21660: (Arthur) RAM musical in Yorkshire and elsewhere in the UK (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tttnhm@aol.com

PRESS RELEASE Date:1/4/04

WORLD'S FIRST MUSICAL FROM HAITI FEATURING THE VODOU RHYTHMS OF RAM TO ARRIVE
AT WEST YORKSHIRE PLAYHOUSE

West Yorkshire Playhouse & UK ARTS PRODUCTIONS presents

VODOU NATION - OUT OF THIS WORLD


VODOU NATION, a landmark new musical presented by West Yorkshire Playhouse
and UK Arts Productions, celebrates the spiritual beauty and rich history of
Haiti, the world's first black republic and only successful slave revolt. Staged
to coincide with the bi-centenary of Haitian independence, VODOU NATION
premieres at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds from 1st June-26th June as part of a
nationwide UK
tour.


This spectacular musical event brings together Haiti's foremost composer
RAM (the name also taken by the band), South African theatre maker Brett
Bailey and Trinidadian director Geraldine Connor. The show will also be
accompanied by an exhibition of Haitian carnival photographs called
Kanaval by Haiti Lonely Planet author and photojournalist Leah Gordon.

Haiti today experiences the lowest standard of living in the Western
Hemisphere. The recent political upheaval brings the number of coup
d'etats the country has endured to thirty four. Following Aristide's
fall in March 2004, Haiti is still a country where stability and unrest
are prevalent.

But despite the climate of fear and violence, Haiti has both a dazzling
artistic heritage and the evocative yet much maligned religion of Vodou,
which accompanied the slaves on their journey from West Africa to the
Caribbean. Vodou, with its belief in the lwa (spirits) is an integral
part of Haiti's culture and has recently been recognised as the
country's official religion.

VODOU NATION is an exuberant celebration of this culture, depicting the
history of Haiti through the allegorical tale of two brothers, one
representing the material path and the other the more spiritual. The
show is performed by sixteen musicians, dancers and singers, alongside a
dazzling montage of animation, carnival and ceremony inviting the
audience to take part in this historical journey to discover the Vodou
heart of the Caribbean.

RAM's music features RaRa horns and Petro drums alongside subtle
keyboards and funky rock guitars. Its success has  been in  blending
western music with the pulsing rhythms of vodou's traditional ceremonial
songs. RAM has released five albums and performed in the UK in 2000 and
2001. Both visits, which were presented by UK Arts, were greeted with
universal acclaim.

As well as being the Composer of VODOU NATION, RAM is also a Vodou
Priest. Although his mother is Haitian, and was one of Katherine
Dunham's original dancers, he grew up in Connecticut. Having spent time
playing in a New Wave punk band in the US, he moved to Haiti in 1985, to
learn how Vodou rhythms could be incorporated into his music. In Haiti,
RAM is based at the legendary Oloffson Hotel, immortalised in Graham
Greene's novel THE COMEDIANS. The hotel has played host to celebrities
such as Mick Jagger, Jean Claude Van Damme, Alvin Ailey and David Byrne,
and is still a meeting point for Haiti's leading artists.

The production is co-directed by Brett Bailey and Geraldine Connor.
Brett Bailey, who witnessed the historical moment of the fall of
President Aristide while he was in Haiti auditioning for the show, is
also the writer and designer of VODOU NATION. He is also Artistic
Partner at the Barbican in London and director of Third World Bunfight.
The company's productions of BIG DADA and iMUMBO JUMBO have both been
presented at the Barbican. Brett works with music, cartoons, ritual and
film to create a unique theatrical experience and has won several awards
including the Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year for Drama 2003.

Geraldine Connor is an ethnomusicologist, who amongst other credits was
one of Jimmy Cliff's backing singers! She is currently a Teaching Fellow
at the University of Leeds School of Music. Her recent productions
include BLUES IN THE NIGHT for West Yorkshire Playhouse, where she was
previously Associate Director, with notable successes including the
Trinidadian spectacle CARNIVAL MESSIAH (1999, 2002) and YAA ASANTEWAA
(2001). CARNIVAL MESSIAH has recently been produced for a second time in
Trinidad and a US production is planned for next year.

VODOU NATION promises to be an unforgettable theatrical experience - one
which is truly 'out of this world'. To book tickets for West Yorkshire
Playhouse call the Box Office on 0113 213 7700


ENDS


PRESS NIGHT: MONDAY 7TH JUNE, 2004
MEDIA CONTACT:
UK ARTS PRODUCTIONS:
MARY RAHMAN at MR PR on 02077491136 or email mary@mr-pr.com