Squonk Opera makes triumphant return from the West Coast for a little Mayhem and Majesty in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (February 28, 2011) … Following a rollicking fall and winter tour through five states, the far-from-inveterate musical maestros of Squonk Opera return home to Pittsburgh for a special five-show performance of Mayhem and Majesty. After wowing audiences around the country with its daring musical athleticism and visual exploits with a special appearance at Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival for a new CD release, the Squonkers are ready to bring home both the Mayhem AND the Majesty to the New Hazlett Theater on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
These special presentations of Mayhem and Majesty are generously supported by the Buhl Foundation, The Grable Foundation and EQT Foundation, as well as The Heinz Endowments. Media sponsor is Pittsburgh City Paper.The fun begins with a performance and Preview Party on Wednesday, March 30 at 6:00 p.m., followed by performances Thursday through Saturday, March 31-April 2 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 3 at 2:00 p.m. The Friday April 1 “No Foolin’” performance includes a post-show Q&A with Steve, Jackie and the gang. Preview Party tickets are $20; all tickets are $20 in advance, $10 for children, students, and seniors; and $25 at the door for adults. For tickets, go to ShowClix.
About Mayhem and Majesty
In Mayhem and Majesty, the sonic hooligans of Squonk Opera push the boundaries of musical athleticism and visual wizardry. They ask the question…”What does music look like?” Each song evokes different atmospheres and dynamics, which are made vivid through mesmerizing projections and constantly transforming scenery. One moment you are alone in a swarm of stars with a gently swaying keyboard and a sparse lullaby your only guide. The next, you see how romance is just a series of cell mutations set to post-punk beats. The Squonkers journey from the depths of moody minimalism to the heights of gypsy rock raucous delight. And our award-winning multimedia canvas takes your eyes to those wondrous places your ears have long kept secret.
About Squonk Opera
Over 15 years ago Squonk Opera created its first show in a gritty Pittsburgh junkyard with roaring choreographed cranes and earthmovers. A flexible interdisciplinary group of artists led by collaborators Jackie Dempsey and Steve O’Hearn with a combined interest in theater created from sound and image, Squonk Opera was inspired by a rust-belt love of spectacle and humor that could compete with Pittsburgh weekend fare - football, catholic ritual, and beer-fed bar bands. Since 1992, Squonk Opera has created ten original shows and has performed in more than 250 venues across the United States. In 1995 Squonk was commissioned by Marc Masterson of Pittsburgh’s City Theatre to create Night of The Living Dead: The Opera.
Bigsmorgasbordwunderwerk was an Off-Broadway hit in 1999, a show that Ben Brantley of The New York Times called “ingenious, hallucinatory, hypnotic.” The show was then transferred to Broadway in 2000, where it received an American Theater Wing Special Effects Design Award. Squonkumentary, a film about the company’s time in NYC, was produced by independent filmmaker Peggy Sutton in 2005. Squonk Opera has also toured internationally since 2003 - to Scotland, Belgium, Germany and South Korea, where they opened both the Busan International Performing Arts Festival and the World Music Theater Festival.
Next season Squonk Opera will return to the road with three shows – the big outdoor spectacle Astro-rama, their site-specific Hometown Operas and their newest production Mayhem and Majesty.
Media Contact: Steve O’Hearn
(724) 265-5235 – office (412) 496-6480 - cell
steve@squonkopera.org...
The Pittsburgh Art BlogThe Pittsburgh Art Blog features selected pittsburgh artists and upcoming exhibits with photos from the artists and galleries. since the major press outlets do not go beyond a directory listing of exhibits, blogs are needed to promote pittsburgh artists and their work. the blog also calls attention to the inferiority complex of pittsburgh art and how it's perpetuated by the major players in town. Started on August 20,2007. pittsburgh area galleries and art venues are listed at the sister site www.PghGalleries.com.
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