PROVO — To enjoy the three upcoming theater productions to be staged at BYU, you would normally have to travel to the capital of Scotland for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and then to New York City for the Under the Radar Festival at director/producer Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre.
You also might need to take a side trip to a gathering of the Zagreb, Croatia-based International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People, which is held in various locations around the globe.
But Jeff Martin has already made those journeys, so you won’t have to.
In his role as the university’s arts administrator, Martin works to bring the best of theater to the campus, which for BYU’s Off the Map international theater festival includes stage productions from Australia, Iran and England.
“The shows that are coming are intimate, innovative and interesting. The most unifying thing is that they break with traditional theater that many people may know,” he said.
“Audiences will be surprised at how much they will enjoy it. People are often scared by the idea of contemporary or experimental theater, but we’ve done the curating, so people can just come and enjoy it.”
The Off the Map Festival is comprised of three productions:
- “The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer,” from Australia’s Last Great Hunt Theatre Company, is a multi-award-winning “one-man micro-epic puppet show that melds technology and multimedia into a touching story of enduring love and the end of the world,” according to a news release. The play transports audiences to an exploration of the sea. “I love this play,” Martin said. “If Tim Burton and WALL-E from the Pixar-Disney movie came together to make theater, this is what they would create. It’s a one-man play that uses multimedia, puppetry and music in such a wonderful, enchanting way." Performances will be Jan. 23-25 at 6 p.m and Jan. 25 at 2:40 p.m. in the Nelke Theatre.
- “Translunar Paradise,” from England’s Theatre Ad Infinitum, is a piece of mask and movement theater that relates a poignant tale of life and death. While there is live accordion accompaniment, the story is told without words. “ ‘Translunar Paradise’ demonstrates that we can be emotionally moved and touched by theater even without dialog,” Martin said. “When I saw this show, the audience was enraptured.” The staging will be the company’s U.S. debut. Performances will be Jan. 23-25 at 7:20 p.m. and Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. in the Pardoe Theatre.
- "Hamlet, Prince of Grief,” from Iran’s Leev Theater Group, uses household objects and children’s toys to play out a domestic and political history of betrayal and death. According to the production notes, Shakespeare’s tragic hero comes to terms with his violent fate through an obsessive retelling of the moments preceding the tragedy. The show is performed in Farsi with English supertitles. Martin said the production will be a “very unique experience. People will recognize elements and storylines from Hamlet, but it is by no means a literal interpretation of the Shakespeare play.” Performances will be Jan. 23-25 at 9 p.m. and Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. in the Margetts Theatre.
“BYU has strong global interests and connections,” Martin said. “We’re always looking for ways to connect with others internationally. And this is an extension of that intention the university has.” Actors and production associates from the companies will be presenting workshops and Q-and-A sessions with theater students during their visits to Provo. There will also be a free presentation open to the public on Jan. 23 from 11 a.m.–noon in the Nelke Theatre.
The producers of the festival are the Department of Theatre and Media Art and BYU’s Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration in the Arts. For more information, visit arts.byu.edu.
If you go …
What: Off the Map International Theatre Festival
Where: BYU’s Harris Fine Arts Center
When: Jan. 23-25
How much: $10 per performance, or $18 for a ticket package to all three performances in one block of time Jan. 23 or $27 for a ticket package for Jan. 24 or 25.
Tickets: 801-422-2981 or byutickets.com
Theater preview: BYU's Off the Map Festival offers 'intimate, innovative and interesting' global theater
BYU's Jeff Martin introduces the Off the Map Festival, which includes stage productions from Australia, Iran and England.