Audience Magazine | Louisville Arts & Entertainment | May 2022

A behind-the-scenes look into Louisville’s performing arts and entertainment during this unprecedented time of reflection and artistic creation.

magazine

MAY 2022

Special thanks to our premium sponsors whose support lets us provide this publication at no charge to you.

LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA LO Announces 2022-23 Season. Page 6 | KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS Catch This Songwriter Hall-of-Famer at the Brown Theatre. Page 12 | KENTUCKY OPERA An Exciting New Season Celebrates 70th Anniversary Page 16 | KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE Three Epic Adventures Mark Longest Season in History Page 18 | FUND FOR THE ARTS NeXt Ambassadors Look Forward to Year of Service Page 22

TABLE of CONTENTS MAY 2022

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A SEASON OF CREATIVITY

18

12

16

AN ICON AND A POET

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AN EPIC ADVENTURE

WHAT'S NeXt?

MAY FEATURE

14 CARTER CAVES STATE RESORT PARK

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A U D I E N C E

F R E E !

A SEASON FOR CELEBRATION

TICKET

GIVEAWAYS

SPECIAL INVITES

SHOW PREVIEWS Stay Connected with Sign up for our e-news and be the first to hear about ticket giveaways, special invites, email news alerts, show previews, reviews and the latest happenings in the performing arts scene in Louisville.

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE FREE!

A behind-the-scenes look into Louisville’s performing arts and entertainment during this unprecedented time of reflection and artistic creation.

PUBLISHER

The Audience Group, Inc. G. Douglas Dreisbach MANAGING EDITOR

Amy Higgs CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Rhonda Mefford SALES & MARKETING

G. Douglas Dreisbach CONTRIBUTORS

Louisville Orchestra Kentucky Performing Arts Kentucky Opera Kentucky Shakespeare Kentucky Tourism Fund for the Arts

To read current and previous Audience playbills and performance guides, go to issuu.com/audience502.

On the Cover: Bob Bernhardt, Louisville Orchestra's Principal Pops Conductor, will conduct six shows in the next season.

Photo courtesy of the LO. Read more on page 6.

GOT AN ARTICLE IDEA? Audience Magazine is a platform for the arts in Louisville. If you have an article idea or something you think we should cover, email ahiggs@theaudiencegroup.com © Copyright 2022. The Audience Group, Inc. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

Audience® Magazine is published by The Audience Group, Inc. 136 St. Matthews Avenue #300 Louisville, KY 40207 502.212.5177 | Audience502.com M A Y

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The KY Lottery has raised over $4 BILLION

for college scholarships and grants.

To learn more visit: KYLottery.com

THE END IS NOT THE END There will come a time when you believe everything is finished; that will be the beginning. − Louis L’Amour

It’s Derbytime in "The Ville," but we want you to know there’s a lot more to look forward to this month than the greatest two minutes in sports. And while some local performing arts groups are wrapping up their first, full, in-person seasons since the pandemic hit, more exciting shows are on deck for summer, fall and beyond.

At Audience Magazine, we’re thrilled to bring you the latest and greatest performance previews and announcements each month, and May is no exception. Though the Louisville Orchestra is putting on its final concert of the 2021-22 season — and it’s an exciting one featuring a “phantom” player — the group has also announced an amazing lineup for the 2022-23 season, which launches in September. It’s got everything from Beethoven to Bernstein.

Kentucky Shakespeare kicks off its longest season ever on May 25, mixing comedy and tragedy as only The Bard can. It kicks off with a reimagined production of Twelfth Night set in 1920s New Orleans (with a live jazz band onstage!). The villainous Richard III follows, along with a fun farce, The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Amy Higgs Managing Editor

The Kentucky Opera will celebrate its 70th anniversary with productions of classics from Puccini to Rossini, starting with La bohème in September. And the Fund for the Arts is opening up applications for its newest cohort of NeXt! Ambassadors, a program designed to help young professionals access board leadership opportunities at local arts organizations.

As you can see, when one door closes, a whole slew of them open. We’re looking forward to another outstanding performance season of creativity, music, laughter and tears.

Thanks, as always, to our advertisers, who continue to support us and our local arts organizations. Their generosity allows us to bring you Audience Magazine free of charge.

Derby, smerby! (We’re kidding, sort of.) We’ll see you at the theater!

As the curtain rises,

– The Audience Group

G. Douglas Dreisbach Publisher

M A Y

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SEASON PREVIEW

A SEASON

of CREATIVITY

2022-23 SEASON TO FEATURE WORLD PREMIERE WORKS AND A BROADWAY STAR

by Louisville Orchestra

SEASON PREVIEW 2022-23

N

ow in its ninth season under the dynamic and inspiring leadership of Music Director Teddy Abrams, the Louisville Orchestra is proud to announce a season of creativity in 2022-23.

Highlights of the season include new works by composers from the newly launched Creators Corps, the eighth annual Festival of American Music featuring works by the American cultural hero Leonard Bernstein, premieres and commissioned works by important voices of today’s composers including the 2022 Grawemeyer Award-winning composer Olga Neuwirth, acclaimed composers Joel Thompson, Thomas Adés, Mason Bates and Christopher Cerrone.

Teddy Abrams performs as pianist and conductor for Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto in a program where he also conducts Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Performances by Avery Fisher Career Grant winner Tessa Lark and a long-awaited return to the stage of the momentous Symphony No. 7

by Anton Bruckner will engage the classical music lovers of Louisville.

Headlining the Pops Series is Grammy Award-winning Broadway and Hollywood star Kelli O’Hara.

Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt has lined up a season packed with entertainment, including vintage films with some of the finest music scores are on display; the exceptional voice of Capathia Jenkins in Aretha: A Tribute, and the Emmy-Award winning vocal group Three Texas Tenors, who have amassed a huge fan base worldwide.

Complete programming, descriptions of individual concerts, ticket and subscription pricing are available at LouisvilleOrchestra.org.

 Capathia Jenkins will perform with the LO in Aretha: A Tribute on February 25, 2023.

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2022-23 LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA CONCERT SCHEDULE

CLASSICS SERIES Saturdays at 7:30PM The Kentucky Center NEW CONCERT START TIME! SEPTEMBER 17, 2022 OPENING NIGHT: Swing, Swagger & Sway Teddy Abrams, conductor Tessa Lark, violin Wynton MARSALIS: Violin Concerto in D Sofia GUBAIDULINA: Concerto for Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Band Igor STRAVINSKY: Symphony in Three Movements OCTOBER 15, 2022 TEDDY TALKS SCHUMANN Teddy Abrams, conductor Robert SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 4

NOVEMBER 19, 2022 TCHAIKOVSKY’S 4th Ruth Reinhardt, conductor Timo Andres, piano Modest MUSSORGSKY (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov): Night on Bald Mountain Thomas ADÉS: In Seven Days, Op. 25 Pyotr TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 4 JANUARY 14, 2023 FIFTHS OF BEETHOVEN Teddy Abrams, conductor & piano Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor” A World Premiere Piece commissioned from the Louisville Orchestra Creators Corps Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5

POPS SERIES 7:30PM The Kentucky Center NEW CONCERT START TIME! SEPTEMBER 24, 2022 POPS OPENING NIGHT WITH KELLI O’HARA Bob Bernhardt, conductor Kelli O’Hara, vocalist NOVEMBER 26, 2022 HOLIDAY POPS Bob Bernhardt, conductor

MARCH 4, 2023 FESTIVAL OF AMERICAN MUSIC: Journeys of Faith Teddy Abrams, conductor Louisville Chamber Choir A World premiere piece commissioned from the Louisville Orchestra Creators Corps Olga NEUWIRTH: Masaot/Clocks Without Hands Leonard BERNSTEIN: Symphony No. 3, “Kaddish”

JANUARY 28, 2023 HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN AGE Bob Bernhardt, conductor FEBRUARY 25, 2023 ARETHA: A TRIBUTE Bob Bernhardt, conductor Capathia Jenkins, vocalist

MARCH 11, 2023 FESTIVAL OF AMERICAN MUSIC: The Literary Influence Teddy Abrams, conductor Sebastian Chang, piano Joel THOMPSON: To Awaken the Sleeper (LO co-commission) A World Premiere piece commissioned from the Louisville Orchestra Creators Corps Leonard BERNSTEIN: Symphony No. 2, “The Age of Anxiety”

Ruth Reinhart

8

FEBRUARY 4, 2023 THE GILDED AGE IN PARIS AND VIENNA Alasdair Neale, conductor Jon Gustely, horn Richard STRAUSS: Horn Concerto No. 1 Maurice RAVEL: Ma Mere L’Oye, Mother Goose Suite Maurice RAVEL: Valses nobles et sentimentales Richard STRAUSS: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier

APRIL 1, 2023 RACH & BARTOK Christian Reif, conductor Alexi Kenney, violin Isidora ŽEBELJAN: Hum away, Hum away, strings!

Belá BARTÓK: Violin Concerto No. 2 Sergei RACHMANINOFF: Symphony No. 3

MARCH 18, 2023 DECADES: BACK TO THE 80s Bob Bernhardt, conductor Special Guests TBA APRIL 7, 2023 THE TEXAS TENORS Bob Bernhardt, conductor FAMILY SERIES Old Forester’s Paristown Hall SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022 • 11AM PHILARMONIA FANTASTIQUE: The Making of the Orchestra Teddy Abrams, conductor An animated sprite introduces the instruments of the orchestra in a film in concert performance. Composed

by Mason Bates, sound design

by Gary Rydstrom, and animation

by Jim Capobianco.

MAY 13, 2023 FROM SILENCE TO SPLENDOR Teddy Abrams, conductor Dashon Burton, vocalist Christopher CERRONE: A Year of Silence (LO co-commission, World Premiere) Anton BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2023 • 3PM STORYTELLING WITH MUSIC SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2023 • 3PM STORYTELLING WITH MUSIC

Emmy-award winning vocal group, Three Texas Tenors, will perform with the LO on April 7, 2023.

COFFEE SERIES Fridays at 11AM The Kentucky Center SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 SWING, SWAGGER & SWAY Teddy Abrams, conductor Tessa Lark, violin Wynton MARSALIS: Concerto in D Igor STRAVINSKY: Symphony in Three Movements OCTOBER 14, 2022 TEDDY TALKS SCHUMANN Teddy Abrams, conductor Robert SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 4 JANUARY 13, 2023 FIFTHS of BEETHOVEN Teddy Abrams, conductor and piano Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor” Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5 FEBRUARY 3, 2023 THE GILDED AGE IN VIENNA Alasdair Neale, conductor Jon Gustely, horn Richard STRAUSS: Horn Concerto No. 1 Maurice RAVEL: Valses nobles et sentimentales Richard STRAUSS: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier

MARCH 10, 2023 FESTIVAL OF AMERICAN MUSIC 2: Literary Influences Teddy Abrams, conductor Sebastian Chang, piano Joel THOMPSON: To Awaken The Sleeper (LO co-commission) Leonard BERNSTEIN: Symphony No. 2, “The Age of Anxiety” MAY 12, 2023 FROM SILENCE TO SPLENDOR Teddy Abrams, conductor Dashon Burton, baritone Christopher CERRONE: A Year of Silence (LO co-commission, World Premiere) Anton BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7

DECEMBER 2, 2022 Handel’s MESSIAH Kent Hatteberg, conductor & chorusmaster Louisville Chamber Choir MARCH 31, 2023 RACH & BARTÓK Christian Reif, conductor Alexi Kenney, violin Belá BARTÓK: Violin Concerto No. 2 Sergei RACHMANINOFF: Symphony No. 3 *Programs, dates, times, and locations are subject to change.

NIGHTLITES SERIES Fridays at 7:30PM Paul W. Ogle Center Indiana University Southeast OCTOBER 14, 2022 TEDDY TALKS SCHUMANN Teddy Abrams, conductor Robert SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 4 NOVEMBER 18, 2022 TCHAIKOVSKY’S 4TH Ruth Reinhardt, conductor Modest MUSSORGSKY: Night on Bald Mountain Pyotr TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 4

L O U I S V I L L E

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Christian Reif

9

PERFORMANCE PREVIEW

A GRAND FINALE

Louisville Orchestra closes 84th season with new and classic pieces

by Bill Doolittle

Just because a piece is called Automation, doesn’t mean it’s going to play itself.

There’s the solo cellist, Yves Dhar.

He’s going to play his part. And there’s the Louisville Orchestra. It’s going to play its part.

But the third part of Automation is a wild something that is going to play itself.

If everything works as planned, the audiences on May 13 and 14 in Whitney Hall for the finale of the Louisville Orchestra’s 84th season will get to see and hear all three: the cellist, the orchestra, and that mysterious third player that’s going to play itself — all by itself.

Huh? Don’t worry, all will be revealed... or present more questions than it answers.

The concert, under the baton of symphony director Teddy Abrams, also includes a composition by Louisville 10

composer KiMani Bridges called STATiC, plus the centerpiece of the show, the brilliant Symphonie fantastique,

by Hector Berlioz, a classical music favorite since its Paris premier in 1830.

Automation, on the other hand, is brand new. Not just new in time, but in format, which is where the piece playing itself comes in.

A crazy idea, the cellist and the composer laughed. “Like that’s ever going to happen.”

But they didn’t forget about it.

“The more we talked,” says Dhar, “the more we liked exploring the idea of how people interact with a digital world these days.

Dhar says the concept goes back five years to a brainstorming session with composer Adam Schoenberg, who’ve been pals since their college days at Juilliard.

“So I went down the rabbit hole and researched the idea and found there was a kind of legendary instance of hologram artists back in 2012 at Coachella (Music and Arts Festival, in California). The hip hop artist Tupac Shakur had died, and they kind of resurrected him for this concert — in holograph form.”

“I’ve always wanted Adam to write something for me, and we were sort of riffing off each other and throwing ideas out there,” says Dhar. “I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if there were a hologram playing a cello on stage with me?’”

A hologram, we learned from Dr. Google, is a three-dimensional image projected by light sources. A hologram can take the form of a ghostly 3-D moving figure that you can walk around to see from all angles.

INTERACTING WITH THE DIGITAL WORLD

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Dhar says at the time the technology they’d need to create a hologram cellist on stage — with a real cellist and an orchestra — was prohibitively expensive.

“Not to mention there are a lot of parts to it. It did not travel or transport well, and I already had a cello and all this stuff to haul around the country.”

But in the five years since their hologram brainstorm, the musicians found the cost of the technology coming down, with fewer parts to schlep around.

“Now they’ve got these things called holo nets, like a scrim, nearly a transparent scrim,” says Dhar. “You get a projector, and you have to develop the right graphics, but you can project what looks like a hologram up there.”

Dhar and Schoenberg next enlisted the aid of a team of technology scientists — artificial intelligence experts, you might say — from Occidental College, in Los Angeles. (Barack Obama’s alma mater.) Dahr says they were intrigued with the challenge. It would be their job to give the hologram the ability to play its own music — the essence of artificial intelligence.

Now all they needed was the music.

PUTTING THE MUSIC FIRST “Obviously, with Adam, we wanted this first and foremost to be a great piece of music,” says Dhar. “Adam is... he’s a tremendous composer for symphony orchestra. But he also has all this experience in film.”

And the tech imagination required to bring music to video.

“In the musical world, it’s acoustic, and electronic,”says Dhar. “Most classical music is acoustic, right? And most popular music nowadays is electronic.

We’re at that intersection.”

As a premier classical soloist based in New York, Dhar is obviously rooted in the acoustic, symphonic world. But he’s also interested in the digital world.

That intersection, and the possibility of collision, provided both composer and cellist with the narrative for Automation.

“It’s the world of human beings interacting with AI every day,” explains Dhar.

Composer Adam Schoenberg

Cellist Yves Dhar

“It’s not a story, by any means, but an arc. It goes like this: A human cellist is dying to play with someone else, so he creates an AI cellist. A robot. The robot learns from the human, and learns exponentially — eventually challenging the musician.”

a new generation of composers who will write new music for symphonies to perform for coming audiences.

But things get away.

“The AI cellist surpasses the human, but does inhuman things and eventually short circuits and blows, everything just cuts out. This moment is really the heart of the piece. The human cellist is lost, wondering what does it mean — this thing we have created that surpasses us in nearly every way?”

Aren’t we all kind of asking ourselves that question these days?

AN ORCHESTRA OF THE FUTURE AND THE PAST Playing experimental compositions is something the Louisville Orchestra does well. And it is not easy work. Players often encounter phrasing and chords that are far out of the norm. Sometimes just far out.

But that’s the uniqueness of the Louisville Orchestra’s mission. Abrams and his symphony are trying to nurture L O U I S V I L L E

O R C H E S T R A

But the orchestra is also terrific at playing the classics. The music audiences love. That’s also its mission. For this concert, it is the Berlioz Symphonie fantastique. For other concerts, it might be Brahms or Mozart or Dvorak.

Next season, the orchestra will perform Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony — as familiar and beloved as it gets.

And on those nights, it will be just like when a rock band swings into its biggest hit. The audience warms to the music, gets in a sway with it. And the warmth radiates back to the players onstage.

For more information about these and other performances, or to purchase tickets, visit LouisvilleOrchestra.org

Automation & Symphonie fantastique May 13 & 14 The Kentucky Center -Whitney Hall Tickets: louisvilleorchestra.org/concerts/

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

AN ICON AND A POET

SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAMER BRINGS HIS ROOTS MUSIC TO LOUISVILLE

PERFORMANCE PREVIEW

W

May 15, 2022

ith more than 40 years of American roots music under his belt, Texas native Rodney Crowell is a two-time Grammy Award winner who has written 15 No. 1 hits, with five No. 1 hits of his own and a legacy of songwriting excellence which has made him an icon among giants.

Crowell was honored with ASCAP’s prestigious Founder’s Award in 2017, and that same year released the album Close Ties, which spawned another Grammy nomination for “It Ain’t Over Yet” with Rosanne Cash and John Paul White in the category of Best Americana Song. In 2018, he opened his own record label, RC1 Records, and released Acoustic Classics in 2018 and TEXAS in 2019.

With strong roots in country music, Crowell has written chart-topping hits for the likes of Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Keith Urban, and more. But owing to the distinctly universal, literary quality of his writing, has also penned beloved songs for artists as diverse as Bob Seger, Etta James, the Grateful Dead, John Denver, Jimmy Buffett, and countless others.

Also in 2019, Crowell received the Academy of Country Music’s Poet’s Award. His latest album, Triage, was released last July to much critical acclaim.

Article courtesy of Rodney Crowell.

A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Crowell is also the author of the acclaimed memoir, ”Chinaberry Sidewalks,” and teamed up with New York Times best-selling author Mary Karr for Kin: Songs by Mary Karr & Rodney Crowell in 2012, with Karr saying of her collaborator, “Like Hank Williams or Townes Van Zandt, or Miss Lucinda, he writes and croons with a poet’s economy and a well digger’s deep heart.”

91.9 WFPK presents Rodney Crowell Sunday, May 15, 7PM The Kentucky Center-Bomhard Theater Tickets: kentuckyperformingarts.org

 Rodney Crowell will perform May 15 at The Kentucky Center-Bomhard Theater.

K E N T U C K Y

P E R F O R M I N G

A RT S

P R E S E N T S

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PLACES WE LOVE

CARTER CAVES STATE RESORT PARK Olive Hill, Kentucky, only 150 miles east of Louisville Kentucky is home to 45 state parks, including 17 resort parks with restaurants, 30 campgrounds, and 13 golf courses for residents of the commonwealth and visitors from around the globe to enjoy.

Located 150 miles east of Louisville is Carter Caves State Resort Park, a great destination that offers tours of four caves, varying seasonally.

Each has distinctive features and historical significance, as well as great camping, hiking and activities.

Dating back to July 31, 1946, the citizens of Carter County and surrounding counties donated 945 acres to the commonwealth of Kentucky for a state park. Contained in this tract are some of the most impressive caves in the state. Today, the acreage and amenities have expanded, and the caves remain just as impressive to visitors from across the country.

Tygarts Creek, the principal stream in the area, occupies a narrow, meandering 14

valley, deeply set within the hills.

The downward cutting of Tygarts Creek uncovered the soluble limestone, leaving it exposed to the circulating waters necessary for large cavern development.

The park offers staff-led paddling outings on Tygerts Creek and nearby Smokey Lake, so guests with all levels of experience can get out to enjoy the aquatic aspects of the park in addition to the caves and the amazing trail system.

Thirty-three miles of wooded nature trails highlight many fascinating features, including natural bridges, arches, caves, sinkholes, cliffs, and a boxed canyon, ranging from easy to difficult hiking levels. The trail system supports over 15 miles of multi-use trails for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders.

Whether you want to camp or “glamp” on your visit, there are several options for both. Guests can select from the modern lodge or cottage accommodations or

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continue in the great outdoors in one of the campsites offering RV, equestrian, or even backcountry options.

Tierney’s Cavern Restaurant, in the lodge, allows guests to have all of their needs met without ever leaving the park during their stay, serving Kentucky favorites and Kentucky Proud ingredients when available.

Don’t miss this special vacation destination offering fun for all ages yearround, including mini golf, gem mining, fishing, and even rappelling and rock climbing to round out the opportunities.

If you are looking for a business retreat or larger group outing, there is also a meeting space accommodating 350 people, making it a great destination for corporate retreats, family reunions, and weddings.

For more information, CLICK HERE, call (606) 286-4411, or visit parks.ky.gov.

F R E E !

Bardstown Main Street

Paducah Main Street

Explore

Shelbyville Main Street

KENTUCKY MAIN STREETS for

Kentucky Main Street Week MAY 9 - 15, 2022 Bardstown Main Street Beattyville Main Street Campbellsville Main Street Carrollton Main Street Catlettsburg Main Street Renaissance Covington Cynthiana Main Street Heart of Danville Guthrie Main Street

LaGrange Main Street London Downtown Maysville Main Street Middlesboro Main Street Downtown Morehead Murray Main Street Paducah Main Street Paintsville Main Street Perryville Main Street Pikeville Main Street

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Main Street Pineville Main Street Salyersville Heart of Scottsville Shelby Main Street Springfield Main Street Taylorsville Main Street Tri-Cities Heritage Williamsburg Main Street Main Street Winchester

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SEASON PREVIEW

A SEASON for CELEBRATION

KENTUCKY OPERA’S 2022-23 SEASON OFFERS CLASSICS FROM PUCCINI TO ROSSINI

by Kentucky Opera

I

n celebration of its 70th anniversary, Kentucky Opera has announced an exciting new season.

The 2022-23 season kicks off with five performances of Puccini's classic La bohème, a tale of love and friendship, continues with Piazzolla and Ferrer's passionate tango opera María de Buenos Aires, and closes with Rossini's beloved rags-to-riches tale Cinderella. Patrons can complete the season by adding tickets to The Gift of the Magi, a perfect show for the holidays.

LA BOHÈME

Music by Giacomo Puccini September 23, 25, 27, 29 and October 2 Brown Theatre Romantic, nostalgic, and heartwarming.

A chance encounter on a winter night changes everything for Mimì and Rodolfo, sending them into a deep, passionate whirlwind in the heart of Paris. For over 100 years, audiences have been captivated by Puccini’s unforgettable music in this sweetly sentimental tale of young lovers in Paris. Sometimes friends are the family we choose.

CINDERELLA

Music by Gioachino Rossini February 24 and 26 Brown Theatre Bubbly, melodic, and hilarious.

Rossini’s La Cenerentola is the classic rags-to-riches tale with bubbly operatic melodies, a spunky heroine, and a story that shows us once again that love conquers all. In this timeless comedy, Cinderella’s journey from servant’s quarter to happily ever after is fraught with confusion and chaos as she defies her conniving stepfather and mean girl stepsisters to win the heart of her Prince.

MARÍA DE BUENOS AIRES

THE

Music by Ástor Piazzolla Libretto by Horacio Ferrer November 11 and 13 Brown Theatre Seductive, passionate, and haunting.

In the slums of Buenos Aires, Argentina, María is born, “...with a curse in her voice.” Seduced by the city, María turns her back on her former, innocent life. As her world devolves into darkness, the gritty streets claim her as their own.

María is made of flesh and blood, but her immortal spirit will be harder to kill in this surreal, supernatural, and spiritual journey set to the beat of Argentine tango.

GIFT OF THE MAGI

A chamber opera in one act Music by David Conte Libretto by Nicholas Giardini Based on the short story

by O. Henry December 15, 16, 18, 20, 22 Opera Center: 708 Magazine St. Love, sacrifice, and family.

Presented at the new home of The Kentucky Opera, this heartwarming holiday classic brings you close to the action. Jim and Della cannot afford to buy each other presents for Christmas, so they pawn their most prized possessions to purchase gifts for each other. But their surprises go awry in this adaptation of O. Henry’s classic story, delivered with beautiful melodies sung in English.

Subscriptions for the 2022-23 season are on sale now and can be purchased at kyopera.org or by calling (502) 584-4500. Single tickets for individual performances will go on sale later in the year.

 La bohème will run September 23, 25, 27, 29 and October 2 at the Brown Theatre. Photo courtesy of Kentucky Opera.

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SEASON PREVIEW

AN EPIC

ADVENTURE

KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE STAGES LONGEST SEASON IN COMPANY HISTORY

by Kentucky Shakespeare 18

SEASON PREVIEW

K

SUMMER 2022

entucky Shakespeare is pleased to announce its 62nd annual Kentucky Shakespeare Festival from May 25 to August 7 at the C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheater in Old Louisville’s Central Park.

“We’re delighted to return for another magical season of our free Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park, and it will mark the longest run in the history of our company,” said Matt Wallace, Producing Artistic Director. “The 11-week season features 60 performances, six productions, all presented absolutely free to audience members. While we returned to Central Park in 2021 after a virtual 2020 summer season, we still look at this summer as a homecoming. It’s a time to continue to come together to connect, heal, and rebuild, while we experience the joy of this shared community arts experience together, under the stars — all summer long.”

The season kicks off the main stage season with a lively production of Twelfth Night set in 1920s New Orleans, featuring a live jazz band onstage. It will be followed by Richard III, the thrilling finale to the company’s history cycle featuring Shakespeare’s iconic villain, and the hilarious Elizabethan

farce, The Merry Wives of Windsor. The season will again feature two weeks of rotating repertory in July, in which all three productions will rotate nightly.

In addition to the three main stage productions, Kentucky Shakespeare will present its Globe Players professional training program for high school students in Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Kyle Ware, plus a new production of Shakespeare in Dance from the Louisville Ballet choreographed by Roger Creel (this year inspired by As You Like It), and the Late Night Shakes Shakespearean improv comedy show from the Louisville Improvisors.

All performances are presented free of charge at Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park, the longest-running non-ticketed Shakespeare festival in the United States.

Kentucky Shakespeare’s 62nd season is dedicated to the memory of Thomas T. Noland, Jr. and Max G. Baumgardner, whom we lost this year. Both served as Kentucky Shakespeare Board Chairmen and were longtime friends and supporters of the company.

 The 2021 Summer Company. Photo by Brian Owens.

 The Twelfth Night first read through. Photo courtesy of Kentucky Shakespeare.

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THE 2022 KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL IN CENTRAL PARK TWELFTH NIGHT

NIGHTLY SCHEDULE:

by William Shakespeare Directed by Matt Wallace May 25 - June 12; July 13, 16, 19, 22 No performances on Mondays or Tuesdays in June The season kicks off with Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy of mistaken identity, music, and the madness of love, where nobody is quite what they seem and anything is possible!

6:00pm Food Trucks Open 7:00pm Will’s Tavern, Will’s Gift Shop, and Kids’ Globe open 7:15pm Community Pre-Show Performance 8:00pm Production Begins Please visit kyshakespeare.com for more information and schedules.

KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE PLAYERS:

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

RICHARD III

Directed by Kyle Ware July 27-31

By William Shakespeare Directed by Amy Attaway June 16-26; July 12, 15, 20, 23 No performances on Mondays or Tuesdays in June Shakespeare’s charismatic, powerhungry villain embarks on an unrelenting campaign for the crown, chronicling the cataclysmic end of England’s greatest power struggle, the Wars of the Roses, in this thrilling finale to the history cycle.

THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR

By William Shakespeare Directed by Matt Wallace June 30-July 10; July 14, 17, 21,24 Double-meanings, disguises, and dirty laundry as lovable rogue Sir John Falstaff sets about improving his financial situation by wooing two wealthy married women. The tables are turned, feminine wisdom triumphs and laughter reigns supreme in this hilarious Elizabethan farce.

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Kentucky Shakespeare’s Globe Players present the beloved comedy directed by Director of Education Kyle Ware. The cast is composed of students from multiple area high schools and the production is the culmination of a 5-week training program.

LOUISVILLE IMPROVISORS:

LATE NIGHT SHAKES

Improvised Shakespeare June 11, June 25, July 9, and July 23 at 10:30PM The Louisville Improvisors return for a seventh year on select Saturdays, bringing late night improvised Shakespeare plays created from audience suggestions.

LOUISVILLE BALLET:

SHAKESPEARE IN DANCE: AS YOU LIKE IT Choreographed by Roger Creel August 3-7

Rounding out the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival season, Louisville Ballet returns to the Festival stage for a sixth season to present Shakespeare in Dance, a Shakespeare-inspired dance premiere based on As You Like It.

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FEATURING Andrea Hughes • André

Seagraves & Angie Garner • Aukram Burton • Buddy Ray • Carlos Jones • Darnell Mathias-Harewood • Darryl Tucker • Denise Brown • Edward White • Dr. JaBani Bennett • Jamie Philbert • Keith Anderson • Malliccaaii Green • Nzingha B. Sweeney-Sheppard • Rae Freville • Sheila Fox • Shauntrice Martin • Stephen Wiggins • Sydney Howleit • Tramel Fain • Walda Waithe

“Ms. America” Tramel Fain

THE KENTUCKY CENTER FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE PRESENTS

CELEBRATING THE

BLACK EXPERIENCE EXHIBITION APRIL 8 - JUNE 19, 2022 GALLERY HOURS:

Monday - Friday, 10:00am - 4:00 pm K E N T U C KKY Y S H A K E S P E A R E 1701 West Muhammad Ali Blvd. Louisville,

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WHAT’S NeXt? AMBASSADOR PROGRAM OPENS DOORS TO TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP IN THE ARTS

by Fund for the Arts

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or young people interested in joining the Board of Directors for an arts organization, the path there can seem inaccessible. Identifying an organization that is the right size, with needs that you can fulfill and a mission you’re passionate about, meeting the people involved, and understanding what’s expected of you once you get there are just a few of the hurdles you might face when considering board leadership.

For young professionals like Jonathan Riehm, Will Hollis, and Tori Powell, the Fund for the Arts’ (FFTA) NeXt! Ambassador program paved the way.

For more than a decade, FFTA and its junior board, NeXtGen, have hosted the NeXt! Ambassador program to walk people through those questions and help them access board leadership at arts organizations across the city. Groups like Commonwealth Theatre Center, StageOne Family Theatre, and AMPED boast boards that include alumni like Jonathan Riehm from Brown-Forman Corp., who served as Board Chair at StageOne Family Theatre from 2019-21. He completed the NeXt! Ambassador program in 2015.

“The NeXt program prepared me for board leadership by showing me all the different aspects of the great arts organizations here in Louisville — how their mission is tied to everything they do, how to help at all different levels, but most importantly that it takes volunteers like me to ensure our cultural partners thrive,” says Riehm.

A former NeXt Ambassador class working on a project at Louisville Visual Art.

For nine months in a year, NeXt! Ambassadors develop necessary skills like financial analysis and governance, build diverse relationships, and apply the lessons they’re learning in real-world scenarios. NeXt! Ambassadors complete the program prepared to serve as effective, transformative board members and volunteer leaders for arts organizations.

And NeXt! Ambassadors have fun, too — enjoying a behindthe-scenes look at artists and arts organizations across the city.

Tori Powell, current NeXtGen Board member, Chair of the NeXtGen Community Engagement Committee, and a member of the 2020 NeXt! Ambassador class shares, “One of my favorite NeXt! experiences was working on a project with the Louisville Ballet and getting to visit their studio to see them practicing for

The NeXt program prepared me for board leadership by showing me all the different aspects of the great arts organizations here in Louisville — how their mission is tied to everything they do, how to help at all different levels, but most importantly that it takes volunteers like me to ensure our cultural partners thrive. − Jonathan Riehm  NeXt Gen from left to right: Row 1 – Christian McBride; Row 2 – Candace Weber, Katie Hurt, Kiana Benhoff, Theresa Butler, Amy Landon, Will Hollis; Row 3 – Taylor Coots, Andre Kimo Stone Guess, Christopher Zelli F U N D

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The Fund for the Arts’ NeXt! program has made such a positive impact on our company over the years. We’ve gained wonderful insight and assistance and made so many connections with new colleagues and friends since its inception. − Matt Wallace, Producing Artistic Director at Kentucky Shakespeare Festival.

The Nutcracker. Getting to see the hard work that goes into such an amazing production, truly made working on their project that much more enjoyable and meaningful in assisting them with their focuses.”

AT THE FOREFRONT OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Events of the past several years have brought about significant changes for artists and arts organizations. From updated safety precautions to financial concerns to a long-anticipated shift towards righting the balance in representation in the arts following the protests around the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in summer of 2020 — arts organizations are facing territory that they’ve never faced before.

These new waters require commitment and innovation from volunteer leadership. NeXtGen and the NeXt! Ambassador program are at the forefront of developing leaders with these new skills. They are leaders with ties to their neighborhoods and communities, leaders who look to their arts organizations to represent themselves, their families, and their communities, and those who are prepared and equipped with the knowledge and perspective to hold one another accountable.

Over the past year, the NeXtGen Board of Directors paused the Ambassador program to host a discovery process that included interviews and surveys of past participants and arts organizations to better understand the needs of the organizations it serves, and the areas where growth was possible.

“With changes happening over the past two years for all of us, this was the perfect time to look at the program at a granular level and make the necessary changes to come back stronger and ready to serve those looking for their next opportunity in the arts community in our area,” says Powell.

Will Hollis is President-Elect of the NeXtGen Board. He works at the Center for Interfaith Relations and was a member of the 2019 NeXt! Ambassador class.

“The art in the city needs to reflect the whole of our community; the audience needs to reflect the population,” he says.

“For generations, the art scene has been driven by a small number of well-intentioned individuals serving the city what they believed the city should eat. Now, our generation of young leaders is taking a closer look at who is in the kitchen, and if the spread truly reflects the taste of those who live in our neighborhoods.”

The result is a NeXt! Ambassador program that relies on more than a decade of development, providing skills-building 24

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A former NeXt Ambassador class.

program days led by civic, arts, and nonprofit leaders with expertise in board leadership. It’s also a program being led by the leaders of the future, looking ahead to better understand the changing needs of artists in today’s world.

APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR 2022-23 PROGRAM The NeXt! Ambassador program looks forward to another year defining board leadership for arts organizations across the area.

Applications are open now through June 20.

“The Fund for the Arts’ NeXt! program has made such a positive impact on our company over the years. We’ve gained wonderful insight and assistance and made so many connections with new colleagues and friends since its inception,” says Matt Wallace, Producing Artistic Director at Kentucky Shakespeare Festival.

“We will continue to jump at the chance to work with this program, and we welcome future collaborations! We remain so very grateful for these amazing professionals who continue to give back to our arts community and make such a difference.”

Stock Yards Bank returns in 2022-23 as the Presenting Sponsor of the NeXt! Ambassador program with a commitment to building the arts leaders of the future.

For more information and to apply for the NeXt! Ambassador program, go to fundforthearts.org/next/ or contact Kate Gipson, Director of Strategic Initiatives, at kgipson@fundforthearts.org.

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EVENTS CALENDAR Audience is your connection to the performing arts and entertainment in Louisville.

Below are some of the events we are looking forward to in the coming months and we hope you enjoy them all!

MAY 7 Janet Jackson and New Edition 7PM, Lynn Family Stadium seatgeek.com

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Ray LaMontagne: The MONOVISION Tour 7:30PM, The Louisville Palace LiveNation.com

Tesla 8PM, The Louisville Palace LiveNation.com

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Eagles: Hotel California Tour 8PM, KFC YUM Center KFCYUMCenter.com

Valerie June with Rachel Maxann 8PM, Old Forester's Paristown Hall kentuckyperformingarts.org

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May 25-July 22

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Leon Bridges 8PM, Louisville Palace louisvillepalace.com

14 Fantastique Louisville Orchestra 8PM, Whitney Hall louisvilleorchestra.org

14 Flo Milli Live 8PM, Old Forester's Paristown Hall kentuckyperformingarts.org

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Kentucky to the World and KPA Present DIVING DEEP: Chris Fischer's Journey to Save Sharks and Bring Balance to Our Oceans 6:30PM, Bomhard Theater kentuckyperformingarts.org

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My Morning Jacket Iroquois Amphitheater (Friday) Waterfront Park (Saturday) productionsimple.com

29 As I Lay Dying 7PM, Old Forester's Paristown Hall kentuckyperformingarts.org

Kentucky Shakespeare Twelfth Night Central Park kentuckyshakespeare.org

Anastasia

2-7 Anastasia PNC Broadway in Louisville Whitney Hall kentuckyperformingarts.org

6 Tim Allen 8PM, The Louisville Palace LiveNation.com

JULY

27-29 Forecastle Festival Waterfront Park forecastlefest.com

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JUNE

The Lumineers 7:30PM, KFC YUM Center Ticketmaster.com

The Mavericks

Hamilton

14 The Mavericks 'En Español' World Tour (rescheduled) 8PM, Brown Theatre kentuckyperformingarts.org

15 Rodney Crowell 7PM, Bomhard Theater kentuckyperformingarts.org

AUGUST

7-19 Hamilton PNC Broadway in Louisville Whitney Hall louisville.broadway.com

22-24 Billy Strings 8:30PM, Iroquois Amphitheater ProductionSimple.com

17 Bert Kreischer: Fully Loaded Comedy Festival 7PM, KFC YUM Center KFCYUMCenter.com

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For more of our preferred arts and entertainment recommendations, visit Audience502.com/ audience-events

THE SPEED ART MUSEUM PRESENTS

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SANFORD BIGGERS

Codeswitch is the first survey of quilt-based works—inspired, in part, by the rich creative legacies of African American quilters—produced by the American interdisciplinary artist Sanford Biggers. The works, part of Biggers’s Codex series, consist of mixed-media paintings and sculptures done directly on or made from antique American quilts.

Sanford Biggers: Codeswitch was co-organized by Rivers Institute for Contemporary Art & Thought, New Orleans, and the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York, and curated by Andrea Andersson (Founding Director and Chief Curator, Rivers Institute) and Sergio Bessa (former Director of Curatorial Programs, Bronx Museum). The exhibition and catalog are made possible by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund: Culpeper Arts & Culture Program, Henry Luce Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Marianne Boesky Gallery, Massimo De Carlo, David Castillo Gallery, Monique Meloche Gallery, Baldwin Gallery, and Yale University Press.

Leading sponsors: Brooke Brown Barzun & Matthew Barzun Stephen Reily and Emily Bingham

Members see it all for free!

Advanced ticket purchase strongly encouraged.

Visit speedmuseum.org

Contributing sponsors: Hardscuffle, Inc. Jeffrey and Susan Callen Colin and Woo Speed McNaughton Lopa and Rishabh Mehrotra

Exhibition season sponsored by: Cary Brown and Steven E. Epstein Paul and Deborah Chellgren Arthur J. and Mary Celeste Lerman Charitable Foundation Debra and Ronald Murphy

Image: Sanford Biggers American, b. 1970 Quilt 35 (Vex), 2014 Antique quilt fragments,treated acrylic, and tar on antique quilt.

Exhibition opening sponsor:

Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson

2035 S. 3rd Street Louisville, KY 40208

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YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE A NUMBER EVER AGAIN

4OPTIONS TO RENEW CAR TAGS Online | JeffersonCountyClerk.org Telephone | (502) 569-3300 Drop-Box | At every Motor Vehicle location Mail-In | P.O. Box 33033

Louisville, KY 40232-3033