A Good Man!/A Good Man?

A Good Man!/A Good Man?

"I live with the uneasy feeling that society has shaped me as a result of something that was stolen from us when Abraham Lincoln was killed. The cynicism and alienation that I feel in my head and heart arose because of this strange turn of destiny."--Bill T. Jones

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Bill T. Jones, center, views Abraham Lincoln's hat in the vault archives of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield on Oct. 15, 2007, with Welz Kauffman, president and chief executive of Ravinia Festival, left, and sculptor Bjorn Amelan, the creative director for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. (AP Photo/Ravinia Festival, Russell Jenkins)

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Bill T. Jones peers at Abraham Lincoln's death bed at the Chicago History Museum in Chicago on Oct. 15, 2007. (AP Photo/Ravinia Festival, Russell Jenkins)Click here for the AP article

Continuing this tradition of challenging, thought provoking work, Mr. Jones is creating a new evening-length work about Abraham Lincoln (tentatively titled, A Good Man!/A Good Man?). Commissioned by the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois, A Good Man!/A Good Man? will find Mr. Jones "leading with his own heart," seeking a way to articulate if not reconcile the view of Lincoln he had as a young boy growing up during the civil rights struggle and as a mid-life liberal artist who "has very few heroes." The most ambitious project in the Company's 25 year history, A Good Man!/A Good Man? will investigate the myriad meanings of Lincoln, rejecting accepted truth in favor of challenging (and celebrating) the lasting contributions of this great man. This dance theatre work will investigate a handful of key moments from his remarkable life, allowing song and memory to transport the audience to an emotional and intellectual space beyond the boundaries of space and time. By envisioning the America that might have been had Lincoln completed the Reconstruction, Mr. Jones will expose the great distance between what is and what could have been.

 


The Lincoln Lectures:

Developed in conjunction with A Good Man!/A Good Man?, The Lincoln Lectures is a companion piece featuring Mr. Jones in a collage of spoken word, music, and movement. The piece will also feature video by associate artistic director and long-time collaborator Janet Wong. The text combines Lincoln's writings along with Jones' own ruminations on events current and other. This special evening delves into the inner workings of Jones' creative process, and sheds light on his personal journey in the creation of A Good Man!/A Good Man?







Bill's Blog

◊ Harlem Crawl
January 22, 2008

Hey Black Man!" composer/musician Craig Harris said to me last night giving me a firm handshake in the first moments of what was to be a five hour exploratory/research/investigation tour of the Harlem scene.

◊ Happy New Year
January 9, 2008

Happy New Year!

It is raining outside Woodbox, our little retreat on the mesa of Northern New Mexico. The past two weeks have been blissfully quiet - a fitting respite after this intense though rewarding year.

Bill T. Jones Online

Recent News

◊ Fela!
June 24, 2008

Bill T. Jones to Direct and Choreograph Fela! Off-Broadway

"Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones will direct and choreograph the world premiere of Fela!, a new musical based on the life of groundbreaking African composer, performer and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Featuring a book by Jones and Jim Lewis, Fela! will feature Kuti's music performed live onstage by the band Antibalas and other members of the New York Afrobeat community. Its limited off-Broadway run begins previews at 37 Arts on July 29 with opening night set for September 4, and will play through September 21."

Read Article at Broadway.com
Read Notice in New York Times
For more information and tickets, visit FelaOffBroadway.

◊ 25th Aniversary
June 4, 2008

THE BILL T. JONES/ARNIE ZANE DANCE COMPANY TURNS 25

Plans include three premieres, an off Broadway show, the opening performances of BAM's Next Wave Festival, national and international tours

Consider the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company's 25th anniversary celebration a launching pad for its future. And what a future it promises: premieres, new venues, and a cornucopia of new ideas.

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Upcoming Performances

A Quarreling Pair
September 30, October 2-4, 2008
Brooklyn Academy of Music
BAM Next Wave Festival
718-636-4100
Purchase Tickets

A Quarreling Pair
October 10, 2008
Lawrence, Kansas

Another Evening: Serenade/The Proposition
October 24-26, 2008
Boston, MA

Other Events

August 25, 2008 (9:00-10:30 PM ET/PT)
August 26, 2008 (12:10 a.m.)
August 28, 2008 (8:30 p.m.)
August 31, 2008 (2:30 p.m.)
September 3, 2008 (9:00 a.m.)
September 8, 2008 (11:45 p.m.)
September 13, 2008(10:00 a.m.)

THE BLACK LIST:  VOL. 1 on HBO

Bill T. Jones will be featured on a show entitled The Black List: Vol. 1 on HBO.

September 4, 2008-AUDITION NOTICE!

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company seeks female and male actors who can sing for immediate employment for the creation of a new work about Abraham Lincoln. Artist will contribute to the creative process, and needs to take direction well. Musical styles we are interested in are: gospel, classical/opera, folk and their own original music.

Auditions will be held Thursday, September 4- 11:00am-6:00pm

Please send an email to: audition@billtjones.org with a headshot and resume.

Auditions are by appointment only. Please come prepared with a monologue and a song. Additional script materials will be provided with audition confirmation email

October 28, 2008

7:30 PM
Harlem Stage Gatehouse
Breaking Ground with Bill T. Jones, A Community Dialogue Series
"Harlem, Cultural Capital: Naming the Future"

For tickets: www.harlemstage.org

June 26, 2008  7:30 pm
June 28, 2008  11:00 pm
June 29, 2008  12:30 pm

Bill T. Jones will be featured on a show entitled Basic Black: A Conversation with bill T. Jones on WGBH and affiliate PBS Stations. WGBH Channel 2.