Blumenthal Performing Arts Announces 2019-20 National Geographic Live Series

Blumenthal Performing Arts and Discovery Place Science are pleased to announce a second installment of the popular National Geographic Live series. CompuCom will continue its support of the program as the local sponsor for the 2019-2020 presentations.

The series will bring National Geographic Live, an acclaimed speaker series featuring thought-provoking presentations by today's leading explorers, scientists, and photographers, to Charlotte for three exciting programs starting Oct. 29 with The Search For Life Beyond Earth. Two additional programs, Designed by Nature and Into the Arctic Kingdom are slated in January and March respectively.

National Geographic Live! has grown rapidly and is currently presented in more than 50 cities in North America.

"We are thrilled to be bringing some of National Geographic's most dynamic and entertaining explorers to McGlohon Theater. National Geographic Live events are a unique opportunity for people in Charlotte to meet these visionary individuals in person, and to be inspired by the fascinating stories and breathtaking images they will share from their expeditions to the far corners of our planet," said Yulia Petrossian Boyle, Senior Vice President for Global Media and Experiences at National Geographic.

"The success of our first year in working together with Discovery Place to launch this amazing series made continuing for another year an easy decision," said Tom Gabbard, President and CEO of Blumenthal Performing Arts. "The insight of these speakers and fantastic quality of their presentations has added so much to our community."

National Geographic Live participants will receive a special invitation to enjoy cocktails, conversation and hands-on activities themed to that evening's National Geographic Live topic at Discovery Place Science. The National Geographic Live speaker will present at McGlohon Theater in Spirit Square, directly across the street from Discovery Place Science.

"We are excited to continue partnering with Blumenthal to bring adventurers from the leading edge of exploration to Charlotte for fascinating conversations centered around science," said Catherine Wilson Horne, Discovery Place CEO and president. "You do not want to miss hearing from these highly-acclaimed speakers as they take us from the midwaters of the ocean to the ends of the Earth and beyond."

In addition to the three public performances, the Blumenthal and Discovery Place Science collaboration includes a dedicated show by each of the National Geographic Live speakers to area students via school shows. There also will be special activities and experiences for the students at Discovery Place after each speaker presentation. For information and tickets for the school shows, contact Discovery Place at 704-372-6261 ext. 300.

Season tickets for the National Geographic Live series are on sale NOW at BlumenthalArts.org or at 704.372-1010. The three-event season ticket will admit buyers to both the pre-show party (cash bar) at Discovery Place and the speaker at McGlohon Theater.

Season tickets begin at less than $80. An extended payment plan is available for season tickets (phone orders only).

The National Geographic Live programs featured in Charlotte include:

2019/2020 SPEAKERS & TOPICS

Astrobiologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Kevin Hand searches for life beyond Earth. He is currently helping plan a NASA mission to Jupiter's moon Europa to investigate evidence of a vast subsurface ocean¾a body of water which could sustain primitive forms of life on this alien world nearly 600 million miles from our planet.

Based at Pasadena's world-famous Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Hand designs instruments for the probe that will travel to Europa. To gain perspective on the conditions these instruments will have to endure, and to see how microbes eke out a living in our world's harshest climes, Hand has traveled to the most forbidding environments on Earth. He has conducted studies on the glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro, the valleys of Antarctica, and the depths of our oceans.

Aside from his compelling scientific work, Hand founded Cosmos Education, a nonprofit organization that empowers some of Africa's poorest children through science, health, and environmental education. In 2005, Hand appeared alongside director James Cameron in Aliens of the Deep, applying his knowledge about extraterrestrial environments to Earth's own unexplored territories. And in the summer of 2012, Hand joined Cameron's team on his historic Challenger Deep dive into the Marianas Trench, the deepest place on the planet. Join Hand for a firsthand report on the search for real extraterrestrials.

A former member of the U.S. International Figure Skating Team, bioengineer Kakani Katija now studies the graceful movements of life below the surface. Join her for a fascinating look at one of the least explored ecosystems on our planet-the ocean's midwaters-and learn how its inhabitants could lead to breakthroughs in bio-inspired design.

Designers and engineers have drawn inspiration from our natural world for decades, creating innovations as groundbreaking as manned flight, and Katija's own early work has led to energy efficient jellyfish-inspired robotics. Now, she studies little-known sea creatures that have the potential to make a big impact on some of our world's most critical problems. As a certified research diver, Katija conducts field studies around the world, gathering data to help her develop technologies for exploring this ocean twilight zone and imagining-and creating-possibilities for the future.

His multi-year quest to document the Arctic took photographer Florian Schulz to the ends of the Earth. He camped for weeks in jarring winter conditions, accompanied traditional Inuit hunters and sailed the arctic waters, all to get an intimate look at life in the Arctic. There, he tracked families of polar bears, followed the vast caribou herds, and captured the Northern Lights in stunning detail. Through breathtaking imagery, the National Geographic photographer takes audiences on a legendary journey into the Arctic kingdom- with a special focus on the Arctic Refuge, one of the world's last great wilderness.

Season tickets are on sale now!

For more information or to make a purchase:

• Visit BlumenthalArts.org/NatGeoLive
• Call 704-335-1010
• Visit the Belk Theater box office, 130 N. Tryon St., Mon.-Sat., 10am -6pm

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