(Pittsburgh, PA) August 9, 2022— Singer/songwriter Vida Chai kicks off the New Hazlett Theater’s 10th Season with Somewhere Strange, an all-new album in concert. Composed in the desert of 2020, this eclectic performance features an all-star band that seamlessly blends folk-Americana, jazz, and rock. This immersive concert uses music, dance, and storytelling to explore the complexity of isolation and companionship during an evolutionary time. This production is part of the Theater’s 10th season of Community Supported Art (CSA), which provides emerging artists with the opportunity to develop new work for the New Hazlett stage.

“Thanks to the generosity of Heinz Endowments, the New Hazlett is able to provide more support than ever before to our CSA artists,” says Director of Programming Kristin Helfrich. “Chai’s danceable folk-rock concert will be complemented by choreography from Pittsburgh newcomer Kaila Carter under the direction of multi-disciplined and incredibly talented Lindsay Goranson. We’re looking forward to this highly collaborative performance to kick off our 10th anniversary season.”

Vida Chai (Lead Artist, Vocals. Guitar) is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist committed to brutally honest storytelling. Vida’s influences range from Joni Mitchell to Esperanza Spalding, blending acoustic-folk and neosoul to challenge and inspire listeners. They use their voice to speak difficult truths and help create more understanding and space for queer people.

Kaila Carter (Choreographer) began her dancing at a young age and went on to continue at Duke Ellington School of the Arts where she majored in dance. Kaila is an alumna of Butler University, where she graduated in May of 2019. While pursuing her degree, her work was featured on European stages. After graduation, Kaila joined Ballethnic Dance Company for two seasons. Kaila is currently a Company Artist with Confluence Ballet Company.

Lindsay Goranson (Director) is a multi-discipline artist, puppet maker, art director, and costume designer. Her work includes new, experimental, and immersive theatre, installation art, music videos, and film. She aspires to minimize the environmental impact of these fields and engage audiences in conversations about societal change. lindsaygoranson.com.

Somewhere Strange has three showings only: Thursday, October 13th at 8 PM and Friday, October 14th at 11 AM & 8 PM. Individual tickets and season subscriptions are available for purchase on the New Hazlett website. Tickets range from $19–$29 and 5-show subscriptions are $110. The Friday matinee on October 14th is free to the public as part of RADical Days. Registration is recommended.

Vida Chai may have been in quarantine when they wrote Somewhere Strange, but the album’s premiere is bringing their hard-to-beat band back together. Joining Chai on stage is Donnie Bell (Guitar), Dan Miller (Upright Bass), Ryan Socrates (Percussion) along with Kelsey Robinson and Treasure Treasure doubling as vocalists and dancers. Each member of the group is incredibly versatile – something Chai values since their style incorporates multiple genres including folk-Americana, rock, 90s pop, and jazz.

“Before I was a musician, I was a writer of poetry and fiction, and I think that at heart, I have always been a storyteller,” says Chai. “I’ve been performing as a musician for 10 years and have been longing for the space and resources to create a show as a full theatrical performance.”

As a selected artist for CSA Season 10 artist, Chai will have exactly that. Through the CSA Performance Series, New Hazlett Theater provides mentorship, support, space, and resources for artists to produce a full-scale production. Vida plans to use this opportunity to create a unique and immersive concert experience, combining music and dance with captivating lighting and an atmospheric set.

“I want to immerse the audience in the performance as much as possible,” continues Chai. “I want to address them directly and welcome them into the story.”

Somewhere Strange premieres Thursday, October 13, live onstage at the New Hazlett Theater. Read the most updated safety guidelines on the New Hazlett website. Accessible seating and assistive listening devices are available for all productions. Please email Phoebe Orr with any questions.

###

Download High Res Images for Press

Meet the Band

Kelsey Robinson (Vocals/Dance) is a Pittsburghreared performance artist who performs and teaches with Quantum Theatre (Inside Passage, Looking for Violeta, Lyon’s Den) Bricolage Production Company (DODO, The Forest…, The Clearing) and is a founding member of FolkLab. She is the recipient of an Opportunity Fund grant, a Kelly Strayhorn Theater residency and Cultural Trust spotlight for Talking with Ghosts About Freedom which unearths regional Black and Indigenous histories while crossing state lines on her bicycle.

Treasure Treasure (Vocals/Dance) is an artist and multi-instrumentalist working in music, comedy, film, and visual art. Theatre credits include Cabaret (Emcee, Hangar Theatre,) This Ain’t No Disco (Atlantic Theater Company,) Agnus Teaches Acting, an original comedy special (The Duplex,) Fiddler on the Roof (CLO). She made her Broadway debut in the revival of Annie Get Your Gun. She holds a BFA from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. Her original musical score for Shakespeare’s The Tempest was first produced by Southwest Shakespeare Company in Arizona and her debut EP, Hypnerotomachia, is available on all platforms.

Ryan Socrates (Percussion) is a percussionist, drummer, and producer. Notable achievements include playing for the Henry Mancini Institute in LA, recording and touring with rising singer/songwriter Joy Ike, and co-leading his group Trio+. Locally, he is an in-demand live and session drummer with Pittsburgh acts and singer-songwriters like the Jazz Conspiracy, Bindley Hardware Co, and Quantum Theater. Ryan has lectured and led ensembles at Slippery Rock University, Duquesne University, and the PA Governor’s School for the Arts.

Dan Miller (Upright Bass) is a bassist/cellist native to Pittsburgh, PA. He studied music at Edinboro and Duquesne Universities and has been performing regularly with local orchestras, musical theater, folk, bluegrass, jazz, and rock groups for the past 20 years. Currently, Dan can be found performing with The Washington PA Symphony Orchestra, folk trio The Lost Causes, and rock groups Flock of Walri and Erika June and the Tunes.

New Hazlett Theater Announces 10th Season of Community Supported Art

(Pittsburgh, PA) June 2, 2022— The New Hazlett Theater is thrilled to announce its 10th Season of Community Supported Art (CSA), boasting five premiere performances from Pittsburgh-based artists. Running from October 2022 to April 2023, The New Hazlett CSA Season offers a broad range of performances, including several original plays, a hip-hop performance, a multidisciplinary concert, and a movement-based work.

This year’s CSA Artists represent the many dedicated, multi-faceted theater artists that have kept this industry alive over the past two years,” says Director of Programming Kristin Helfrich. “They are creators and authors, but they are also educators, box office managers, directors. This season is dedicated to these artists who are committed to the live stage. These are their stories.”

Jasmine Roth in a photoshoot with Renee Rosensteel for the New Hazlett’s Season 10 art, directed by Tye Clarke.

2022/2023 Season Lineup:

Somewhere Strange
A musical exploration by Vida Chai
October 13–14, 2022

Perdita
A play about high school, love, and Shakespeare by Nathan Wagner
December 1–2, 2022

IGNITE
A live hip hop experience by Ys1 (Yusef Shelton Da First)
February 16–17, 2023

Painting Lessons
A play with movement by Jasmine Roth
March 23–24, 2023

Morning Reckoning
An 8th-grade fangirl adventure by Kelly Trumbull
April 20–21, 2023

“Watching Brittney Chantele’s A Fire on Venus CSA performance really inspired me by showing me how far you could take the performance of an album,” says CSA Season 10’s first artist, Vida Chai. “I’ve been performing in Pittsburgh and beyond for 10 years and have been longing for the space and resources to fully realize a theatrical performance for a long time.”

Each year the CSA Performance Series supports five emerging Pittsburgh artists as they develop a new work for the New Hazlett stage. The artists selected for the 2022/23 season range from an eclectic musician to an up-and-coming hip-hop sensation to several groundbreaking playwrights. The unpredictability of the past two years inspired some artists to get even more creative than before. CSA Season 10 at the New Hazlett is honored to showcase some of the diamonds formed under the pressures of the pandemic.

“After having several Zoom readings of this play over the course of the pandemic, I believe it is at a place where it needs an audience,” says CSA Season 10 artist Kelly Trumbull. “It is my hope that this isn’t the finished product and the CSA experience will help this piece continue to grow.”

Past CSA contributors include recording artist Brittany Chantele, choreographer Kaylin Horgan, and director/playwright NaTasha Thompson. The New Hazlett Theater’s CSA program provides opportunities for diverse voices to shape the future of theater in Pittsburgh while connecting audiences with fresh productions that challenge their perceptions about what live theater can be.

Early bird season subscriptions are available for purchase on the New Hazlett website. Subscribe before September 1st and receive a free drink ticket for each show! *Must be 21 or older

All shows in CSA Season 10 will be live, onstage at the New Hazlett Theater. Prior to attending, please see the most updated health and safety guidelines. Accessible seating and assistive listening devices are available for all productions. Please email Phoebe Orr with any questions.

###

Download High Res Images for Press

Meet the Artists

Vida Chai is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist committed to brutally honest storytelling. Vida’s influences range from Joni Mitchell to Esperanza Spalding, blending acoustic-folk and neosoul to challenge and inspire listeners. They use their voice to speak difficult truths and help create more understanding and space for queer people.

Nathan Wagner is a Pittsburgh-based theatre artist and long-time lover of stories. He holds a BFA in Theatre from Youngstown State University and writes “weird stuff that is funny or important, or both” with the end goal of fostering empathy, promoting change, and challenging people to think outside the box.

Ys1 (Yusef Shelton Da First) is a Homewood born-and-bred hip-hop artist and a true family man. From humble beginnings without parental guidance, Yusef overcame his circumstances, and transformed his pain into purpose. Yusef found identity in his faith and raps to ignite purpose in the hearts of young Black men, giving them the tools to be authentic.

Jasmine Roth is a generative director-choreographer investigating power, agency, deconstruction, and healing. Jasmine is currently a John Wells Directing Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University where she recently directed workshop productions of Vice Wheels and 차’nt. Her upcoming projects include Dance Nation and an Artist in Residency at the Sable Project. www.jasminenicoleroth.com

Kelly Trumbull is a Pittsburgh-based multi-disciplinary theater artist. Currently, she is a Teaching Artist with the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Pittsburgh, as well as a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Music. Kelly is a proud member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA. www.kellytrumbull.com

Two Unique Explorations of Multicultural Identity Close Out New Hazlett Theater’s 9th Season of Community Supported Art

Pittsburgh, PA – The New Hazlett Theater wraps up the 9th season of Community Supported Art (CSA) with Disassembly, a sci-fi video game in concert, March 17–18 and Papa, a play celebrating Asian-American heritage, April 7–8. While these productions offer vastly different experiences, both center on exploring multicultural identity and American assimilation. The CSA Series provides emerging artists in Pittsburgh with the opportunity to develop new work for the New Hazlett stage.

“We’re proud to know that the work produced at the New Hazlett contributes to the rich cultural fabric of our city,” says Executive Director René Conrad. Director of Programming Kristin Helfrich added, “This season represents the dynamic range of work being created in Pittsburgh by a diverse cohort of artists.”

In Disassembly, an original soundtrack by Feralcat serves as the script for a sci-fi animated drama. This multimedia experience marries a synth-pop/progressive rock/jazz fusion concert with retro video game-influenced animations to tell a compelling new story about finding identity in the midst of oppression. Feralcat’s artistic inspiration and desire to shift away from traditional jazz roots is largely influenced by growing up in a bi-cultural environment (Latinx & American) as a biracial person. Disassembly premieres on Thursday, March 17 at 8 PM and Friday, March 18 at 11 AM & 8 PM.

Papa follows fifteen-year-old Hall Lee as he journeys from the farmlands of rural China to the hills of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Actress, writer, and theatre-maker Bailey Lee employs drama, music, and puppetry to unpack her grandfather’s memories, fantasies, and heartaches. Through the multidisciplinary play, Lee explores her grandfather’s relationship with identity and assimilation as a mirror to her own experience as a third-generation Asian American. Papa premieres on Thursday, April 7 at 8 PM and Friday, April 8 at 11 AM & 8 PM.

Bailey Lee in an interview with David Bernabo

Each year the CSA Performance Series supports five emerging Pittsburgh artists as they develop a new work for the New Hazlett stage. The artists featured in the 2021/22 season range from up-and-coming playwrights to inventive musicians to a sassy Queen with a heart of gold. Past CSA contributors include recording artist Brittany Chantele, choreographer Kaylin Horgan, and director/playwright Tlaloc Rivas. Through the CSA program, the New Hazlett Theater provides opportunities for diverse voices to shape the future of theater and connect audiences with fresh productions that challenge their perceptions about the performing arts.

Disassembly and Papa are both premiering live onstage at the New Hazlett Theater. In order to ensure a safe experience for all audience members, masks, photo ID, and proof of vaccination are required. Prior to attending, please see the most updated health and safety guidelines. Accessible seating and assistive listening devices are available for all productions. Please email Phoebe Orr with any questions.

Tickets are available for purchase on the New Hazlett website and range from $15–$25. Allegheny County library card holders can claim $5 tickets to both Friday matinees through RadPasss.org.

###

Roger Rafael Romero (Feralcat) – is an artist, saxophonist, composer, and producer who strives to shift away from the superficial cannon that currently exists for the saxophone. His compositions reflect his own multicultural background, blending Black American music (BAM) with hardcore punk, prog-metal, and synth-pop. He has performed with Hugo Cruz y Caminos, Afro Yaqui Music Collective, Gavas Beat, Beauty Slap and Sierra Sellers.

Bailey Lee is an actress, writer, and theatre-maker who is thrilled to be creating work for her family’s hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Recent credits include, Blue Marble, devised by her theater collective, The What Co., Prairie produced and performed at Lincoln Center Education, and The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues. Lee is a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

For high-resolution photos or for more information about the artists and the CSA Performance Series, email Phoebe Orr.

Download High Res Images for Press

The New Hazlett Theater staff has been committed to every person’s safety during the filming of each CSA performance and has established safety protocols in consultation with other local theater organizations, health professionals, and with information provided by the CDC and local government.

Here are some of the ways that our artists and crew were protected during the making of this production:

Artists and crew were given lifestyle surveys prior to rehearsal and filming to evaluate risk and prepare mitigation plans.
Artists and crew were asked to self-isolate during the weeks leading up to and during the filming process.
Artists and crew were tested for COVID-19 at regular intervals during the rehearsal and filming process.
Artists and crew were questioned about activities and symptoms each time they entered the building.
All rehearsals were conducted with actors and crew in appropriate PPE provided by New Hazlett Theater in consultation with health professionals.
All production crew was socially distanced throughout the production.
No other individuals were permitted on set during filming.
All singing in the production was pre-recorded with each singer in isolation. No singing was done during the filming of the performance.

For questions and concerns about COVID-19 safety procedures please contact Executive Director, René Conrad at rconrad@newhazletttheater.org

Among many lessons we’ve learned over the last few months, none feels so inspirational as this: Plan B is often as good as – or better than – Plan A. Even while we’ve put our lives on hold, new ways to connect have cropped up to fill the void. Innovative artists are reaching new audiences across the globe, while you watch from the comfort and safety of your home.

Unfortunately we’ve had to leave our beautiful home in the Northside for the time being. We’ve relocated operations to off-site offices in living rooms and at dining room tables. And we refocused on our core promise to you: Nothing’s off the table. No idea is too crazy. Great art can come from that.

In commitment to our artists and our audiences, we’re excited to present the 2021 CSA season in a new digital format. These performances will be free and open to the public, but a donation would be greatly appreciated. The arts – and the artists themselves – are especially challenged today. Help us continue to provide the community support that so many artists in our City rely on.

Check back here for updates on when we’ll be able to welcome you back safely to the New Hazlett Theater.

Pittsburgh, PA— National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $82 million to fund local arts projects across the country in the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2017. Included in this announcement is an Art Works award of $10,000 to the New Hazlett Theater for the next season of their Community Supported Art Performance Series (CSA Performance Series). The NEA received 1,728 Art Works applications and will make 1,029 grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.

“The arts reflect the vision, energy, and talent of America’s artists and arts organizations,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support organizations such as the New Hazlett Theater, in serving their communities by providing excellent and accessible arts experiences.”

The New Hazlett CSA local audiences to the freshest, most original artists in the Pittsburgh area. Based on the Community Supported Agriculture model, the CSA performance series supports local artists in the creation of new work, provides community access to locally created performances, and engages artists with the community in order to build relationships and develop new audiences. Shareholders provide the resources artists need to create professional caliber work. Beyond that, shareholders help support Pittsburgh’s next crop of groundbreaking artists.

“CSA performances can range from deeply personal, intimate stories to innovative new experiences that defy genres,” said René Conrad, executive director of the New Hazlett Theater. “You never quite know what you’re going to get when you come to a CSA performance, but you know it’s always going to be fresh.”

The New Hazlett Theater is among other prestigious Pittsburgh arts organizations to be awarded NEA funding this spring. The NEA award over $115,000 to arts projects in the greater Pittsburgh area. Other local recipients of NEA funding this year include the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, City of Asylum, and Bricolage.

Tickets to the fifth season of the CSA Performance Series are on sale now.

To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, please use #NEASpring17. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, go to www.arts.gov.

by Ben Opie

The piano is a marvelous piece of engineering, elegant in its relative simplicity. It’s mostly a series of simple machines, pulleys and levers. Press a key, a felt covered hammer strikes a high tension length of wire, and sound is produced. Of course that doesn’t begin to describe the wide range of sounds and colors a fine piano is capable of producing, nor does it describe the almost symbiotic relationship that some people develop with this device. It borders on the magical.

Using the keys to create notes is only part of the instrument’s capabilities, as composer and pianist Federico Garcia-De Castro stated to the audience after Thursday’s concert. He argues that the strings and resonant box of the piano, and the performer’s ability to play them, are just as much a part of the instrument as the “traditional” manner of playing it.

The technique of playing inside the piano is credited first to composer Henry Cowell, whose Aeolian Harp was published in the early 1920s. His student John Cage zealously took up the idea with his development of the prepared piano (1940s) in which various objects are inserted between the strings. The result is to place a percussion orchestra under the fingers of a single pianist.

For the first performance in the 2014-15 CSA series, the underlying theme was the range of possibilities for both “inside-outside” duo piano playing. Mr. Garcia-De Castro was joined onstage by Daniel Pesca, a fine pianist originating from the Eastman School. Two pianos were on stage, lids removed and lit from within, in an otherwise stark theater setting.

The concert began with Mr. Garcia-De Castro’s arrangement of Au Convert (At the Convent) by late 19^th century Romanticist Alexander Borodin. Originally a work for solo piano, this arrangement (or reimagining?) of the piece sets each player off the other, each producing notes and sounds in both the traditional method of fingers on keys, and a variety of less traditional techniques directly on the strings themselves. The results dramatically increased the color palette of the two pianos, giving the piece and even more impressionistic feeling than the original.

Following this work was Interference by Simon Eastwood, for two performers on one piano. Rather than the “piano four hands” with both players sitting at one keyboard, in this piece Mr. Pesca played only the keys of the instrument, and Mr. Garcia-De Castro played only on the open strings. Many of the sounds were created by muting the strings with palms of the hands, strongly emphasizing the percussive side of the instrument and recalling John Cage’s prepared piano. A particularly novel effect was to have the string player mute the strings and move his hands along their lengths; when played on the keys, a string of moving harmonics was produced. That effect is easily produced on guitar or bowed strings, but very rarely heard on piano.

The latter portion of the concert was devoted to Federico Garcia-De Castro’s compositions. His Rendering for solo piano was a beautifully (modern) impressionistic work, mercurial in its fleeting ideas. It occurred to me: Borodin, as a latter-19^th century composer, is pushing at the limits of traditional tonality. Garcia-De Castro, as a living composer, writes chromatically and densely at times but is unafraid to “thin out the clouds” and compose passages that arise as being more-or-less tonal in nature. Borodin is on the outside of tonality looking out, Federico is on the outside looking in. It was a treat to here the premiere performance of this work, sympathetically played by Mr. Pesca.

This led to the centerpiece of the concert, the Livre Pour Deux Pianos (Book for Two Pianos). Split into five movements, this work more than any other on the program explored the possibilities of two pianos. At times melodic material was passed from one player to the other. Sometimes the events were short, chopped, and full of silences; at other times, the two pianos created dense polyrhythmic webs of sound. The final movement was dramatic and demonstrated the full dynamic range possible of two pianos played simultaneously. One audience member commented that this movement would have felt at home in a work by Modest Mussorgsky, again recalling late 19^th century Russian Romanticism.

Throughout the concert, the pianists played with both accuracy and passion, on music that was quite difficult at times. The sound in the Hazlett works well with concerts of this nature, and the clarity of the details came through beautifully. The pianists’ efforts were clearly appreciated by those in attendance. It was a great start to a promising CSA season!

Local musician and composer, Ben Opie, sat down with CSA artist Federico Garcia-De Castro to talk music, inspriation, and the creative process.

Do you have a particular process when composing for any instrument or ensemble?

Not exactly a process (each piece and each ensemble is different), but in general I must feel that the piece, or its kernel idea, springs from the instrument(s). And by that I don’t mean anything esoteric, but the directly physical, “mechanic.” For example, tonight, in Rendering, one of the main motives is the quick repetition of notes: five of them, going through the five fingers of the hand.

Do you think of an audience when you compose, or is that relationship separate from work’s development? Likewise, the performers?

Yes, I think of the audience. I am aware that I must make my music worth their time and attention, or at least try. I think of it as a good speech: the points have to be good, and relevant, but the rhetoric also has to be there. I don’t assume my audience is working hard to enjoy my music (or anybody’s, actually;) I must work to entice them. And similarly with the performers: it must be worth their time. It must be challenging and interesting, and require some work; but it must also have some reward for all the work.

Can you describe this work without using any technical/musical terminology?

Speaking of Rendering, look ahead for some pristine moments, very light sonorities and moods; they’re peppered here and there, but in general there’s a nervous undertone, which sometimes gets to flat-out intense. This is true even of the tune in the last section, which surprised me because the tune itself is very pretty and melodic.

About Livre: just enjoy. I mean, I hope you enjoy. The first three chapters are mainly a vehicle to contemplate the amazing resonances, or walls of sound, or different colors of the piano. And the last chapter is a big journey, easy to follow, ending somewhere in a Gothic cathedral. (That’s what it sounds like, it’s not that that’s what I was thinking of ).

What are the particular challenges of composing for two pianos?

Making sure there’s a need for them. One pianist is already very powerful and versatile, it’s not that you just need to put more notes. Simply adding more notes normal textures would just obscure them. In order to have two pianos you need to actually create textures that work in a different way, so that the two performers are needed, but the music is still comprehensible.

Are there special challenges in rehearsing and performing a work for two pianos?

Yes. Pianists are usually solitary performers. When they play with others, a lot of the time it’s in the role of the accompanist, who always accommodates to the soloist, follows, waits. So it’s easy for two pianists to end up just waiting for each other, being very good at following, but not really knowing how to lead.

Does this piece have any non-musical inspirations?

No. Very seldom do I follow inspiration coming from outside music itself. I’ve found that my music has to be designed as music. Also, when I don’t have a musical idea, I prefer to wait for one, rather than force a non-musical one onto a piece.

Is this work a response or reaction to previous two piano compositions by other composers?

Not directly, but check this out: I titled it Livre in reference to Lutoslawski’s Livre pour orchestre, a piece that I love is also in four chapters gravitating around the last one; and that piece was titled after Boulez’s Livre pour cordes. The circle closes because Boulez is also the composer of a seminal two piano piece, the Structures pour deux pianos.

Given the opportunities of the CSA program, what have you prepared especially for tonight’s program?

In addition to Rendering, which was commissioned by the CSA for tonight’s show, the arrangement of Au Couvent was also prepared with this theater in mind. And it has been a lot of fun to work on the visuals, the projections, the lighting, with Katie, Adam, and Isaac. That was all especially designed for tonight.

Flexure, a jazz ensemble that straddles traditional and experimental directions, performs new compositions and improvised pieces – including a multimedia-enriched experience Saturday, January 5 at 8 p.m. in the New Hazlett Theater.

“I wanted to assemble an electric-based ensemble that drew its initial inspiration from the Miles Davis ensembles of the early 1970s,” Ben Opie, the band’s leader, said. “His music at the time was experimental and very dark, but also was founded on rock solid grooves.”

During the performance, the group will be joined by Matt Wellins, who creates computer generated and processed visuals that will spontaneously shift with the flow of the music, adding to the mood and sensory perception of the performance. Materials recorded during the residency will be shaped and edited in the studio and eventually reassembled for release.

The band is comprised of six members including Opie on alto sax and electronics, who has played with Thoth Trio and OPEK, as well as bassist Paul Thompson and drummer David Throckmorton, whose totally improvised drum-and-bass/hip hop group called Beam serves as inspiration for some of Flexure’s sounds. Trumpeter Ian Gordon, guitarist Chris Parker, and percussionist George Jones round out Flexure’s roster. The concert culminates the band’s residency at the Theater from January 3 through 5.

We created a new logo, designed a new hotlist and poster, and use a new font (Myriad Pro, thanks for asking). This gives us a contemporary style that reflects the cool work happening in the Theater. Keep track of our stuff as the new look rolls out.

Keep an eye out around town for our new poster

Meet the Band

New Hazlett Theater Announces 10th Season of Community Supported Art

Meet the Artists

Two Unique Explorations of Multicultural Identity Close Out New Hazlett Theater’s 9th Season of Community Supported Art

Recent News & Updates

Join Our Mailing List