Overture OnStage 2011/12 Season
Sold out performances are noted below.
Performance times noted in BOLD still have room for more groups.
If a performance you are interested in is sold out, we do keep waiting lists.
Please contact Karra Beach, the OnStage Coordinator, with questions at onstage@overturecenter.com.
A Collaboration with Blue Note Records
The Miles Davis Experience: 1949 – 1959
TUE, OCT 11 | 11 AM - SOLD OUT
Capitol Theater
Grades 4–12
Recapture the period, sound, historical and cultural context of this critical period of American history through the lens of jazz music and its most iconic innovator, Miles Davis. Live music featuring the Ambrose Akinmusire quintet, photos and film clips brought together by a beat poet-style narrator tell the story of post-war America, the challenges and optimism, the civil rights struggle, the historical milestones, and the creative cauldron of new music that Miles pioneered and nurtured.
Jon Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean
MON, OCT 17 | 10 AM
MON, OCT 17 | 12:30 PM
Capitol Theater
Grades Pre-K-2
Jam-packed with music ranging from swing to R&B to Big Band, John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean is a one-of-a-kind live black-light puppet show. Tank, Bubbles and Dorsel are three best friends who just happen to be fish, and they're about to set out on a remarkable journey of discovery. As they swim off in search of clues, they'll sing, dance and make new friends. Ultimately they discover the greatest treasure of all: friendship.
Ballet Maribor Presents
Radio & Juliet
TUE, OCT 25 | 10 AM |
Capitol Theater
Grades 6-12
Radiohead, Shakespeare and ballet – an unlikely but thrilling combination. This stunning original work from Slovakia re-imagines the classic tale of star-cross’d lovers to the tune of one of the most influential rock bands of all time. Edward Clug’s haunting choreography echoes the desperation and depth of the music to create and experience that’s “white-hot in a way Shakespeare never could have imagined.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Intergalactic Nemesis
FRI, NOV 4 | 12:30 PM |
Capitol Theater
Grades 4-12
The year is 1933. Pulitzer-winning reporter Molly Sloan, her intrepid assistant Timmy Mendez, and a mysterious librarian named Ben Wilcott face the most serious threat Earth has ever known: an impending invasion of sludge monsters from the planet Zygon. This live action graphic novel, kin to radio dramas, joins three actors, a keyboardist and a sound effect artist with more than 1,000 hand drawn comic book images projected on a two story screen.
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical
THU, NOV 17 | 10 AM - SOLD OUT
THU, NOV 17 | 12:30 PM - Room for group of 20
Capitol Theater
Grades Pre-K-2
Chock full of adventure, song and gigantic dancing laundry, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical tells a tale of firsts: a stuffed animal's first trip in the laundry, a little girl's first words and a Daddy's first time dealing with his child going "boneless." Based on his beloved Caldecott Honor–winning picture book, Mo Willems lovingly celebrates the heart and heartache that can only come from a family visit to the local laundromat.
The Magic School Bus Live! The Climate Challenge
THU, JAN 19 | 12:30 PM | Capitol Theater - SOLD OUT
FRI, JAN 20, 2012 | 10 AM - SOLD OUT
FRI, JAN 20, 2012 | 12:30 PM - SOLD OUT
Capitol Theater
Grades K-3
Seatbelts everyone! The Magic School Bus® celebrates its 25th Anniversary with an all-new musical adventure. Ms. Frizzle’s students are putting on a play about global warming, and they need some cold, hard facts. The Friz and her reptilian sidekick, Liz, know just where to find them! This is no ordinary field trip, as a hop on the Magic School Bus takes the class and the audience on a whirlwind tour. From the arctic to the equator, they see telltale signs of climate change and learn how conservation, recycling and alternative energy can make a difference.
Mad River Theater Works Presents
Freedom Bound
WED, FEB 1, 2012 | 10 AM - SOLD OUT
WED, FEB 1, 2012 | 12:30 PM - Room for group of 50
THU, FEB 2, 2012 | 10 AM - SOLD OUT
THU, FEB 2, 2012 | 12:30 PM - Room for group of 50
Capitol Theater
Grades 3-12
Freedom Bound is an original play with music that follows the story of Addison White, a slave who escaped from Kentucky and traveled the Railroad north to the small town of Mechanicsburg, OH. Through the use of drama and music, riddles and rhyme, performers of Mad River Theater Works create characters that emerge from the past and bring the Underground Railroad to life.
Peking Acrobats
MON, FEB 13, 2012 | 10 AM - SOLD OUT
MON, FEB 13, 2012 | 12:30 PM
Overture Hall
Grades 4-12
Hailing from the People’s Republic of China, The Peking Acrobats have for decades been diplomats of their spirited culture. Since 1958, this elite group has toured the world over, leaving audiences spellbound by the graceful presentation of their ancient folk art, acrobatics. Carefully selected from the finest acrobat schools in China, these gymnasts, jugglers, cyclists and tumblers transform 2000-year-old athletic disciplines into an all-ages kaleidoscope of entertainment and wonder.
UW Varsity Band
THU, FEB 16, 2012 | 10 AM
FRI, FEB 17, 2012 | 10 AM
Overture Hall
Grades 4-8
Always a favorite, the University of Wisconsin Varsity Band treats audiences to a spectacular show of many musical styles. Medleys of jazz, rock and roll, pop, and Broadway musicals take audiences through a multi-view perspective of musical styles. Conductor Mike Leckrone arranges most of the music and leads the band in a hand-clapping, foot-stomping show of musical excellence, energy and fun.
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia Presents
A Brown Bear, A Moon and a Caterpillar
THU, FEB 16, 2012 | 10 AM - SOLD OUT
THU, FEB 16, 2012 | 12:30 PM - SOLD OUT
FRI, FEB 17, 2012 | 10 AM - SOLD OUT
FRI, FEB 17, 2012 | 12:30 PM - SOLD OUT
Capitol Theater
Grades Pre-K-2
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia presents a much anticipated new production that brings together old favorites and new friends. Featuring evocative music, stunning visual effects and innovative puppetry, highlighting three of Eric Carle's most beloved tales; “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?” and “Papa Please get the Moon for Me.”
Ballet Folklorico de Colombia
TUE, FEB 21, 2012 | 11 AM | Overture Hall
Grades 4-12
Colombia is unknown territory, a land of rainforests, mountains and beaches; lovely cities and enchanting villages; mystery and myth. Colombia is also an ethnic mosaic, a rainbow of culture, folklore, arts and crafts. The rich culture, stemming from centuries of mingled First Nation, Spanish and African influences, springs to full life in the country’s dance.
Twinkle, Twonkle
TUE, MAR 13, 2012 | 10 AM - Room for group of 50
TUE, MAR 13, 2012 | 12:30 PM
Capitol Theater
Grades Pre-K-2
Tall Stories, the company that brought you The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom, presents its latest show full of stories, music and the wonders of space that will lift you up, up and away. One night, while gazing at constellations of the Great Bear and the Little Bear, Ryan and Stella see a brand new constellation in the night sky – a Medium-Sized Bear. And worse, Ryan’s favorite teddy bear has gone missing. When Ryan extends the telescope all the way up and starts climbing into the stars in search of his bear, Stella has no choice but to follow. Will Stella find Ryan in the night sky and solve the mysteries of the universe before it’s too late?
Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre
WED, MAR 28 | 10:30 AM |
Overture Hall
Grades 4-12
Alvin Ailey was a pioneer in establishing a multi-racial repertory company that presented American works by established and emerging choreographers. The company has earned a reputation as one of the most acclaimed international ambassadors of American culture, promoting the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage. Revelations, the signature choreographic work of Ailey, is considered one of the most important pieces of choreography created in the 20th Century.
Dallas Children’s Theater Presents
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters
TUE, APR 10, 2012 | 10 AM - SOLD OUT
TUE, APR 10, 2012 | 12:30 PM - SOLD OUT
WED, APR 11, 2012 | 9:30 AM - SOLD OUT
WED, APR 11, 2012 | 12 PM - SOLD OUT
Capitol Theater
Grades 1-7
When a great African king desires a wife, only the most perfect maidens in the land are invited to meet him. Mufaro’s pride and joy, his two daughters of very different dispositions, travel a half day’s journey through a mystical jungle and across a deep river to be presented to the king. Combining authentic African drumming, powerful and majestic choreography and thrilling original music, the splendor of Zimbabwe and energy of the African land will burst onto stage in this Caldecott award-winning Cinderella tale!
LUMA - Theater of Light
MON, APR 16, 2012 | 10 AM - SOLD OUT
Overture Hall
Grades 4-12
Luma leaves your body in the dark and takes you out of your mind. Blending various physical disciplines with hi-tech illuminated objects, LUMA creates a ‘TechnoCircus’ that is born in the shadows and has audiences sitting on the edge of their seats with goggle eyes and slack jaws. The viewer experiences artistic depictions of natural, artificial and metaphysical light. Fireflies dance, shooting starts flash across a darkened stage, screen savers undulate, carnival rides spin and EKG monitors pulse the heart beat of the body electric.
Sponsored by American Girl's Fund for Children, a philanthropic foundation created to support programs and services for school-age children in Dane County.
Additional funding provided by American Family Insurance, the A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust and by contributions to the Ovation Fund. Learn how you can be part of supporting Overture’s community and education programs by clicking here.