Tomás Kubínek On Stage at NSU

Toms Kubnek On Stage at NSU

TAHLEQUAH For Toms Kubnek, being called a certified lunatic was a title he aspired to at a young age. The former circus performer has channeled his passion for all things zany into a one-man show, Toms Kubnek, Certified Lunatic and Master of the Impossible, which will be presented by the Northeastern State University Sequoyah Institute on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Tahlequah High School Performing Arts Center.

Toms Kubnek, pronounced toh-mawsh koo-bee-neck, was born in Prague and at the age of three was smuggled out of the country by his parents to escape the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.

After two months in a refugee camp in Austria, the Kubnek family was granted asylum in Canada and it was there, in St. Catharines, Ontario, that Tomas, age 5, witnessed his first circus.

He became passionately interested in clowns, circus, theater and magic and his perplexed yet well-adjusted parents took him to see every show that passed through town. At age 9 he presented his first performance before a circle of elderly magicians. By age 13 he had an agent. He performed in coffeehouses between folk-music acts and while still in his teens, he made his circus debut with a Brazilian clown duo as the rear half of a two-person horse. There was no turning back.

Working any and all jobs related to showbiz, the enterprising Kubnek was able to save money and travel to Europe to study with some of the world's greatest teachers of theatre including Monika Pagneaux, Pierre Byland, Jaques Lecoq and Boleslav Polivka.
These studies, combined with his own tireless experiments in the art of live performance, led to the creation of his award winning solo stage shows which play to capacity crowds at theaters, international arts festivals, and in television broadcasts throughout the world.

Kubneks one-man show is equal parts comic brilliance, virtuosic vaudeville and irresistible charm. Hailed as the Sultan of Silly, Arduous Advocate of the Commonplace Miracle, Maestro of Subversive Ingenuity, Curer of Melancholia, Certified Lunatic and Master of the Impossible, Kubnek is the antidote to the blues and blahs.

Tickets for Toms Kubnek, Certified Lunatic and Master of the Impossible are $20 for adults, $18 for NSU alumni, $16 for NSU employees, $14 for senior citizens, $12 for groups of 10 or more, $10 for students and children, and $5 for NSU students. To purchase tickets, contact the NSU Box Office at 918-458-2075.

Additional funding for the 23rd Annual Galaxy of Stars Series is provided by the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information on the Sequoyah Institutes 23rd Annual Galaxy of Stars Series, visit www.nsuok.edu/si.

1/22/2009

Published: 2009-01-22 00:00:00