Free Event! The Arsht Center Presents MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL 2012

FREE EVENT!

THE Adrienne Arsht CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY ANNOUNCES

MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL 2012

When the Sun Goes Down

A weekend of groundbreaking new theater, live music and visual art

by Miami and for Miami

FREE ADMISSION

OR GET PRIORITY ACCESS BY PURCHASING A VIP FESTIVAL PASS FOR $35

March 1- 4, 2012

Carnival Studio Theater

(in the Ziff Ballet Opera House)

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County announced MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL 2012 – WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN, the Center's 4th annual showcase of innovative new work created by artists living in Miami and inspired by Miami. Taking place from March 1 - 4 in the Carnival Studio Theater, MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL 2012 will feature the work of 10 artists representing the incredible breadth of work emanating from Miami's ever-evolving artistic scene, including five new interdisciplinary theatrical performances (two of them world premieres!). The 2012 installment of MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL has also expanded to include more genres of the performing arts – with the inclusion, for the first time, of live concerts showcasing new music throughout the weekend and a photo exhibition.

Highlights of the festival include: the Miami premiere of Rosie Herrera's critically acclaimed Dining Alone, commissioned by the Arsht Center; the world premiere of SHIMMER, a vibrant, experimental new work from the TM Sisters; the world premiere of BEER SAMPLERS, an immersive art-imitating-nightlife experience created by THE PROJECT [THEATRE] and commissioned by the Arsht Center; a sneak peek of PAUL TEI's latest work-in-progress RPM, presented in collaboration with Mad Cat Theatre Company; and Mark Della Ventura's one-man-show SMALL MEMBERSHIP.

New for 2012, MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL will serve as a platform for Miami's hippest local bands to premiere new music with concerts lined up throughout the weekend. Scheduled to perform are The Hongs (Thursday), CROWN COMPANY (Friday) and, on Saturday night, ROOFLESS RECORDS brings to the Carnival Studio Theater a music/theater/dance mash-up inspired by pop culture's most beloved variety shows (think Ed Sullivan gone underground, Miami-style).

In another first for the MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL, multimedia artist Richard Martinez is collaborating with local favorite Ana Mendez on a photo exhibit documenting Mendez's work from last season's Miami Made Festival – presenting guests with a unique opportunity to see the evolution of a performance piece through the camera lens.

All the work commissioned by the Arsht Center for the 2012 festival revolves around the central theme "When The Sun Goes Down." Artists selected have chosen to focus on the connections, or missed connections, that take place every night between dusk and dawn – offering audiences insight - through music, dialogue and movement - into the dynamic, vibrant and diverse Miami lifestyle.

"Miami heats up when the sun goes down and this expanded, nighttime version of the Arsht Center's Miami Made Festival is an opportunity to experience the inventive, cross-pollination of creativity germinating throughout South Florida. The entire community is invited to dive into the newest, groundbreaking work coming out of Miami's vibrant cultural scene," said M. John Richard, president and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center.

ADMISSION TO MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL 2012 EVENTS IS FREE WITH A "FIRST ACCESS PASS"

Free "FIRST ACCESS PASSES" for each performance will be available beginning at noon on Monday, February 27 at arshtcenter.org or in person at the Arsht Center Box Office (limit four per person). The passes provide patrons with guaranteed admission to the theater for individual performances.*

A $35 VIP FESTIVAL PASS is also available, beginning on January 30, and includes priority access into the theater and guaranteed seating to every MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL 2012 event. VIP FESTIVAL PASS holders may attend as many performances as they wish over the festival.

* Subject to availability. The First Access Pass expires 15 minutes prior to curtain. For additional details, please visit www.arshtcenter.org or contact the Box Office at (305) 949-6722.

MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL 2012 LINEUP:

All performances take place in the evening. A full schedule of show times will be available beginning on February 13 at www.arshtcenter.org/miamimade.

THEATER

ROSIE HERRERA'S DINING ALONE – Miami Premiere!

Adrienne Arsht Center Commission

March 2, 3 & 4

Rising star and critical favorite Rosie Herrera returns to the Miami Made Festival stage to premiere a new immersive dance theater experience - Dining Alone. In the piece, dancer/choreographer Herrera uses dining as the context to explore isolation, age, fragility, youth and the inherent drama attached to food. Told with the same wit, humor and sincerity that has come to characterize her work, this new version of Dining Alone is Herrera's invitation to a surrealistic dinner party where, as the guest of honor, the audience is privy to the private bittersweet moments that are amplified by the experience of dining.

Fans of MIAMI MADE FESTIVal May recall a work-in-progress showing of a piece called "Dining Alone" in 2010 – that piece evolved into "Pity Party" and premiered at the Arsht Center in 2011. Since then, Rosie has created an all-new performance piece, also titled "Dining Alone," which she will bring to Miami audiences for the first time for MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL 2012.

ROSIE HERRERA is a Miami native and graduated from New World School of the Arts with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance. Her work has been commissioned by the American Dance Festival (2010 and 2011), New World School of the Arts, The Miami Light Project and the Adrienne Arsht Center. In addition to her various commissioned presentations at the Adrienne Arsht Center, Herrera has received national recognition, with invitations by the prestigious American Dance Festival to present three of her works over the course of the past three years (2009-2011).

SHIMMER - TM SISTERS – World Premiere!

March 1, 2 & 3

Making their Miami Made debut this year, the acclaimed performance art duo, the TM Sisters, present the world premiere of SHIMMER. Exploring the sliver of time when dawn and dusk are indiscernible, the TM SISTERS incorporate prismatic lighting techniques, video projection, live music and narrative to create their trademark amalgam of quirk, visual spectacle, and choreography – all with a tropical Miami twist.

Featured on the cover of ArtNews' Trendsetters issue, TM Sisters - Tasha and Monica Lopez De Victoria - have exhibited their work in New York, London, and Norway, among other national and international exhibitions. Their work has also been highlighted in The New York Times Style magazine, Art + Auction, Flash Art, The Guardian, and Artforum. Tasha and Monica were born in Gainesville, FL and live and work in Miami. Monica received her BFA from Florida International University and Tasha received her BFA from New World School of the Arts.

BEER SAMPLERS – The Project [theatre] – World Premiere!

Adrienne Arsht Center Commission

March 1, 2 & 3

Dedicated to blurring the line between spectacle and spectator, The Project [theatre] will premiere Beer SamplerS, an original series of short works created for the MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL that challenge theatrical convention by immersing the audience in the character's lives – physically and emotionally. Here's how it goes: Come to a lounge (the Carnival Studio Theater). Bring your friends. Have a drink. Have a chat. Before you know it, performers, some who may have appeared to be audience members, begin to play out vignettes throughout the environment. It's an electric, voyeuristic experience that turns Miami's nightlife scene into immersive theater worthy of your next status update.

The Project [theatre] was founded in 2009 by four young theater professionals – David Hemphill, Ashley Olberding, Elaine Bryan, Jackie Rivera – eager to ignite a new generation's thirst for live theater. Dedicated to producing new, relevant works, the group has produced 19 world premiere short plays and a landmark full-length production Billboard.

RPM – Written by Paul Tei – Work in Progress!

Presented by the Adrienne Arsht Center and Mad Cat Theatre Company

March 2 & 3

The Adrienne Arsht Center and Mad Cat Theatre Company, now in its 12th season, partner once again in the new play, RPM written by acclaimed director/writer/actor Paul Tei. RPM takes Miami audiences on a journey across the globe as seen through the psyche of DJ Spin, one of the world's most popular DJs. DJ Spin is faced with the emptiness of his work and the sudden death of his wife. When his manager sends him on a whirlwind tour headlining Europe, DJ Spin must invent a brand-new way to make his life and his music fresh. Molly Gandour, producer of Academy Award-nominated film, GASLAND, co-directs with Tei.

This production will mark Mad Cat's third presentation in partnership with the Arsht Center following the Carbonell Award-winning BroadSword by Marco Ramirez and Going Green the Wong Way by Kristina Wong. Founder and Artistic Director of Mad Cat, Tei was recently featured in the Miami New Times People issue, which profiled 30 of the Magic City's most intriguing characters, and his play So My Grandmother Died, Blah, Blah, Blah was recently named by the Miami New Times as Best New Script of 2011. Mad Cat's extensive list of 30-plus productions dating back to 2000 include such hits as Helluva Halloween, Shepherd's Pie, Matt & Ben, Mr. Marmalade, Animals and Plants, Viva Bourgeois, So My Grandmother Died, Blah, Blah, Blah and, most recently, Macbeth & the Monster. For more information on MadCat Theatre, visit www.madcattheatre.org.

SMALL MEMBERSHIP – Written by and starring Mark Della Ventura

March 3 & 4

Written by and starring New World School of the Arts graduate, MARK DELLA VENTURA, SMALL MEMBERSHIP is an original, one-man-play about a big boy with a small problem. The show centers on a young man – 26-year-old Matt – who seeks support for his male insecurity from a group of strangers (the audience). Through a series of flashbacks, the audience is offered glimpses into his childhood and adulthood struggles with puberty, sexual orientation, insecurity, anxiety, love, heartbreak and self-determined celibacy.

Nominated for a 2012 Carbonell Award for Best Actor, DELLA VENTURA is an accomplished South Florida-based actor/playwright/director whose work has been presented around the country. Two of his one-act plays have been produced in New York City as part of the Off-Off Broadway Harvest One-Act Festival, where he was also awarded "Best Actor." His play, Two Years Later was a finalist for the 2010 Heideman Award. He was invited to participate in the Director's Project of the Kennedy Center's prestigious American College Theater Festival. He also regularly works with many South Florida theaters, including Actor's Playhouse, GableStage, City Theatre, New Theatre, The ALLIANCE THEATRE Lab, The Promethean Theatre, Naked Stage, Slow Burn Theatre Company and Muse Theatre Company.

DAVID SIROIS directs SMALL MEMBERSHIP for its MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL showing, as well as for its first full-length production in June 2012 at The ALLIANCE THEATRE Lab. An actor/playwright/director, Sirois will premiere his play, Off Center of Nowhere, in March and stars in the upcoming world premiere of roomies, written by Della Ventura, in November 2012 – both at ALLIANCE THEATRE Lab.

MUSIC

THE HONGS – New music world premiere

In concert as Thursday's featured guest during BEER SAMPLERS.

March 1

Rounding out the opening night of MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL 2012, THE HONGS perform all-new creations from their live high-energy rock disco repertoire that will bring audiences to the dance floor. Formed in 2008 by Jamaican-born musician GorDon Myers and featuring Rodolfo "Mr. Bo Jangles" Zuniga on the drums, this multi-national electronica group has become one of the most popular bands on the Miami music scene and is preparing for the release of a new album – Delicate Tremors – produced by the Brazilian Girls.

CROWN COMPANY – New music world premiere!

In concert as Friday's featured guest during BEER SAMPLERS.

March 2

Led by Miami natives Oscar Sardiñas and Alex Senf, CROWN COMPANY's indie rock sound can be described as a smooth mash-up influenced by bands such as Phoenix and The Strokes with the sonic experimentation of The Flaming Lips and Radiohead. For MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL 2012, CROWN COMPANY will perform brand-new music in preparation for the launch of their debut album.

ROOFLESS RECORDS "MAYHEM SHOWCASE" – New music world premiere!

In concert as Saturday's featured guest during BEER SAMPLERS.

March 3

Hailed by the Miami New Times as Miami's "Best Record Label," Roofless Records presents an eclectic 60-minute variety show featuring Miami's best underground musical talents and inspired by the classic variety shows of the '70s. The live artistic mayhem will showcase a diverse array of musical styles growing out of the local music scene – audience favorites, cult performers, special guests and longtime Roofless collaborators. ROOFLESS RECORDS is the recipient of the Miami New Times Mastermind Grant (in the Sound category) and the 2011 Knight Arts Challenge Grant.

VISUAL ART

In a MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL first, multimedia artist Richard Martinez is creating a photo exhibit exclusively for the festival that takes a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of new performing arts works, specifically the work of another Miami Made artist, ANA MENDEZ. Photographs taken during The Body is Present, which was commissioned as part of Miami Made Festival 2011, offer new insight into Mendez's unique artistic process and provide a lasting tribute to one of the 2011's most talked-about dance pieces.

ABOUT MIAMI MADE

MIAMI MADE began in February 2005, under the name INCUBATOR, with the first call to South Florida performing artists to submit proposals for new works that might be supported by and premiered at the Adrienne Arsht Center. Several works were selected for further development, which included creative workshops and expanded presentations. While all were reflective of the vibrant and extraordinarily imaginative arts scene that informs South Florida, many works were selected and have since been developed into full pieces. The first, Cabaret Unkempt, premiered at the Center during its inaugural 2006-2007 season and has since then toured internationally. Most recently, three pieces created by Rosie Herrera - Various Stages of Drowning: A Cabaret, Pity Party and Dining Alone – all commissioned by the Adrienne Arsht Center have been selected to be showcased at the prestigious American Dance Festival. In 2009, MIAMI MADE FESTIVAL expanded from a commissioning program into a full weekend of events highlighting the immensely talented performing artists in our community who are continually expanding the boundaries of the traditional performing arts.

Visit www.arshtcenter.org for up-to-date information, details, and schedules.

Prices, artists, dates, times, and program are subject to change without notice.

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