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Sunday, November 11, 2012

BOWERS BRINGS MONTANA TO BLACK BOX FESTIVAL IN HACKETTSTOWN

UNDER A MONTANA MOON
By Bill Bowers

WHEN: Nov 15, 16, 17 & 18; Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM. Every Thursday night is “Family Night,” which offers a 2-for-1 rush ticket price when purchased at the door.
WHERE:
David and Carol Lackland Center, 715 Grand Ave., Hackettstown
TICKETS: $17.50 to 27.50 with discounts for students and seniors.
To purchase tickets, visit www.centenarystageco.org or call 908.979.0900. CSC’s new Box Office on Main is now also open, at 217 Main Street in Hackettstown, with hours 3-6 Monday through Friday

Bill Bowers was doing a residency with McArthur theatre “Genius” Anna Deavere Smith at Harvard some years back, when she asked him a question which inspired him to write. The result was Under A Montana Moon.

“She asked me,” Bowers said of Anna Deavere Smith, ‘Why are you a mime?’ And it started me thinking about why I am drawn to silence, and I really began to investigate silence in the world. And I realized that something transformational happened to people when they learn to sit and experience something in silence. I believe that it is one of the reasons that the theatre has taken up a position as one of the sacred places in our world.” Bowers had the opportunity to study with the famed Marcel Marceau.

Cathy DeDe of The Chronical described “Under a Montana Moon” this way: “Like George Baily in It’s a Wonderful Life, Bill Bowers lassos the moon. it plunges beneath a lovely clichĂ©—capturing the moon—to capture immensity. It’s heart-stopping. No wonder Bill Bowers received a standing ovation.”

Bill Bowers 2Widely known for his performance as Zazu in the Broadway production of Lion King, Bowers also performed the role of Leggett in the Broadway production of The Scarlet Pimpernel. He has performed around the world, and on such prestigious national stages as Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Radio City Music Hall. He has been seen on numerous television programs, including Law and Order and One life to Live.

A native of Montana himself, the performance is comprised of a collection of silent coming-of-age stories told under a western sky, taking the audience on a journey that is hilarious, heartbreaking, and profoundly moving. Performed within a tapestry of sounds without words, this silent journey is reported to leave audiences speechless. “This production is a combination of his heart, mind, and body, and though he never speaks a word, you hear his message loud and clear,” —Adrienne Cea, OffOff Broadway Review

The Centenary Stage Company is a not-for-profit professional equity theatre, in residence at Centenary College, dedicated to serving as a cultural resource for audiences of the Skylands Region with professional music, theatre and dance events and arts education programs throughout the year. Performances at the Centenary Stage Company are made possible through the visionary support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, and CSC members, friends and sponsors, including Premier Sponsor Heath Village, Silver Sponsors Hackettstown Regional Medical Center and The Holiday Inn, and Series sponsors, Fulton Bank, and Mamas and Café Baci.