The Very Little Theatre presents
Lord
theatre Leebrick
company
Held
Over
*Sunday Matinees
Tickets: $15 ($10 for Thursday)
Call the VLT Box Office: 541-344-7751
Open 2:00-5:30 Wed.–Sat. 2350 Hilyard St.
More info at TheVLT.com
William Shakespeare's
Comic Romance
Winter's Tale
Adapted & Directed by
John Schmor
n
Added Performa
Now Through JU
Also at UO’s EMU Ticket Offi ce
Special $10
college student tickets for
Selected events presented by:
Eugene Ballet Co., Eugene Concert Choir,
Eugene Opera*, Eugene Symphony,
Oregon Mozart Players
Oregon Bach Festival
Chamber Music@Beall Hall
East Meets West
Under the Big Top
E
May 27-29*, June 2-5*, 9-11
H ULTC EN TER .ORG
or 5 4 1 . 6 8 2 .5 0 0 0
BY RICK LEVIN
Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion soars into Eugene
A dramatic tale of ambition and dreams .
What if the real inventor of television in
1927 had been Ruby, a poor but bright
young woman? Fast forward to a TV studio
in the grip of McCarthy-era censorship as
Ruby’s daughter Lulu struggles to tell her
mother’s story — whatever it takes.
By Rinne Groff | Directed by Chris McVay
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theater
ces
NE 5th
t You Can"
Special "Pay Wha
ur. June 2
Performance Th
06
Call 541-465-15
AUDITIONS
Sat. June 11th
nter the dragon and enter the lion: When Cirque du Soleil’s production
of Dralion opens June 8 at Matthew Knight Arena, local audiences
will be treated to a grand, towering production that fuses the acrobatic
traditions of the Chinese circus with all the big-top splendor of P.T. Barnum.
The name itself, Dralion, is a fusion, says senior artistic director Sean
McKeown. “The word comes from the joining of the dragon and the lion,
representative of the East and West infl uences of the show,” he explained last
month during a phone interview.
Everything about this show is big, big, big. The staging includes a
60-by-26-foot metallic backdrop covered in perforated aluminum tiles and
resembling a space-age Chinese temple. Performers will soar through the air
holding suspended rings, men will twirl and throw 25-foot bamboo poles, and
there will be jugglers and hoop divers and aerial dancers. In all, this is a fl ying
circus to take your breath away, more than once.
“With this show, our director went to China and really investigated the
3,000-odd years of acrobatic tradition,” said McKeown, who has been
working with Cirque du Soleil since 2001. He called Dralion a kind of “avant
garde” makeover of Cirque’s traditional productions, in that a show originally
developed for a big-top environment has been transplanted to arenas, which
hold more people.
“It’s a feast for the senses,” he said, adding that the transition to arenas
works well. “In essence, we ran out of places we could go with big tops.
I think that this show has a lot of ‘wow,’ if I can say that. There’s a
lot of big acrobatic numbers in this show and aerial acts.”
McKeown, who runs a crew of 60 people, said that
Dralion should appeal to a wide audience, from circus
lovers to fans of extreme sports who like the thrill
of death-defying stunts. “For me, the show has
some beautiful visuals, beautiful music,
acrobatics, dance, theatrics, circus
acts,” he explained, adding that
one act includes a performer
free-falling from 25 feet in
the air and rebounding from a
trampoline.
“Wow, these people are a
little crazy,” McKeown joked
about watching his cast perform.
“Sometimes I think I’ve got the best
job in the world.”
Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion runs June 8-12 at
Matthew Knight Arena; for further information
and tickets, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com
*rush/day of
performance only
The Musical
Call 541-684-6988
to schedule audition.
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OPENS
September 16
Summer
Regular Office Hours
Monday-Friday
10am-4pm
Theatre Camps
clinics on saturdays
Camps for
call for appointment
570 Lawrence St., Suite 101
Eugene, OR
541-344-1688 • fax 541-344-8110
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28 JUNE 2, 2011
EUGENE WEEKLY
Registering Now
Kids Grades 2 to 12
Camps begin
June 20
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