Young Audiences Sunday Series: Masked Marvels and Wondertales

Young Audiences Sunday Series: Masked Marvels and Wondertales


1 p.m., Sunday, October 16, 2011
Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts

Image: Masked Marvel The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts has something for everyone this season. Its 2011-2012 Young Audiences Sunday Series begins with the delightful Masked Marvels and Wondertales performance at 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 16, 2011. Visual artist and virtuoso mime Michael Cooper takes center stage in a performance that will amaze audiences of all ages. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children.

Michael Cooper is a one-man extravaganza combining breathtaking handcrafted masks, original stories of courage and wonder, outlandish stilt dancing and a physical repertoire that ranges from the madcap to the sublime. The result is a "moving sculpture."

Taking up to three hundred hours to produce a single paper or cloth mask, Michael has elevated this most ancient of theater crafts to the level of a fine art. His ability as a wordsmith enables him to reel in the most discerning of crowds with the nuance of a poet, the joy and timing of a first rate comedian and the twists and intrigue of a master storyteller. And whether he's high kicking on giant legs, animating one of his magical creations or quite literally "leaning on air," the unending enthusiasm of this masked marvel captivates both young and old.

After graduating from Goddard College, Michael Cooper went on to complete six years of theater training with the two greatest mime teachers of the twentieth century, Etienne Decroux of Paris, France and Tony Montanaro of Paris, Maine. Since then he has crisscrossed the world, presenting his art in such varied places as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Hong Kong International Children's Festival, The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, the Dublin Theater Festival, Great Woods, the Eugene O'Neill Theater, Bass Performance Hall and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

Tickets to Masked Marvels and Wondertales with visual artist and virtuoso mime Michael Cooper at 1 p.m., Sunday, October 16, 2011, are $15 for adults, $12 for children.

Tickets and subscriptions are available through the Quick Center Box Office: (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396 (1-877-278-7396). Tickets can also be purchased online at fairfield.edu/quick .

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Fairfield University at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. Entrance to the Quick Center is through the Barlow Road gate at 200 Barlow Road. Free, secure parking is available. Access for people with disabilities is available throughout the Quick Center for audience members and performers. Hearing amplification devices are available upon request at the Box Office. Fairfield University is located off exit 22 of Interstate-95. For further information and directions, call (203) 254-4010 or 1-877-278-7396, or visit fairfield.edu/quick .

Posted On: 10-07-2011 11:10 AM

Volume: 44 Number: 71