a metropolitan Washington listener favorite.
Unless otherwise noted, all performances take place at the CenterStage, located at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods.
For additional information please visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com or call 703-476-4500.
Box Office Business Hours:
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
Photo credit: CB Lindsey
