{"id":23480,"date":"2017-11-29T08:42:43","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T13:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=23480"},"modified":"2017-11-29T08:42:45","modified_gmt":"2017-11-29T13:42:45","slug":"on-stage-a-chance-to-preview-wolf-in-skins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=23480","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: A chance to preview ‘Wolf-in-skins’"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Staff Writer, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Wof-in-Skins<\/p><\/div>\n

Years ago, Broadway shows would frequently open \u201cout of town\u201d prior to heading to New York. The productions would have week-long runs in Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington D.C. \u2013 sometimes even in Hartford, Wilmington or Baltimore.<\/p>\n

The productions were in \u201cpartially-finished\u201d stages — presented on stage to gauge audience reaction and show the producers what adjustments needed to be made.<\/p>\n

There is a presentation coming to the\u00a0SEI\u00a0Innovation Studio at the\u00a0Kimmel Center\u00a0(Broad and Spruce streets, Philadelphia,\u00a0215-731-3333<\/a>, www.kimmelcenter.org<\/a>)\u00a0on November 29\u00a0and 30 that has a somewhat similar vibe.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Dance Projects, in partnership with American Opera Projects, presents an \u201cInformance\u201d presentation of choreographer Christopher Williams\u2019 \u201cWolf-in-Skins.\u201d<\/p>\n

It will be\u00a0an informal showing of excerpts from Williams\u2019 dance-opera \u201cWolf-in-Skins,\u201d which is being\u00a0co-created with composer Gregory Spears and visual designer Andrew Jordan.<\/p>\n

This \u201cInformance\u201d is a work-in-progress featuring dancers, singers and musicians performing sections from the work and then participating in a conversation about the work with the audience.\u00a0 Philadelphia Dance Projects presented the first act of \u201cWolf-in-Skins\u201d a few years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI presented a work-in-progress, fully-staged version of the first act at Temple University\u2019s Conwell Dance Theater in 2013,\u201d said Williams, during a phone interview\u00a0Tuesday evening\u00a0— moments after the final pre-show rehearsal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was also presented later in a rehearsal studio at the\u00a0Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Ch\u00e2telet in Paris via the Arts Arena. Small excerpts have also been presented through the Opera America New Works Forum and by America Opera Projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event features performances by Christiana Axelsen, Breckyn Drescher, Kyle Gerry, Justin Lynch, Aaron McGloin, Jordan Morley, Stuart Meyers, Collin Ranf, Chelsea Retzloff, Sammy Wong, Eric Wright and Drew Kaiser, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, baritone Marcus DeLoach, soprano Nina Berman, mezzo Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek, tenor Owen McIntosh, and period instrument ensemble New Vintage Baroque.<\/p>\n

\u201cWolf-in-Skins\u201d is a true multi-media show with dance, visuals, classical musicians, opera singers and even a puppet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI work extremely closely with my visual designer,\u201d said Williams,\u00a0a choreographer, dancer, and puppeteer who has created more than 30 original and collaborative works in New York City and abroad since 1999.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been a true collaboration. I throw an idea at him and we work together to see what develops. It could be anything \u2013 maybe a new sculptural costume element that alters the human form. My collaboration with Andrew is close.\u00a0My fingers are in all the pots except music composition. When I work with Gregory, the composer, he creates music in response to my libretto and then I set the dance to that resulting music.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a puppet in this show \u2013 a bull\u2026a supernatural bull. Much of the opera is sung in the Welsh language and there are legends of lake-dwelling cattle in Welsh folklore.\u201d<\/p>\n

In \u201cWolf-in-Skins,\u201d kings, foundlings, wolves, hounds, fay milkmaids and other mythical characters fill the dance opera that draws inspiration from a cycle of Welsh romance tales.\u00a0 Preserving pre-Celtic and pre-Christian elements, it views marginalized or outmoded cultural relics through a contemporary lens.<\/p>\n

Welsh lore such as the legend of\u00a0Llyn y Fan Fach includes \u201cladies of the lake\u201d and special white cattle known as the Gwartheg-y-Llyn. The bull in \u201cWolf-in-Skins\u201d is a character all his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis bull is a very large puppet \u2013 life-size with proportional differences,\u201d said Williams. \u201cThe bull is a catalyst in the show. The bull is a key plot point \u2013 but you don\u2019t get a full sense of the narrative with this performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a presentation of Act I or Act II. It features a smattering of excerpts from the entire opera. A few entirely new selections from Act II are being presented. This show will allow me to see how movement-based experiments for these scenes read on stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe supernatural characters are physically represented by dancers on stage and aurally\u00a0by singers singing in Welsh. Beasts are represented by puppets and humans are represented by opera singers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams\u00a0earned a diploma from the\u00a0\u00c9cole Internationale de Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Jacques Lecoq<\/a>\u00a0in Paris where he studied physical theatre, acrobatics, and mask traditions and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from\u00a0Sarah Lawrence College<\/a>\u00a0where he studied choreography with the late Viola Farber and puppetry with Dan Hurlin. Europe has always played a big role in his creative endeavors.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudying in Paris deeply influenced me,\u201d said Williams. \u201cIt is said that it takes at least five years after graduation for Lecoq students to fully realize their craft. That is what happened with me.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, choreographing for large Baroque opera productions gave me a sense of how works like this come together. My dream with this production is to show it at the Welsh National Opera.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cWolf-in-Skins\u201d — https:\/\/vimeo.com\/78657571<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The shows at the Kimmel Center\u2019s SEI Innovation Studio are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on November 29 and 30. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming Kimmel Center shows are Hillary Clinton Live on November 30 (Academy Of Music); John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous on December 1 and \u00a02 (Academy Of Music); Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia: Monk\u2019s Dream – Celebrating the Music of Thelonious Monk on December 2 (Perelman Theater); The National on December 4-6 (Verizon Hall); and Jazz Residency Artist Luke Carlos O\u2019Reilly: Residency Kick-Off on December 5 (SEI Innovation Studio).<\/p>\n

There will be another show in Philadelphia on November 29 that could be considered a work-in-progress and\/or a trial run.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Alice Merton<\/p><\/div>\n

Alice Merton, a resident of Berlin, Germany, just released her first single in America. She is now touring America performing shows featuring songs from a Europe-only EP and a yet-to-be-made album.<\/p>\n

Merton\u2019s maiden tour of the United Staes will bring her to the area for a show tonight at Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684,www.johnnybrendas.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The title of her single, which was released on Mom+Pop Music, is \u201cNo Roots.\u201d Her life to date can be described well by the song\u2019s main refrain \u2013 \u201cI’ve got no roots, but my home was never on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merton was raised in Canada, finished high school in Germany and then moved to England with her family. With her debut single \u201cNo Roots,\u201d she describes the life of having had many different homes and comes to the realization that her home was never in one place.
\n\u201cI was born in Frankfurt, Germany,\u201d said Merton, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from her record company\u2019s office in New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur family then spent three years in North America and five years in Munich, Germany. The family\u2019s next move was to Bournemouth in England.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m living in Berlin now. It\u2019s a great city. There\u2019s something going on every day. I really enjoy Berlin. But, I also like visiting my parents in Bournemouth. It\u2019s right there by the beach and is really peaceful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Music has been a part of Merton\u2019s life since she was very young.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad introduced me to music,\u201d said Merton. \u201cI began taking piano lessons when I was five and started singing when I was nine. When I was 16, I picked up acoustic guitar and started writing songs \u2013 a lot of singer\/songwriter stuff. My main instrument was piano and Regina Spektor was a big influence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI continued on with my writing. That\u2019s when I switched to a band sound. It gave me a wide vision. When I got serious with my songwriting, I met my band. I met them at the University of Popular Music in Mannheim.\u201d<\/p>\n

During her studies, Merton started working with various producers and, when she was introduced to Berlin\u2019s Nicolas Rebscher, she knew she had found her match. Creating an analog and organic pop sound and going back to the basics of drum-and-bass driven music, they combined their individual styles to develop a style of their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI switched to band mode with my songwriting,\u201d said Merton. \u201cI liked incorporating electric guitar riffs and bass lines. The Killers were a very big influence. Now, I write with a band sound in mind. The change has come from my experience of performing live with my band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merton has been building her career steadily.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have an album out yet,\u201d said Merton. \u201cI released my first EP in Europe back in February. It was a four-song EP that included \u2018No Roots.\u2019 In the states, \u2018No Roots\u2019 was released in August and the EP will be out in the next few months. I\u2019ve definitely been writing a lot lately and there will be stuff coming out in Europe soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merton\u2019s introduction to the American audience has gone extremely well.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo Roots\u201d has climbed into the Top 20 on the Billboard Alt Radio Top 40, AAA Radio and iTunes Alternative Charts. The single has already captured an immense amount of attention with over 60 million global plays on Spotify and YouTube and over 400,000 streams in the U.S. alone last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my first U.S. tour,\u201d said Merton. \u201cMost people just know that one song. It\u2019s kind of like jumping into cold water. I don\u2019t know how people will react to the new music. I have a live repertoire of 15 songs and I\u2019ll play 12 or 13 in each show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Alice Merton \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/PUdyuKaGQd4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Johnny Brenda\u2019s, which has the band joan as the opening act, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Johnny Brenda\u2019s are Clap Your Hands Say Yeah <\/a>on November 30 and December 1, Beat Street Jam with Killiam Shakespeare on December 2, Whose Hat Is This? (members of Tedeschi Trucks) on December 5 and Cold Specks on December 6.<\/p>\n

\t
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By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Years ago, Broadway shows would frequently open \u201cout of town\u201d prior to heading to New York. The productions would have week-long runs in Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington D.C. \u2013 sometimes even in Hartford, Wilmington or Baltimore. The productions were in \u201cpartially-finished\u201d stages — presented on stage to gauge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7441],"tags":[9916,6269,9915],"class_list":["post-23480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-alice-merton","tag-featured","tag-wolf-in-skins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23480"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23481,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23480\/revisions\/23481"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}