THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE AND RAVINIA FESTIVAl CELEBRATE TWYLA THARP’s 50th ANNIVERSARY OF CREATING DANCE WITH THE CO-COMMISSION OF TWO NEW WORKS
In a momentous co-commission, Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University and Ravinia Festival, are thrilled to present two new works by world-renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp November 6 – 8, 2015. Celebrating 50 years of creating dance for both modern and ballet companies, television, Broadway and Hollywood, the program will be seen throughout North America during a 10-week anniversary tour to 15 cities, honoring Tharp’s five decades of dance-making. The new works, each comprised of 12 dancers—many whom have worked with Tharp over the years—will have music by J.S. Bach, Henry Butler, Steve Bernstein and John Zorn.“Chicago is honored to be amongst the five other cities that have commissioned this exciting new work honoring one of the most celebrated choreographers of our time,” said Auditorium Theatre Executive Director Brett Batterson. “Including this extraordinary 50th Anniversary Tour in the Auditorium’s 2015-16 season continues our mission to feature the best dance from around the world. Ms. Tharp’s contributions to dance are invaluable and have had a deep impact on choreographers working in all genres of dance today. It is a privilege to be a part of this significant anniversary celebration.”
“There’s a reason why legends become legends, and there are many reasons why Twyla Tharp is nothing short of a living legend, said Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kaufman. “That is why Ravinia is proud to be among the commissioners of this expansive new program that celebrates a brilliantly choreographed career that never lost momentum. Tharp is sort of like Ravinia itself, dancing on the line between history and progress and busting down the walls that separate genres, combining modern dance and ballet as fluidly as she calls upon Bach and Sinatra. This premiere presentation is just the latest in a long line of premieres at Ravinia in the last 15 years, from Golijov to Adams, Glass to Heggie, Rorem to Bill T. Jones.”
The Joyce Theater in New York City and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. initiated the commissioning of these new works. In addition to the Auditorium Theatre and Ravinia Festival other members of the consortium include TITAS Presents in association with AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.
The Auditorium Theatre’s complete 2015-16 Season will be announced at a later date. Ravinia Festival’s 2015 Season will be announced on March 5, 2015. This presentation is part of Ravinia’s annual Ruth Page Festival of Dance.
Performance Schedule and Ticket Information
All performances are at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60605.
Friday, November 6, 2015 | 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 7, 2015 | 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 8, 2015 | 2:00 p.m.
Subscriptions will go on sale this spring, with individual tickets on sale over the summer. For more information, please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org,
About the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, located at 50 E. Congress Pkwy, is an Illinois, not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community and educational programming to Chicago, and to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre. In September of 2014, the Auditorium Theatre was awarded the inaugural Fifth Star Award by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. On December 9, 2014, the Auditorium Theatre celebrated its 125th Birthday with a proclamation from the City of Chicago declaring it “Auditorium Theatre Day.”
The Auditorium Theatre is generously supported by the MacArthur Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, the Sage Foundation, and the Palmer House Hilton. For more information about programming, volunteer and donor opportunities or theatre tours, call (312) 341-2310 or visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.
About the Ravinia Festival
Ravinia is North America’s oldest and most programmatically diverse music festival, attracting about 600,000 music-lovers each year. The 2015 season will feature more than 120 different events ranging from the annual summer residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to performances by such artists and Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Ramsey Lewis, and Diana Krall. The complete lineup will be revealed onMarch 5. In addition to presenting world-class concerts, the not-for-profit Ravinia serves 75,000 Chicagoans annually through its REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs, which include “El-Sistema”-based elementary school orchestras. The festival also hosts its own summer conservatory, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, which each year awards fully paid fellowships to 60 of the world’s best young professional musicians to hone their crafts in an immersive environment with such luminaries as Kiri Te Kanawa, Midori and Maestro James Conlon. Visit ravinia.org for more information.