Founded in 2000, Rocky Mountain Revels is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to promoting public education, understanding, and appreciation of traditional music, dance, drama, and ritual through participatory theater and communal celebration. There are Revels organizations in 10 cities throughout the United States. Rocky Mountain Revels licenses the name The Christmas Revels from Revels, Inc., founded in 1971 in Cambridge, Mass.

   Our production takes place on the docks of Cobh (pronounced Cove) in County Cork, where tens of thousands of Irishmen, women, and children boarded ships heading to the New World in the 19th century. The Irish families who immigrated to Boston and New York throughout the 19th century came primarily from the lower and middle class and saw the promise of a new beginning in America. They spent years scraping together enough money to pay for the cost of tickets on the tall ships that crossed the sea. The trip generally lasted between four and eight weeks. The Irish were packed into impossibly cramped conditions with inadequate food and poor water. Many waited with great anticipation to make the voyage, only to be refused entry into America due to bad health, perceived mental deficiency, or advanced age. Women and children were not allowed to leave the ships in America unless a male relative arrived to claim them.

   The hardships of this incredible and uncertain journey were softened by the joy of their national songs and dances. Our Revels 2007 show presents a glorious assortment of this Irish culture. Our palette is the misty greens, blues, and golds of the chilly winter in Ireland. Our music is the plaintive cry of the uilleann pipes, the fiddle, and the harp. Many of the truly great Irish songs are in minor or modal keys that hint of mystery and capture the pain and the pleasure of this historic Celtic land. And our dance is the incredible step-dancing that the Irish have made famous. Step-dancing originated in the 1890s, as both a celebration of Ireland and a rebellion against British oppression. In fact, Irish wove intricate foot patterns while keeping their upper body and hands relatively still, so that the British troops would not see the national dance through the cottage windows.

   Join us in celebrating this remarkable Irish culture, from which so many Americans descend, and the incredible journey of immigration. As Rocky Mountain Revelers, we are filled with the same kind of joy and thrill of an unknown destiny as we finish 2007 and celebrate the shortest day and the winter solstice.

Date/Time:  December 22, 2007, 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm

Door Time:  1:30 pm

Audience:  All Ages

Seating:  All Seated Reserved/GA

Ticket Availability:  Yes

On Sale Date/Time:  October 10, 2007, 10:00 am

General Admission:  $14.75

Reserved Tickets:  $21.00

Gold Circle:  $31.50

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