SoBe Institute of the Arts Celebrates New Beginnings with a Multimedia Grand Opening Cabaret at the Renovated Little Stage Theater

Miami Beach, FL, December 20, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Under the direction of Executive Artistic Director Carson Kievman, SoBe Institute of the Arts will welcome the new year January 1st with a fresh and compelling multimedia arts cabaret to celebrate the renovation and reopening of the Little Stage Theater @ SoBe Arts. The Grand Opening Cabaret will feature an innovative and stylized experience that incorporates musical and visual elements from the 1930s and 1940s, around the time the 1937 theater was first built. "We want to honor the historic nature of the theater," explained Dr. Kievman, "but at the same time we're looking to create a very contemporary experience. We've interspersed the original torch songs with theatrical vignettes from other eras, and together they make for a bizarre and compelling look at relationships." Kievman adds that there will also be scenes from the popular "Tunes 'N Toons" production that was commissioned by Miami Beach to close November's Sleepless Night event, combining esoteric live music from the 1930's with classic film animation and live action, featuring Montserrat Franco as Betty Boop, Andres Lefevre as Cab Calloway's Ghost and starring actors Ivette Viñas, Andres Lefevre & Philip de la Cal.

In addition to extensive experience as a composer, Dr. Kievman has directed works for The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Basel State Theater of Switzerland, among others. This cabaret marks his first return to directing since staged readings from his opera TESLA (libretto by Thomas Babe) at the New York City Opera VOX Festival in 2004.

These limited run performances will take place Fridays and Saturdays at 9pm and Sundays at 7pm, January 1 through the end of Art Deco weekend on January 17. Tickets for the grand opening 9pm performance January 1st are $50, and in accord with SoBe Arts mission to provide live theater at accessible prices comparable to a ticket to the movies, all other performances cost $10 and $25. Bar and tapas will be provided by Red Light restaurant at all performances. The Little Stage Theater @ SoBe Arts is an intimate black box-style space that will provide seating for a limited number of cabaret patrons, so sell-outs are anticipated. For tickets, call 305-674-9220, visit www.sobearts.org or visit SoBe Institute of the Arts in person weekdays at 2100 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach.

About Little Stage Theater: The Carl Fisher Clubhouse / Little Stage Theater Complex is home to SoBe Institute of the Arts, located next to the Miami Beach Convention Center alongside the Dade Canal, in a park-like setting between the Miami Beach Botanical gardens and the Miami City Ballet. The theater, which was built in 1937 and known to South Floridians most recently as Acorn Theater, has been shuttered for many years. SoBe Arts and the City of Miami Beach have partnered to share the financial and time-consuming burden of its renovation. SoBe Arts will utilize the space for a series of its own performances, including a Music & Shakespeare production later this winter and an Art of Transcendence event in the spring, but will also make the venue available for rental by other organizations as of January. The renovated theater creates an affordable and intimate venue for South Florida arts groups in the heart of Miami Beach's historic Cultural Arts district (also known as CANDO).

About SoBe Institute of the Arts: SoBe Institute of the Arts (SoBe Arts) is a non profit performance and arts education 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organization located at 2100 Washington Avenue, in the Miami Beach Cultural Arts district. SoBe Arts draws on a faculty of professional artists to provide high-caliber training in music, music-theater, theater, and dance. Small group and individual instruction is offered to adults and children, and full and partial scholarships are available for youth immersion classes and ensemble training. Now in its third performance season, the Institute has provided a series of acclaimed "Open Friday" concerts, multimedia events, "Art Speaks" lectures, and weekend "Music Unites!" family concerts, all free and open to the public. SoBe Arts mix of traditional, experimental, and multidisciplinary arts events has garnered it the reputation as the place to expect the unexpected.

SoBe Institute of the Arts 2009/2010 season is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts, Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, and the City of Miami Beach.

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