Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic

Welcome to Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic! 

I have celebrated many openings as A.R.T.’s Artistic Director, but this one is particularly poignant. This production marks the return of in-person audiences to the Loeb Drama Center for the first time since Gloria: A Life finished its run on March 1, 2020. We knew so little then about what was soon to come, but I am truly grateful for the resilience and care shown by the A.R.T. community in the eighteen months since that closing night. I am also grateful for the long-term collaboration that has allowed us to arrive at this moment safely—especially with Professor Joseph Allen and the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

I can’t imagine a better piece to welcome audience members back to the theater than Chasing Magic. Ayodele Casel exemplifies artistry and irrepressible creativity, and this show celebrates craft, collaboration, and community—elements that are at the core of so many artists’ and audiences’ passion for the performing arts. Ayodele’s relationship with Harvard began in 2018, when she was a dance artist-in-residence. In 2019, she returned as a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute, where she developed Diary of a Tap Dancer, in which she centered the voices of women tap artists within a broader historical context. Chasing Magic marks her A.R.T. debut, and the A.R.T. debut of director Torya Beard. 

Chasing Magic began as a dance film captured (without a live audience) at the Joyce Theater in New York City. Following that virtual performance, Ayodele and Torya have created this new version, live on stage for the first time at the A.R.T. The chance to be present with these artists, and with the entire company of this piece, is truly magical. Read on for more information about this production, and don’t miss the chance to learn more about these extraordinary artists in our new digital Guide. 

Thank you for joining me in welcoming this production to Cambridge—and allow me to extend a special welcome to you as well, whether you are joining us at the A.R.T. for the first time, or whether this piece marks for you, as it does for me, a joyful and long-awaited return.

Diane Paulus, A.R.T. Terrie and Bradley Broom Artistic Director

American Repertory Theater
Presents

AYODELE CASEL: CHASING MAGIC

Additional production support of Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic is provided by Bank of America.

First performance at the Loeb Drama Center on September 25, 2021

American Repertory Theater 2021/22 Programming support is provided by Harvard University, The Bob and Alison Murchison New Work Development Fund, The Shubert Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Bank of America, Barton & Guestier, Meyer Sound, and JetBlue.

A.R.T. 2021/22 Programming is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which receives support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

A.R.T. 2021/22 Programming is dedicated to the memory of Karen Mueller in recognition of her many contributions to the theater.

Runtime: 70 minutes, no intermission

Special Thanks

The Joyce Theater
Ronald K. Brown

Additional lighting provided by Christie Lites
Additional sound equipment provided by PRG
Additional projection equipment provided by the MIT Music and Theater Arts program

SCALULAR
Choreography by Ayodele Casel
Music: Composed by Arturo O’Farrill, Recorded by Arturo O’Farrill  & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Dancers: Ayodele Casel, Amanda Castro, Kurt Csolak, Naomi Funaki, John Manzari, Anthony Morigerato

OVERJOYED
Improvography by Ayodele Casel
Music: “OVERJOYED,” Arranged and Performed by Anibal Cesar Cruz, Keisel Jiménez, Crystal Monee Hall
Dancer: Ayodele Casel

LOVE SONG
Music: “Love Song,” Written by Crystal Monee Hall
Performed by Crystal Monee Hall, Anibal Cesar Cruz, Keisel Jiménez

FLY ME TO THE MOON
Choreography by Ayodele Casel & Anthony Morigerato 
Music: “Fly Me To The Moon,” Composed by Bart Howard, Recorded by Eldar Djangirov
Dancers: Ayodele Casel, Kurt Csolak (in the role usually performed by Anthony Morigerato)

CARAVAN 
Choreography by Ayodele Casel
Improvography by the Dancers
Music: Composed by Juan Tizol, Arranged by Arturo O’Farrill, Recorded by Arturo O’Farrill  & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Dancers: Ayodele Casel, Naomi Funaki, John Manzari, Anthony Morigerato

THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC
Music: Arranged and Performed by Crystal Monee Hall with Anibal Cesar Cruz and Keisel Jiménez
Singer: Crystal Monee Hall
Dancers: Ayodele Casel, Amanda Castro, Naomi Funaki

CHEEK TO CHEEK
Choreography by Ayodele Casel and Anthony Morigerato
Music: Composed by Irving Berlin, Arranged by Oscar Peterson, Performed by The Oscar Peterson Trio 
Dancers: Naomi Funaki, John Manzari (in the roles usually performed by Ayodele Casel, Anthony Morigerato)

THE SANDBOX
Musical Improvisation: Ayodele Casel, Anibal Cesar Cruz (September 25-October 3), Arturo O’Farrill (October 5-9)

I WILL SPEAK YOUR NAME
Music: Written and performed by Crystal Monee Hall

ONE, TWO, THREE, MORE…
Choreography by Ayodele Casel
Music: Stock media provided by Pond5
Dancers: Ayodele Casel, Amanda Castro, Naomi Funaki

AL CENTRO
Music: Written and Performed by Keisel Jiménez

BOMBA II
Improvography by Amanda Castro
Music: Keisel Jiménez
Dancer: Amanda Castro

MEETING PLACE: DRAFT II
Choreography by Ayodele Casel
Improvography by Ayodele Casel, Amanda Castro, & Ronald K. Brown (in video projection)
Music: “Africa,” Composed by Ayodele Casel, Performed by the Dancers
Dancers: Ayodele Casel,  Naomi Funaki, John Manzari, Anthony Morigerato, featuring Amanda Castro
“Africa” was created during a workshop of Ayodele Casel’s“Diary of A Tap Dancer V.4” with support from Royal Family Productions.

CONGO
Music: Written and Performed by Keisel Jiménez

THE MAGIC
Choreography by Ayodele Casel
Improvography by the Dancers
Music: “Magic,” Written and Performed by Crystal Monee Hall with Anibal Cesar Cruz and Keisel Jiménez
Dancers: Ayodele Casel, Amanda Castro, Kurt Csolak, Naomi Funaki, John Manzari, Anthony Morigerato