A lavish feast of theater experiences will be served at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts for its 2016-17 season. And the schedule of shows is simply scrumptious. If you embrace the idea of a diverse entertainment buffet that offers deliciously satisfying experiences–then The Wallis is presenting a smorgasbord that is sustenance for you soul.
Lovingly referred to as The Wallis, the new cultural and entertainment center in the heart of Beverly Hills will present over 300 performances of more than 50 different programs of theater, dance and music featuring local and world-renowned talent. The upcoming schedule for its fourth season was announced at a recent press conference by The Wallis’ new Artistic Director Paul Crewes, along with Managing Director Rachel Fine, and Board Chairman David C. Bohnett. And Tony Award-nominated director Michael Arden (Spring Awakening) was named the first Artist-in-Residence at The Wallis.
Paul Crewes, artistic director at The Wallis
The dynamic and creative Crewes told this reporter, “The work that we’re presenting on stage is going to inspire, educate, challenge, and do more to have people walk away and keep talking about what they’ve experienced. The important thing to me is that people do walk away talking about it and they come back again. It’s all about getting people excited about the arts again and giving them the feeling that something special is going on here and they cannot afford to miss it.”
The artistry of the Paul Taylor Dance Company coming to The Wallis
The 2016-17 season offered by the new leadership team at The Wallis includes something for everyone. Among the theater highlights: Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along; a new collaboration with Deaf West Theatre for a production of Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo; LA’s For the Record production of Scorsese: American Crime Requiem; Peter Brook’s Battlefield, Complicite/Simon McBurney’s The Encounter; Kneehigh’s 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips; RSC/Filter Theatre’s Twelfth Night; Hershey Felder’s newest work Tchaikovsky: A Play with Music; and Alexi Kaye Campbell’s The Pride.
A variety of dance shows include the debut of internationally-renowned companies Paul Taylor Dance Company, the Limón Dance Company, and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, as well as turning the spotlight on local companies led by choreographers Daniel Ezralow and Jacob Jonas. On October 28, dance icon and LA-native Carmen de Lavallade returns home to celebrate her 85th Birthday with an inspiring celebration at The Wallis.
Jazz lovers will love the shows with Diane Schuur, Eddie Palmieri and The Brubeck Brothers. Chamber music with Zukerman Trio, Kirshbaum & Wosner, JACK Quartet, Brooklyn Rider, Joyce Yang, Leif Ove Andsnes and Marc-André Hamelin. Plus, there will be concerts featuring Kyle Riabko’s Bacharach Reimagined, Dan Zanes & Friends, and the Santa Cecilia Orchestra Trio.
Crewes is especially excited about an addition to The Wallis entertainment complex—he will be introducing “The Sorting Room,” an intimate, custom-built club delivering the hottest names in cabaret, contemporary music and comedy.
It all starts with the festival WelcomeFest which will open the season with a weekend of free events, Sept. 10-11, 2016.
“In this, my first season as Artistic Director, I was keen to continue to present and produce work by world-class artists and companies, hailing not only from the U.S. and abroad, but also from the enormous pool of talent right here in Los Angeles,” said Crewes. “It is this vital blend of diverse performance and artistry that is building The Wallis’ fast-growing reputation, both nationally and internationally, as a center for creativity and excellence. We in the arts strive to entertain, educate and inspire communities and individuals to live, work and create together. Something that is particularly relevant and important at this time in America.”
“The Wallis is quickly becoming a vibrant cultural hub and resource, providing eclectic arts programming and a broad range of education programs to our community,” said Managing Director Rachel Fine. “We are extremely grateful to our loyal Board of Directors, who under David Bohnett’s visionary leadership, provide an invaluable service to our institution, and to the City of Beverly Hills, whose unwavering support has been instrumental to the growth of The Wallis.” Visit www.theWallis.org.#
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