To meet ever-increasing box office demand for the 2010 Ringling International Arts Festival, organizers have announced another increase in ticket inventory as single-ticket sales are launched following a highly successful Festival Pass campaign.
“The response to the second annual Ringling International Arts Festival has been phenomenal,” said Festival Director Dwight Currie. “Since we announced programming in March, we’ve sold well over 1,000 Festival passes, which represents about 50 percent of our total capacity for the stage performances.” Early in that campaign, demand for the world premiere of a Philip Glass composition to be performed by solo violinist Tim Fain prompted the scheduling of an additional performance.”
“Now we have a number of performances that have sold out,” Currie added, “so we’re making what changes we can to accommodate the demand.” Specifically, seating capacity for Opera Baroque, a theatrical offering from the Forman Brothers Theater of the Czech Republic that mixes traditional marionettes with live actors, has been increased by 30% by moving the performances into the Ringling Circus Museum to meet demand.”
The five-day showcase of music, theater and dance presents 45 performances of 11 stage productions, which run from October 13-17 at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla. In addition to the premieres by Philip Glass and the Forman Brothers, the Festival boasts the debut of Hurricane, a new play written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist Nilo Cruz and Solos with Mikhail Baryshnikov & David Neumann featuring a world premiere by choreographer Susan Marshall. Those productions all debut at the Festival’s Night of Premieres on Wednesday, October 13. They then join the roster of seven additional productions of dance, theater, and music all presented in repertoire on three stages through Sunday, October 14.
With 50 percent of the tickets already sold and many performances at or near capacity sales, Festival organizers are anticipating a 100 percent sell-out to occur sometime during the remaining four months leading up to the opening events.
“We’re continuing to get the word out that the Ringling International Arts Festival, is the place to be in October,” Currie stated. “This week we introduced the Festival website at www.ringlingartsfestival.org. It gives visitors the opportunity to explore the exciting roster of international acts, world premieres, events, family activities and dining opportunities offered. Whatever your tastes, the 2010 Ringling International Arts Festival has something for everyone.”
The Ringling International Arts Festival is presented by the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in collaboration with the Baryshnikov Arts Center of New York. The stage productions, along with special art exhibitions and museum events are all presented in the theaters, galleries, and gardens of the 66-acre, multi-venue Ringling Center for the Arts on Sarasota Bay in Florida.
To purchase tickets, call The Historic Asolo Theater box office at 941.360.7399 Monday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET or, visit The Ringling International Arts Festival website at www.ringlingartsfestival.org. Member tickets are $30, $25, $20 and $10. Tickets for the general public are $40, $35, $30 and $20.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida State University, is one of the largest museum/university campuses in the nation. It preserves the legacy of John and Mable Ringling by educating and enabling a large and diverse audience to experience and take delight in a world-renowned collection of fine art; Cà d’Zan, the Ringling historic mansion; the Circus Museum; the Historic Asolo Theater; as well as the historic architecture, courtyard, gardens and grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay on Florida’s gulf coast. For more information about the Ringling Museum of Art, please visit: www.ringling.org.
The Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) opened its doors in New York City¹s Hell¹s Kitchen in November 2005. BAC serves as a creative laboratory, meeting place, and performance space for a vibrant community of artists from around the world. BAC is also dedicated to building audiences for the arts by presenting contemporary, innovative work at low or no cost to ticket buyers. The organization recently purchased a 299-seat theater in the performing arts complex, which will undergo renovation in 2009 to be transformed into the state of the art Jerome Robbins Theater. Scheduled to open in 2010, the theater will serve as an organic extension of the existing center, featuring multi-disciplinary work, emerging talent, and international artists, and including artist-centered activity that fosters creative exploration. For more information about the Baryshnikov Arts Center, please visit: www.bacnyc.org.