American Repertory Ensemble had no trouble getting to Scotland for its recent weeklong gig at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but the dance-classical company had a devil of a time making it back home. The troupe played to appreciative audiences during its five-night stand at the Roxy Art House, an old church-turned-theatre (and one with barely enough stage space for all 14 ARE dancers and musicians). However, when the crew was ready to return on Sunday, Aug. 13, it got caught in all the air-traffic turmoil that followed the arrest that week of the British bomb-plot suspects. On top of the wild flight delays – it took artistic director of dance David Justin three days to get back to Texas – three ARE musicians, all members of the Tosca String Quartet, were stalled when they couldn’t bring their instruments onto the plane as carry-on items! Troupe members spent two days hunting for a hard case large enough for three string instruments to be shipped in, eventually securing a cargo crate that they then lined with loads of foam padding and bubble wrap. Though their zealous packing job put the crate over the flight weight limit, it was ultimately checked for transport, and the instruments arrived home in pristine condition. Here’s hoping that ARE doesn’t encounter any similar glitches when it travels to the Singapore Arts Festival next summer – a second international gig that the ensemble landed after a talent scout saw its first one there in Edinburgh. For more information, visit www.americanrepensemble.org.
This article appears in August 25 • 2006.