YITZHAK RABIN: CHRONICLE OF AN ASSASSINATION and More Set for Ford Theatres' 2017 Summer Theatre Season

The iconic John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood has been completely restored and is reopening this July after a significant multi-phase renovation-the first new-building project in the venue's history-helmed by the LA design team of architect Brenda Levin. The 2017 season represents a significant milestone for the Ford both in terms of architecture and performances, presenting new programming initiatives that will significantly broaden the Ford's offerings.

The Ford's 2017 season lineup celebrates diverse cultures through theatre and performing arts. Highlights include Yitzhak Rabin: Chronicle of an Assassination, presented with the Skirball Cultural Center, in association with The Lincoln Center Festival; and The Hubble Cantata - in association with the LA Opera - an hour-long, space-inspired cantata featuring music by composer Paola Prestini, libretto by Royce Vavrek and a cutting-edge virtual reality film, Fistful of Stars, by Eliza McNitt.

Highlights of this season's additional major theatre performances are below, and the full Ford Theatres schedule may be viewed at www.fordtheatres.org/calendar.

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2017 THEATRE PERFORMANCES AT THE FORD THEATRES:

*indicates events in the IGNITE @ the FORD! series

JULY 16

IGNITE @ the FORD!: Culture Clash's OG Summer Desmadre*
Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza are the LA-based Latino/Chicano performance trio known as Culture Clash. Commissioned by the Ford Theatres, Culture Clash will turn their satirical gaze upon the events of this past year with a curated post-Independence Day celebration bash that will cure your political hangover by causing a desmadre (wild, chaos rave) this post-election summer. Culture Clash will be joined by legendary Latin R&B band Tierra, Chicana punk rocker Alice Bag, standup comedians Rudy Moreno, Emilio Rivera and Sandra Valls, and a special appearance by Pacífico Dance Company.

JULY 23

IGNITE @ the FORD!: Yitzhak Rabin: Chronicle of an Assassination
Presented with the Skirball Cultural Center, in association with The Lincoln Center Festival*
Acclaimed Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai blends the words of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's widow, Leah, with music and projected imagery to create this intimate theatrical counterpoint to his 2015 investigative film Rabin, the Last Day. As two actresses (Einat Weizman and Sarah Adler) read from Leah's memoirs, they travel back through time to explore the violence that led to Rabin's assassination, traumatizing a country and sending shockwaves across the world. Premiered at the world-renowned Festival d'Avignon last summer and coming to the Ford directly from the acclaimed Lincoln Center Festival, the piece exists between elegy and lullaby.

In conjunction with this performance, the Ford has partnered with the Skirball Cultural Center to co-present a screening of the Gitai-directed documentary Rabin, the Last Day, taking place at the Skirball on Thursday, July 20. In this political thriller, Gitai documents the November 1995 assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Through staged re-enactments and archival news footage, Gitai illuminates the subculture of hate-fueled by hysterical rhetoric, paranoia, and political intrigue-that led to Rabin's untimely death.

AUG 5

7th Annual Flypoet Summer Classic
Flypoet Entertainment brings together some of the most highly regarded spoken word artists in a take-no-prisoners evening of poetry, music, comedy and live visual art. As part of a dynamic multimedia collaboration, painter Norton Wisdom will draw inspiration from the poets throughout the evening, creating original artwork on an expansive backlit canvas live on stage.

AUG 26

WordTheatre: In the Cosmos: Where We Come From, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going
WordTheatre takes you on a wild ride through the universe, from creation myths to the Big Bang to black holes to alien life forms. A large cast of celebrity actors, musicians and dancers will weave the words of great poets, philosophers, fiction and comedy writers together with excerpts from iconic popular writing on astronomy, cosmological physics, mysticism and more. Rousing renditions of classical contemporary music from Shchedrin's Basso Ostinato, Holt's Mars, Barber's Adagio and others will accompany the writings of Copernicus, Galileo, Einstein, Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking, Monty Python, David Bowie and many more.

OCT 7

Chris Isaacson Presents: Broadway Under the Stars
Now in its fifth year, Broadway Under the Stars is a musical revue featuring songs from many of the most beloved musicals of our time, as well as new favorites from the 2016-17 Broadway season including The Color Purple, Dear Evan Hansen, Come Away with Me, Anastasia, Sunset Boulevard and more. Past artists include Frenchie Davis, Matt Zarley, Levi Kreis, Erich Bergen, Tony-nominee Chad Kimball and last year's dreamy Dreamgirls trio Sheryl Lee Ralph, LorEtta Devine and Jennifer Holliday.

OCT 11

IGNITE @ the FORD!: The Hubble Cantata
In association with LA Opera*
The Hubble Cantata is an unprecedented live experience that pushes the boundaries of art and science as it takes audiences on a journey of wonder and exploration. Framed by the birth, life and death of a star - and connected to a narrative of a couple experiencing loss - this hour-long, space-inspired cantata features music by composer Paola Prestini, libretto by Royce Vavrek and a cutting-edge virtual reality film, Fistful of Stars, by Eliza McNitt. Through his narration, NY Times best-selling author and astrophysicist Dr. Mario Livio explains the larger celestial implications at stake, placing the characters' story within the grand scheme of the cosmos. Brought to life by Metropolitan Opera stars Nathan Gunn and Jessica Rivera, an instrumental ensemble of members of the LA Opera Orchestra, and members of the LA Opera Chorus, The Hubble Cantata seeks parallels between human life on Earth and the stars in the heavens. The Hubble Cantata received its World Premiere at the 2016 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival.

Programs and dates subject to change.

JAM Sessions at the Ford

These free and interactive events take place at the Ford Theatres on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m.

JULY 24

Broadway Sing-along with Karen Hogle Brown

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