The Mason Festival of the Arts
June 12-29, 2008
Ticketed Events and Programs:
Tickets go on sale in February
Theater of the First Amendment
Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías
Opens June 12 in the Harris Theater
How far will we go to free our creativity?
Mariela and José were once the golden couple of the Mexican artists’ inner-circle. Together they built a family and an artist colony to host friends Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Rufino Tamayo. But now their daughter has grown and run away, their friends are too famous to call, and artistic inspiration has been strangled by isolation and lies. Set in the Northern Mexican desert in 1950, Mariela in the Desert is a deadly mystery – a layered yet profoundly honest story of what happens to a family when creativity is forced to dry and wither away.
Thur, June 12 at 8pm
Sat, June 14 at 2pm & 8pm
Sun, June 15 at 2pm
Wed, June 18 at 8pm
Fri, June 20 at 8pm
Sat, June 21 at 8pm
Sun, June 22 at 4pm
Thu, June 26 at 8pm
Fri, June 27 at 8pm
Sat, June 28 at 2pm & 8pm
Sun, June 29 at 2pm
$30 / $25
Theater of the First Amendment
Two-Bit Taj Mahal by Paul D’Andrea
Opens June 13 in TheaterSpace
Clay Bayliss is a dangerous bully and a brute, until he meets Sally Faye Redmond. Just as their incendiary love affair produces something magical, their small Missouri town votes to kill him. But to what end? Inspired by the true story of a still unsolved FBI case.
Paul D'Andrea's work — including such plays as The Einstein Project, Nathan the Wise and The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay — has been a mainstay of TFA's history.
Contains adult themes.
Fri, June 13 at 8pm
Sat, June 14 at 2pm & 8pm
Sun, June 15 at 2pm & 7pm
Thur, June 19 at 8pm
Fri, June 20 at 8pm
Sat, June 21 at 2pm & 8pm
Sun, June 22 at 1pm
Wed, June 25 at 8pm
Fri, June 27 at 8pm
Sat, June 28 at 2pm & 8pm
Sun, June 29 at 2pm
$30 / $25
The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Dream of America
Saturday, June 14 at 8pm in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall
The FSO teams up with TFA for the musical culmination of the year-long Harmony project – Celebrating Our Heritage through the Arts. The program includes James Beckel’s Liberty for All, combining stirring orchestral music with the inspirational words of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Kennedy, followed by Leonard Bernstein’s exploration of racism and the immigrant experience in New York in the ‘50’s, with Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. The evening concludes with Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America, celebrating the immigrant experience and the American dream through powerful symphonic music, historic images and spoken word performances from the Ellis Island Oral History Project. A multi-disciplinary celebration of America!
$45 / $35 / $25 / $15
Family focused performance.
GMU Opera
Love’s Comedy
A concert performance of a world premiere opera.
Music composition by Kim D. Sherman, libretto by Rick Davis.
Based on the play by Henrik Ibsen
Saturday, June 21 at 8pm in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall
First explored in last season’s Vision Series at Mason, this two-act opera will receive its first complete performance in this unique concert-style presentation, featuring professional, student and community opera singers. Love’s Comedy is Ibsen’s exploration of the gap between romantic ideals and the facts of love and marriage in the real world. Soaring melodies, witty choruses, and a timeless story are the hallmarks of this world premiere operatic event.
$30 / $20
The Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra
Sunday, June 22 at 7pm in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall
Under the direction of Jim Carroll, Met Jazz blends the top Big Band Jazz musicians from the region with the best of Mason’s faculty and students. Followed by the Jazz Club in the Grand Tier for a modest additional charge of $10.
$35 / $25
Fairfax Choral Society presents:
Hollywood Goes Choral III
Saturday, June 28 at 8:00pm in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall
 Experience the music of film favorites like you have never heard it before! Back by popular demand, FCS presents choral classics from the cinema performed live by our Adult Chorus and full orchestra. Featuring music and scenes from Harry Potter, Star Wars Episode I, Amistad, Saving Private Ryan and more, this multimedia production highlights how music enhances and deepens our emotional experience of the movies. Join FCS as we bring movie music to life!
$35 / $25
Family focused performance.
The World Children’s Choir
Sunday, June 29 at 2:00PM in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall
One of our Festival closing events, we celebrate a regional organization with an international flavor. The WCC’s program gives voice to the interests of all children, celebrating cultural diversity through music, promoting positive international relations, and asking people to work together to create a peaceful, healthy world for children. Through singing, WCC members explore musical content, and use music, art, and special pre-show activities to mediate cross-cultural differences and become peacemakers.
$15 / $10
Family focused performance.
The Mason Film Festival
Weekends throughout the festival in the Johnson Center Cinema
Independent films by the region’s best young filmmakers are offered right next door to the Center for the Arts in the Johnson Center. Short narrative and documentary films are scheduled between theater and concert events, providing brief, provocative, sometimes enlightening views of our world through the camera’s eye. Cheap admission and free popcorn! Check the web site for updates and showtimes.
Free Events and Programs
Community Arts Weekend
Saturday and Sunday, June 14 & 15
It’s all about the local artists! These day-long events will feature outdoor live performances, exhibitors’ booths, art for sale, food vendors, creative workshops for kids, and TFA’s First Light student programs. Be surprised and delighted when a ten-minute play suddenly begins nearby in unexpected locales.
Family focused performance.
Theater of the First Amendment
First Light Discovery Program – Student Plays
Saturday, June 14 at 11:00am and 4:30pm in the Black Box Theater.
Our playwriting competition and mentorship program unites student, community and professional playwrights with actors, directors and dramaturgs in the creation of new work. A staged reading of the winning play from our area high school competition will be presented at 11am. The winning play by a Mason playwright will be read at 4:30. Each reading is followed by a discussion between playwright and audience.
Theater of the First Amendment, with OLLI & AFYP
The Generations Playwriting Project
Sunday, June 15 at 5:00pm in TheaterSpace
Senior citizen writers from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) team up with the best young playwrights of Acting for Young People’s (AFYP) Summer Arts Camp playwriting classes to create ten-minute plays about each others’ generation. Staged readings of the final product are sure to charm audiences of all ages.
Family focused performance.
Theater of the First Amendment
First Light Discovery Program – Professional plays
Saturday, June 21 at 10:00am & 4:30 pm in the Black Box Theater
Our play development program continues with work by two professional playwrights. Staged readings culminate a week-long development process involving writer, director, dramaturg and cast. The benchmark of TFA’s mission, this program truly provides playwrights the resources to create new work. Each reading is followed by a discussion between playwright and audience.
The Potomac Music Academy
The Potomac String Connections Orchestra Concert
Saturday, June 21 at 2:00pm in the Harris Theater
The final presentation of young musicians from the Potomac Music Academy Strings Camp perform. Free and open to all audiences.
Family focused performance.
The Potomac Academy Jazz Concert
Friday, June 27 at 1:30pm in the Concert Hall
The final presentation of young musicians from the Potomac Music Academy Jazz Camp perform. Free and open to all audiences.
Family focused performance.
Acting For Young People
Advanced Actors Showcase Final Performance
Friday, June 27 at 3:00pm in TheaterSpace.
The final presentation of young actors from the AFYP Summer Arts Camp perform. Free and open to all audiences.
Family focused performance.
Festival Café
Fridays through Sundays, 4:00PM – 7:00PM in the Concert Hall lobby
Here’s your chance to rest, purchase a snack and a beverage, and meet up with family and friends to discuss the day’s events. Sit at a café table and enjoy live entertainment on the Spotlight Stage, an art exhibit, and lively discussion.
Camps, Classes and Workshops
The Potomac Music Academy offers music camps for strings, piano and jazz during the Mason Festival of the Arts. Please visit www.gmu.edu/departments/music/potomac for information on schedules, tuition, and requirements.
A Class Act – Acting for Young People and Adults (AFYP) offers a theater program for young actors during the Mason Festival of the Arts, followed by week-long camps for ages 5 – 17 throughout July. Please visit www.actingforyoungpeople.com for information on schedules, tuition, and requirements.
A Touch of Class
Arts classes and workshops in dance, theater, crafts and more will be scheduled throughout the Festival to coincide with weekend performances more suited for adults. For a small fee, children may be left in a safe, creative environment while you enjoy a show.
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