As Autumn Quarter kicks into gear with Ohio State football games, Welcome Week and new class schedules, the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts is kick-starting its own season, full of new shows and old favorites.
Their season will open with New York’s jazz legend the David Sanborn Trio, featuring organist Joey DeFrancesco and drummer Byron Landham. The group will bring a hybrid of rock, pop, R&B and jazz to the Southern Theatre.
More than a dozen new performances have been added to this year’s schedule including Ballet Maribor’s “Radio and Juliet,” a season special of “Mamma Mia!” and a performance by the vocal ensemble The King’s Singers.
Rolanda Copley, CAPA publicist, said this year’s season schedule was carefully selected to include entertainment for both adults and children of all ages.
Ballet Maribor’s “Radio and Juliet” tells the Shakespearian love story of “Romeo and Juliet,” but adds a modern twist. The contemporary ballet, choreographed by Edward Clug, will showcase the love story in the technology era with music from the alternative rock band Radiohead.
In addition to the new shows, many of last year’s productions will also return to the stage.
“Guitar Masters, Ailey II, Lukas Nelson, ‘A Christmas Carol’ and Over the Rhine are groups we’ve worked with in the past,” said Rich Corsi, CAPA’s director of programming.
The returning shows have become Columbus favorites.
“We book (them) knowing they are going to be big student shows,” Corsi said.
The members of the Guitar Masters trio, made up of renowned guitarists Andy McKee, Stephen Bennett and Antoine Dutour, will own up to their name, featuring a steel string guitar, harp guitar and finger-style acoustic guitar as they take the stage solo.
Musical acts like that of country singer Willie Nelson’s son Lukas Nelson and his band target students. Inspired by his father’s music, the 21-year-old vocalist and guitarist will draw on his rock ‘n’ roll album, “Promise of the Real.”
Damian Bowerman, graduate studies and publicity coordinator at the OSU Department of Theatre, credits CAPA for offering entertainment and talent to OSU students.
“The cool thing about CAPA is that they are a really good organization supporting all levels of art in Columbus,” Bowerman said.
Also onstage will be Tony award-winning actor Jonathan Pryce in Harold Pinter’s drama, “The Caretaker,” the ArtsPower National Touring Theatre with the musical “Four Score and Seven Years Ago” and the Grammy award-winning Judy Collins’ “Home for the Holidays,” a concert of classical folk songs and Christmas favorites.
Family shows include Bill Blagg’s “The Science of Magic,” Disney’s “Phineas and Ferb” live tour and Charles Dickens’ holiday tale, “A Christmas Carol.”
“The season came together really nicely, we ended up getting a lot stuff booked late but turned out to be a lot of shows we were happy to get. We have something for everybody within our CAPA season,” Corsi said.
Students can purchase discounted tickets priced as low as $5 through CAPA’s High Five Program. Students must show a valid student ID at the Ohio Theatre ticket office located on 39 E. State St. to get these deals. Dates and show times of the complete 2011-2012 season can be found on CAPA’s website, capa.com.
