Top Picks for ArtsEmerson Spring 2014

February 8, 2014

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Kaylee D’Amico ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

We are just about halfway through ArtsEmerson’s yearlong season, which leaves us with a wide variety of exciting performances coming to campus. With amazing multimedia, innovative takes on classics, mimes, and more, here is a list of what not to miss as ArtsEmerson’s season comes to a close.

1. Man in a Case

Tymberly Canale and Mikhail Baryshnikov in Man in a Case. Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson. — Tymberly Canale and Mikhail Baryshnikov in *Man in a Case*. Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson.

Company: Baryshnikov Productions

Run Dates: Feb. 25-March 2

Venue: Cutler Majestic Theater

This production comes to us from Big Dance Theater in Brooklyn and brings two of Chekhov’s love stories into a modern setting: 1898’s About Love and The Man in a Case are pulled from a trilogy by the legendary playwright. Big Dance Theater’s style is prevalent throughout the show, which features choreographed movement alongside multimedia and video. The performances, like the Chekhovian tales they draw from, express the aching desire for forbidden romance that follows the audience today just as it did in the 19th century.

2. Not by Bread Alone

The Cast of Not By Bread Alone. Photo Courtesy of artsemerson.org. — The Cast of *Not By Bread Alone*. Photo Courtesy of artsemerson.org.

Company: Nalaga’at Theater Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble

Run Dates: April 1-6

Venue: Paramount Center Mainstage

This Tel Aviv-based theater group focuses on expression, integration, and truth through the lenses of eleven deaf-blind Israeli actors. Told in Hebrew with English subtitles, the audience follows these actors as they bake bread in real time onstage. As the bread rises they speak through sign language, movement, and spoken word about their dreams, promising to challenge our senses in ways that haven’t been experienced before.

3. Lebensraum (Habitat)

Yannick Greweldinger and Reinier Schimmel. Photo Courtesy of artsemerson.org. — Yannick Greweldinger and Reinier Schimmel in *Lebensraum* (*Habitat*). Photo Courtesy of artsemerson.org.

Company: Jakop Ahlbom

Run Dates: April 9-13

Venue: Paramount Center Mainstage

Acclaimed Dutch theater-maker Jakop Ahlbom brings us this silent movie for the stage. Well-known for his mime work, Ahlbom and two accomplices utilize this art form throughout Lebensraum. In this play, two men bring a doll to life to help with chores in their apartment. However, the doll has a mind of her own and havoc ensues in their tiny home. Using music and movement to encapsulate the story, this Buster Keaton-inspired piece is unlike anything ArtsEmerson has featured.

4. The Wholehearted

Company: Stein | Holum Projects

Run Dates: April 17-27

Venue: Jackie Liebergott Black Box

Conceived by Drama Desk nominees Deborah Stein and Suli Holum, this multimedia-based piece draws from biographies of female athletes to create a solo performance like no other. An out-of-her-prime female boxer recovers from brutal domestic abuse and returns to fighting on her own terms through a fantastical virtual experience. Music, from dubstep to centuries-old ballads, and futuristic video help to shape the imaginary landscape in which the boxer’s comeback takes place.

5. Eugene Onegin

Company: Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre of Russia

Run Dates: June 6-7

Venue: Cutler Majestic Theater

Known as one of the most elite acting programs in Russia, the Vaktangov State Academic Theatre rarely performs outside of their home theatre space. But this production of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin has drawn much attention to the renowned theater, even winning Russia’s immensely prestigious Crystal Turandot award. This performance accentuates the traditional script with the addition of folk songs and stunning visual design.

Remember: Emerson student memberships are FREE, and once you have one, tickets to any performance cost only $15!

February 8, 2014

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