2009-2010 A World of Music, Dance, Theatre & Performance
With the Field Trip Series (FTS) it is our intent to offer the best artists
in music, dance, and theatre to our youth of the region. The Series, designed with a multicultural
focus, is based on the premise that the arts are as important and necessary to the learning process
as other traditional subjects. It is our hope that educators will find ways to incorporate McCallum
performance experiences with the core curriculum.
FTS performances are offered at no cost to schools and students
thanks to generous underwriting from individual donors, foundations
and municipalities.
Registration begins August 31
Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company
Mon, September 14, 2009, 9:30am & 11:30am
Recommended Grades: K-12
This magnificent artistic group brings to the stage a kaleidoscope treat for both the eyes and ears. Get ready for some fast-paced fun. This show is about speed and color. About dancing with joyful abandon. In embracing the riches of its native Ukraine, dancers impress with their finesse, athleticism and razor-sharp formations. The men bounce from deep-knee bends into one-handed back flips and cartwheels, low-barrel turns and high-barrel turns in a demonstration of camaraderie. While break dancing may have begun to flourish on American city streets in the 1980s, it was a staple of folk cultures for centuries. The women are equally alluring. They are gorgeous, delicate and graceful. Incredible costuming, containing every color of the prism, reveals Ukraine’s cultural diversity and changes according to the region of the dance being performed. Virsky communicates Ukrainian culture with athleticism, humor and uninhibited joy generating a thrill that is hard to beat.
Big Drum/Small World: Jazzreach
Tue, October 20, 2009, 9:30am & 11:00am
Recommended Grades: K-6
JazzReach’s acclaimed resident ensemble, Metta Quintet, returns to the McCallum Theatre with the premier of Big Drum/Small World. This immersive, globally themed multi-media program features performances of all new commissions by prominent, internationally recognized jazz composers, hailing from countries as diverse as West Africa, Israel, Cuba, Iraq, Puerto Rico, India, Spain, Brazil, China and the United States. Enhanced by captivating video projections and lighting design, this program will celebrate and promote the globalization of jazz and creative collaboration. Since its inception, jazz has always been an inclusive, unifying art form that has vividly reflected our collective national character and diverse cultural dynamism. In keeping with this tradition, Big Drum/Small World aspires to illuminate how jazz continues to unite us and exemplify our increasingly interdependent world.
Strega Nona: Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences
Thu, October 22, 2009, 9:30am & 11:00am
Recommended Grades: K-4
Based on the children’s books by celebrated author/illustrator, Tomie dePaola, Strega Nona is the musical tale of a friendly magical Italian grandmother — with a funny name — who is the source for potions, cures, magic and comfort in her tiny Italian town of Calabria. The baker has bunions (“As big as an onion”), his daughter wishes for witchery, and the local single ladies are always unlucky in love. The town faces real problems when a local lug named Big Anthony sneaks a peek at Strega Nona’s magic book and uses her magical ways for selfish means. When Big Anthony fools with the magic pasta pot, and can’t figure out how to turn it off, pasta threatens to engulf the whole town — unless Strega Nona can save the day. With an energetic and tuneful score by composer Aron Accurso, this fantastical tale teaches that witches can be good, and that you can’t judge a pot by its pasta!
The Hobbit: Théâtre Sans Fil
Tue, October 27, 2009, 9:30am & 11:00am
Recommended Grades: 3-12
Tolkien’s vivid fantasy world comes to life in this enchanting theatrical piece created and performed by Théâtre Sans Fil. The journey begins when Bilbo Baggins, a perfectly respectable hobbit, with furry feet and a quiet routine life, receives unexpected guests one day: thirteen hungry, thirsty dwarfs and a great wizard named Gandalf. The dwarfs convince Bilbo to help them steal a treasure from Smaug, the dragon who has stolen the treasure from the dwarfs a hundred years before. As they journey through the forests and mountains, Bilbo, Gandalf and the dwarfs meet huge trolls, beautiful elves, giant spiders and finally Smaug, the dragon. With the help of a mysterious magic ring and his own Hobbit sense, Bilbo manages to not only return the treasure to its rightful owners, but at the same time restore peace. The 48 life-size puppets that assume a life and motion that is supra-human are manipulated in the Japanese Bunraku style by puppeteers cloaked in black. Théâtre Sans Fil’s highly successful adaptation of this award-winning Tolkien fantasy has received standing ovations throughout the world.
Jason & the Argonauts: Visible Fictions
Tue, November 24, 2009, 9:00am & 11:30am
Recommended Grades: 3-8
Award winning Visible Fictions, one of the UK’s leading theatre companies, presents a brand new version of an ancient Greek myth. Two actors, one hour, and one golden fleece set the stage for a great adventure of romance, destiny, heroism and revenge. Jason’s uncle isn’t exactly lovable…he’s murdered his brother (the king) and stolen the kingdom and now nobody dares stand up to him. Things are about to get a major shakeup though because Jason is BACK! After being banished as a baby, our wannabe hero returns to claim his rightful throne and make some big changes. However, in ancient times nothing is that straightforward. Jason and his crew must sail on The Argo to the other side of the world to find the Golden Fleece and bring it back in order to unite the people again. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, the odd monster, sleeping dragon and clashing rock endeavor to ruin his trip and spice things up on this most fantastic of journeys!
Most Valuable Player: Dallas Children’s Theater
Mon, January 11, 2010, 9:30am & 11:30am
Recommended Grades: 4-12
Ebbet’s Field, Brooklyn, New York, 1947. . . Before a crowd of 26,623 Americans, an Africa American baseball player suits up in a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform and takes second base. On that day, despite hisses, walkouts and even death threats, Jackie Robinson heroically breaks the “color” barrier for the National Baseball League and forever changes the world of sports! In celebration of the indomitable human spirit, Dallas Children’s Theater presents the real life drama Most Valuable Player, the story of Jackie Robinson. This compelling drama focuses on Robinson’s personal sacrifices and triumphs as he ventures beyond the Negro League to integrate baseball without violence. Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey recruited Robinson challenging him to “have the guts to not fight back … can you conquer the enemy of prejudice with the strength of your spirit?” Jackie Robinson serves as an inspirational source of strength, persistence and the unlimited potential of all humanity. For anyone who loves baseball or American history, for anyone who loves a good story about an underdog who becomes a winner, Most Valuable Player is a “grand slam” hit about a true American hero.
The Incredible Speediness of Jamie Cavanaugh: Roseneath Theatre
Tue, March 30, 2010, 9:30am & 11:30am
Recommended Grades: 3-8
Jamie Cavanaugh has a problem. She’s different. Everyone says she’s going too fast. “Slow down!” say her parents. “Pay attention!” say her teachers; but Jamie just can’t calm down. She practically lives in the principal’s office. Perhaps her ‘speediness’ is not a problem; maybe it’s a super power that she can use to defend her friend Max against the school bully, Rock. Nope; she’s in more trouble than ever! Fortunately help arrives when a school nurse sends Jamie to a doctor and she is diagnosed as having Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The Incredible Speediness of Jamie Cavanaugh explores, with humor, insight and compassion, the hurt and confusion of being different when you can’t help it and the power of facing up to your problems even when others don’t seem to understand. The champion in this play is a positive role model for young people with ADHD in a remarkable play that will promote greater empathy and understanding around learning disabilities among teachers and students alike.
Viva Las Americas! Ballet Hispanico
Tue, April 13, 2010, 9:30am & 11:00am
Recommended Grades: K-12
Since its inception, Ballet Hispanico has roused audiences worldwide with its magnetic energy and vivacious choreography. Their works fuse Latin dance with elements of classical and contemporary forms to create a new sphere of concert dance in which theatricality and passion propel every move. Company members come from all parts of the world, including Puerto Rico, Columbia, Jamaica, Taiwan, Israel, Canada and the United States. Many of the dances have a history of being used in community celebrations and special ceremonies and are specific to the different countries in Latin America. Viva Las Americas! traces the evolution of Latin American and Caribbean dance forms along with their accompanying music and social customs. The result is an unconventional and entertaining insight into Latin Culture.
LehrerDance, under the direction of Jon Lehrer, is an inspiring and innovative internationally renowned contemporary dance company based in Buffalo, New York. This gravity defying group of eight dancers and a single choreographer offers a jazz, modern, gymnastics, break-dancing and circus style of movement that is simply breathtaking. Experience one of Lehrer’s most astute pieces, Loose Canon, which plays off Palchelbel’s “Canon in D Major” as a cry for liberation. A light dance piece, both strong and funny, expands into a feast of body contortions. In A Ritual Dynamic the dancers snap into action like rubber bands pulled to the max, launching their bodies into flight aimed seemingly into thin air. Then, miraculously, another body materializes from the ether of moving space. They hit their human targets mid-flight, cradle in each other’s arrested motion for one luxurious moment, and move on. It is a piece that repeatedly has audiences jumping to their feet in thunderous applause. Jon’s extensive background in both the modern and jazz dance idioms fosters choreography that is organic, artistic, accessible and often humorous, reflecting life experience and the human condition. The company’s trademark, high-risk partnering and athletic ingenuity, keeps audiences enthralled and on the edge of their seats. Jon Lehrer of LehrerDance, is winner of the Grand Prize and Paid Engagement Awards at the 2008 Dance Under The Stars Choreography Festival.
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Kristine Pappone
Field Trip Series Coordinator
Phone: (760) 346-6505, Ext. 143
Fax: (760) 776-6197
E-mail: kpappone@mccallum-theatre.org
McCallum Theatre Institute
73000 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92260
Funding for the Field Trip Series is provided in part by the City of
Palm Desert, City of Rancho Mirgage, City of Indian Wells and Palm Springs Friends of Philharmonic.
To reserve seats for a performance, you must use the FTS
attendance form.
Please make copies of this form and use one separate form per performance
that you wish to attend. To the extent possible, coordinate your attendance
with other educators at your school site. Completed forms can be
faxed or mailed to the Theatre.
Seating is arranged on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend
that you make your reservations early as we cannot guarantee availability.
It is also advised that you secure transportation prior to submitting
attendance
form. Teachers/schools are responsible for arranging and paying
for transportation to and from the Theatre.
Upon receipt of your completed attendance form, we will email a confirmation letter to the contact
person at your school regarding the status of your request.
Tickets are not issued for FTS performances. Upon arrival at the Theatre,
you will be seated by McCallum ushers.
We strongly suggest a review of theatre etiquette with students prior
to performances.
The Field Trip Series is subject to change at any time. Updates will
be posted.
Copyright 2007,
McCallum Theatre. All rights reserved. Site design by Van
Vechten Creative
Copyright 2007,
McCallum Theatre. All rights reserved. Site design by Van
Vechten Creative
This magnificent artistic group brings to the stage a kaleidoscope treat for both the eyes and ears. Get ready for some fast-paced fun. This show is about speed and color. About dancing with joyful abandon. In embracing the riches of its native Ukraine, dancers impress with their finesse, athleticism and razor-sharp formations. The men bounce from deep-knee bends into one-handed back flips and cartwheels, low-barrel turns and high-barrel turns in a demonstration of camaraderie. While break dancing may have begun to flourish on American city streets in the 1980s, it was a staple of folk cultures for centuries. The women are equally alluring. They are gorgeous, delicate and graceful. Incredible costuming, containing every color of the prism, reveals Ukraine’s cultural diversity and changes according to the region of the dance being performed. Virsky communicates Ukrainian culture with athleticism, humor and uninhibited joy generating a thrill that is hard to beat. 
JazzReach’s acclaimed resident ensemble, Metta Quintet, returns to the McCallum Theatre with the premier of Big Drum/Small World. This immersive, globally themed multi-media program features performances of all new commissions by prominent, internationally recognized jazz composers, hailing from countries as diverse as West Africa, Israel, Cuba, Iraq, Puerto Rico, India, Spain, Brazil, China and the United States. Enhanced by captivating video projections and lighting design, this program will celebrate and promote the globalization of jazz and creative collaboration. Since its inception, jazz has always been an inclusive, unifying art form that has vividly reflected our collective national character and diverse cultural dynamism. In keeping with this tradition, Big Drum/Small World aspires to illuminate how jazz continues to unite us and exemplify our increasingly interdependent world.
Based on the children’s books by celebrated author/illustrator, Tomie dePaola, Strega Nona is the musical tale of a friendly magical Italian grandmother — with a funny name — who is the source for potions, cures, magic and comfort in her tiny Italian town of Calabria. The baker has bunions (“As big as an onion”), his daughter wishes for witchery, and the local single ladies are always unlucky in love. The town faces real problems when a local lug named Big Anthony sneaks a peek at Strega Nona’s magic book and uses her magical ways for selfish means. When Big Anthony fools with the magic pasta pot, and can’t figure out how to turn it off, pasta threatens to engulf the whole town — unless Strega Nona can save the day. With an energetic and tuneful score by composer Aron Accurso, this fantastical tale teaches that witches can be good, and that you can’t judge a pot by its pasta!
Tolkien’s vivid fantasy world comes to life in this enchanting theatrical piece created and performed by Théâtre Sans Fil. The journey begins when Bilbo Baggins, a perfectly respectable hobbit, with furry feet and a quiet routine life, receives unexpected guests one day: thirteen hungry, thirsty dwarfs and a great wizard named Gandalf. The dwarfs convince Bilbo to help them steal a treasure from Smaug, the dragon who has stolen the treasure from the dwarfs a hundred years before. As they journey through the forests and mountains, Bilbo, Gandalf and the dwarfs meet huge trolls, beautiful elves, giant spiders and finally Smaug, the dragon. With the help of a mysterious magic ring and his own Hobbit sense, Bilbo manages to not only return the treasure to its rightful owners, but at the same time restore peace. The 48 life-size puppets that assume a life and motion that is supra-human are manipulated in the Japanese Bunraku style by puppeteers cloaked in black. Théâtre Sans Fil’s highly successful adaptation of this award-winning Tolkien fantasy has received standing ovations throughout the world.
Award winning Visible Fictions, one of the UK’s leading theatre companies, presents a brand new version of an ancient Greek myth. Two actors, one hour, and one golden fleece set the stage for a great adventure of romance, destiny, heroism and revenge. Jason’s uncle isn’t exactly lovable…he’s murdered his brother (the king) and stolen the kingdom and now nobody dares stand up to him. Things are about to get a major shakeup though because Jason is BACK! After being banished as a baby, our wannabe hero returns to claim his rightful throne and make some big changes. However, in ancient times nothing is that straightforward. Jason and his crew must sail on The Argo to the other side of the world to find the Golden Fleece and bring it back in order to unite the people again. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, the odd monster, sleeping dragon and clashing rock endeavor to ruin his trip and spice things up on this most fantastic of journeys!
Ebbet’s Field, Brooklyn, New York, 1947. . . Before a crowd of 26,623 Americans, an Africa American baseball player suits up in a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform and takes second base. On that day, despite hisses, walkouts and even death threats, Jackie Robinson heroically breaks the “color” barrier for the National Baseball League and forever changes the world of sports! In celebration of the indomitable human spirit, Dallas Children’s Theater presents the real life drama Most Valuable Player, the story of Jackie Robinson. This compelling drama focuses on Robinson’s personal sacrifices and triumphs as he ventures beyond the Negro League to integrate baseball without violence. Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey recruited Robinson challenging him to “have the guts to not fight back … can you conquer the enemy of prejudice with the strength of your spirit?” Jackie Robinson serves as an inspirational source of strength, persistence and the unlimited potential of all humanity. For anyone who loves baseball or American history, for anyone who loves a good story about an underdog who becomes a winner, Most Valuable Player is a “grand slam” hit about a true American hero.
Jamie Cavanaugh has a problem. She’s different. Everyone says she’s going too fast. “Slow down!” say her parents. “Pay attention!” say her teachers; but Jamie just can’t calm down. She practically lives in the principal’s office. Perhaps her ‘speediness’ is not a problem; maybe it’s a super power that she can use to defend her friend Max against the school bully, Rock. Nope; she’s in more trouble than ever! Fortunately help arrives when a school nurse sends Jamie to a doctor and she is diagnosed as having Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The Incredible Speediness of Jamie Cavanaugh explores, with humor, insight and compassion, the hurt and confusion of being different when you can’t help it and the power of facing up to your problems even when others don’t seem to understand. The champion in this play is a positive role model for young people with ADHD in a remarkable play that will promote greater empathy and understanding around learning disabilities among teachers and students alike.
Since its inception, Ballet Hispanico has roused audiences worldwide with its magnetic energy and vivacious choreography. Their works fuse Latin dance with elements of classical and contemporary forms to create a new sphere of concert dance in which theatricality and passion propel every move. Company members come from all parts of the world, including Puerto Rico, Columbia, Jamaica, Taiwan, Israel, Canada and the United States. Many of the dances have a history of being used in community celebrations and special ceremonies and are specific to the different countries in Latin America. Viva Las Americas! traces the evolution of Latin American and Caribbean dance forms along with their accompanying music and social customs. The result is an unconventional and entertaining insight into Latin Culture.
LehrerDance, under the direction of Jon Lehrer, is an inspiring and innovative internationally renowned contemporary dance company based in Buffalo, New York. This gravity defying group of eight dancers and a single choreographer offers a jazz, modern, gymnastics, break-dancing and circus style of movement that is simply breathtaking. Experience one of Lehrer’s most astute pieces, Loose Canon, which plays off Palchelbel’s “Canon in D Major” as a cry for liberation. A light dance piece, both strong and funny, expands into a feast of body contortions. In A Ritual Dynamic the dancers snap into action like rubber bands pulled to the max, launching their bodies into flight aimed seemingly into thin air. Then, miraculously, another body materializes from the ether of moving space. They hit their human targets mid-flight, cradle in each other’s arrested motion for one luxurious moment, and move on. It is a piece that repeatedly has audiences jumping to their feet in thunderous applause. Jon’s extensive background in both the modern and jazz dance idioms fosters choreography that is organic, artistic, accessible and often humorous, reflecting life experience and the human condition. The company’s trademark, high-risk partnering and athletic ingenuity, keeps audiences enthralled and on the edge of their seats. Jon Lehrer of LehrerDance, is winner of the Grand Prize and Paid Engagement Awards at the 2008 Dance Under The Stars Choreography Festival.
