The 2023 season features an array of diverse concerts, a world premiere that tells the ultimate frenemy story of two of Japan’s most revered female poets, and Boston Court’s first ever immersive play.
Boston Court Pasadena 20th Anniversary Theater Season Includes
World Premiere of Rosie Naraski’s Unrivaled (Mach 16 – April 23), a co-production with Playwrights’ Arena
World Premiere of Jessica Kubzansky’s Measure STILL for Measure (September 7 – October 15)
19th Annual New Play Reading Festival (April 29 – April 30)
Boston Court Pasadena’s 20th Anniversary Music Season Highlights Include
Nolan Shaheed (February 25)
Danbi Um (March 3)
Red Eye 2 Tokyo (April 1)
Gloria Cheng (April 29)
Leah & I (May 4)
Hub New Music (May 6)
Mark Robson (June 24)
PASADENA, CA (January 17, 2023) — Boston Court Pasadena, which opened in 2003 with its groundbreaking inaugural production of Romeo & Juliet: Antebellum New Orleans 1836 starring Tessa Thompson as Juliet, celebrates its 20th Anniversary in 2023. Over its 20 year history, Boston Court has programmed more than 60 theatre production, including 37 world premieres, more than 300 eclectic music concerts, more than 75 new play readings, and dozens of National Theatre Live screenings that continue the company’s commitment to adventurous new work, reimagined classics, and both emerging and established artists.
“When Z. Clark Branson and EIleen T’Kaye first dreamed of creating a venue that combined the adventure and vitality of a 99-seat theatre with the amenities and capabilities of a larger venue, they fearlessly charted a course for Boston Court to dedicate itself to high-quality new and adventurous work that couldn’t be seen elsewhere in Southern California,” said Boston Court Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky, one of Boston Court’s founding artistic directors, who became the sole artistic director in 2020. She continued, “The fruits of their vision have been more profound than anyone could have imagined, and I’m thrilled that the 2023 season - our first full season since the pandemic - builds on this tradition in new and exciting ways.”
The 2023 theatre season begins with the world premiere of a co-production with Playwrights’ Arena, Unrivaled by Rosie Narasaki, directed by Boston Court Associate Artistic Director Margaret Shigeko Starbuck (March 16 – April 23). Unrivaled tells the story of 11th-century Ladies-in-Waiting Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon, two of Japan's most beloved writers, and their rivalry, friendship, and heartbreak.
Boston Court's music offerings launch with a performance by Afrobeat fusion group, the Rhythms of the Village Band (February 11), followed next by legendary jazz performer Nolan Shaheed (February 25). The music season runs through June and comprises 15 concerts in a wide variety of styles, including classical, new music, and jazz among others. Notable debuts in the 2023 music series include: jazz violinist Leah Zeger, of Leah & I (May 4) and classical violinist Danbi Um with pianist Amy Yang (March 3).
The theatre season continues with the 19th annual New Play Reading Festival (April 29 & 30), featuring staged readings of adventurous new works. Of the 37 world premiere productions produced in Boston Court's history, 21 were first discovered as part of the New Play Reading Festival, making this program an essential pipeline of new work for the company.
The world premiere of Measure STILL for Measure (September 7 – October 15), written and directed by Boston Court Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky, concludes the 2023 theatrical season. Boston Court's first-ever immersive play, utilizing the entire building, will take the audience on a journey behind the curtain to experience the layered and intimate complexities of creating theatre. In this
play-within-a-play, a renowned director rehearses a spectacular new production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, "the original #metoo story,” but backstage, there's an even bigger drama playing out.
Tickets for the 2023 season are available now for Boston Court members. Memberships range from $195 - $1495 and members receive 50% off full-price tickets and other perks. Single tickets go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, January 31 at 10am and range from $20 - $45. Membership and tickets can be purchased by calling 626.683.6801 or by visiting bostoncourtpasadena.org.
BOSTON COURT PASADENA
2023 THEATRE AND MUSIC SEASON
THEATRE
A Co-Production with Playwrights’ Arena
UNRIVALED
A World Premiere
By Rosie Narasaki
Directed by Margaret Shigeko Starbuck
March 16- April 23, 2023
11th century Ladies-in-Waiting Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon are, to this day, two of Japan's most beloved writers. They also kind of hated each other. This play is about friendship, heartbreak, and what it means to be a female artist. Perhaps most of all, it's about how no matter how much things change, the more they stay the same... even after a thousand years.
A World Premiere
MEASURE STILL FOR MEASURE
Written and directed by Jessica Kubzansky
September 7- October 15, 2023
Boston Court's first-ever immersive play, utilizing the entire building, will take you on a journey behind the curtain to experience the layered and intimate complexities of creating theatre. In this play-within-a-play, a renowned director rehearses a spectacular new production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, "the original #metoo story.” But backstage, there's an even bigger drama playing out as the power dynamics of the play and the rehearsal blow up in the course of the night. Don’t miss this unique and unexpected world premiere written and directed by Boston Court Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky.
The 19th Annual
NEW PLAY READING FESTIVAL
April 29 & 30, 2023
Readings of exciting NEW works that are in keeping with our mission to bring you risky, adventurous plays that you won’t find anywhere else in Southern California.
MUSIC - JAZZ & WORLD
RHYTHMS OF THE VILLAGE BAND
FEB 11, 8PM
Led by Baba Onochie Chukwurah who traveled to America on tour with Fela Kuti in 1969, Rhythms of the Village will perform an exciting evening of Nigerian Highlife Fusion music, comprised of the traditional rhythms that inspired reggae, calypso, and Afro beat.
NOLAN SHAHEED
FEB 25, 8PM
Local jazz legend Nolan Shaheed joins his brilliant trumpet stylings with his dedicated band of great musicians to share a program of hot Jazz on the Boston Court stage for the first time.
RED EYE 2 TOKYO
APR 1, 8PM
An evening of adventurous music that blends the dynamic sounds of Japanese folk instruments and Jazz. Ranging from the meditative Zen flute solo (shakuhachi) to taiko/drum kit battle, the ensemble continues to bring new sonic expression that challenges and honors their individual cultures and traditions.
LEAH & I
MAY 4, 8PM
Violinist Leah Zeger and versatile vocalist/guitarist Ira Gonzalez make their Boston Court debut with an evening of jazz standards and bossa nova-inspired fusion.
SIDNEY JACOBS
MAY 13, 8PM
Jazz vocalist Sidney Jacobs performs selections from his latest album, If I Were Your Woman, a collection of straight-ahead and R&B-inflected jazz tunes that are usually sung by or identified with women. The songs are a daring mix of standards, original compositions, and pop/R&B songs.
MUSIC – CLASSICAL
DANBI UM
MAR 3, 8PM
Duo Danbi Um (violin) and Amy Yang (piano) perform a program of classical and modern pieces including Smetana's From My Homeland, Bloch's second violin sonata, Grieg's second violin sonata, and Hubay's Scènes de la Csárda, ‘Maros vize.’
SORDS/WALZ/DURKOVIC TRIO
APRIL 14, 8PM
Andrew Sords (violin), John Walz (cello), and Timothy Durkovic (piano) return to Boston Court with a breathtaking program that includes works by Brahms, Robert and Clara Schumann, and Mendelssohn.
OAKWOOD BRASS CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
APR 21, 8PM
Oakwood Brass brings to Boston Court a unique blend of music for brass quintet, featuring brilliant Renaissance fanfares, luxurious Argentinian tangos, flourishing Spanish marches, and lyrical Russian romanticism.
PATRICK GALVIN
APR 28, 8PM
Bay Area violinist Patrick Galvin makes his live Boston Court debut with a program of works for solo violin by composers including J.S. Bach, Eugene Ysaÿe, Florence Price, Grazyna Bacewicz, and selections from “Six Tasty Caprices” by Korine Fujiwara.
MARK ROBSON
JUN 24, 8PM
Renowned pianist Mark Robson returns to Boston Court with a breathtaking program of all 21 of Chopin’s Nocturnes.
MUSIC - NEW MUSIC
BRIGHTWORK NEWMUSIC
MAR 18, 8PM
Brightwork Ensemble members Shalini Vijayan (violin), Brian Walsh (clarinet), and Aron Kallay (piano) tackle one of the 20th century's most iconic works, Bela Bartok's Contrasts, in addition to other favorite trios from the present and recent past.
GLORIA CHENG
APR 29, 8PM
The Grammy and Emmy Award-winning pianist performs works by Thomas Adès, Zhou Long, Phyllis Chen, four-hands works by David Lang (joined by David Kaplan), and John Adams’s monumental minimalist masterpiece, the rarely performed Phrygian Gates.
HUB NEW MUSIC
MAY 6, 8PM
Grammy-nominated ensemble Hub New Music performs an array of brand new compositions written for them. New works by composers James Diaz, Daniel Thomas Davis, Jessica Meyer, Angélica Negrón, and Michael Ippolito explore the full palette of classical music written today. Rounding out the program is Michael Ippolito's Capriccio, a kaleidoscopic and vivid multi-movement piece inspired by the paintings of abstract expressionist pioneer Hans Hofmann.
ECLIPSE QUARTET
MAY 14, 2PM
This ensemble dedicated to the music of twentieth century and present day composers will perform a program of new music written by female composers, including “Blue Dress” by Julia Wolfe.
NEVENKA FOLK ENSEMBLE
MAY 20, 8PM
The L.A.-based women’s folk chorus performs an evening of traditional music from Eastern Europe, including a cappella and accompanied songs from Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, as well as from the Ladino Sephardic and Romani traditions.
About Boston Court Pasadena
Located in Pasadena, California, Boston Court Pasadena is a nonprofit performing arts center primarily dedicated to new and original work by living artists that creates and nurtures innovative, boundary-pushing art that invokes the power of collective imagination to illuminate our common humanity. Founded in 2003 by philanthropist Z. Clark Branson, Boston Court features a state-of-the-art, intimate facility designed to bring audiences and artists closer together. The 70-seat Marjorie Branson Performance Space and the 99-seat Main Stage serve as homes for Boston Court's season of adventurous theatre and its richly eclectic music series. Boston Court is also the home of an annual new play reading festival, as well as Art Upfront, a rotating visual arts program, National Theatre Live screenings, and many local community events. Boston Court is led by a 17-member Board of Directors, Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky and Interim Executive Director Kyle Clausen.
Key funding is provided by Los Angeles County Arts Commission, The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Shubert Foundation, David Lee Foundation, The Colburn Foundation, Pasadena Arts & Cultural Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division, and the Z. Clark Branson Foundation.
About Playwrights’ Arena
Playwrights' Arena is dedicated to discovering, nurturing and producing bold new works for the stage written exclusively by Los Angeles playwrights. It develops new materials through several series of readings, workshops and round table discussions. Local playwrights are encouraged to create original, adventurous, daring materials with the intent of challenging the mind, touching the heart and provoking the spirit. Playwrights' Arena was founded in 1992 by Jon Lawrence Rivera and Steve Tyler.