"What a little moonlight can do" – an evening inspired by the great Anita O’Day
A celebrated vocalist with the Stan Kenton, Gene Krupa, and Woody Herman orchestras, jazz singer Anita O'Day experienced both "high times and hard times." Onstage, O'Day was a revolutionary artist, refusing the limits of the standard "girl singer" and forging her own unique path. Offstage, though, she struggled with addiction. Madison favorite Sarah Streich and the FST Jazz Trio will share O'Day's tumultuous story and memorable music from her celebrated Verve recordings from the 1950s.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCHEDULE
7:00 pm We recommend arriving early so you've got plenty of time to share a cocktail with friends and secure your seats.
7:15 pm Jazz by the FST Trio
7:30 pm Show
TICKETS
Tickets for When the Music Stops: The Anita O’Day Story are available through Brown Paper Tickets online or by phone at 1-800-838-3006. Café Coda is an intimate jazz venue on Williamson Street in Madison, WI. VIP Tickets ($35) guarantee seating in the front section of the venue (cabaret tables and chairs and seating on the sides). General Admission Tickets ($25) are first come, first serve in the back half of the venue (seating at the bar, booths near the bar, and standing room only).
PLAYLIST
Check out this Spotify Playlist to hear some of Anita O'Day's recordings.
VENUE
We're excited to present "When the Music Stops: The Anita O'Day Story" at Café Coda, an intimate 100-seat jazz club in Madison, WI. With a full service bar and variety of seating options, the venue is the perfect place to share the story of a jazz legend. Seating is limited.
SEATING
VIP Tickets ($35) guarantee seating in the front section of the venue (cabaret tables and chairs and seating on the sides).
General Admission Tickets ($25) are first come, first served in the back half of the venue (seating at the bar, booths near the bar, and standing room only).
PARKING
Cafe Coda is located at 1224 Williamson Street. While street parking is available in the neighborhood, we recommend ride sharing.
Sarah C. Streich (Anita O'Day) is always happy to return to Four Seasons, especially with this chance to bring Anita to more audiences after the one night reading in October 2018 at the Memorial Union Play Circle. Other FST productions include 1776 (Thomas Jefferson,) Cabaret @The Circle (Sondheim Confessional,) The Spitfire Grill (Percy-2010, Effy-2017,) Kiss Me, Kate (Lois Lane,) and My Fair Lady(Eliza Doolittle.) A resident of Madison, she has also performed with Forward Theater Company and Children's Theater of Madison.
Ben Ferris (Bass)leads a number of groups, including the Ben Ferris Octet and Quintet, which released their all-original debut album, “Home” in 2016. As a sideman, Ben plays and composes for “Mr Chair,” a contemporary-classical chamber ensemble, Nuggernaut, The Jon Hoel Trio, Gabe Burdulis and many others. Ben teaches K-5 general music and strings in Monona and a studio of private bass students. Upcoming shows online at www.bferrisbass.com.
Michael Koszewski (Drums) is an experienced musician from Madison with a diverse background in percussive arts. He is a member of genre-defying combo Mr. Chair as well as experimental jazz/rock outfit Lovely Socialite and Ben Ferris Jazz Octet. As a classical chamber musician he performed, taught and lectured throughout the midwest and east coast with percussion quartet Clocks in Motion and is a regular guest performer with Oakwood Chamber Players. By day he is a digital marketing specialist at Overture Center for Arts and is occasionally spotted running his wonderful pup Penny Lane.
Taras Nahirniak (Piano) is a freelance arranger and composer, with numerous published works. Over the past 30 years he has written and composed for orchestras, wind ensembles, vocal groups, drum corps, and marching bands in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. A local of the Madison area for all his life, Taras has directed and conducted countless musicals around the area. Taras is the producer and chief orchestrator for the Kids From Wisconsin and also orchestrates for the Wisconsin Singers. He also serves as the music director at Bethany United Methodist Church and is actively involved in the music program with his wife Lori at Monona Grove High School. On weekends you may catch Taras playing and singing at the Ivory Room on State Street with an “all request” dueling piano show.
Erica Berman (Playwright) Erica's play No Wake is enjoying its world premiere at Milwaukee Chamber Theater and her musical Welcome to the Zoo is on tour with Kohl’s Wild Theater’s (Milwaukee County Zoo). Erica's plays have been selected for the Wisconsin Wrights Festival (Forward Theater), Montgomery Davis Play Development Series (Milwaukee Chamber Theater), Words and Music Series (Four Seasons Theatre), Protostar Series (Children's Theater of Madison), and The American Playbook podcast (HBMG Foundation).
Jen Plants (Director and Dramaturg) Director of 2017’s The Spitfire Grillfor Four Seasons Theatre, Jen teaches playwriting and dramaturgy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Other Madison directing credits include the world premiere opera The Queen of the Night(Fresco Opera Theatre) and Lysistrata(Broom Street Theatre’s 50th anniversary production.) Last fall, Jen directed Miss American Piein her own kitchen, as part of her project with Third Ridge Theatre to produce a play in every room of her house. A member of Actors’ Equity, Jen holds an MFA from the Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training.
Sarah Marty (Producer) earned a Master’s Degree in Business from the Bolz Center for Arts Administration, an MS in Curriculum & Instruction, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree at UW-Madison. Professor of Arts Management at UW-Whitewater, she also teaches Arts Entrepreneurship for the Wisconsin School of Business at UW-Madison. Producer credits include: UW Varsity Band Show, Overture Center 10th Anniversary Celebration, 2013 and 2016 Center for Healthy Minds events with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and WPR Centennial Event. Marty co-founded Four Seasons Theatre in 2005 and has served as Producing Artistic Director since 2010.
