This American Life founder and host Ira Glass brings his heart-rending tales to London in a surprising new format.
Introducing the European premier of a show entitled ‘Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host’ that stars ‘This American Life’ host Ira Glass, Monica Bill Barnes, Anna Bass & Company as part of Southbank Centre’s Festival of Love, a summer festival spanning music, art, dance and performance
This show brings together two strands that as Glass puts it – 'have no business being together – dance and radio. The result is a funny, lively and heartfelt evening of dance and stories that has brought down the house wherever it’s been performed.
For one night only this unique show will come to the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday 16th August. "What makes it work," says Glass "is a shared sensibility. As dancers, Monica and Anna are these amazingly relatable and funny storytellers without words."
Ira Glass and choreographer Monica Bill Barnes thought their work shared a sensibility, even though hers includes no talking and his involves no physical movement whatsoever. Some are performed together onstage by Glass, Barnes and dancer Anna Bass. In May 2012 they collaborated on three short dances that were part of a This American Life variety show that was beamed into movie theatres across the USA. It was such a success that they decided to do a full show that combines stories and dance.
Glass is the creator and host of WBEZ Chicago’s public radio show ‘This American Life’, which is distributed by Public Radio International and heard on over 500 public radio stations with a regular audience of 2.2 million listeners; its podcast most weeks is the most popular podcast in America. Monica Bill Barnes & Company is a contemporary American dance company with the mission to celebrate individuality, humour and the innate theatricality of everyday life. The company has performed in over thirty venues in New York City including New York City Center, The Joyce Theater, Joe's Pub and Upright Citizens Brigade, and out of town venues including Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, The American Dance Festival and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Published on 28 July 2016 by Wayne Feltham
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