Critically-acclaimed “Pepperland” from New York’s Mark Morris Dance Group debuts at The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts

TORONTO, ON, January 15, 2018 – The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts presents the Canadian premiere of the critically-acclaimed “Pepperland” from New York’s Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) on Saturday, February 24, 2018. This is the second instalment of this year’s three-part international Dance Collection, presented by BMO Financial Group, and follows the sold-out success of Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal’s “Dance Me/Music of Leonard Cohen” last December.

Choreographer Mark Morris, hailed by the New York Times as “the most successful and influential choreographer alive, and indisputably the most musical,” returns to Toronto with this unique tribute to the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ groundbreaking album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Ticket prices range from $55 - $145 each plus applicable service charges and can be purchased by phone at 1-855-872-7669, in person at the Sony Centre Box Office (Monday-Friday from noon-5pm) or online at www.sonycentre.ca.

Accompanied live by an unprecedented chamber music ensemble of voice, soprano saxophone, two keyboards, theremin and percussion, Ethan Iverson’s original score intermingles six Pepper-inspired original pieces intended especially for Morris’s profound understanding of classical forms with arrangements of the songs Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, With a Little Help From My Friends, A Day in the Life, When I’m Sixty-Four, Within You Without You, and Penny Lane.

Also taking place at The Sony Centre on Saturday, February 24 at 11 a.m. is a free ‘Dancing With Parkinson’s’ (DWP) Master Class with MMDG dancers, David Leventhal and Sam Black. DWP is inspired by the revolutionary Dance for Parkinson’s Disease program initiated by the MMDG to help increase awareness and control of movements among adults living with the disease. Following the master class, ‘Dancing With Parkinson’s’ is holding its 10th annual fundraiser from 12-2pm featuring an exciting afternoon of food, fun, great entertainment, a silent auction and of course, dancing! DWP was founded in Canada by Sarah Robichaud. For more information visit www.dancingwithparkinsons.com.

A top-tier group of some of the world’s leading arts presenters and supporters made it possible for this evening-length work to be realized: Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, with the Sony Centre; the American Dance Festival, Durham, North Carolina; BAM, Brooklyn, New York; Cal Performances, UC Berkeley, California; The City of Liverpool, England, U.K.; Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire; International Festival of Arts & Ideas, New Haven, Connecticut; The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.; Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; La Jolla Music Society, La Jolla, California; Meyer Sound, Berkeley, California; Seattle Theatre Group, Seattle, Washington; Segerstrom Center for The Arts, Costa Mesa, California; UCSB Arts & Lectures, Santa Barbara, California; and White Bird, Portland, Oregon. The Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation commissioned Pepperland’s music. Additionally, the original music by The Beatles is used under license from Sony ATV Music Publishing.

About Civic Theatres Toronto: In 2015, Toronto’s City Council approved the consolidation of the governance and operations of the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, and Toronto Centre for the Arts into one new organization under the direction of a City appointed board called Civic Theatres Toronto. The mandate of Civic Theatres Toronto is to provide quality performance and event facilities and to promote its contribution to the artistic, cultural and social vitality of Toronto and its communities. The Board of Directors of Civic Theatres Toronto is responsible for overseeing the business affairs of the three venues.

About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Founded in 1933, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is a learning organization built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and creative development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become the global organization leading in arts, culture, and creativity across dozens of disciplines. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to inspire everyone who attends our campus – artists, leaders, and thinkers – to unleash their creative potential and realize their unique contribution to society through cross-disciplinary learning opportunities, world-class performances, and public outreach.

For more information, please contact: 

Andrea McLoughlin
Holmes PR
amcloughlin@holmespr.com
416.628.5609

Adrienne Kakoullis
Holmes PR
akakoullis@holmespr.com
416.628.5610

Mary Ann Farrell
Vice President of Marketing & Communications
mary_ann@sonycentre.ca
416.368.6161 x7131