Contemporary Cuba Week at the Historic Asolo Theater

Oct. 8-13, 2007

Sarasota, FL – August 30, 2007 – The art and culture of Contemporary Cuba will be explored onstage at the Historic Asolo Theater from Oct. 8 -13, 2007 in a series of films, lectures, and music presented in conjunction with the exhibition Cuba Avant-Garde: Contemporary Art from the Farber Collection at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

• Films by Jorge Perugorría, Oct. 8-13, 2007  

Launching the weeklong schedule of programs on Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, is the Cuban film Vertical Love.  Directed by Arturo Soto, the film tells the story of a young couple, desperate in their desire for privacy, who can only make love vertically in an elevator.  It is the first of four films featuring the acclaimed Cuban actor, director, and artist, Jorge Perugorría that are being presented in conjunction with the Havana Film Festival of New York.  The series continues on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007 with Strawberry and Chocolate, a story of a gay man who falls in love with a doctrinaire Communist.  This is the film that earned international acclaim for Perrugorría in 1994.  Things I Left in Havana will screen on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2007, and the series concludes on Friday, Oct. 12, 2007 with Virgin Rose.  All films are in Spanish with English subtitles.  Tickets are $7 per film, or $24 for the series of all four films.  Tickets are available by calling the Historic Asolo Theater Box Office at 941.360.7399.

• Echoes of Cuba Through Dance, Oct. 9, 2007, 11:00 a.m.

The award-winning choreographer Leymis Bolaños Wilmott draws from her Cuban heritage to experiment with movement, ideas, and character as she merges performance art with visual art in new creations for her ensemble, Fuzíon Dance Artists.  Tickets are $20 and $18 for Ringling Museum members. Tickets are available by calling the Historic Asolo Theater Box Office at 941.360.7399. 

• Cuba, the Natural Beauty, Oct. 10, 2007, 5:30 p.m.

Cuba, the Natural Beauty takes a close look at Clyde Butcher’s dramatic photography of the remote and mountainous regions of Cuba that is concurrently on exhibition in the Museum of Art.  A book signing follows the program. Tickets are $25 and $20 for Ringling Museum members.  Tickets are available by calling the Historic Asolo Theater Box Office at 941.360.7399

• Boleros Perdidos:  Love Songs Lost, Oct. 13, 2007, 8:00 p.m.

The week concludes with the sensual Cuban music of Havana-born composer Alfredo Triff.   Boleros Perdidos: Love Songs Lost, a song-cycle for voice, bass, drum, violin, and congas is a journey into the dark, desperate pleasure of the city at night.  Theater tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for members and are available by calling the Historic Asolo Theater Box Office at 941.360.7399. 

Regular Museum admission to the exhibition is not included in the theater program

ticket price. Regular Museum admission is $19 for adults, $16 for seniors, $6 for children ages 6-17 and free for members and children age 5 and under. Call 941.359.5700 or visit www.ringling.org for more information.

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General Admission includes the Ringling Museum of Art, special exhibitions, Ca' d’Zan Mansion, Circus Museum, and Mable’s historic Rose Garden, all on 66 acres of lushly landscaped grounds. Adults are $25; senior citizens (65 and over) are $20; children ages 6-17 are $5.  Free Admission for children 5 and under accompanied by an adult, museum members.  Advance tickets are available by calling 941.358.3180. Visit Ringling.org for more information.

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida State University, is one of the largest museum/university complexes in the nation.  It preserves the legacy of John and Mable Ringling, educating and enabling a large and diverse audience to experience and take delight in a world-renowned collection of fine art; Ca' d’Zan, the Ringling historic mansion; the Circus Museums; the Original Asolo Theater; and historic architecture, courtyard, gardens and grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay.
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