Wiley Hausam, Director
Daniel Gurskis, Dean, College of the Arts
PEAK Performances presents
Photo by Carrie Schneider
North American Premiere
A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
Cassette Vol. 1
Thu., September 12, 2024, 7:30pm
ALEXANDER KASSER THEATER
Artistic Director Kyle Abraham** (he/him)
Executive Director Sydnie Liggett-Dennis (she/her)
Producing Director Vernon Scott (he/him)
General Manager Anne Dechêne (she/her)
Rehearsal Director Jessica Tong (she/her)
Touring Company Manager Bridget Caston (she/her)
Production Stage Manager Meredith Belis (she/her)
Lighting Designer Serena Wong (she/her)
Program
Cassette Vol. I
Choreography Kyle Abraham** in collaboration with A.I.M
Scenic, Lighting Design, and Video Design Dan Scully
Costume Design Karen Young and Kyle Abraham**
Sound Editor Sam Crawford and Kyle Abraham**
Video Editor Simon Harding
Artistic Advisor Risa Steinberg
Funding credits for Cassette Vol. 1
Cassette is co-commissioned by the International Summer Festival Kampnagel (Hamburg, Germany), Festspielhaus St. Pölten (AT), Tangente St. Pölten-Festival für Gegenwartskultur and PEAK Performances, Montclair State University.
Performers
Jamaal Bowman, Amari Frazier*, Mykiah Goree, Catherine Kirk, Faith Joy Mondesire, William Okajima, Donovan Reed, Keturah Stephen, Gianna Theodore, Olivia Wang
*Princess Grace Award Recipient
**Princess Grace Statue Award
Music
“Rock Lobster,” The B-52’s (Time Capsule)—1998 Reprise Records. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company
“Venus,” Bananarama (The Greatest Hits Collection [Collector Edition])—1988–2017 London Records LTD
“Walk Like an Egyptian,” The Bangles (Different Light)—1985 Sony BMG Music Entertainment
“I Drove All Night,” Cyndi Lauper (The Essential Cyndi Lauper)—2003 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
“You Make My Dreams (Come True),” Daryl Hall & John Oates (The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates)
“More Than Words,” Extreme (Extreme II: Pornograffitti)—1990 UMG Recordings, Inc.
“Bette Davis Eyes,” Kim Carnes (Mistaken Identity)—1981 Capitol Records Inc.
“Let's Work,” Prince (Controversy)—1981 NPG Records, Inc. under exclusive license to Legacy Recordings
“Jump (For My Love),” Pointer Sisters
“The One I Love,” REM
“Dancing with Myself,” Billy Idol
Choreographer’s Note
Is nostalgia just the mental sweater that coats the memories that dance through our brains?
Over the years, I’ve made works that reference the intersection of classical music and the birth of hip hop in my life, but the voices of ’80s, ’90s pop, and New Wave were braided all through my interests and experiences.
I wanted to make a work that honored a different side of my influences…one that emphasizes a very particular part of what it was like dancing on the back of the yellow and black school buses of my elementary and middle school years to music that’s equal parts M/A/R/R/S, Suzanne Vega, Salt-N-Pepa, The B-52’s, LL Cool J, and Prince.
With the birth of music video culture in the early 1980s, an awakening of fantasy, street culture, and a popular hybridization of form seemed like the way of the future. That hybridization speaks to the intentional fusing of movement vocabularies including ballet technique and heavy influence of released-based articulation for this new work, entitled Cassette Vol. 1.
Though not solely limited to released-based work, the influences of Trisha Brown, Bill T. Jones, Kevin Wynn are among several highlighted throughout the entirety of this endeavor.
Those movement vocabularies utilized are meant to honor the lineage of movement influences that might not be as obvious to some, while highlighting the non-monolithic Black experience and intake within American culture.
Cassette Vol. 1 is equal parts camp and critique. At its core, it aims to make space for the ridiculous and the referential.
There is space to laugh at the extremes, and cry from the subtle humanity of memories lost.
—Kyle Abraham, Artistic Director
About the Company
Contemporary dance company A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, considered “one of the most consistently excellent troupes working today” (The New York Times), provides multifaceted performances, educational programming, and community-based workshops across the globe. Led by acclaimed choreographer and artistic director Kyle Abraham’s innovative vision, the work is galvanized by Black culture and history and features the rich tapestry of Black and Queer stories, and is grounded in a conglomeration of unique perspectives, described by Abraham as a “post-modern gumbo” of movement exploration
A.I.M is one of the most active touring dance companies in the United States, with an audience base as diverse as A.I.M’s movement vocabulary, drawing inspiration from a multitude of sources and dance styles. Since A.I.M’s founding in 2006, Abraham has created more than 30 original works for and with the company. To expand its repertoire and offer a breadth of dance work to audiences, A.I.M commissions new works and performs existing works by outside choreographers, such as Trisha Brown, Bebe Miller, Andrea Miller, Doug Varone, Paul Singh, A.I.M alums Rena Butler, Maleek Washington, and Keerati Jinakunwiphat.
Kyle Abraham’s unique vision and illumination of poignant and relevant issues set him apart from his generation of choreographers as a leading creative force in dance. A.I.M extends this vision and amplifies surrounding artistic voices to share movement and community-based work with audiences around the world.
For more information, to get involved, or to purchase your A.I.M merchandise, please visit aimbykyleabraham.org. Follow A.I.M on Instagram @aimbykyleabraham and Kyle Abraham on Instagram at @kyle_abraham_original_recipe.
Company Credits
Artistic Director: Kyle Abraham (he/him)
Executive Director: Sydnie Liggett-Dennis (she/her)
Company and Tour Operations
Producing Director: Vernon Scott (he/him)
General Manager: Anne Dechêne (she/her)
Rehearsal Director: Jessica Tong (she/her)
Artistic Engagement Manager: Matthew Baker (he/him)
Company Manager: Amber Lee Parker (she/her)
Touring Company Manager: Bridget Caston (she/her)
Production Stage Manager: Meredith Belis (she/her)
Lighting Supervisor: Dan Stearns (he/him)
Development
Interim Director of Development: Izzi Wayner (she/her)
Development Associate: Danielle LeBron (she/her)
Press and Marketing
Marketing Manager: Alexander Diaz (he/they)
Marketing Associate: Catherine Kirk (she/her)
Press Agent: Chris Constable (he/him)
Finance
Financial Services: Lucy Mallett (she/her) and Julia Corrigan (she/her), Arts FMS
Support
Generous support for A.I.M provided by: Ed Bradley Family Foundation, Dorchester Industries Experimental Design Lab; Ford Foundation; Gaea Foundation; Howard Gilman Foundation; Harkness Foundation for Dance; The Hyde and Watson Foundation; The International Association of Blacks in Dance; Joyce Theater Foundation; MacMillan Family Foundation; Mellon Foundation; New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; New Music USA; New York Community Trust; Princess Grace Foundation-USA; Rockefeller Brothers Fund; Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; Samuel H. Scripps Foundation; and The Shubert Foundation. Public funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. A.I.M thanks corporate donors JPMorgan Chase and NBCUniversal for their generous matching gift support.
Support the creation of new work and community engagement! Contributions may be made payable to “Abraham.In.Motion, Inc.” P.O. Box 986, New York, NY 10113. Abraham.In.Motion, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN: 82-4790161). All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
For booking information, contact Lotus Arts Management, Sophie Myrtil-McCourty, President, at 72-11 Austin Street, Suite 371, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Tel: 347.721.8724; email: sophie@lotusartsmgmt.com; website: www.lotusartsmgmt.com.
About the Artists
Kyle Abraham (Choreographer/Founder and Artistic Director, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham; he/him) has premiered his work to international audiences and acclaim since 2006. Abraham has been profiled in Document Journal, Vanity Fair, Ebony, Harper’s Bazaar, Kinfolk, O Magazine, Paper, Surface, Vogue and Vogue UK, and W Magazine, among many other publications. He is the proud recipient of a National Dance Critics Award for Choreography (2024—Are You in Your Feelings / Alvin Ailey Dance Theater); Dance Magazine Award (2022), Princess Grace Statue Award (2018), Doris Duke Award (2016), and MacArthur Fellowship (2013). In addition to performing and developing new works for his company, Abraham has been commissioned by a wide variety of dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the National Ballet of Cuba, New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, and the Royal Ballet. Along with Abraham’s latest world premiere of Cassette Vol. 1 in Hamburg, Germany, Abraham will also be premiering Dear God, Make Me Beautiful at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City this coming December.
Abraham has led and curated several performance series including the Danspace Project (2024/50th anniversary season) and Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City (2023, 2022), among others). In 2020, Abraham was the first ever guest editor for Dance Magazine.
He serves as the Claude and Alfred Mann Endowed Professor in Dance at the University of Southern California (USC) Glorya Kaufman School of Dance (2021–). Abraham sits on the advisory board for Dance Magazine and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the inaugural Black Genius Brain Trust, and the inaugural cohort of the Dorchester Industries Experimental Design Lab, a partnership between the Prada Group, Theaster Gates Studio, Dorchester Industries, and Rebuild Foundation.
Facebook: Kyle Abraham; Instagram: @kyle_abraham_original_recipe
The Dancers
Jamaal Bowman (he/him) began his dance training at the age of 14 in Maryland, where he was born and raised. In 2021, he graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, as a Director’s Scholar, under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. Over the years he has collaborated with Nora Chipaumire, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Maleek Washington, Helen Pickett, Fana Fraser, Jocelyn Cottencin, Nacera Belaza, and Sidra Bell. In November 2021, Bowman toured with Von Howard Project to Ecuador to perform in the International Living Arts Festival of Loja. Most recently, he has performed as a company member with Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers for their 2021–22 season. His personal practices are centered around queer Black joy, theater, improvisation, and comedy. He hopes to reshape the future for queer Black people like him to give them more opportunities to shine. Bowman joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2022.
Instagram: @carefreeblackboy
Amari Frazier (he/him) is a Chicago native and Chicago Academy for the Arts graduate. He earned his BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School, where he performed works by esteemed choreographers, including Sonya Tayeh, Ohad Naharin, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Spenser Theberge, and Jermaine Spivey. Frazier has attended summer programs at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Springboard Danse Montréal, and Nederlands Dans Theater. He worked with Ballet Collective during the summer of 2021 and has continued collaborating with the company on various projects. Frazier’s choreographic skills have been showcased in several Juilliard performances, and he premiered a new work in April 2023 for Juilliard’s Senior Production. Frazier joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in April 2023.
Instagram: @amari.frazier
Mykiah Goree (he/him), a native of Houston, TX, received his early dance training from Houston Ballet Academy and Kinder HSPVA under the direction of Melissa Bowman and Janie Carothers, respectively. He has attended summer programs with Ballet Austin, BodyTraffic, and Peridance. While at Juilliard, he has performed works by Tiler Peck, Rena Butler, Jamar Roberts, Ohad Nahrin, Trisha Brown, Camille A. Brown, and Omar Román De Jesús. Goree’s choreographic work was selected for Juilliard’s Choreographers and Composers 2022, MOVE|NYC’s summer intensive, Juilliard’s Senior Production 2024, and Juilliard’s Choreographic Honors. He is a certified Pilates instructor and has served on the Juilliard Black Student Union board. Goree is very grateful to all who have built him into the human being and artist that he is today. Goree joined A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham in January 2024.
Instagram: @my.ki.ah
Catherine Kirk (she/her) cultivated a passion for the arts growing up on the unceded land of the Kiikaapoi and Wichita peoples, known as Dallas, TX. She continued her research and education at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a BFA, and moved on to perform works by an array of choreographers including Sharon Eyal, Ohad Naharin, Bebe Miller, Doug Varone, Andrea Miller, and Fernando Melo. A multihyphenate, Kirk is also a dance maker, marketing strategist, arts administrator, dance educator, and yoga teacher. She has had the pleasure of working with Helen Simoneau Danse, Kyle Marshall Choreography, Jasmine Hearn, UNA Productions (Chuck Wilt), Burr Johnson, and apprenticing for Sidra Bell Dance New York. She has created solo works as an artist in residence at Art Cake Brooklyn (2020) and Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation (2021) and curated an evening for Chez Bushwick’s salon series, RECESS (2023). Kirk has been featured in Netflix’s award-winning series Halston, in the Showtime series Ziwe, and in Neiman Marcus’s holiday campaign. She has graced the cover of Kaleidoscope Magazine, Flaunt Magazine, and Dance Magazine alongside A.I.M dancers and choreographed and starred in a commercial for the luxury headphones Ultimate Ears. She has assisted Kyle Abraham in his new creations for Codarts Rotterdam and The Juilliard School and restaged company works at Peabody University and Point Park University. She currently is in her second season with Trisha Brown Dance Company and is working as A.I.M’s marketing associate while dancing and touring with the company. Kirk joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2013.
Instagram: @cat_kirk
Faith Joy Mondesire (she/her) is a Brooklyn-born dancer, model, and writer. She received her formal dance training at Fiorello H. Laguardia High School. She graduated from SUNY Purchase in 2016 with a BFA in Dance and BA in English Literature with a concentration in African American Studies. During her time at Purchase, Mondesire curated a 30-page research paper on the topic of the Soul and its multifaceted layering in performance, literature, and choreography. She has completed summer programs at the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and MOVE|NYC. Mondesire has had the opportunity to perform and work with renowned artists such as Joseph Hernandez, Sidra Bell, Kristen Foote, Melanie Gambino, Kyle Abraham, and Doug Varone. Her work has been featured in Dance Magazine with her own story, “I’ll Never Forget My First Pair of Flesh Tone Tights.” Mondesire joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in April 2023.
Instagram: @_faithjoy_
William Okajima (he/him), originally from Irvine, CA, grew up in a household full of artists, and his love for music and dance originated from a young age. Okajima’s extensive training began at Orange County School of the Arts, and he supplemented his dance training at both Westside Dance Project and Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy. At just age 13, Okajima obtained his first professional dance role in Sia’s “The Greatest” music video and fell in love with the commercial world. Since, he continues to be a part of Los Angeles’s vibrant commercial dance scene, featuring in nationwide advertisements (Honda, Apple, Pull & Bear) as well as international campaigns. Most recently, Okajima traveled to Dubai to feature in the country’s latest tourism film. A recent graduate of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, Okajima received a BFA in Dance under the guidance of individuals including Kyle Abraham, Bret Easterling, Jermaine Spivey, Jodie Gates, and William Forsythe. At Kaufman, Okajima has performed featured roles in works by Jiřà Kylián, Micaela Taylor, Tyce Diorio, Desmond Richardson, Dwight Rhoden, and Hope Boykin. Okajima also received a minor in entrepreneurship through the USC Marshall School of Business. In doing so, he hopes that his studies of the intersections between dance performance and personal branding will allow him to tackle the demands of the commercial and concert dance world with a uniquely informed academic perspective. Okajima joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2024.
Instagram: @williamokajima
Donovan Reed (they/them), a native of Philadelphia, PA, began their dance training at the age of 16. Soon after, Reed attended college at the University of the Arts, where they received their BFA in May of 2016. During their time in college, they participated as an artist in residence at Die Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany. In addition, Reed participated in an independent artist program where their training was extended with the Pennsylvania Ballet. Other studies include PHILADANCO!, Eleone Dance Theatre, and the Rock School for Dance Education. They have performed works by choreographers such as Sidra Bell, Regina van Berkel, Sharon Eyal, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Beth Gill, Andrea Miller, Tania Isaac, Meredith Rainey, and Helen Simoneau. In 2024, Reed was selected as one of Dance Magazine’s “Top 25 to Watch.” Reed joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2018.
Instagram: @doonnovan
Keturah Stephen (she/her), a Brooklyn native, began her dance journey at Restoration Youth Arts Academy, where she trained in modern, African, and hip hop. She attended Brooklyn High School of the Arts as well as The Ailey School. She is a graduate of the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College. Stephen attended the MOVE|NYC Young Professionals Program, led by co-directors and co-founders Chanel DaSilva and Nigel Campbell. Throughout the course of her training, she has worked with and performed works by Earl Mosley, Loni Landon, Roderick George, Trisha Brown, and Antonio Brown. Stephen appeared in the movie In the Heights under the direction of Ebony Williams in 2019. Stephen joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2022.
Instagram: @_turahh_
Gianna Theodore (she/her), raised in West Palm Beach, FL, began her dance training at Ballet East Studio under the direction of Susan Lyle and Chelsea Nasby. Theodore is a graduate of A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts and a three-time YoungArts Merit Scholar/Honorable Mention. She graduated with a BFA in Dance from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program Class of 2020. Throughout the course of her training, she has performed works by Robert Battle, Chuck Wilt, and Bradley Shelver. She attended Springboard Danse Montréal, where she performed work created by RUBBERBANDance and Parts + Labour Danse. Theodore has ventured through many cultures and styles of dance, such as house and African, which has helped land her lead roles in music videos. She has also performed professionally with artists such as Ebony Williams, Mark Caserta, Maleek Washington, and Jennifer Archibald. She recently performed during a residency with Helen Simoneau Danse. Theodore joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2019.
Instagram: @giannatheodore
Olivia Wang (she/her), originally from Queens, NY, is a first-generation Chinese-American artist. She has recently graduated with a BFA in Dance from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College. She has trained at The Ailey School, French Academie of Ballet, and was a part of the inaugural class of MOVE|NYC. Wang has had the opportunity to perform works by Keerati Jinakunwiphat, Norbert De La Cruz III, Martha Graham, Michiyaya, Nigel Campbell, Kyle Abraham, and Roderick George. Wang has attended summer programs at A.I.M, Martha Graham, MOVE|NYC, and Hubbard Street. She is an Actors’ Equity and SAG-AFTRA member. Wang joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2024.
Instagram: @_oliviawangg
Creative Team
Sam Crawford (Sound Design, Sound Editor) completed degrees in English and Audio Technology at Indiana University in 2003. Crawford’s recent compositions and sound designs have included works for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company (Venice Biennale, 2010), Kyle Abraham (Pavement, 2012), Camille A. Brown and Dancers (BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play, 2016), and David Dorfman Dance (Aroundtown, 2017). La Medea, Crawford’s live multimedia collaboration with director Yara Travieso, premiered at PS122’s Coil Festival in January of 2017.
Simon Harding (Video Editor) is an award-winning set and video designer for live performance, interested in modalities of performance that create a living space between objects and the body. He was a co-founder and the resident designer for SaBooge Theatre, designing all of their productions including the critically acclaimed shows Hatched, Fathom, and Every Day Above Ground.
Dan Scully (Scenic/Lighting/Video Designer) is a New York–based lighting and projection designer. He has been the resident lighting designer for A.I.M by Kyle Abraham since its founding, including designs for the full-length evening works Pavement, Live! The Realest M.C., and the Bessie Award–winning The Radio Show. Recent dance work includes designs for the New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, BODYTRAFFIC, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Misty Copeland, among others. Theater and concert credits include Rocky (Broadway), Jedermann (Salzburger Festspiele), The Orchestra Rocks! (Carnegie Hall), and Peter and the Wolf (John Lithgow/Carnegie Hall). Regional credits include Trinity Repertory Company, Geva Theatre Center, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and the Two River Theater Company. Scully holds an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Risa Steinberg (Artistic Advisor) has been an active member of the dance community for more than 35 years as a performer, teacher, reconstructor of the works of José Limón, and mentor to young and emerging choreographers. She has traveled the world performing and teaching extensively. She was born in New York City and graduated from The Juilliard School earning a bachelor’s of fine arts degree. A former principal dancer with the José Limón Dance Company, Bill Cratty Dance Theater, Annabel Gamson, Anna Sokolow’s Players Project, Colin Connor, and American Repertory Dance Company of Los Angeles, Steinberg has also been a guest artist with choreographers including Wally Cardona, Seán Curran, and DanzaHoy of Caracas, Venezuela. She has been on the faculty at The Juilliard School since 2001 and she held the position of associate director of Juilliard Dance from 2008 to 2016. She was a dance panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts and now sits on the Artists’ Advisory board for the José Limón Dance Foundation and on the selection committee of the Bessies.
Karen Young (Costume Design) is a New York–based costume designer who has designed clothes for many of Kyle Abraham and A.I.M’s works, including Drive, The Gettin’, INDY, Meditation, Big Rings, and An Untitled Love. Recent design for dance includes projects with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Basel, Brian Brooks, Lucinda Childs, Pontus Lidberg, Troy Schumacher, Sonya Tayeh, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Acosta Danza, Malpaso Dance Company, Miami City Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She designed the costumes for Wendy Whelan’s projects Restless Creature and The Day and is currently directing the reconstruction and design of the costumes of Martha Graham’s entire repertoire for the Martha Graham Dance Company. Young has also designed for theater, including Geoff Sobelle’s Home (Brooklyn Academy of Music) and Third Rail Projects’ highly acclaimed immersive shows Confection (Folger Theater) and Then She Fell.
karenyoungcostume.com
Staff Credits
PEAK Performances
Wiley Hausam | Director
Taliyah Bethea | Marketing Assistant
Susan Case | Program Book Coordinator
Patrick Flood | Graphic Designer, Art Director
Martin Halo | Website Development
Michael Landes | Membership Coordinator
Peg Schuler-Armstrong | General Manager
Nella Vera | Interim Marketing Director
Blake Zidell Associates | Media Representative
College of the Arts
Performance Operations
Andy Dickerson | Production Manager
Colin van Horn | Technical Director
Kevin Johnson | Sr. Production Engineer
Jason Flamos | Lighting Supervisor
Laurel Brolly | Business Manager
Jeff Lambert Wingfield | Box Office Manager
William Collins | Interim Audience Manager
Reyna Cortes, Shantel Maysonett, Susanne Oyedeji, Eliezer Ramirez | Box Office Leads
College of the Arts
Daniel Gurskis | Dean
Ronald L. Sharps | Associate Dean
Christine Lemesianou | Associate Dean
Zacrah S. Battle | College Administrator
Christopher Kaczmarek | Chairperson, Department of Art and Design
Anthony Mazzocchi | Director, John J. Cali School of Music
Keith Strudler | Director, School of Communication and Media
Kathleen Kelley | Chairperson, Department of Theatre and Dance
Wiley Hausam | Director, Arts + Cultural Programming
Hillery Makatura | Director, Performance Operations
Patricia Piroh | Director, Broadcast and Media Operations
Megan C. Austin | Director, University Galleries
Coming Soon
PHILIPPE PETIT: MAN ON WIRE
Film | Followed by Q&A with Philippe Petit
Thu., September 26 @ 7:00 PM
PRESENTATION HALL
SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA
DISNEY’S ENCANTO
THE SING-ALONG FILM CONCERT
FILM | Under the Stars, Live-To-Film Concert with Live Orchestra
Sat., October 12 @ 7:30 PM
AMPHITHEATER
In the event of rain, this performance will take place in Memorial Auditorium.
LAURA BENANTI
MUSIC | SINGER
Sat., November 16 @ 8:00 PM
ALEXANDER KASSER THEATER
QUEEN OF THE MIST
MUSICAL-IN-CONCERT
Book, Music & Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa
Orchestrations by Michael Starobin
Directed by Kirsten Sanderson
Thu. & Fri., February 20-21 @ 7:30 PM
Sat., February 22 @ 8:00 PM
Sun., February 23 @ 3:00 PM
ALEXANDER KASSER THEATRE
QUEEN OF THE MIST is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals concordtheatricals.com
MANUAL CINEMA
FRANKENSTEIN
MULTIMEDIA PUPPETRY, LIVE MUSIC, FILM, THEATER
Sat., May 3 @ 8:00 PM
ALEXANDER KASSER THEATER
We respectfully acknowledge that Montclair State University occupies land in Lenapehoking, the traditional and expropriated territory of the Lenape. As a state institution, we recognize and support the sovereignty of New Jersey’s three state-recognized tribes: the Ramapough Lenape, Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, and Powhatan Renape nations. We recognize the sovereign nations of the Lenape diaspora elsewhere in North America, as well as other Indigenous individuals and communities now residing in New Jersey. By offering this land acknowledgement, we commit to addressing the historical legacies of Indigenous dispossession and dismantling practices of erasure that persist today. We recognize the resilience and persistence of contemporary Indigenous communities and their role in educating all of us about justice, equity, and the stewardship of the land throughout the generations.
Programs in this season were made possible, in part, by the Alexander Kasser Theater Endowment Fund, PEAK Patrons, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
PEAK Performances develops, presents, and produces a broad range of world-class dance, film, master classes, music, opera and music theater, talks, and theater in the Alexander Kasser Theater on the campus of Montclair State University for students, faculty, staff, and the general public. We are building community through live performance. PEAK Performances is a program of the university’s Arts + Cultural Programming Department.