AudioBody kicking off 2011-12 artist series

The 2011-12 Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts Artist Series is opening with a bang ? literally.

The artist series will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 on the Sondheim stage with AudioBody, a master duo of comedy, music and improv. Fairfield High School marching band?s drumline and color guard will open for AudioBody.

AudioBody has been described as Blue Man Group meets a modern-day Smothers Brothers.Armed with a collection of futuristic instruments, brothers Matt and Jason Tardy will take the stage in an attempt to create the ultimate musical performance, only to find themselves at odds with their own unruly musical inventions. Sibling rivalry, technological mishaps and outrageous happenings are sure to collide to create a show full of relentless comedy, amazing stunts, upbeat music and even a few accidental moments of visual beauty.

?We are excited to open the Sondheim artist series with AudioBody and their acrobatic, electro-musical comedy,? said Rustin Lippincott, executive director of the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center. ?They will be bringing their arsenal of audiovisual inventions, including wearable electronic jumpsuits, a 16-foot wide electronic drum set, fluorescent light ropes and countless other unique performance gadgets to the Sondheim center for a great family show.?

Audio will be presented by Frederick Swartz and Company and Seven Roses Inn.

Adult tickets are $14-$18. Children, ages 18 and under, will be admitted for $12.

The 2011-12 artist series is sponsored by Foss, Kuiken, Gookin and Cochran P.C.; Traffix Devices Inc.; Cambridge Investment Research Inc.; John Deere Ottumwa Works; Pat and Barb McMahon; Chuck and Jan Espy; and LISCO.