Mad Cat’s inaugural event as the resident theatre company of Miami Theatre Center (MTC) kicks off this summer with the company’s new contemporary concert series, Mad Cat Live! The company has a long tradition of interweaving live music into its theatrical productions and several of its core members are trained musicians from such prestigious schools as Berklee College of Music and University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. The Mad Cat Live! band features performances by esteemed local musicians Darren Bruck (guitar) and Jim Camacho (vocals and bass), as well as company members and veteran professionals Matt Corey (multi-instrumentalist), Erik Fabregat (guitar and vocals), Brian Sayre (drums and percussion) and Steph Taylor (vocals and keyboards) with musical direction by Mad Cat’s founder, Paul Tei.
This first concert will explore Paul and Linda McCartney’s misunderstood masterpiece, RAM (courtesy of both MPL Communications, Inc. (ASCAP) and Sony/ATV Tunes LLC). The album was recorded amid Paul McCartney’s legal action in Britain’s High Court to dissolve his current band, following their break-up the year before. An initially dismissed album that gained momentum as time passed, RAM proved to be a seminal moment for The McCartney’s as they crafted a musical landscape unique to the environment the album was borne in, none other than the Mull of Kintyre countryside in Scotland. The album grapples with a transitional time for the McCartney’s, displaying an earnestness and bravery that has come to define a movement of rock & roll that is still largely resonant today.
Mad Cat’s presentation of RAM will take place two nights only: July 31st and August 1st on MTC’s 330-seat MainStage at 8:00 PM. MTC is located at 9806 Northeast 2nd Ave. in Miami Shores, FL. The evening will begin with a short introduction on the relevance and history of RAM, the only album credited to both Paul and Linda McCartney. A Q&A with the musicians will follow the evening of live music to discuss the impact of the music and to get to know the band. On the day of our sound check, July 30th, we’ll be inviting a select group of music students from across South Florida to have a meet and greet with the band.
This production is made possible by the Miami Theater Center, power2give.org, and with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners. Tickets on are on sale now and only $20 per ticket for RAM plus applicable service fees. For the MTC box office, which is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, please call 305.751.9550. Tickets may be purchased online at www.madcattheatre.org or on MTC’s website at www.mtcmiami.org.
Led by our Founder and Artistic Director Stephanie Ansin, the team at Miami Theater Center creates and produces inspiring and thought-provoking productions that bring the transformational power of theater to audiences of all ages and abilities. Our programs include: MTCperformance – innovative new works, fresh interpretations of classics, and dynamic resident companies and visiting performers; MTCeducation – learning opportunities for students, professionals, and the general public; and MTCfilm – a partnership with O Cinema that screens the best in independent cinema several nights a week.
Mad Cat’s season 15 of original work will continue with company member Theo Reyna’s (The Scottish Play) world premiere play Lazy Fair, a new comedy that explores the limits of human greed, and will take place August 20th through September 6th in the SandBox at MTC. Also, a free and open to the public reading of company member Jessica Farr’s (Blow Me) play Party Girls presented as a part of the South Florida Theatre League’s Summer Theatre Fest is on August 24th at 7 pm in the SandBox.
