Rubicon Theatre Company Presents the Award-Winning The Other Mozart

The name Nannerl Mozart has been a footnote in classical music history, but Sylvia Milo’s award-winning play THE OTHER MOZART reveals the extraordinary talents and rich inner life of Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart’s sister, whose artistry was stifled and whose compositions were ultimately lost to the world because of her gender. Previews begin May 31 for Rubicon Theatre Company presentation of the acclaimed Off-Broadway drama the N.Y. Times describes as “strikingly beautiful.” The monodrama is set in a stunning 18-foot dress (designed by Magdalena Dabrowska from the National Theater of Poland). Directed by Isaac Byrne, THE OTHER MOZART is based on facts, stories and thoughts culled from the Mozart family's humorous and heartbreaking letters. This poetic and poignant production features music composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Marianna Martines, (a female composer who inspired Nannerl), along with original music written for the play by Nathan Davis and Phyllis Chen (featured composers of the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center). The modern-styled music created for the play utilizes clavichords, music boxes, bells, teacups, fans and other objets d'art that might have captured Nannerl’s imagination.

A prodigy, keyboard virtuoso and composer, Nannerl performed alongside her brother throughout Europe as children to great acclaim, but was forced to give up her artistic passion in her youth due to the societal expectations she experienced as a woman. Her brother would rise to become one of the preeminent composers in history; while Nannerl’s own works were all but lost with the only indications of her talent expressed in exchanges between her brother, father and mother. THE OTHER MOZART is a multi-sensual experience that transports the audience into a surreal world of oversized beauty and delight – but also one of overwhelming restriction and prejudice where, finally, this other Mozart tells her story.

Reviewers praise THE OTHER MOZART, describing it as “a gem of a show” (The Stage of London), "fascinating and irresistibly intelligent" (Theatermania), and “an arresting depiction” (The Londonist). New York Arts lauded the show as “one of the most remarkable theatrical presentations,” adding that “Sylvia Milo has brought off a tour-de-force in creating such an absorbing, intelligent, and sure-footed entertainment... brilliant and absorbing.”

THE OTHER MOZART opens on Saturday, June 3 at 7:00 p.m. at Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura’s Downtown Cultural District, with low-priced previews Wednesday, May 31, at 7 p.m., Thursday, June 1 at 8 p.m. and Friday, June 2 at 8 p.m. The production continues Wednesdays through Sundays through June 18, 2017. For tickets, go to www.rubicontheatre.org or call (805) 667-2900.

History of The Other Mozart
THE OTHER MOZART was developed at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City. The play debuted in Austria in 2014 at the invitation of the Mozarteum Foundation and Mozarteum University in Salzburg. Soon after, the show had a critically acclaimed Off-Broadway run at the HERE Arts Center in New York City and toured internationally. THE OTHER MOZART was presented at Toronto University in Canada, in Munich at the Pasinger Fabrik, and in London last September at the St. James Theatre.

THE OTHER MOZART was nominated for the 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design in a Play and the 2015 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Solo Performance. The play was nominated for eight New York Innovative Theatre Awards and won Outstanding Solo Performance (Sylvia Milo) and Outstanding Original Music(Nathan Davis and Phyllis Chen).

The 18-Foot Dress
Dramatically symbolic, Sylvia Milo sits within an enormous 18th century dress that covers the stage and acts as both a prison and a playground for Nannerl. Hidden within the folds and pockets are instruments, a fan, a tea cup and saucer, letters, books and other objects. The dress is outfitted with a corset Milo fastens herself into, limiting her movement to expressive balletic gestures, reverent court bows, and fan language of the period choreographed by Janice Orlandi. Visually arresting, the dress serves as a constant reminder of the opulent beauty of the period as well as being a coda for the patriarchal restrictions that kept most women submissive and trapped in the confines of their sex.

Sponsors
Rubicon Theatre Company Season Sponsors are Janet and Mark L. Goldenson, Diane and Peter Goldenring, Barbara Meister, and Anne and Michael Towbes; and Sandra and Jordan Laby, to whom Rubicon’s 2016-2017 series is dedicated.

Full Schedule, Special Performances and Ticket Info
Low-priced previews for THE OTHER MOZART begin on Wednesday, May 31 at 7 p.m., continuing Thursday, June 1 and Friday, June 2 at 8 p.m. Opening night is Saturday, June 3, at 7 p.m. with a pre-show event downstairs at the theatre beginning at 6 p.m. The production continues Wednesdays at 2 and 7 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through June 18. Talkbacks with actors are scheduled after the Wednesday 7 p.m. performances on June 7 and 14.

Regular tickets for THE OTHER MOZART range from $30 to $55 (plus a $4 processing fee). Opening night is $99 (including the receptions). Tickets for students with ID are $25; Equity members and military are $30. There is a $5 discount for seniors 65 and older. Discounts of 10% to 20% are available for groups of 10 or more, depending on the size of the group.

All performances are at Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura’s Downtown Cultural District (the corner or Main and Laurel).

Tickets for THE OTHER MOZART may be purchased in person through the Rubicon Theatre Company Box Office at 1006 E. Main Street, the corner of Main and Laurel in Ventura (Laurel entrance and downstairs), or online at www.rubicontheatre.org. To charge by phone, call 805.667.2900. Box office hours are Noon to 6 p.m., seven days a week.