INDIANAPOLIS, IN.- The Indianapolis Museum of Art announced today the fall 2009 programming in Tobias Theater, nicknamed “The Toby,” which was reopened after extensive renovations in November 2008. In The Toby, IMA visitors will encounter dynamic, culturally adventurous programs including multimedia performances, film and talks by internationally significant speakers.
“This fall, audiences will continue to see a robust menu of programs that are unique to The Toby,” said Anne Laker, assistant director for public programs at the IMA. “The Toby has been a fantastic venue for the IMA to expand its offerings and its audience.”
Theater director Shozo Sato–a master of Japanese tea ceremony, flower arrangement and classical dance–visits the IMA to perform and demonstrate the Kabuki technique in The Art of Kabuki with Shozo Sato on Friday, September 18 at 7 p.m. Having originated in the 1600s, Kabuki is a dramatic and flamboyant Japanese theatrical form that combines dance, music and drama. Known internationally for his cultural fusion of Kabuki style with classical European stories, Shozo Sato has written and directed Kabuki Medea and Kabuki Macbeth. Tickets are $5 for IMA members, $9 for the public and $7 for students with ID.
Choreographer and dancer Oguri combines a live music score, shadow-play and slow movement drawn from the modern Japanese performance art of Butoh in Caddy! Caddy! Caddy!: The William Faulkner Dance Project on November 7 at 7 p.m. This hypnotic, cross-cultural performance piece is inspired by the experimental place-based writings of Faulkner. Butoh is a stark, subtle, sometimes shocking style of movement developed in 1950s Japan. An introduction will be provided by David Goodman, professor of Japanese culture at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. This performance is a signature event for the 2009 Spirit & Place Festival. Tickets are $7 for IMA members, $10 for the public.
The IMA presents screenings of The Rape of Europa in The Toby on Saturday, October 3 at 1:30 p.m. and Friday, October 23 at 7 p.m. Narrated by Joan Allen, this documentary examines the Nazi looting of the great museums and private collections of Europe in an attempt to obliterate cultural identity. The film follows the account of a descendant of Gustav Klimt as she tries to regain a portrait of her aunt. It features Louvre staff members who packed and moved 400,000 pieces of art during the Nazi advancement and highlights the “Monuments Men” who scoured salt mines to recover stolen art after the war. The October 3 viewing includes a post-film discussion with IMA associate curator Annette Schlagenhauff and chief registrar Kathryn Haigh. Tickets are $9 for the public, $5 for IMA members and free for students with ID.
On Friday, October 29, the IMA will screen Nosferatu, one of the first horror films in movie history and a great early example of stylistic, rather than realistic, cinema. Based heavily on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this atmospheric, visually striking film follows Count Orlok (Max Schreck), a reclusive, grotesque nobleman with very vampiric habits. Nosferatu was selected by the Village Voice as one of the 100 best films of the 20th century.
The Screen Zenith film series features award-winning films from festivals across the globe, including Rooster’s Breakfast (2007), a Slovenian film that hovers between comedy, thriller and romance, screening November 19.
Other film series in the fall 2009 season include:
• CineLatino: South America on Film is a two-day festival of films from Brazil, Colombia and Peru, on September 25 and 26.
• (R)evolutions of Hope: Africa 2009, a three-part film series on Thursdays October 1, 8 and 15 at 7 p.m., in which audiences can experience the hope and growth of African cultures around the world.
• Theological Follies: Two Films by Luis Buñuel will explore identity through spirituality in the films of Spanish director Luis Buñuel, perhaps best-known for his Surrealist explorations with artist Salvador Dalí. This one-night film series takes place on Friday, November 20 at 7 p.m.
