Singin’ in the Rain, I’m with the Band, WOMEX, An Anatomie in Four Quarters and the Graduate exhibition 2013 are just some of the impressive shows and events coming to Wales Millennium Centre this autumn. From musicals and operas to a global music show case and a range of workshops on human anatomy, Wales Millennium Centre has a spectacular, diverse season of entertainment on offer this autumn. HIGHLIGHTS Direct from the West End, the highly entertaining stage adaptation of Singin’ in the Rain (3 Dec 2013 – 4 Jan 2014), boasting a fabulous set design including 12,000 litres of water, will be flooding the Centre with laughter, romance and glamour over the Christmas period. Singin’ in the Rain tells the story of the first Hollywood musical, when the silver screen found its voice and left silent movies - and some of its stars – behind. The show features screen star Maxwell Caulfield as studio boss R F Simpson and Steps and West End leading lady Faye Tozer as the ‘uniquely voiced’ starlet Lina Lamont. With spectacular high energy choreography and all the songs from the original movie score including Good Morning, Make ’em Laugh, Moses Supposes and the classic Singin’ in the Rain, the show is sure to have everyone singin’ whatever the weather this Christmas. Welsh National Opera autumn season begins on 23 August with the acclaimed WNO Youth Opera presenting a spectacular staging of Paul Bunyan (23 - 24 August). Marking the centenary of the birth of composer Britten, the Opera is to feature the recorded voice of Stephen Fry and Only Boys Aloud. Then from 7 September WNO invites audiences to travel back to a world of grandeur, betrayal and emotional intensity with The Tudors trilogy: Anna Bolena (7, 14, 27 Sept & 4 Oct), Maria Stuarda (13, 22 Sept &5 Oct) and Roberto Devereux (2 & 6 Oct). WNO will also be performing Puccini’s operatic thriller Tosca (21, 28 Sept & 3 Oct). Speaking about the autumn season at Wales Millennium Centre, Head of Programming, Louise Miles-Crust said: “The quality and range of shows and events that the Centre will be offering over the autumn season is as impressive as ever. We are especially proud to be hosting world music showcase WOMEX in October and are looking forward to welcoming to the stage one of the Centre’s first co-productions - I’m With the Band - alongside the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.” Fresh from a showcase at Edinburgh Fringe, I’m With The Band (16 - 19 Oct), a Wales Millennium Centre and Traverse Theatre Company co-production written by Welsh playwright Tim Price, makes for a witty and timely response to our changing political landscape. Pioneering indie rock band, The Union, comprising of an Englishman, a Northern Irishman, a Scotsman and a Welshman, is on the verge of breaking up - financial disaster strikes, artistic differences divide the group and Scottish guitarist leaves the band. Will The Union survive? Held annually in cities across Europe, this year WOMEX will be coming to Cardiff to showcase music from around the globe to a host of industry professionals and music fans. Running 23 – 27 October, the Centre will be hosting the Opening Concert and three days of World Music Showcases - a true celebration of world music. The Land of Song Opening Concert (23 Oct) sees Cerys Matthews, joined by leading musicians and dancers from Wales, take the audience on an illustrated journey through 30,000 years of the Nation’s story, music and culture. With five stages and over 50 performers, the World Music Showcases (24 -26 Oct) present a unique opportunity to experience world music from all corners of the globe. For an innovative and unique performance, An Anatomie in Four Quarters (29 & 30 Nov) explores the complexities of the human body through immersive dance, music and theatre. Presented by Clod Ensemble, this original performance celebrates the physical structure of the bodies we inhabit and the ways we attempt to see, define, contain, name and value them. The magnificent anatomy of Wales Millennium Centre’s Donald Gordon Theatre is itself dissected as the audience walk to different viewing positions throughout the piece, examining what it means to open up and to be opened. An Anatomie in Four Quarters forms part of The Anatomy Season this autumn at the Centre - a series of conversations, performances and workshops inspired by the theme of anatomy. Workshops include anatomical drawing (30 Nov), wax sculpting (1 Dec), ‘The Poetic Body’ (6 Dec) and ‘Anatomy through Movement’ (7 Dec). From 30 Oct – 02 Nov International Superstar Barry Humphries, whose creations include exuberant cultural attaché, the Honorable Sir Les Patterson, the grandfatherly Sandy Stone, and Australia’s legendary housewife, Dame Edna Everage, will be coming to Cardiff as part of an all-singing, all-dancing Farewell Tour, Eat, Pray, Laugh! As we move towards winter, international ice dance sensation The Imperial Ice Stars will be returning to a specially frozen Donald Gordon Stage for the UK première of a dazzling new production of The Nutcracker on Ice (08 - 17 Nov) that will thrill and enchant all the family. In a shimmering winter wonderland, dreams lead onto a fantastical journey through a world where nothing is quite as it seems. Against a backdrop of colourful sets, opulent costumes, flying and magical special effects, we meet the magician Drosselmeyer (Keith Chegwin), the Mouse King, the Nutcracker Prince and the beautiful Lilac Fairy. Now in its second year, Graduate (Sept - Nov), an exhibition commissioned by Wales Millennium Centre and curated by renowned Wales born artist Pete Fowler, celebrates work from across Wales’ Universities. Tickets for Wales Millennium Centre’s new season are now on sale. To book or for further information visit www.wmc.org.uk Brochures are available to download at: www.wmc.org.uk/yourVisit/OurGuidesAndBrochures |
| Wales Millennium Centre web site: www.wmc.org.uk/yourVisit/OurGuidesAndBrochures |
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Wednesday, July 31, 2013 |
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