CONTACT Tim Dunn (714) 556-2122 x4209, TDunn@SCFTA.org Images: SCFTA.org/media RELEASE DATE Off Center Festival 2019: Adventurous and Altogether Outrageous HEAR WORD! Naija Woman Talk True Flaco Navaja Evolution of a Sonero Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra No Place to Go January 10 26, 2019 Tickets are $25, on sale now COSTA MESA, CA Segerstrom Center s annual Off Center Festival returns January 10 26, 2019 for another audacious line-up of three bold and contemporary productions making their Festival debuts. The powerful and evocative performance piece HEAR WORD! Naija Woman Talk True opens the Festival telling the real stories of Nigerian women and their obstacles with an all-female company. Then acclaimed Latinx artist Flaco Navaja presents his first full-length solo show Evolution of a Sonero. Closing the festival is Obie Award-winner Ethan Lipton and His Orchestra with their Vaudeville-esque musical show No Place to Go a refreshingly poignant ode to the unemployed. With a diverse blend of music and theater, all three productions are sure to provide an adventurous start to the New Year! The popular Off Center Lounge will be open late each evening in the lively George s Café on the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza. Center President Terrence W. Dwyer said, Our Off Center Festival invites audiences to expect the unexpected. This year s three Festival productions are theatrical, entertaining, and at times provocative. And I invite everyone to stop by our Off Center Lounge at George s Café before and after all productions.
Off Center Festival 2019 NEWS 2/5 Have a bite to eat, meet and greet our artists and enjoy spirited discussions about Festival productions, news of the day and their careers. All tickets are $25 and are on sale now at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. Off Center programs are recommended for mature audiences. HEAR WORD! Naija Woman Talk True Thursday Saturday - January 10, 11 & 12 at 8:00 p.m. Directed by Ifeoma Fafunwa Produced by iopeneye Ltd HEAR WORD! is an exhilarating performance piece that combines artistry, social commentary and true-life stories of inequality and transformation, delivered by some of Nigeria s most talented actresses. Hear word is Nigerian Pidgin for listen and comply, and the show delivers an intimate view into the lives of women from all corners of Nigeria who are facing unique and universal issues, including the limitation of potential for achievement, independence, decision-making and leadership. Flaco Navaja: Evolution of a Sonero Thursday Saturday - January 17, 18 & 19 at 8:00 p.m. Written and performed by Flaco Navaja Directed by Jorge B. Merced Live music by The Razor Blades: Carlos Cuevas (piano), Waldo Chávez (bass), Gabo Lugo (percussion), Victor Pablo (percussion), Hommy Ramos (Trombone) Lighting design by Lucrecia Briceño Evolution of a Sonero is the first full-length solo show by acclaimed artist Flaco Navaja. With unabashed love for The Bronx, a gift for crafting memorable characters, and genuine good humor, Navaja and six top-notch musicians aka The Razor Blades bring on the charm, the rhythm, and the soul essential to a Bronx Sonero. Paying homage to many great musical icons from Janis Joplin to Menudo, from The Doors to Héctor Lavoe, from Jimi Hendrix to Rubén Blades the play is as much about Navaja s creative evolution as it is about the wild mix that gives life to a rhyme, a people and a culture.
Off Center Festival 2019 NEWS 3/5 Ethan Lipton and His Orchestra: No Place to Go Friday & Saturday January 25 at 8:00 p.m.; January 26 at 2:00 & 8:00 p.m. Written by Ethan Lipton Music Composed and Performed by Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra Original Direction by Leigh Silverman Produced in Association with ArKtype / Thomas O. Kriegsmann Featuring: Ethan Lipton, Vocals Vito Dieterle, Saxophone Eben Levy, Electric Guitar Ian Riggs, Bass / Acoustic Guitar In No Place to Go, Obie Award-winning playwright, actor and singer Ethan Lipton, with his fine threepiece group, delivers an irreverent and musical ode to the unemployed through jazz, blues, country and lounge stylings, and a whole lot of imagination. It s spacy premise: the company Lipton has worked for is relocating to Mars. And he doesn t want to go. Inspired by the Dust Bowl Ballads, it s a surreal amalgam of songs, monologues, confessions and dreams told by a modern-day troubadour (The New York Times). Insightful, delightful and timely, Lipton s modern Everyman maintains an unflappable spirit and shows how to keep calm and carry on. Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds its corporate partners including Kia Motors America, Official Automotive Partner; United Airlines, Official Airline; and Omaha Steaks International, Official Fine Food Retailer. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence, offering unsurpassed experiences and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring arts-based education and community engagement programs. Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County s largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School. The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events. Segerstrom Center is a leader among the nation s performing arts centers for providing education programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. The Center s programs reach hundreds of thousands of students each year in five Southern California counties. Community engagement programs developed through the Center for Dance and Innovation and Center Without Boundaries also connect the Center more comprehensively with Orange County s many diverse communities. The CDI supports
Off Center Festival 2019 NEWS 4/5 flagship artistic programming and a wide range of projects that celebrate innovation, nurture creativity and engage audiences of the future. It is home to the ABT Gillespie School and the School of Dance and Music for Children with Disabilities. The Center Without Boundaries develops partnerships with noncultural organizations to help them in their own efforts to respond the ever-changing needs of the community. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons performed at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. In addition to Segerstrom Center for the Arts as a presenting and producing institution, it also identifies the beautiful 14-acre campus that embraces the Center s own facilities as well as two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award -winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.
Off Center Festival 2019 NEWS 5/5 OFF CENTER FESTIVAL 2019 Segerstrom Center for the Arts January 12 26, 2019 600 and 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA HEAR WORD! Naija Woman Talk True Thursday Saturday - January 10, 11 & 12 at 8:00 p.m. Flaco Navaja: Evolution of a Sonero Thursday Saturday - January 17, 18 & 19 at 8:00 p.m. Ethan Lipton and His Orchestra: No Place to Go Friday & Saturday January 25 at 8:00 p.m.; January 26 at 2:00 & 8:00 p.m. Off Center Lounge Julianne & George Argyros Plaza George s Café Open every night after performances. Off Center programs are recommended for mature audiences. Tickets - $25 In person - Online - The Box Office 600 Town Center Drive Costa Mesa, CA 92626 Open 10 a.m. 6 p.m. daily SCFTA.org Phone - (714) 556-2787 Open 10 a.m. 6 p.m. daily Group Sales - (714) 755-0236 Information provided is accurate at the time of printing but is subject to change. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a public, non-profit organization. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a registered trademark # # #