Performing groups from New Zealand, China and France on stage at BYU
Performance Dates: Thursday-Saturday, February 5-7, 2015
Location: Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU
Price: $10 (with discounts for seniors, BYU students, employees and alumni)
Tickets: Purchased in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone 801.422.2981 or online at byuarts.com.
Brigham Young University will present its second season of OFF THE MAP: BYU International Arts Festival, comprised of three contemporary music theatre performances on February 5-7, 2015.
Shows will be performed in the Harris Fine Arts Center and tickets are $10 per show ($3 off with a BYU ID for performances on Thursday, Feb. 5). Tickets can be purchased in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone 801.422.2981 or online at byuarts.com.
OFF THE MAP is comprised of these three productions:
- The Elephant Wrestler: The Indian Ink Theatre Company from New Zealand tells the story of a man who solves the mysteries of life from his chai stand at the Bangalore train station in this humorous and heartwarming musical play.
- The Shanghai Restoration Project: Traditional and contemporary Chinese culture fuses with electronica and hip-hop. Performers will sing while projected images of Chinese architecture and art as old and new music mix in an unusual and exciting way.
- Linea… Compagnie Sens Dessus Dessous: Two dancing jugglers and 100 yards of rope combine in this mix of object manipulation, dance and juggling. Audience members can be ready for an original performance, full of poetry, humor and creativity. The group is from France and is coming specifically to perform as part of the OFF THE MAP festival.
Producer and Presenter of Performing Arts at BYU Jeffrey Martin is the brainchild behind OFF THE MAP. Two years ago he recognized that BYU students were mostly exposed to traditional theatre practices. He felt that audiences could benefit from experiencing the unique and contemporary approaches and viewpoints currently in practice in other parts of the world.
"There’s a strong interest in this kind of work," Martin said. "At BYU we are curious about other cultures, which goes right along with our university’s mission. These performances are interdisciplinary and international."
Martin doesn’t just want attendees to be entertained; he hopes the experience will broaden their view of what performance is, and what kind of effect it can have on people.
"When people are exposed to new ideas, or even old ideas told in new and exciting ways, they become more well-rounded," Martin said. "These performances will be appreciated by everyone who attends."
The 2014 debut of OFF THE MAP featured theatre companies from Iran, England and Australia. The performances were received extremely positively. Attendees gave feedback via a written survey immediately following performances:
"I loved it so much! It touched my heart in ways that only theatre can. I was and am so appreciative to whoever made this experience possible."
"It was exciting and new, and I look forward to seeing more ways in which theatre is pushed to its very limits to tell stories."
"It completely exceeded my expectations because of how fascinating it was to see a culture different from my own in a performance piece. It was beautiful and made me laugh and cry."
This year's performances promise to be just as moving.
