Press: THE FIREBIRD for Artscape, National Arts Festival, & the Hollywood Bowl in LA (USA tour)

THE FIREBIRD, featuring giant puppets, Stravinky's original score and dance, heads to the Artscape Opera House, National Arts Festival and Hollywood Bowl in LA.

The Firebird, presented by Janni Younge Productions, IMG Artist International and commissioning partners, comes to the Artscape Opera House for four performances only before its international tour to venues including the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Directed by Janni Younge (former director of Handspring Puppet Company), the show is a contemporary puppet and dance performance set to Igor Stravinsky’s dramatic original score.

This extraordinary production, two years in the making, features giant puppets designed by a team of artists who worked in the War Horse puppet studio.

The Firebird’s strength lies in the combination of music, dance and puppetry to bring to the stage a battle between forces that is both epic and highly personal. Dancers and performers in this production include Jackie Manyapelo, Craig Leo, Shaun Oelf, Beren Belknap and Zandile Constable.

Evoking themes of fear and passion, inspiration and destruction, The Firebird holds strong resonance with South African society and with the task each one of us faces to find and embrace our own power.

Costume design is by Birrie le Roux, with lighting design by Mannie Manim and choreography by Jay Pather.

Performances at Artscape run on Friday 24 June at 8pm, Saturday 25 June at 2:30pm and 8pm and on 26 June at 2:30pm. Tickets cost from R180 to R200 with special offers available for Families, Senior Citizens, Scholars Students and Assitej, PANSA, VANSA and UNIMA SA. All information is via Computicket and Artscape via 0214217695.

The performances at the Grahamstown Festival can be found at www.nationalartsfestival.co.za and for information regarding the season at the Hollywood Bowl in LA, where the production will be accompanied by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, please visit www.hollywoodbowl.com/tickets/stravinskys-firebird.

Not recommended for children under the age of 6 years.