MEDIA ADVISORY

Mayor: Jennifer P. Dougherty

Who: Weinberg Center for the Arts
What: 2003-2004 Season
When: Season begins on Tuesday, September 9, 2003 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Weinberg Center for the Arts
20 West Patrick Street
Frederick, MD 21701
Tickets: Box Office: 301-228-2828
www.weinbergcenter.org

LIVE! at the Weinberg Season Opens in September
New Season Features 40% Increase in Arts Events

The Weinberg Center for the Arts opens its 2003-2004 LIVE! at the Weinberg Season early next month, kicking off a nine-month showcase of professional theatre, music, dance, and classic cinema at the historic theatre in downtown Frederick, Maryland. BB&T is the proud corporate presenter of the 2003-2004 Season, with Maryland Public Television and KEY 103.1 serving as media presenters.

The 2003-2004 LIVE! Season includes nearly 70 events-a 40% increase over Weinberg programs last year. The expanded season begins in September, one month earlier than usual, with three performances that set the stage for the diversity and excitement of the season.

On Tuesday, September 9 and Wednesday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m., the Weinberg welcomes The Actor’s Gang and its critically acclaimed production of The Guys. The two-person drama, based on playwright Anne Nelson’s true-life experience and performed as a staged reading, is a poignant tribute to the September 11 tragedy.

The Guys was originally commissioned and produced by The Flea Theater, located just a few blocks north of Ground Zero in New York City. A chance meeting between The Flea’s artistic director Jim Simpson and journalist Anne Nelson was the impetus for Nelson to write The Guys. Soon after September 11, Nelson had helped a New York City fire captain prepare eulogies for his men killed in the attack.When she spoke to Simpson about her experience, he asked if she could communicate that experience in a play. Nelson agreed and wrote the play over the next eight nights.

The production is now on exclusive national tour by The Actors’ Gang, a Los Angeles theatre ensemble under the artistic direction of Tim Robbins. Tickets for the Weinberg performance range from $15 to $25.

The scene changes from drama to comedy when the off-Broadway hit Late Nite Catechism is performed at the Weinberg on Friday, September 26 and Saturday, September 27 at 7:30 p.m. Written by Maripat Donovan and Vicki Quade, the one-woman comedy stars Amanda Hebert-past winner of the Jay Leno Comedy Search and veteran stage performer in the New Orleans area-as Sister. The fun begins-and never stops-as the irrepressible Sister teaches an adult catechism class to a roomful of “students” (the audience). Over the course of the play, Sister goes from benevolent instructor, rewarding students for correct answers with souvenirs, to authoritative drill sergeant-with plenty of laughter in between. Tickets for the Late Nite Catechism at the Weinberg range from $12 to $28.

On Sunday, September 28, at 3:00 p.m., the sounds of chamber music will fill the Weinberg when five members of the widely acclaimed Fessenden Ensemble perform works by German composers of the Baroque and Romantics periods. Concertgoers will enjoy music by Johann Sebastian Bach (Sonata in G Minor, BMV 1030b for oboe and basso continuo), Johannes Brahms (Sonata in F Major, op. 99 for cello and piano), and Heinrich von Herzogenberg (Trio in D Major, op. 61 for oboe, horn, and piano). Featured musicians will be Shawn Welk on oboe, Dean Woody on bassoon, Amy Klosterman on piano, Gita Ladd on cello, and the Fessenden Ensemble’s founder and artistic director Emil George on horn.

Based in the Washington, DC area, The Fessenden Ensemble was founded in 2000 and now consists of 13 members, representing strings, woodwinds, brass, and piano. This combination enables the performance of a broad repertoire, including some works seldom heard because of their unusual instrumentation. The background of the members of the ensemble is equally varied, drawing from many area performing arts organizations, including the National Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, The Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra, the "President's Own" Marine Band, the White House Chamber Orchestra, and even New York's Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Tickets for The Fessenden Ensemble’s concert at the Weinberg range from $15 to $25.

In addition to the expected genres of music, theatre, and dance, the Weinberg is highlighting several new categories of performance this season, including comic theatre, chamber music, Christian music, Celtic music, and musical revue. Several large-scale productions, including Squonk Opera’s Inferno (October 25) and Barry Manilow’s Copacabana-The Musical (February 27), can be showcased at the Weinberg this season because of new stage rigging that was installed in the theatre in 2002.

Also featured in the upcoming season are perennial LIVE! favorites-Weinberg Winterfest on December 21, Das Puppenspiel Theater in Peter and the Wolf on January 11-as well as performances by Montana Repertory Theatre (A Streetcar Named Desire on April 2) and Aquila Theatre Company of London/New York (Othello on April 16). Both are nationally acclaimed touring companies who have earned consistently high praise and record attendance from Weinberg audiences in past seasons.

This season’s Family Series features six performing events-including New York’s Imago Theatre in Frogz (February 22) and award-winning children’s performer Laurie Berkner (April 3)-and six family films, beginning with a Harryhausen Double Feature on October 11 and ending with The Music Man on May 15. Tickets for family performance events range from $10 to $24, with children under 13 paying half price. Tickets for family films are $7 each, $5 for children under 13.

The Movie Time at the Tivoli Series kicks off with Lawrence of Arabia (1962) on October 5 and features 19 films in all, including a double feature on Halloween night and four movies in January, which is being billed as Comedy Month. The Weinberg’s mighty Wurlitzer organ will take center stage during several silent movies, including Hitchcock’s The Lodger (1927) on October 26, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1921) on October 31, Sherlock Junior (1924) on January 3, Way Down East (1920) on February 21, and a silent double feature with The Trail Rider (1925) and Valley of the Giants (1927) on March 14. Tickets for all Movie Time events are $7 each.

Series subscriptions and individual tickets for the 2003-2004 Season are now on sale. Patrons can “create their own series” by choosing at least five or more performances, which will result in a savings of up to 20% off individual ticket prices. For more information, please visit www.weinbergcenter.org or contact the Box Office at 301-228-2828 (228-2838 TTY). The Box Office is open Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and one hour before performances.

The 2003-2004 Season marks the sixth anniversary of LIVE! at the Weinberg programming, which has established the historic theatre as one of the region’s premier presenting facilities. The Weinberg Center for the Arts, a municipal facility of the City of Frederick, is located at 20 West Patrick Street in downtown Frederick, Maryland. The theatre opened in 1926 as the Tivoli, the grandest of three downtown movie palaces, and was donated to the City of Frederick in 1978. Today, the 1,160-seat Weinberg Center offers an array of professional LIVE! series, including smARTS!, dance, music, theatre, family performances and films, and classic movies. In addition, the Weinberg Center makes performance space and professional services available to a variety of community arts groups, civic and business organizations, and other arts promoters. For more information, call 301-228-2828 or visit weinbergcenter.org.