The Diana Wortham Theatre in
downtown Asheville, North Carolina announces the schedule of performances for
the 2013/2014 Mainstage Series. The Mainstage Series presents a wide range of
top touring artists in music, theater, dance, comedy, and other performing arts
in an intimate, 500-seat hall. Tickets for all performances are on sale at 10am
on August 22nd and are available at www.dwtheatre.com as well as from the box
office at (828) 257-4530. The theatre offers flexible multi-show discount
packages starting with as few as three performances. Savings range
from 10% to 20% off Regular prices depending on the number of performances;
multi-show packages are available through the Diana Wortham Theatre box only at
828-257-4530.
The 2013/2014 Mainstage Series season opens September 20, 2013 with an
opening night party sponsored by Pack’s Tavern at 7pm and an 8pm performance by
Grammy-nominated blues artist Ruthie
Foster, with opening act, blues and roots artist Seth Walker. The 2011,
2012 and 2013 winner of the Koko Taylor Award for Traditional Blues Female
Artist, Ruthie Foster smolders, sizzles and ignites with an intensity born from
her vibrant voice and indelible presence.
The 2013/2014 Mainstage Special Attractions Series showcases five
performances that cross multiple genres. In her one-of-a-kind live performance “SandyLand” comedian Sandra Bernhard (October 12, 2013)
sharply blends theatre, rock-n-roll and stand-up comedy with a little burlesque
and cabaret, backed by her band, The Flawless Zircons. The highly skilled men
and women of Yamato: The Drummers of
Japan (November 9, 2013 – two shows) put their souls into performing on a
mind-altering array of traditional percussion instruments, and celebrate
Yamato’s two decades of rhythm in the new show Royjoh – The Beat on the Road. The warm merrymaking of the season
shines in A Swannanoa Solstice
(December 22, 2013 – two shows), a beloved holiday tradition featuring world
award-winning recording artists Al
Petteway, Amy White and Robin
Bullock who are joined by a wealth of storytellers, dancers and special
guest musicians, along with host, Doug
Orr. In Imago Theatre’s FROGZ
(February 13 & 14, 2014), comedic amphibians, acrobatic larvae, circus
boulders, and metamorphosing humans take the stage in works sophisticated,
universally appealing and highly entertaining for all ages.
Stereotype-shattering magicians blend the theatrical elements of a Broadway
production with the driving energy of a rock concert in The Spencers: Theatre of Illusion (May 9 & 10, 2014), the
award-winning, record-breaking show that redefines magic for a new generation
of spectators.
Special Event with Norm Lewis on February 9, 2014: Tony-nominated
leading man and smooth baritone Norm
Lewis is one of today’s foremost actor-vocalists. Lewis has performed in
Broadway’s recent The Gershins’ Porgy and
Bess opposite Audra McDonald, as well as in other leading roles on Broadway
including Billy Flynn (Chicago), King
Triton (The Little Mermaid), and
Javert (Les Misérables) on Broadway
and in the London concert production seen on public television. This
performance is a special benefit evening for Diana Wortham Theatre and will
include a celebratory post-performance sparkling wine reception and
meet-and-greet with Norm Lewis for VIP ticket buyers.
The 2013/2014 Mainstage Music Series at Diana Wortham Theatre features
some of the nation’s top touring acts. Hot new Canadian band Chic Gamine (October 18, 2013) comes to
Diana Wortham Theatre as part of its inaugural North Carolina tour. Cited as
one of the top new artists to discover at the 2013 South by Southwest in Austin
by National Public Radio, this band is giving a new spin to the classic 1960’s
girl group sound. Susan Werner
returns to Diana Wortham Theatre with
The Hayseed Project (November 21, 2013). Paying tribute to American
agriculture and her Iowa farm roots, Werner revisits the language and people
she knows best lending humor and passion to subjects such as farming, rural
America, and the comic potential of herbicides. WNC favorites Sutton, Holt & Coleman (February 8,
2014) plumb the depths of the rich musical culture of North Carolina using a
variety of traditional instruments, three part harmonies, and a mixture of
traditional and newly written songs. The
Pedrito Martinez Group (April 11, 2014) features world-renowned Cuban conga
player Pedrito Martinez and his Peruvian, Venezuelan and Cuban bandmates in a
one-of-a-kind Afro-Cuban ensemble. Mandolin player Sierra Hull (May 3, 2014) has emerged as one of bluegrass’s
full-fledged virtuosic instrumentalist/singer-songwriters, and a leading light
in a new generation of bluegrass musicians.
The 2013/2014 Mainstage Dance Series, recognized for offering some of
the nation’s foremost dance companies right here in Asheville, opens with Diavolo Dance Theater (October 8 &
9, 2013) under Artistic Director Jacques Heim—back by popular demand. Diavolo’s
dancers, gymnasts, athletes and actors brilliantly explore the space where
reality ends and imagination begins. Experience a mesmerizing evening with one
of the finest contemporary dance companies in the nation as Eisenhower Dance (January 17 & 18,
2014) performs its exciting repertoire of innovative choreography with stunning
technique. A highlight of the Dance Series this season is one of the region’s
most notable cultural prodigies, Hendersonville native Chase Brock, with his
namesake troupe The Chase Brock
Experience (March 21 & 22, 2014). Brock has appeared on Broadway,
choreographed Broadway’s Spiderman: Turn
Off the Dark, and formed The Chase Brock Experience all before hitting 30 – and now he brings some of his hottest,
hippest works to Asheville.
The 2013/2014 Mainstage Theatre
Series features four compelling performances. Asheville audiences can
experience the performance that brought down the house on its last visit to
Diana Wortham Theatre: Shakespeare on
Trial (November 23, 2013) by Jeremy Webb presents writer Bill Shakespeare
as he encounters four of his most famous characters – up-close, personal and ticked-off. Aquila Theatre Company brings two nights of unforgettable
entertainment: first with Ray Bradbury’s visionary parable Fahrenheit 451 (January
31, 2014), one of the most revered novels of the twentieth century; and then on
the following night the company presents an irresistibly charming new take on
William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (February 1, 2014)
with a remarkable original musical score. Aquila Theatre’s “two plays in one
weekend” afford audiences the chance to see the same remarkable cast in very
different roles, often dissimilar in nature, in the same weekend. And rounding
out the theatre series LEO: The
Anti-Gravity Show (March 28 & 29, 2014) is an enchanting and
mind-bending one-man show. Leo lives at a ninety-degree angle to the rest of
the world, and with fluid, real-world handstands, tumbles, and falls projected
by an ingenious video stage concept, the simple act of standing up is
transformed into a stupendous feat.
The 2013/2014 Mainstage Celtic Series presents four unforgettable bands
in the Scots-Irish tradition. With a vigorous, intense performance style and a
thorough understanding of both the musical and social elements of traditional
music, Dervish (February 21, 2014)
is one of the all-time great Irish bands. The
Paul McKenna Band (March 14, 2014) is one of the brightest young bands on
the scene and “a band with the potential to dominate the Scottish/Irish
traditional scene for the next twenty years” (Fatea Magazine). Marvel at the sound of three world-class Grammy
nominated performers with The Teetotallers
(April 18, 2014), each an amazing artist in his own right – together for a
triple threat evening of their combined talents. Asheville’s own John Doyle is
joined by BBC Radio’s Folk
Instrumentalist of the Year Martin Hayes and Lúnasa’s Kevin Crawford in this
outstanding trio. Wrapping up the Celtic Series is one of the finest vocalists
in Irish/American music, Cathie Ryan
(May 2, 2014) who brings her luminous voice and award-winning band to Asheville
for a charming evening of traditional tunes.
2013/2014 Intersections Series Performances: The Intersections Series features two dedicated
performances in the 2013/2014 season. The ultimate troubadour Jim Malcolm (November 20, 2013)
performs “Just Flown In From Scotland.”
Malcolm warms the soul with masterful guitar and harmonica peppered with funny
stories and engaging wit. And Dirty
Barbie (January 23-25, 2014) written, directed and performed by Denise Stewart is a fun and poignant
one-woman show that speaks to the secret lives of girls, the way we play, and
the unsupervised side of childhood. Intersections Series performances are held
in The Forum, a large multi-purpose space adjacent to the theatre and
accessible from the theatre’s main lobby.
The 2013/2014 Mainstage Matinee Series for Students and Families is a
full schedule of shows to complement the classroom curriculum of area students
and teachers and is open to school groups, homeschoolers, community groups, and
families. Serving more than 9,000 students, educators, and families every year,
the series features first-rate performances and detailed study guides designed
by educators. This year’s Mainstage Matinee Series includes: Diavolo Dance Theater (October 8,
2013), The Very Hungry Caterpillar (October 18, 2013), Kid Power’s Operation Lunch Line 3-D (November 15, 2013), Shakespeare
on Trial (November 22, 2013), Eisenhower
Dance – Kids in Motion (January
15, 2014), Eisenhower Dance – Motown in Motion (January 17, 2014),
Twelfth
Night (February 3, 2014), The
Chase Brock Experience (March 21, 2014), LEO: The Anti-Gravity Show
(March 28, 2014), and Junie B. Jones (April 14 & 15,
2014).
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