Bend and Break

Bend and Break is a study in lines, in structure, and in what happens when you push both past the point they can hold. The show is pure abstraction: geometric shapes drawn in the drill and built into the props, clean lines stretched and bent under mounting tension until they finally give way and come apart. And then the twist, the pieces find their way back together, but reassembled in all the wrong order, into something new that never existed before. It's a show about order, collapse, and the strange, off-kilter beauty of putting the pieces back differently.

This show was designed for small bands to be successful. The score includes parts for all instruments, but there is significant doubling across those parts, so any combination of instruments, including less-than-ideal instrumentation, can carry the show in performance.

The concept is design-forward and modern, built on abstraction and visual craft rather than spectacle, paired with a spare, angular, contemporary soundtrack. It's a thinking program's show, proof that a strong concept can look every bit as cutting-edge as anyone.

The music:

• Pollock (Jeff Beal)
• Hide and Seek (Imogen Heap)
• Koyaanisqatsi (Philip Glass)

This show is rated Medium, which lines up with a concert grade of roughly 2.5 to 3.5. That's an approximation. A featured soloist or small ensemble moment can sit toward the top of that range, while full ensemble sections built around visual impact stay lighter on the musical demand.

The rating leans almost entirely on rhythmic and technical difficulty. Keys and meters are chosen to stay band-friendly and to line up with the phrasing the drill needs, and instrument ranges sit inside the grade window rather than pushing its edges.

Permissions to arrange are required for all three selections.