MSO & Platypus Theatre Company bring “Rhythm in Your Rubbish” to Life
PUBLISHED
Tagged Under: 2022.23 Season, Family
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Resident Conductor Yaniv Dinur are excited to welcome back the Platypus Theatre Company for the Family Series performance, Rhythm in Your Rubbish, on Sunday, February 26, at 2:30 p.m.
Rhythm in Your Rubbish tells the story of two homeless pals who find themselves in a junkyard for the night. When they begin to hear beautiful reverberations filling the air around them, they go on an extraordinary quest to explore the sounds made by ordinary things. Pots, bowls, horns, and even sandpaper transform into magical instruments. A saw plays a duet with a cello, and bottles and flutes interweave in a beautiful serenade. After an enchanting dream sequence, the wanderers, the orchestra, and the audience finish off this mesmerizing show with an epic percussion battle.
The two pals will be performed by actors Samantha Bitonti and Colin Heath. An actor, puppeteer, and clown, as well as a teacher with the Geordie Theatre School in Montréal, Bitonti also performs with Repercussion Theatre’s Shakespeare-in-the-Park summer tour. Heath is an actor, acrobat, clown, playwright, and composer who has worked with multiple theater companies and toured with Cirque du Soleil.
Rhythm in Your Rubbish was created by Platypus Theatre’s co-founder and artistic director Peter Duschenes, with Danielle Desormeaux, D’Arcy Gray, Eda Holmes, and Brian Smith. Duschenes, a writer and actor, co-founded the Platypus Theatre touring company in 1989 to make orchestral music accessible for youth, and more than half a million concert-goers have benefitted from his creativity.
In addition to works by Tchaikovsky, Strauss II, and Copeland, Rhythm in Your Rubbish features the music of composer Patrick Cardy (1953-2005). His music is characterized by colorful, evocative sounds, a strong dramatic sense, an elegant lyricism, and an accessible directness of expression – traits that have captivated both listeners and performers.
All Family Series concerts begin with interactive, pre-concert activities one hour before the performance, including a venue-wide scavenger hunt, conductor station, composer station, White House of Music Instrument Petting Zoo, and an art activity. The Rhythm in Your Rubbish performance also includes a special exhibit by the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. The performance is approximately 50 minutes without intermission and is designed for audiences ages 3-12. Resonance Food Co. will also offer family-friendly snacks and beverages for sale.
