A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (Abridged)
Wed, September 27, 2017 at 7:30pm PT
Past Event
Please note that this show contains haze, strobe effects, and glitter. Lots of glitter. Learn more about what to expect.
All prices and programs subject to change.
Taylor Mac is the American theater’s most beloved maximalist. Creating extravagant performances with jester-like charm, Mac’s work reflects the vast mosaic of the American imagination.
With Mac as our puckish guide, join us for an abridged version of his epic 24-hour performance art concert, which decodes the social history of the United States—all 240 years and counting—through popular songs ranging from “Yankee Doodle Dandy” to disco. The show is a dazzling, community-building experience that reflects our nation’s diverse and sometimes dysfunctional story in order to reinvigorate a distinctively American sense of possibility.
A 24-Decade History of Popular Music is the winner of the 2017 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History and a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Recommended for mature audiences
Conceived, written, performed, and codirected by Taylor Mac
Matt Ray, Music Director/Arranger
Machine Dazzle, Costume Designer
Acknowledgements
This program is generously supported by Roberta and Steven Denning, Scott and Molly Forstall, the Hornik family, and by the Koret Foundation. Stanford student participation through the Arts Intensive program is supported by the Office of the Vice President for the Arts at Stanford University.
In partnership with Stanford Live, the entirety of A 24-Decade History will be performed in four parts at the Curran in San Francisco on September 15, 17, 22, and 24. For information, visit the Curran website.
Program
The performance is expected to last approximately two hours and will be performed without intermission.
Video
Related Events
Wed, September 27, 2017 at 7:30pm PT
Past Event
Please note that this show contains haze, strobe effects, and glitter. Lots of glitter. Learn more about what to expect.
All prices and programs subject to change.
If one show weaves together the ideas that our season sets out to explore—how national identity merges with art, and how popular culture and nostalgia shape who we are for better or worse—Taylor Mac’s American historical pop odyssey does it all with an epic amount of heart, laughs, and glitter.
—Ryan Davis, Associate Director of Engagement and Public Programs
Bing Concert Hall
Related Story
From the Campus to the Curran
Students in Stanford’s Arts Intensive are immersed in Taylor Mac’s spectacular performance art.