| Festival highlights at OBERON: BEOWULF - A THOUSAND YEARS OF BAGGAGE by Banana Bag and Bodice May 13 at 8pm and May 15 at 6pm This SongPlay adaptation of the Old English epic poem Beowulf harkens back to the raw and rowdy storytelling of the Scandinavian mead halls. The show features a 7-piece band including dueling trombones, bass clarinet, accordion and saw, combining Weillian cabaret, 40's jazz harmony, indie rock, punk, electronica, and Romantic Lieder into a cacophonous swirl. THE UN-OFFICIAL GUIDE TO AUDIENCE WATCHING PERFORMANCE by Raphael Xavier | featuring a special guest performance by The Movement Specialists May 14 and May 15 at 2pm Xavier shifts the rhythms of rap and propels narratives through break dancing to draw parallels between the performer's body, which is inscribed by life's experiences, and the stage itself, putting the audience in one of his shoes laced with stand-up to boot. The Movement Specialists with Klass Universal Entertainment are a dance company from Artistic Dance Studio in Westport, MA. Founded in 2002 by Keith Silva, they are winners of the New England's Best Dance Crew competition. Crew members are 12 years old and up, and connect with audiences through their diversity, talent, and passion for dance. Their motto: "The audience is why we're here and is also why we do what we do." GRAND THEFT OVID by Eddie Kim May 14 at 4pm Characters from the video games World of Warcraft, Halo Reach, and Grand Theft Auto 4 perform tales from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Middle and high school students turn into digital "puppeteers" when they operate projected images of their favorite games. This production combines ancient text with modern technology to create an original theatrical experience. CITY COUNCIL MEETING by Aaron Landsman May 14 at 6pm and May 15 at 4pm Borrowing tales from half-a-dozen cities where Aaron Landsman sat in on government meetings, as well as improvised testimony from you the viewer, this piece imagines public discourse as art and vice versa. Come early and you could end up as the Mayor of this night. Come late and you may lose your voice. FORNICATED FROM THE BEATLES Created by Mikhael Tara Garver Featuring The New Ensemble & favorite Boston band The Everyday Visuals May 14 at 8pm A love song to American pop, a performance of simultaneous surround-sound stories, a rousing dance party, and a look into the lives of 10 music fans -- all from the generation after the generation that fell into bed to the songs of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, a generation searching for its own undeniable song. As the band sets up, you receive personal texts that grant you backstage access to each character's private revelations and you follow a series of live scenes. But with the first strum of the guitar, you, the fans, and the band come together. Get to know the fans before the show. FESTIVAL CLOSING PARTY featuring THE LISPS May 15 at 8 p.m. The closing party features The Lisps and delightful surprises cooked up by OBERON and its eclectic artists. The Lisps are a New York-based band whose songs borrow liberally from vaudeville, science fiction, and Americana. Their hyperactive performances typically involve bloody tambourines, wrestling, lipstick smeared melodicas, old filing cabinets, and film reels suspended by rusty chains. Learn about more events at other venues on the Emerging America website. All weekend long: A festival-long photo scavenger hunt for prizes. Following 2010's creation of 23 audio events, this year's festival offers a new batch of dynamic free downloads. The Huntington Theatre Company shares 11 site-specific audio plays written by playwrights from the Huntington Playwriting Fellows program and inspired by locations surrounding each partner institution. The A.R.T. and ICA offers podcasts and walking tours from local artists and festival participants such as Mikhael Garver and Hortense Gerardo. Listen in and explore, investigate, and imagine the life of places in Boston and Cambridge. Come together at the Festival Tent, just outside OBERON at the A.R.T., where festival-goers can grab a drink and meet artists and audiences from all over Cambridge, Boston, and the nation. All A.R.T. Festival events take place at OBERON (2 Arrow Street, Harvard Square). | 
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