March 27 marks World Theatre Day, a day partly dedicated to the circulation of the World Theatre Day International Message through a prominent figure who reflects on the acknowledged power of theatre.
This year, playwright, author and Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo was selected for this high honor. A transcript of his full message is downloadable in over 45 languages at World-Theatre-Day.org, and readings by various theatre professionals are viewable on YouTube in various languages:
To learn more about World Theatre Day, please visit World-Theatre-Day.org.
The Center is proud to announce its 2013 – 2014 Season, featuring the very best in performing arts across dance, Broadway, jazz, cabaret, classical music, enriching family entertainment and more.
Information for renewing season ticket holders for the upcoming season will be sent to current subscribers, with new priority order for new season tickets available soon. Single tickets will go on sale approximately six weeks prior to individual engagements.
For more information and detailed descriptions, please click the respective series titles or visit SCFTA.org.
• Diana Vishneva: On the Edge (November 6, 7, 9 & 10, 2013)
• Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev (January 24 – 26, 2014)
• Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo: Swan Lake (February 27 – March 2, 2014)
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (March 27 – 30, 2014)
Broadway Series
• EVITA (December 10 – 22, 2013)
• The Wizard of Oz (February 11 – 23, 2014)
• The Book of Mormon (May 13 – 25, 2014)
• Jersey Boys (June 24 – July 13, 2014)
• Ghost The Musical (July 22 – August 3, 2014)
• ONCE (August 19 – 31, 2014)
Curtain Call Series
• Priscilla Queen of the Desert (October 22 – 27, 2013)
• CHICAGO (January 28 – February 2, 2014)
• I Love Lucy® Live On Stage (March 18 – 23, 2014)
Special Bonus Productions
• Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (January 14 – 19, 2014)
• Mamma Mia! (April 8 – 13, 2014)
Jazz Series
• Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club® featuring Omara Portuondo, Eliades Ochoa, Guajiro Mirabal & Barbarito Torres with special guest Roberto Fonseca (September 17, 2013)
• ACS: Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding (October 25 & 26, 2013)
• McCoy Tyner and Joe Lovano (December 13 & 14, 2013)
• Dr. Lonnie Smith (February 21 & 22, 2014)
• Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis (March 14, 2014)
• Fred Hersch Trio (May 2 & 3, 2014)
Cabaret Series
• Bernadette Peters (October 11, 2013)
• Marilyn Maye and Clint Holmes (November 14 – 16, 2013)
• Peter Gallagher (February 13 – 15, 2014)
• Patti LuPone (March 22, 2014)
• Jimmy Webb and Maureen McGovern (April 11- 13, 2014)
Concert Series
• Pacifica Quartet with Marc-André Hamelin (November 12, 2013)
• Jeffrey Kahane, Joseph Swensen and Carter Brey (December 12, 2013)
• Emerson String Quartet (January 10, 2014)
• St. Lawrence String Quartet (February 20, 2014)
• Philharmonia Baroque Chamber Players (March 16, 2014)
Family: Discovery Series
• The Okee Dokee Brothers (December 7 & 8, 2013)
• Still Awake Still! (February 8 & 9, 2014)
• Cre8tion: Fluff (April 5 & 6, 2014)
• Bristol Riverside Theatre: The Little Prince (April 26 & 27, 2014)
• Lightwire Theater: The Ugly Duckling and The Tortoise and The Hare (May 17 & 18, 2014)
Family: Explorer Series
• Perth Theatre Company: The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer (October 18 – 20, 2013)
• The Intergalactic Nemesis Book Two: Robot Planet Rising (November 9 & 10, 2013)
• Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (January 17 – 19, 2014) – Explorer Series subscribers have a unique and special opportunity to see the full production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in Segerstrom Hall as a part of their subscription package.
Opera Series
• LA OPERA In Concert: Falstaff (November 26, 2013)
• LA OPERA In Concert: Thaïs (May 27, 2014) – previously announced for May 22, 2014
Following the premiere of Billy Elliot at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, a sobbing Elton John, who by chance happened to be at the screening, had to be helped from the theater.
“It touched me so much,” he said. “The story is very similar to mine: Trying to be something out of the ordinary. Having a talent and wanting to break free from what your parents want you to do. Wanting approval from your father, especially when your father doesn’t approve of the profession you’ve chosen.” The five-time Grammy Award® winner, Kennedy Center honoree and Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famer was so moved and so inspired by the movie that he immediately envisioned the piece as a stage musical.
Billy Elliot is the story of an adolescent who discovers he has talent and passion for ballet, and pursues it despite the vehement objections of his father and the derision of his community, a coal-mining village in Northern England. Intertwined with Billy’s journey is the unfolding of the 1984 coal miners’ strike in Great Britain, an event so devastating that the repercussions are still felt to this day.
To learn more about Billy Elliot, please visit SCFTA.org.
Last week at the Orange County Music Awards, southern rock band Robert Jon & the Wreck took the crown as the best live band after a heated battle starting with 35 artists and finally narrowed to five finalists.
We recently hosted the band at our annual Off Center Festival, performing in Samueli Theater. We’re thrilled that they’ve made such a great impression here in Orange County. If you visit their Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/Robertjonandthewreck, you’ll see a great photo of the band performing at the Festival.
