Twyla Tharp, CITY OF CONVERSATION, Israel Philharmonic and More Set for The Wallis Center's 2015-16 Season

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis -- Tania Camargo, Managing Director; Patricia Wolff, Interim Artistic Director; James D'Asaro, Interim Producing Director) announce Artistic Advisors and programming for the 2015-2016 Season, opening this weekend, October 1-3 with Twyla Tharp: a 50th Anniversary Celebration, a program of new work by Ms. Tharp, co-commissioned by The Wallis (in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Joyce Theatre, Ravina Festival Association & Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University and Texas International Theatrical Arts Society).

The City of Conversation, which was recently nominated for a 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play for its hit Lincoln Center World Premiere will make its West Coast Premiere (May 12-29). On November 10, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta, will perform a joint benefit concert for The Wallis and the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. All of these season highlights will be performed in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.

There will be over 200 performances during the 2015-2016 Season.

Patricia Wolff, Interim Artistic Director for The Wallis stated, "We are proud to welcome five extraordinary Artistic Advisors to The Wallis for the upcoming season. These are artists who define excellence in theater, dance and music. They are Suzanne Farrell, Judith Jamison, Patti LuPone, Arturo Sandoval and Denzel Washington. These amazing artists are not just advisors in name but will participate in the season with a focus on education. Each of our Artistic Advisors will either teach a master class or participate in our Arts and Ideas conversation series."

Advisor Suzanne Farrell is a former Principal Dancer in George Balanchine's New York City Ballet and founder of Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center; Judith Jamison is a dancer, choreographer and Artistic Director Emerita of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Patti LuPone is a Grammy, Olivier and Tony Award-winning actor and singer, who will be performing her Matters of the Heart concert (April 1-2) in the Bram Goldsmith Theater; Arturo Sandoval is a Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter, pianist, composer and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom; and Denzel Washington is an Academy, Golden Globe and Tony Award-winning actor.

Theatre and Cabaret

The U.S. National Tour launch of the Broadway revival of A.R. Gurney's Love Letters, directed by Gregory Mosher and starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal (October 13-25) begins the season's theatre offerings with a romance about first loves and second chances. The season continues in the intimate Lovelace Studio Theater with Wiesenthal (October 23-November 8), written by and starring Tom Dugan and directed by Jenny Sullivan. Wiesenthal tells the riveting, true story of Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor who devoted his life to bringing more than 1,100 Nazi war criminals to justice. Tom Dugan received rave reviews off-Broadway last winter for his portrayal of Simon Wiesenthal.

Next in the Bram Goldsmith Theater is the beloved musical Guys and Dolls directed by Tony Award-winner Mary Zimmerman, which marks the return of the acclaimed Oregon Shakespeare Festival (last season's Into the Woods). Based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows (December 1-20).

In the Lovelace Studio Theater, The Wallis next presents The Revisionist by Academy Award nominee Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network; March 29-April 17). The Revisionist, hailed by the Associated Press as "A quirky and ... heartbreaking meditation on the meaning of family, both across the generations and across the globe," tells the story of a writer with a crippling case of writer's block, who arrives in Poland to be greeted by his 75-year-old second cousin with a fervent need to connect with her distant American family.

The Wallis will also present the West Coast premiere of The City of Conversation in the Bram Goldsmith Theater (May 12-29), by Drama Desk nominee Anthony Giardina. A hit in its World Premiere engagement at Lincoln Center, The City of Conversation tells of Hester Ferris, the doyenne of Georgetown dinner parties whose influence in liberal politics is legendary. Suddenly she finds she must deal with her beloved son's ambitious Reagan-supporting girlfriend. This new play spans 30 years and six presidential campaigns, and is sure to spark discussion for all sides of the political spectrum. The New York Times calls The City of Conversation "a juicy, funny and terrific new play."

New Artistic Advisor Patti LuPone returns to The Wallis with Matters of the Heart, April 1-2. After a run of back-to-back sold out shows at The Wallis last season, the Broadway star makes a triumphant return with a full band.

Starting December 2015, the Lovelace Studio Theater will be transformed into an intimate cabaret featuring performers from stage, television, film and music, including Freda Payne - A Tribute to the Great Ladies of the Jazz American Songbook (December 12) and other artists to be announced soon. The Wallis' Cabaret Series will headline with two-time Tony Award winner (42nd Street and Grey Gardens) Christine Ebersole's new show, Big|Brave Noise from Winnetka (January 25-26). The New York Times said, "This singer and actress, who is at the top of the cabaret food chain, is unafraid to take chances."

Dance & Classical Music

Following Twyla Tharp: a 50th Anniversary Celebration (October 1-3), dance programming in the Bram Goldsmith Theater for The Wallis' third season includes L.A. Dance Project (January 29-30), featuring Hearts and Arrows by LADP Founder Benjamin Millepied with music by Philip Glass; the U.S. premiere of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's Harbor Me; and Murder Ballades by Justin Peck. Ezralow Dance Company performs OPEN (April 29-30), marking the "hometown debut" of Daniel Ezralow's new Dance Company. Ezralow has created dances for Hubbard Street Dance Company, Batsheva Dance Company, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, the Cirque du Soleil/Beatles show LOVE, Julie Taymor's film Across the Universe and the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The Wallis' diverse classical musical programming - encompassing 17 concerts - starts with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, under the esteemed leadership of Zubin Mehta (November 10 and 11) with two different programs. A gala fundraising performance on November 10 will feature the Dvorak New World Symphony and the Vivaldi Concerto for 3 Violins (Semion Gavrikov, Dumitru Pocitari and Asaf Maoz soloists); a second subscription concert will include Beethoven's Eroica Symphony and Ravel's La Valse.

Other artists include cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han with The Passionate Cello (January 8), Eagle Rock-based Santa Cecilia Orchestra (January 16) led by Sonia Marie De Leon de Vega, with a program featuring Latino and American composers; the return of Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel performing An American Salute celebrating our country's most beloved composers (February 27); The Jerusalem Quartet (April 14); and Grammy Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh and pianist Shai Wosner (March 26).

A new East/West: Merging Music & Cultures music series will include Wu Man & The Shanghai Quartet (January 23); violinist Cho Liang Lin with Jon Kimura Parker (February 13) and Bing Wang and Ben Hong (February 20).

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Jerusalem Quartet also make up The Soul of Israel series, which is completed by David Olowsky Trio's The Soul of Klezmer, a masterful expansion of the Klezmer folk music tradition (March 25).

Colburn at The Wallis: A Concert Series partners The Wallis with the Colburn School, one of the nation's highest ranked educators of students pursuing rigorous performance training, for an exciting series of concerts throughout the 2015-2016 Season. Featuring rising stars from the Colburn Conservatory of Music alongside celebrated concert artists and Colburn's renowned faculty, the concerts include Colburn School artist-in-residence, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet (October 30), cellist Gary Hoffman (November 7), Music Director and Conductor Yehuda Gilad and Mikyung Soung, double bass (March 6); and the principal brass players of the New York Philharmonic (April 10).

In an expansion of programming to fulfill its mission to support and celebrate young artists, The Wallis will begin Next Generation @ The Wallis, featuring Taiwanese-American pianist Steven Lin (March 11), jazz pianist Justin Kauflin (January 22) and Sean Chen (February 19), recent winner of UPenn's eminent 2015 Annenberg arts fellowship for artists - all pianists on the verge of breakthrough.

The Jazz Bakery will also be presenting concerts at The Wallis with a new partnership, TheJazz Bakery @ The Wallis. As one of the premiere presenters of jazz in Los Angeles, The Jazz Bakery brings a long history of curating and presenting jazz to this new concert series at The Wallis.

Expansion of Arts & Ideas series; Film Series

For 2015-2016, the Arts & Ideas series is to be expanded under the banner of Arts & Ideas: Community Connections. Outside The Wire: The Theater of War, featuring Academy Award winner Frances McDormand and Academy Award nominee David Strathairn (October 7), celebrates the launch of author Bryan Doerries' book The Theater of War about his experiences with military personnel and veterans, and the redemptive power of classic Greek plays. IT GETS BETTER: Presented by the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, in collaboration with the It Gets Better Project and Speak Theater Arts, brings real-life stories from gay, transgender, gender-queer and straight allies to the stage from the nationally acclaimed project (October 10). As a part of this new series, The Wallis will also present the United States premiere of Freeze Frame, written, directed and choreographed by three-time Emmy-Award winning choreographer Debbie Allen, that takes the topical stories of gun violence from Los Angeles streets to the stage (February 5-6).

Last season, The Wallis celebrated the Lunar New Year. This year, The Wallis will celebrate the Persian New Year and the first day of spring with Nowruz New Year Celebration (March 19), an elegant and festive evening of live performance, exotic cuisine and more.

The Wallis will also be showcasing two Film Series. This season will feature the series In Celebration of Frank Sinatra's 100th Birthday (November 13-14) as well as Honoring Mike Nichols (March 12) highlighting the work of the Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner, director of the films The Graduate, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Angels in America, among many others.

Theater for Young Audiences; New initiatives from GRoW at The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education

The season of Theater for Young Audiences programming at The Wallis kicks off in the Lovelace Studio Theater with Lightwire Theater's The Ugly Duckling (October 10-18), presenting Hans Christian Andersen's cherished fable in a new and dazzling light featuring full-bodied electroluminescent puppetry. From Dublin, Theatre Lovett performs its acclaimed The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly, hailed by The Guardian as "4 stars! A tremendously entertaining show!" (April 30-May 8). Children's Theatre Company's Seedfolks, adapted from the book by Paul Fleischman and featuring Sonja Parks (June 4-5), tells the amazing story of a garden that transforms a neighborhood through thirteen very distinct voices - old, young, Haitian, Hispanic, tough, haunted and hopeful. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune raved that it has "a whole lot of heart."

Two Theater for Young Audiences productions will be performed in the Bram Goldsmith Theater including Theatreworks USA's The Lightning Thief, adapted from the book by Rick Riordan (April 8-9). A musical based on the best-selling Percy Jackson series about a preteen demigod, The New York Post called The Lightning Thief, "an action-packed musical with heroic battles and mythological beasties." Dan Zanes & Friends will return with his popular bi-lingual English/Spanish performance (November 1). Time magazine called the Grammy Award-winner the "family-music genre's most outspoken and eloquent advocate."

Arts education is central to The Wallis' mission, offering audiences of every age access to all that the performing arts have to offer. In the 2015-2016 Season, an expanded mix of educational programs will be launched. We will complement the Theater for Young Audiences offerings with special Family Days, a chance for parents and children to learn, create, and perform together with age-appropriate workshops in music, dance and theater.

The weekday student matinee performances will expand to become a more comprehensive program, including partnerships with K-12 schools and featuring special opportunities for students, parents and teachers. Expanded Master Classes will open up the world of the performing arts as our Artistic Advisors and other visiting artists provide coaching and feedback for students.

A new Young Artists Project will offer teens with a passion for the arts special opportunities to learn from the artists on our stages. For this coming season The Wallis will offer three specific courses: Choreography and the Art of Dance Composition; Chamber Music and Jazz: the Art of the Small Ensemble; and Songwriting for the Theater. Through another new program, TeensConnect, local students with an interest in theater will have a unique opportunity to collaborate with peers from 24th Street Theatre and create new work for the stage about critical issues facing the youth of Los Angeles.

Community Partnerships will be expanded to build deeper relationships with social service and other community-based agencies. This will extend access to the arts to people of all ages from several underserved communities and will include tickets to performances, interactions with artists on our stages and customized arts workshops to address critical community needs.

Additional programming is to be announced shortly including theater, music, lectures, films and a free outdoor music and dance series.

Subscription packages will be available to the public beginning May 7, 2015. Regular ticket prices will range from $25.00 to $149.00 per event. Single tickets will be available for purchase at a later date. For more information on subscription packages, call 310-746-4000 or visit www.thewallis.org.

Located in the heart of Beverly Hills, California, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts ("The Wallis") brings audiences award-winning, world-class theater, dance and music, performed by many of the world's most talented and sought-after artists. With eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles, with its notability as the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis offers original and revered works from across the US and around the globe. This fall marks The Wallis' third season, which also includes its prestigious Arts & Ideas series, conversations with guests from the realms of culture, literature and politics. Housed in a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot venue designed by Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA of Studio Pali Fekete architects, The Wallis celebrates the classic and the modern. The building features the restored, original 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) that serves as the theater's dramatic lobby, the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater, GRoW at The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education (A gift of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family and the Annenberg Foundation) and the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater. Together, these structures embrace the city's history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for LA-area visitors and residents alike.

To post a comment, you must register and login.