UCLA Live director David Sefton certainly has a challenge before
him in making the new season better than last year’s,
considering it brought Yo-Yo Ma, Mikhail Baryshnikov and
Christopher O’Riley to Royce Hall.
But if opening night of the new season is any indication of what
is to come this year, Sefton should have little to worry about
““ not that he seemed too concerned about his ability to
maintain the program’s excellence.
“One of the good things about UCLA Live is that we present
so many different art forms. It’s like an enormous jigsaw
puzzle ““ all the pieces are in my head and I have to find the
right combination,” Sefton said.
“In some cases, (I look for) the excellence of a big
company like Shakespeare’s Globe, and other times it’s
something that’s different and new (when deciding who to
book).”
The opening week alone showed that UCLA Live caters to the
widest spectrum of performing arts audiences imaginable. The season
kicked off with Charlie Kaufman’s sound play, “Hope
Leaves the Theater,” followed by Detroit rock group DKT/MC5,
which played a double bill with avant-garde jazz group The Sun Ra
Arkestra, followed by a country and folk double-bill with Kris
Kristofferson and Steve Earle ““ and all this showed within
the same week.
Dominating the schedule for fall quarter is the International
Theatre Festival, a program that is not only a relatively recent
addition to UCLA Live, but a special project of Sefton’s.
“There didn’t used to be theater, so theater was a
thing we’ve put the most time into, getting it off the
ground,” Sefton said. “It brings in a lot of
international artists.”
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre will return to perform
“Measure for Measure,” and the Piccolo Teatro di Milano
will perform “Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters.”
And while UCLA Live presented “4.48 Psychosis” last
year, this year’s version of the play, starring Isabelle
Huppert, didn’t cause Sefton to hesitate much over the
question of whether or not to bring it back.
“(It’s different from last year’s performance
because) it’s her. It’s in French and it’s a
monologue,” Sefton said. “So it’s a different
take on the same text.”
In addition to more established companies, actors and
playwrights, the British company Forced Entertainment will perform
the North American premiere of its more contemporary dark comedy,
“Bloody Mess,” and Ugandan-American artist Ntare Guma
Mbaho Mwine will perform his play “Biro,” which deals
with current issues such as AIDS and war. Sefton hopes both the
difficult themes and unconventional presentation forms will
encourage audiences to reconsider their definition of theater.
“I hope people will be challenged. It’s often not an
easy night at the theater. I like people to look at different ways
of doing theater and I like putting new things in conventional
halls like (Theater of the New Ear in Royce),” Sefton
said.
But theater isn’t the only part of the UCLA Live program
where Sefton likes to experiment with his programming. Don’t
expect to see any traditional performances of “The
Nutcracker” or family-friendly performances to celebrate the
Christmas season, as filmmaker John Waters
(“Hairspray,” “Serial Mom”) will present
his “Xmas” show with pro-sex rapper Peaches.
A not-to-miss spring offering is actor John Cleese (“Monty
Python”), who will perform his new comedic show. New York
Times columnist Frank Rich is scheduled to speak in December.
And it wouldn’t be a true UCLA Live season without
humorist David Sedaris returning to Royce.
This year’s dance lineup reflects music from across the
globe, with performances by the avant-garde Canadian Compagnie
Marie Chouinard, the Japanese company Pappa Tarahumara and Julio
Bocca of the American Ballet Theatre performing the tangos of his
native Argentina.
However, as a former music journalist in Liverpool,
Sefton’s particularly attached to the music program.
“I take more risks with the music programs because
that’s my specialty, so I tend to venture out to (booking)
rock (shows),” Sefton said.
Indeed, the new season’s music program boasts artists
ranging from rock to electronica, with artists such as John Cale
(Velvet Underground), Aimee Mann, the Acid Mothers Temple and
Matmos to a host of world music and jazz artists to performances by
traditional music ensembles such as the London Philharmonic
Orchestra and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
But despite the reputation the program may have built up in the
eyes of artists, Sefton hasn’t had a trouble-free road when
it comes to booking this year’s performers.
“We’ve struggled with weak dollar against
international currency,” Sefton said. “And it’s
harder to get artists visas because of the security. There’s
a lot of paperwork.”
And after scouring the globe to watch artists he was interested
in booking for UCLA Live this season, there are a few shows Sefton
is particularly looking forward to seeing at UCLA.
“(I was looking forward to Theater of the New Ear), having
the Globe back, having Isabelle Huppert back, John Cleese,”
Sefton said. “But I booked everything, so I’m looking
forward to all of it.”
For a complete schedule and ticket information, visit
www.uclalive.org.