Make the most out of your trip to the State Theatre. Pre-performance Insights offer an illuminating and thought-provoking exploration of the State Theatre's symphony,opera, classical dance, Broadway, and other events. Free of charge to State Theatre audiences, these entertaining and informative lectures offer both novice and experienced patrons a deeper appreciation of the performances and a richer perspective on the art form in general.

Pre-performance Insights for these events
are available with your ticket purchase.

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The Gypsy in Them: Budapest Festival Orchestra

Featured Speaker: Raymond Wojcik Friday, January 23, 2009, 7pm Location: United Methodist Church, 323 George Street All seats: Free Admission Hungarian Gypsy music and culture held a great fascination for composers from many parts of Europe. In this Insights, explore the elements of traditional Hungarian Gypsy music and learn how classical composers transformed this folk idiom into music for the concert hall. The evening’s speaker is Raymond Wojcik, the State Theatre’s popular and engaging classical music authority.

Performance information and ordering: Budapest Festival Orchestra

Bouncing off the Walls: STREB Extreme Action

Featured Speaker: Company Member Friday, February 06, 2009, 7pm Location: United Methodist Church, 323 George Street All seats: Free Admission For more than 20 years, Elizabeth Streb has asked questions that challenge many widely accepted assumptions about dance. Her electrifying choreography, (she calls it Popaction) intertwines the disciplines of dance, athletics, extreme-sports, and Hollywood stunt work into dynamic “muscle-and-motion” pieces that combine daring and strict precision. Join members of the company as they share insights into the philosophy, technique, and impact of Streb’s groundbreaking work.

Performance information and ordering: STREB Extreme Action

Blame It on Champagne: Die Fledermaus

Featured Speaker: Lian Farrer Sunday, February 22, 2009, 2pm Location: United Methodist Church, 323 George Street All seats: Free Admission Die Fledermaus is the quintessential operetta of Vienna's Golden Age, with a story that's slightly silly and slightly naughty, opulent settings and costumes, and—above all—the lushly romantic waltz melodies of composer Johann Strauss II. Join the State Theatre's resident opera maven, Lian Farrer, on a listening tour of this celebrated work. She'll provide historical and cultural background, help untangle the disguise-laden plot, and play excerpts of some of the key musical moments.

Performance information and ordering: Opera New Jersey in Die Fledermus

The Beethoven Era: Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen

Featured Speaker: Raymond Wojcik Sunday, March 01, 2009, 1pm Location: State Theatre, Heldrich Room All seats: Free Admission To many, the music of Ludwig van Beethoven represents the apotheosis of art music in Western culture. In this Insights, composer, conductor, and music educator Raymond Wojcik discusses the musical, socio-political, and personal factors that came together to create Beethoven’s groundbreaking and enduring masterpieces.

Performance information and ordering: The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen

Cinderella

Russian National Ballet Theatre

Featured Speaker: Mary Pat Robertson Director of American Repertory Ballet's Princeton Ballet School Friday, March 13, 2009, 7pm Location: United Methodist Church, 323 George Street All seats: Free Admission Cinderella—is one of the great full-length story ballets of the twentieth century, set to a dynamic score by Sergei Prokofiev. Mary Pat Robertson, Director of the Princeton Ballet School, will tell the history of some of the famous versions of this ballet and its age-old story, which has re-appeared in many cultures over the ages.

Performance information and ordering: Russian National Ballet Theatre in Cinderella

The Mikado

Opera A La Carte

Featured Speaker: Richard Sheldon Founder and Director of Opera A La Carte Saturday, April 04, 2009, 7pm Location: United Methodist Church, 323 George Street All seats: Free Admission   Gilbert and Sullivan were the foremost exponents of English operetta, a genre they practically defined. Flourishing as partners during the last quarter of the 19th century, they left a rich legacy of witty, satirical works. This Insights probes the wildly successful collaboration of two seemingly incompatible artists, focusing specifically on one of their most popular works, The Mikado.

Performance information and ordering: The Mikado

What Makes a Classic?: Philadelphia Orchestra

Featured Speaker: Raymond Wojcik Thursday, April 16, 2009, 7pm Location: United Methodist Church, 323 George Street All seats: Free Admission The music of Brahms, Richard Strauss, and Shostakovich occupies a central place in the standard repertoire of symphony orchestras worldwide. Join the State Theatre’s classical music expert, Raymond Wojcik, as he illuminates the inner workings of these pieces and explains why—so many decades later—they still speak so eloquently to audiences today.

Performance information and ordering: Philadelphia Orchestra

King Henry V

The Acting Company

Featured Speaker: Company Member Thursday, April 23, 2009, 7pm Location: United Methodist Church, 323 George Street All seats: Free Admission Henry V chronicles the journey of King Henry V as he inherits a troubled crown and launches a hasty invasion of France.  This Shakespearean epic follows Henry and his men through the brutality of warfare as the ragtag band confronts heavy opposition and their own destinies.  Join The Acting Company’s staff repertory director as they lead you through this historical and cultural background while offering an insider’s look at The Company’s thrilling production and what it is like to tour Shakespeare across America.

Performance information and ordering: King Henry V

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet

Featured Speaker: Benoit-Swan Pouffer, Artistic Director Friday, April 24, 2009, 7pm Location: United Methodist Church, 323 George Street All seats: Free Admission   Cedar Lake, founded six years ago with its vigorous talent and an impressive, European-style repertory, has already made a splash in the contemporary ballet scene. Join Artistic Director Benoit-Swan Pouffer as he discusses the evening’s program and the company’s vision for the future.

Performance information and ordering: Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet

Make It New: Bamberg Symphony Orchestra

Featured Speaker: Raymond Wojcik Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 7pm Location: United Methodist Church, 323 George Street All seats: Free Admission According to scholar Daniel Albright, “Modernism is a testing of the limits of aesthetic construction.” The music of the three composers on this evening’s program— Debussy, Stravinsky, and Bartók—appears to support this assertion. Led by composer/conductor Raymond Wojcik, this fascinating Insights probes the meaning and characteristics of modernism in music and how these masterworks fit into the development of the movement at the turn of the 20th century and beyond.

Performance information and ordering: Bamberg Symphony Orchestra