‘Duck for President,’ other stories on stage Feb. 29

The Page Series will bring “Duck for President” and other favorite children’s stories to life Wednesday, Feb. 29.

Beginning at 6:30 p.m., Theatreworks USA will present an all-new musical revue featuring mini-musicals based on the best-selling children’s books “Duck for President,” “Fancy Nancy,” “Pirates Don’t Change Diapers” and more. This is an excellent adventure for families with children in kindergarten through fourth grade.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Read Aloud Day at the library

In cooperation with the Winona Public Library, local celebrities will share their favorite books at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, in the library’s second floor art room. Bring your family and join the fun of Read Aloud Day. Win a chance at tickets to see the Page Series presentation “Duck for President and Other Stories” on Feb. 29.

Terrance Simien kicks off Page Series tonight

The 25th season of the Page Series will kick off with the sweet southern sounds of Louisiana with Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience Friday, Sept. 16, at Saint Mary’s.

The event, set to take the stage at 7:30 p.m., will be held in Page Theatre.

Incorporating his hypnotic blend of Zydeco, New Orleans funk, and reggae-flavored Afro-Caribbean sound, Terrance Simien aims to propel you out of your seat and have you dancing in the aisles.

For more than two decades the Grammy-award winning artist, an eighth-generation Louisiana Creole, has been shattering the myths about what his indigenous Creole Zydeco music is and is not. Leading his Zydeco Experience Band, Simien has become one of the most respected and internationally recognized touring and recording artists in roots music today.

He has performed over 5,000 concerts, toured to over 40 countries and reached at least a million people during his eventful 25-year career. In December of 2009, Disney Pictures released a Pixar animated film, “The Princess & The Frog,” set in New Orleans, which was scored by Randy Newman and features the music of Simien, Terence Blanchard and Dr. John.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students and are available online at www.pagetheatre.org or call the box office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. $10 student rush tickets may be available for some events 20 minutes before curtain.

Saint Mary’s is a fiscal year 2011 recipient of an Institutional Presenter Support grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is funded, in part, by the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on Nov. 4, 2008.

Next Page Series event highlights our nation’s history

The Pushcart Players will present the musical tribute “Let Freedom Ring: America at the Beginning” as part of the Page Series Thursday, March 3.

The robust musical review that celebrates our nation’s birth and development will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Page Theatre.

Audiences will enjoy a history lesson come to life — “Let Freedom Ring” is a compilation of authentic folk songs and vignettes that illustrate significant moments in history.

The play begins with the beginning of time, moving quickly to the arrival of the first Americans from Asia. With the passage of approximately 30,000 years (in under five minutes!), Freedom introduces second Americans who arrive on the Eastern shores in 1620, after a long and arduous journey from England.

Among the new settlers are four main characters —Sam, Sarah, Jennie and Ginny — who transcend time, distance and circumstance to lead us chronologically and geographically through two centuries of our American past. Their journey through the landscape of America includes whistle stops along the way to witness early encounters with Native Americans, disputes with Mother England, the Boston Tea Party, American Revolution, westward expansion, Underground Railroad, Civil War, California Gold Rush and Industrialization.

The finale is a spirited medley of international songs that celebrate the new wave of immigration at the turn of the 20th century.

Nominated for an Emmy for its two prime time specials on CBS, Pushcart Players will be celebrating its 35th year as a touring ensemble.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for seniors and students and are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Saint Mary’s presents Irish dance with Darrah Carr

The Page Series invites the public to celebrate the beauty of traditional Irish step and contemporary modern dance with Darrah Carr Dance Wendesday, March 23.

The fast-paced, spirited dance will begin at 7:30 p.m. on the Page Theatre stage, located in the SMU Performance Center.

Renowned for integrating Irish culture within its choreography, Darrah Carr Dance blends Irish music, step dance footwork, and spatial patterns to create high-energy, rhythmically based work that is accessible to a broad audience.

Artistic Director Darrah Carr calls her style ModERIN: a playful combination of the words modern (dance) and ERIN (an Irish American term of endearment for Ireland).

The evening will include a selection of traditional Irish dance as well as ModERIN works that combines elements of traditional style Irish dance with modern elements.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students and are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Theatre students to perform in London, Ireland

Saint Mary’s theatre majors will stage the highly theatrical disturbing docu-drama “God’s Country” from through Oct. 23 at TARA Studio in London and Nov. 29-30 at Smock Alley Studio Theatre in Ireland.

Written by Steven Dietz, the emotionally gripping plot takes a close look at the shocking history of the white supremacist movement in the USA.

Qualified theatre majors at Saint Mary’s are studying theatre in London, England, this semester through the Stefannié Valéncia Kierlin Theatre in London Program. Under the guidance of Saint Mary’s faculty, the program will include a variety of classes in theatre, as well as courses focusing on broader enrichment. Students will have the unique opportunity to attend numerous performances at London’s West End, Off-West End, and Fringe theatres.

Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc., “God’s Country” is directed by Dr. Gary Diomandes.

Season tickets for Page Series on sale until Sept. 18

Individual tickets for the 2009-2010 Page Series — now in its 23rd season — are now on sale. A full season of performing arts from around the world begins Oct. 2.

New this year, you may still purchase season tickets for the Page Series through Sept. 18 online, by phone, or in person. Purchase tickets for just three events and receive 10 percent off your total ticket cost. Returning subscribers are eligible for a 25 percent discount.

Whether you enjoy classical ballet, Irish music, family-friendly theatre, tap, swing or Canadian folk, the Page Series delivers again this year. Order online at www.pagetheatre.org, by phone at Ext. 1715, or at the box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Season tickets for Page Series on sale until Sept. 18

Individual tickets for the 2009-2010 Page Series — now in its 23rd season — are now on sale. A full season of performing arts from around the world begins Oct. 2.

New this year, you may still purchase season tickets for the Page Series through Sept. 18 online, by phone, or in person. Purchase tickets for just three events and receive 10 percent off your total ticket cost. Returning subscribers are eligible for a 25 percent discount.

Whether you enjoy classical ballet, Irish music, family-friendly theatre, tap, swing or Canadian folk, the Page Series delivers again this year. Order online at www.pagetheatre.org, by phone at Ext. 1715, or at the box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Season tickets for Page Series on sale until Sept. 18

Individual tickets for the 2009-2010 Page Series — now in its 23rd season — are now on sale. A full season of performing arts from around the world begins Oct. 2.

New this year, you may still purchase season tickets for the Page Series through Sept. 18 online, by phone, or in person. Purchase tickets for just three events and receive 10 percent off your total ticket cost. Returning subscribers are eligible for a 25 percent discount.

Whether you enjoy classical ballet, Irish music, family-friendly theatre, tap, swing or Canadian folk, the Page Series delivers again this year. Order online at www.pagetheatre.org, by phone at Ext. 1715, or at the box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Saint Mary’s announces next Page Series season

Danú

Buckets and Tap Shoes

WINONA, Minn. — The 23rd season of the Saint Mary’s University Page Series is once again filled with music, dance, theatre, and family-friendly offerings from around the world! You don’t have to travel far for world-class performances. Season subscriptions go on sale May 18 through July 31 and Aug. 17 through Sept. 18.

Purchase tickets to three or more events to receive these benefits:
• New subscribers: 10 percent off total order
• Returning ’08-’09 subscribers: 25 percent off total order
• Everyone: exchange privileges and guaranteed seating choices

Pre-show Dinners
Select shows have pre-show dinners available. Make your evening an event; enjoy a pre-show dinner — catered by Chartwells — in SMU’s Toner Student Center. Dinners can be purchased when buying your tickets and cost $22 for adults and $14 for children.

The 2009-2010 Page Series

• Oct. 2, 6:30 p.m.
Buckets and Tap Shoes
Adults $12, Seniors and Students $5
Virtuoso percussion and extraordinary tapping by this world-travelled group

• Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m.
Virsky Ukrainian Dance Company
Adults $27, Seniors and Students $25. Student Rush $10
An 80-member traditional folk troupe that leaps, flies, but never stops

• Oct. 23, 6:30 p.m.
In The Heart of The Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre: Beneath The Surface
Adults $12, Seniors and Students $5
A circus of wonderment about our relationship to water

• Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Five By Design: Club Swing
Adults $25, Seniors and Students $20, Student Rush $10
Pre-show dinner available
Where the music’s hot, the drinks are cool, and the legend lives forever

• Jan. 15, 2010, 6:30 p.m.
Underground Railroad Theatre: Are You Ready My Sister
Adults $12, Seniors and Students $5
The story of how Harriet Tubman helped free 300 slaves

• Jan. 26, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Moscow Festival Ballet: Giselle
Adults $27, Seniors and Students $25, Student Rush $10
Preshow dinner available
A classic story told by one of the world’s greatest dance companies

• Feb. 9, 2010, 6:30 p.m.
Théâtre Sans Fil: The Hobbit
Adults $12, Seniors and Students $5
The JRR Tolkien tale of Bilbo Baggins told with large-scale puppets and wonder filled sets

• Feb. 24, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
The Wailin’ Jennys
Adults $25, Seniors and Students $20, Student Rush $10
Sweet harmonies and original music

• March 10, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Danú
Adults $25, Seniors and Students $20, Student Rush $10
Pre-show Irish-style dinner available
Award-winning traditional Irish music from County Waterford

• March 13-14, 2010, 7:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., Figiulo Recital Hall
Ned Kirk
Adults $22, Seniors and Students $18, Student Rush $10
Pianist interprets Beethoven and others

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Call or visit the Performance Center Box Office, Ext. 1715, Monday through Friday. Summer office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., beginning May 11. Or go online to www.pagetheatre.org.

Page Series presents Einstein Alive! March 12

Storyteller Marc Spiegel, channeling Albert Einstein, will prove to audience-goers of all ages that learning is fun on Thursday, March 12, at Saint Mary’s.

The final Page Series event of the season, Einstein Alive! is a one-man show that is both entertaining and educational. Through theater, sing-along songs and audience participation, Spiegel vividly and realistically brings Einstein to life as he takes you on an adventure into the great genius’ mind. Audience members will find themselves laughing while they learn complicated theories, including Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

The show begins at 6:30 p.m. in Page Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students and are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and online at www.pagetheatre.org.

This presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from Minnesota State Arts Board, General Mills Foundation and Land O’Lakes Foundation. The Helen and Sam Kaplan Foundation is providing additional support, and Excel Energy Foundation has supported the school matinee for Einstein Alive!

SMU to host night of Irish music with David Munnelly Band March 5

Audiences are invited to a high-spirited show in celebration of the music and dance of Ireland on Thursday, March 5, at Saint Mary’s University.

Celebrate the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day early with Ireland’s young, multi-award winning David Munnelly Band — hosted through SMU’s Page Series.

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. in Page Theatre. Tickets are $20 for adults and $17 for seniors and students and are available at the Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

The David Munnelly Band is fast becoming one of the most sought-after groups in Irish music. Led by button accordion wizard David Munnelly, who toured with The Chieftains for four years, as well as with DeDanaan and other legendary groups, the band plays with an exuberant style not often duplicated. The group combines button accordion, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, bodhrán and flute for a high-spirited instrumental sound colored with a bit of jazz and ragtime. Munnelly and his band create “pure Irish magic” through their contemporary reinterpretation of the music of the 1920s most widely associated with The Flanagan Brothers.

Page Series offers ‘If You Give a Pig a Pancake’ and other stories Feb. 6

It’s no ordinary pig tale. Audience members will learn why it’s probably poor judgment to give a pig a pancake Friday, Feb. 6, at Saint Mary’s. The Page Series presentation, which begins at 6:30 p.m., features Theatreworks USA in this familiar children’s story where offering a pig syrup leads to baths, baths lead to bubbles, bubbles lead to rubber ducks, and rubber ducks lead to wanting a trip to the farm. This, along with many other favorite kids’ storybooks will come to life on the Page Theatre stage. Stories may include “Diary of a Worm,” “Fluffy the Classroom Guinea Pig,” “Horace & Morris but Mostly Dolores,” “How I Became a Pirate,” “Lilly’s Big Day,” “The Paper Bag Princess” and “Ruby Mae Has Something to Say.”

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org. Excel Energy Foundation is supporting the school matinees of this show.

Page Series offers ‘If You Give a Pig a Pancake’ and other stories Feb. 6

It’s no ordinary pig tale. Audience members will learn why it’s probably poor judgment to give a pig a pancake Friday, Feb. 6, at Saint Mary’s. The Page Series presentation, which begins at 6:30 p.m., features Theatreworks USA in this familiar children’s story where offering a pig syrup leads to baths, baths lead to bubbles, bubbles lead to rubber ducks, and rubber ducks lead to wanting a trip to the farm. This, along with many other favorite kids’ storybooks will come to life on the Page Theatre stage. Stories may include “Diary of a Worm,” “Fluffy the Classroom Guinea Pig,” “Horace & Morris but Mostly Dolores,” “How I Became a Pirate,” “Lilly’s Big Day,” “The Paper Bag Princess” and “Ruby Mae Has Something to Say.”

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Tickets sold out for Acrobats of China

Tickets are sold out for the Acrobats of China presentation Tuesday, Feb. 3. The Page Series event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. will be a night of wonder for the whole family. The Acrobats of China will combine martial arts, spectacular costumes and breathtaking acrobatics.

Although the show is sold out at this time, a few seats may become available the evening of the performance. Patrons still wanting to attend are asked to arrive early to be put on a waiting list. The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. the evening of the show. If any seats do become available, they will be available first come, first served. A waiting list will not be created until the box office opens the evening of the show.

Page Series offers ‘If You Give a Pig a Pancake’ and other stories Feb. 6

It’s no ordinary pig tale. Audience members will learn why it’s probably poor judgment to give a pig a pancake Friday, Feb. 6, at Saint Mary’s. The Page Series presentation, which begins at 6:30 p.m., features Theatreworks USA in this familiar children’s story where offering a pig syrup leads to baths, baths lead to bubbles, bubbles lead to rubber ducks, and rubber ducks lead to wanting a trip to the farm. This, along with many other favorite kids’ storybooks will come to life on the Page Theatre stage. Stories may include “Diary of a Worm,” “Fluffy the Classroom Guinea Pig,” “Horace & Morris but Mostly Dolores,” “How I Became a Pirate,” “Lilly’s Big Day,” “The Paper Bag Princess” and “Ruby Mae Has Something to Say.”

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Tickets sold out for Acrobats of China

Tickets are sold out for the Acrobats of China presentation Tuesday, Feb. 3. The Page Series event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. will be a night of wonder for the whole family. The Acrobats of China will combine martial arts, spectacular costumes and breathtaking acrobatics. In this long-established Chinese tradition, every-day objects become tools to showcase the skills of the jugglers, spinners, and acrobats of this present-day troupe.

Although the show is sold out at this time, a few seats may become available the evening of the performance. Patrons still wanting to attend are asked to arrive early to be put on a waiting list. The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. the evening of the show. If any seats do become available, they will be available first come, first served. A waiting list will not be created until the box office opens the evening of the show.

Russian National Ballet to stage ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Jan. 27

The classic fairytale “Sleeping Beauty,” a full-length ballet in three acts, will be performed by the Russian National Ballet Theatre Tuesday, Jan. 27, at Page Theatre.

“Sleeping Beauty,” a crowning jewel of choreographer Marius Petipa’s career, is often considered the finest achievement of classical ballet. Good will triumph over evil beginning at 7:30 p.m. Audiences will enjoy a lavish theatrical set, complete with magical effects and courtly splendor.

Pyotr IIyich Tchiakovsky was delighted with the invitation to write the music for a ballet based on Charles Perrault's well-known fairytale. A baby princess, condemned at her christening by an evil fairy to prick her finger and die on her 16th birthday, is saved by the gift of the good Lilac Fairy, who declares the princess will only sleep until awakened by the kiss of a prince. The fairytale, replete with a king and queen, fairies both good and evil, a beautiful princess and dream prince, lent itself perfectly to the full evening ballet that was Petipa's pride.

The Russian National Ballet Theatre, formerly known as the Soviet National Ballet, was founded in Moscow by graduates from the Russian Choreographic schools of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Perm in the transitional period of Perestroika in the late 1980s. This was a time when many of the great dancers and choreographers of the Soviet Union’s ballet institutions were exercising their new-found creative freedom by starting new, vibrant companies — dedicated not only to the timeless tradition of classical Russian Ballet but to invigorating this tradition as the Russians began to accept new developments in dance from around the world.

In 1994, the legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Sergei Radchenko was selected by Presidential decree to assume the first permanent artistic directorship of the company.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students and are available at the Box Office Ext. 1715 or online at www.pagetheatre.org. Pre-show dinners are available at $20 for adults or $12 for youth.

Family entertainer Red Grammer will perform Jan. 13

Grammy-nominated family entertainer Red Grammer will bebop his way onto the Page Theatre stage at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13.

With a playful, good-natured character, Grammer is a young-at-heart, premier entertainer of children and families. Parents Magazine has described Red as “the best voice in children’s music.” Having been featured on “The Today Show,” “CBS This Morning,” Nickelodeon, Showtime, PBS, and his own Disney Channel concert special, Grammer is practiced in lifting the spirits of families across the United States. He has set the gold standard for writing and performing music that playfully reconnects each one of us with the best in ourselves.

Tickets for the Page Series performance are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and are available by calling the Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

This presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from the Minnesota Arts Board, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation.

Saint Mary’s hosts pianist George Winston Dec. 19

Solo pianist George Winston will fill the Page Theatre with the sounds of the transcendent beauty of nature and the changing seasons, as well as a tribute to New Orleans musicians on Friday, Dec. 19.

His 7:30 p.m. performance, part of the Page Series, will also draw attention to the Winona Volunteer Services Food Shelf. A food drive is held at all of Winston’s concerts. Attendees are asked to bring canned goods and nonperishable food to the show; drop-off areas will be set up in the lobby.

Winston, best known for his melodic rural folk piano style, will play selections from his latest CD, “Gulf Coast Blues and Impressions — A Hurricane Relief Benefit,” as well as from his melodic seasonal recordings including “December” and “Winter Into Spring.” Winston has performed more than 2,500 concert dates, with more than 3 million tickets sold.

Tickets for the Page Theatre performance are $25, $20 for seniors and students, and are available by calling the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Family entertainer Red Grammer will perform Jan. 13

Grammy-nominated family entertainer Red Grammer will bebop his way onto the Page Theatre stage at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13.

With a playful, good-natured character, Grammer is a young-at-heart, premier entertainer of children and families. Parents Magazine has described Red as “the best voice in children’s music.” Having been featured on “The Today Show,” “CBS This Morning,” Nickelodeon, Showtime, PBS, and his own Disney Channel concert special, Grammer is practiced in lifting the spirits of families across the United States. He has set the gold standard for writing and performing music that playfully reconnects each one of us with the best in ourselves.

Tickets for the Page Series performance are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and are available by calling the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

This presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from the Minnesota Arts Board, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation.