The following is from a press release:
Contemporary arts center OZ Arts Nashville today announced its dynamic 11th season of groundbreaking performances, featuring thrilling theatrical journeys, urgent confrontations of timely issues and daredevil breakthroughs in creative possibility. Theater, dance, music and multimedia events are highlighted in the compelling 2023-24 lineup of daring local, national and international artists who are shaping contemporary art and culture.
“Our 11th season builds on OZ’s history of experimentation by further defying the limits of what is possible in the performing arts,” said Mark Murphy, OZ Arts Executive and Artistic Director. “From the mind-blowing multimedia work Pixel that starts the year, to the sensational theatrical experience Food with its exclusive two-week run, this is a year packed with can’t-miss events that people need to experience for themselves, not just hear about.”
Kicking off the 11th season, French ensemble Compagnie Käfig brings its high-flying masterpiece Pixel, a thrilling fusion of Hip-hop dance and stunning 3D projections, to OZ on Sept. 6 and 7.
October’s jam-packed lineup begins with a visit from Little Amal, a captivating 12-foot-tall puppet representing a refugee child from Syria who is traveling the world to share her message of hope for displaced immigrants around the globe. The free community event will take place on Oct. 5 in Centennial Park, and features choreography by celebrated local artist Shabaz Ujima. Later in the month, Tony Award-winning cultural icon John Cameron Mitchell joins forces with international cabaret star Amber Martin to sing for LGBTQ justice in a Benefit for the ACLU of Tennessee on Oct. 20 and 21 at OZ.
For Halloween, OZ celebrate all things ghoulish with the theatrical noir rockers Fable Cry and their annual Festival of Ghouls, an immersive costume party and over-the-top cabaret embracing the sensual delights of Dante’s Inferno on Oct. 28.
Returning to OZ Arts after his stunning 2021 Nashville debut, award-winning choreographer Rennie Harris and his company Puremovement present Rome & Jewels, a Hip-hop retelling of Romeo & Juliet unlike any version you’ve seen before. Featuring dueling DJs and a large company of virtuosic dancers, the story of fear, love and triumph is set in the streets of Philadelphia and deeply rooted in the traditions of Hip-Hop and street dance. Performances run from Nov. 9 to 11.
If Thanksgiving doesn’t leave Nashvillians feeling stuffed, guests can take a seat at a giant, 500-square-foot table at OZ for an unforgettable theatrical evening with Geoff Sobelle’s internationally acclaimed Food, Nov. 30 to Dec. 10. It is full of magical stagecraft and illusion as Sobelle explores the human relationship with what we eat. Please note, though: there’s no actual eating at this dinner party, so don’t come hungry.
With the new year comes new dynamic performances on the OZ Arts stage, starting with visionary choreographer Shamel Pitts and a trio of Black performers in Black Hole: Trilogy & Triathlon, Feb. 2 and 3. Through projection techniques and spellbinding movement, the audience is transported into an Afrofuturist dimension for an otherworldly experience. Feb. 29 to March 2, game-changing French dance company Mazelfreten takes audiences on athrilling journey infused with electro music and dance in Rave Lucid. Nashville audiences get to experience the U.S. debut tour of their choreography.
Raise a glass to celebrate 10 years of OZ Arts Nashville on April 6 with a one-of-a-kind birthday bash. The art-filled benefit will feature special mini-performances celebrating OZ’s first decade, and give hints at the bright creative future ahead.
Visually stunning and family-friendly, Hamid Rahmanian’s enchanting and epic Persian love story, Song of the North, will transform OZ with shadow and light on April 19 and 20. This large-scale, cinematic performance blends shadow puppetry with lush animation and features a cast of 500 handmade puppets alongside a talented ensemble of nine actors and puppeteers.
May 16 to 18, OZ’s Brave New Works Lab returns for a third year of world premieres by daring Nashville artists who use OZ Arts as a creative laboratory for multimedia experimentation and collaboration across disciplines.
May 30 to June 1, audiences won’t want to miss the chance to experience the work of rapidly-rising dance star Oona Doherty and her distinctive choreography in Navy Blue. 12 dancers bring the Northern Irish artist’s vision to life in a thrilling mash-up of visceral movement, spoken word, and gripping theatrical elements.
Learn more and purchase tickets here.
