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Curio Theatre’s walk-through multi-disciplinary installation about the life of Saint-Georges opens this Friday

March 16, 2021

After a year in the COVID pandemic, which has paused some of its arts projects and events, Curio Theatre is ready to present to the community something quite extraordinary (and also safe for the audience and staff). Beginning this Friday, March 19 and through Sunday, April 18, the West Philly theatre company will present A Symphony for Saint-Georges, a massive installation celebrating the life and career of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the famed violinist, composer and fencer whose story has been buried by history.

The piece involves no live actors – A Symphony for Saint-Georges is a multi-disciplinary installation featuring five environments created by sculpture, music, projections, video and set design. Curio artists have been working for months independently on this ambitious experiment to highlight the life of an artist who rose from slavery. Born in Guadeloupe to an enslaved mother and a wealthy plantation-owner father, Joseph Bologne was once described as “the most accomplished man in France.” As a champion fencer, esteemed violinist, father, and composer, Bologne is said to have inspired musicians like Mozart. However, even he was not immune to the realities of racism.

Artists participating in this exciting project include Curio Co-Artistic Directors Rich Bradford and Paul Kuhn, who is also designing the set and creating the environments. Other participating artists include visual artist Jermaine Ollivierre who has created sculptures for the installation, Ian Rose (fight choreography), Adja Samandoulgou (dancer and choreographer), violinist Randall Goosby, Ebony Pullum (actor and the installation guide), Karen Smith (percussionist and composer), Dwayne Alistair Thomas (videographer and editor), and more. Keyonna Butler and Aetna Gallagher have designed the costumes.

In order to ensure patrons and staff remain completely safe during the show’s run, ticket times and dates vary and are available for individual households or pods with a maximum number of four people, at 50-minute intervals.

Audience members are required to wear masks at all times. This is a Pay-What-You-Can performance with a suggested donation of $20 for adults and $10 for students and children. Tickets are available online at www.curiotheatre.org or by phone at 215-921-8243.

All shows are performed at Curio’s home theatre at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community, 4740 Baltimore Avenue.

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