(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)January 13, 2010

(MAHWAH) – The Angelica and Russ Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts at Ramapo College will present an exciting array of music, theater and comedy performances this spring, including a performance by renowned musician Arlo Guthrie.

The Berrie Center will hold its First Decade Gala Performance, featuring the legendary Arlo Guthrie. Folk singer, musician, composer and son of folk icon Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie’s career exploded in 1967 with the release of “Alice’s Restaurant,” whose title song premiered at the Newport Folk Festival and fostered a new commitment among the ’60s generation to social consciousness and activism. Arlo went on to star in the 1969 Hollywood film version of “Alice’s Restaurant,” directed by Arthur Penn. With songs like “Alice’s Restaurant’, “Coming into Los Angeles,” banned from many radio stations (but a favorite at the 1969 Woodstock Festival); and the definitive rendition of Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans,” Guthrie was no one-hit-wonder. For the past four decades, Guthrie has been on tour nationwide, and this Gala Performance is a chance to see him in an intimate theater setting.  The performance will take place on  Sunday, March 7 at 7 p.m..  Tickets are $75, with a limited number of $65 balcony seats available.

The Houston Person Quartet
The season kicks off with the Houston Person Quartet, part of the Jazz at the Berrie Center series, on Saturday, January 30 at 8 p.m.   Houston Person has been one of the leading sax players since the 1960’s, best known for his long association with the great singer Etta Jones.  He has recorded more than 75 albums under his own name and is currently riding a new wave of popularity as a new generation of jazz fans discovers this soulful performer. Tickets cost $23, $20 and $18 for adults and $15 for children under 17.

Frank Vignola
Also part of the Jazz at the Berrie Center series will be a performance by Frank Vignola’s “Hot Club, Celebrating 100 Years of Django Reinhardt and Gypsy Jazz” on Friday, February 5 at 8 p.m. Guitar virtuoso Frank Vignola, a leading proponent of Reinhardt’s Gypsy jazz style of playing, has assembled a topnotch quintet for a searing tribute.  Tickets are $23, $20 and $18 dollars for adults and $15 for children under 17.

“If You Ever Leave Me I’m Going with You”
Hollywood legends Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna will present their comedy, “If You Ever Leave Me I’m Going with You,” on Saturday, February 13 at 8 p.m. The Emmy Award-winning husband and wife duo star in this side-splitting celebration of their acting/writing partnership and three-decade love affair. Taylor was on the CBS sitcom “The Nanny” and Bologna’s film credits include “My Favorite Year”and “Big Daddy.“Tickets are $30, $27 and $24 for adults and $15 for children under 17.

“Gospel Alive! A Gospel Homecoming”
Get ready to clap your hands! On Saturday, February 27, Mack Brandon will direct the energetic Conference Choir as they present “Gospel Alive! A Gospel Homecoming” at 8 p.m. Tickets are $23, $20 and $18 for adults, and $12 for children under 17.

The Hawthorne Symphony Orchestra
Join Conductor John Minkoff as he conducts some of New Jersey’s best professionals in the Hawthorne Symphony on Sunday, February 28 at 3 p.m. These musicians come from New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Operas and many other notable Metro-Area musical institutions. The Hawthorne Symphony Orchestra will play selections from composers such as Verdi, Schubert and Wagner. Tickets are $23, $20 and $18 for adults and $12 for children under 17.

Black Maria Film and Video Festival
Get a look at some of the hottest new independent films and videos as the Black Maria Film and Video Festival brings a selection of its 2009 competition winners to the Berrie Center on Thursday, March 4 at 2 p.m. Since 1981, the annual festival, named after Thomas Edison’s movie shed, has been fulfilling its mission to reward cutting edge works in this international juried competition. This event is open to the public and free of charge.

Benny Goodman Centennial Celebration with The Ken Peplowski Sextet
Jazz at the Berrie Center presents the Ken Peplowski Sextet, performing A Benny Goodman Centennial Celebration on Sunday, March 6 at 8 p.m. “Since the advent of Benny Goodman there have been too few clarinetists to fill the void that Goodman left. Ken Peplowski is most certainly one of those few. The man is magic,” said the late Mel Torme. If you’re a fan of the King of Swing, you’re in for an evening of great music in his honor. Tickets are $23, $20 and $18 for adults and $15 for children under 17.

Leon Redbone
For the last three decades and counting, nobody could mistake Leon Redbone for any other performer, singer, guitarist, or character. Though his iconic guise of his Panama hat, jacket and sunglasses has been thoroughly satirized, the bard has continued his love affair with tunes from the turn-of-the-century (as in the second-to-last century), flapper-era radio ditties, Depression-spawned ragtime and World War II folk-jazz. Leon Redbone will be performing on Sunday, March 14 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $30, $27 and $24 for adults, and $15 for children under 17.

The Peking Acrobats
On Sunday, March 21, The Peking Acrobats will return to Ramapo College with two performances, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. These Chinese acrobats are back for their annual performance at the Berrie Center, where they sell out year after year.  Bring the entire family to experience their thrilling feats of physical impossibility! Tickets are $26, $23 and $20 for adults and $15 for children under 17.

The Cast of Beatlemania
Join the “Cast” on Saturday, April 24 at 8 p.m. as they recreate the sights and sounds of The Beatles so faithfully that you will recall when the world was engulfed in the most pleasant fever of all: BEATLEMANIA! With costume changes that coincide with the changing music and times, this is the first, original, and only complete representation of the musical force called The Beatles. Tickets are $23, $20 and $18 for adults and $12 for children under 17.

The Mystical Arts of Tibet: Sacred Music and Sacred Dance with the Monks of Tibet’s Drepung Loseling Monastery
These are the monks made famous by actor Richard Gere, and endorsed by the Dalai Lama.  Mystical masked dances, elaborate costumes traditional instruments and multiphonic singing punctuate a tradition that dates back 2,500 years. The New York Times describes the Tibetan Monks as “Remarkable…the music and dance invoke sacred ecstasy…”  This is a unique opportunity to experience the special and spectacular culture of Tibet. This event will take place on Sunday, April 25 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $23, $20 and $18 for adults and $12 for children under 17.

All performances will be held in the Sharp Theater in The Angelica and Russ Berrie Center for the Performing and Visual Arts on the campus of Ramapo College. To order tickets, call the box office at 201.684.7844 or log on to https://www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/tickets-seating/.

Members of the media who need more information may contact Anna Farneski, assistant vice president, Marketing and Communications, 201.684.6844.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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