NEWS RELEASE
Media contacts:
Natasha Shrieves
The Broad Stage Tel: 310.434.3473
Shrieves_natasha@smc.edu
Amy Thomas
The Broad Stage
thomas_amy@smc.edu
Carla Sameth
iMinds PR Tel: 626.318.7311, 626.793.7393
carla@imindspr.com
THE BROAD STAGE KICKS OFF ITS 7TH SEASON
WITH CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED GLOBAL THEATER,
A BLOCKBUSTER JAZZ SERIES, AND PERFORMANCES BY
AUDIENCE FAVORITES, WITH YEARLONG SUBSCRIPTION
SEATING AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER
Season highlights include a concert by pop music legend and jazz crossover artist
Bobby McFerrin; Cape Town’s Isango Ensemble performing a marimba-inflected
The Magic Flute; Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre returning to its West Coast home to
perform a standout King Lear; a Valentine’s Day performance by Broadway star Brian
Stokes Mitchell; a recital concert by the dazzling opera star and mezzo-soprano
Joyce DiDonato; and Anna Deavere Smith performing a transformative reading
of the seminal text, Letter from Birmingham Jail
The Broad Stage is now offering same-seat Subscription Packages for its Theater,
Jazz, World Music, Dance, Classical, and National Geographic Live! Series
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
The Edye Second Space
Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
Location Address: 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 310. 434. 3412 www.thebroadstage.com
SANTA MONICA, CA, May 23, 2014–The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica
College Performing Arts Center announces our highly anticipated 2014-15 season featuring
leading productions and artists from around the world.
Now in our seventh season, The Broad Stage is Los Angeles’s Westside destination for the
performing arts presenting the best in Classical, World Music, Jazz, Dance, Theater, and Family
programming. The Broad Stage is also the co-presenter of the National Geographic Live! series
starring photographers, filmmakers, and explorers who share their stories of global adventure.
This new season reflects everything we care about–promoting artistic excellence and
innovation, embracing world culture, and celebrating the joy of connection and community.
HIGHLIGHTS
We kick the 2014-15 season into high gear on September 20th with a Season Launch Party and
concert by 10-time Grammy winner Bobby McFerrin. The infectious and genre-defying vocalist
continues to captivate audiences around the world with a mix of jazz, rock, and blues-inspired
spirituals.
The powerhouse fall line-up continues October 8-12 with the West Coast debut of Isango
Ensemble, a Cape Town theater company that is catapulting to stardom and performing in the
US for the first time ever with Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Backed by praise from the likes of Sir
Ian McKellen and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, this extraordinary company transforms The Magic
Flute from traditional opera to an African-inspired theatrical extravaganza of music, dance,
performance, and song.
Bringing the Isango Ensemble to our stage is thrilling to us as we have watched this company
grow in its reach and repertoire. We couldn’t be more pleased to be presenting this amazing
ensemble as part of its first US tour.
Other theatrical highlights include Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre performing King Lear
November 4-16. Starring Joseph Marcell (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) as King Lear, this
production is delivered with a thrilling physicality and performed with style, wit, and gusto.
Valentine’s Day weekend at The Broad Stage is for lovebirds as well as lovers of song. Tony
Award-winning Brian Stokes Mitchell returns for a selection of beloved show tunes and toetapping music that will make hearts delight.
In April, Anna Deavere Smith delivers Letter from a Birmingham Jail, a powerful exploration of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s landmark document written from a cramped prison cell in Alabama.
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
The Edye Second Space
Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
Location Address: 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 310. 434. 3412 www.thebroadstage.com
The season wraps up May 16 with a recital performance by the dazzling opera star Joyce
DiDonato, who lights up the stage with her virtuosity.
THEATER
After a buzz-worthy Fall on the main stage featuring Isango Ensemble’s The Magic Flute and
King Lear by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the theater series moves into The Edye black box
space for two more dynamic performances. Performing December 5-14, the British two-person
theater company Box Tale Soup transports us to a world of beautiful puppets and gothic
romance in an award-winning adaptation of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. Shortly after,
from January 7-February 15, Chris Lemmon joins us for a new play written and directed by
Hershey Felder in Jack Lemmon Returns. Based on the life of his Academy Award-winning
father, Jack Lemmon Returns is a touching story about a father and son that uses musical
storytelling to tug at our heartstrings.
Support for Shakespeare at The Broad Stage is generously provided by Linda and Michael Keston.
JAZZ
Following a season kick-off concert by Bobby McFerrin, The Broad Stage’s blockbuster Jazz
series continues with such iconic artists like New Orleans legends Preservation Hall Jazz Band
and Allen Toussaint. Performing Thanksgiving weekend, these heritage jazz and R&B artists will
showcase the smooth-swinging sounds from the Big Easy. In February, the Grammy Awardwinning blues and roots musician Taj Mahal will take us around the world and back again with
global sounds from the Caribbean, West Africa, and the South. The main stage series wraps up
in April with another Grammy Award-winning musician–musical journeyman and hit singer of
“The Way It Is” Bruce Hornsby will share his shimmering and wide-ranging jazz explorations.
The Quincy Jones Presents series featuring emerging jazz artists hand-selected by the great
music pioneer will continue next season in The Edye. These intimate, in-demand shows–
anticipated to sell out quickly–will be announced at a later date this summer.
Jazz and Blues at The Broad Stage made possible by a generous gift from Richard and Lisa Kendall.
CLASSICAL
The classical music series continues to thrill with a selection of rising stars and established
virtuosos. The series starts off with Los Angeles favorites, the Calder Quartet, an ensemble that
breathes new life into classical works and forges new paths with modern composers. The
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, one of the world’s most illustrious chamber orchestras,
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
The Edye Second Space
Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
Location Address: 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 310. 434. 3412 www.thebroadstage.com
returns this time with a special performance featuring highly acclaimed pianist, Jeremy Denk.
The young pianist everyone wants to see–Chinese-American phenomenon Conrad Tao–will
perform solo at The Broad Stage in the spring. And finally, the popular series–Beethoven, Bagels
& Banter–continues with chamber concerts on select Sunday mornings throughout the year.
DANCE
The Broad Stage remains a destination for dynamic contemporary dance performances and a
home to the city’s growing roster of companies. The Los Angeles-based BODYTRAFFIC returns
with a new, explosive program that is igniting the dance world; Diavolo, another internationally
renowned dance company based out of LA, will push the boundaries of dance and theater with
its fantastical work Fluid Infinities; Dorrance Dance presents The Blues Project featuring tap
dancer extraordinaire Michelle Dorrance who blasts open notions of tap with every stamp,
stomp, and shuffle.
SPECIAL EVENTS
This season, The Broad Stage’s special event artists are very special indeed. One of Broadway’s
legendary leading men, Brian Stokes Mitchell croons Broadway tunes for a love-filled
Valentine’s Day concert, and activist and shape-shifting actress Anna Deavere Smith will share
a pivotal text on justice in Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Back by popular demand, the
impeccable National Children's Chorus returns for its 6th year in residence.
WORLD
The World Roots & Rhythm series presents an exceptional list of artists including Son Mayor,
one of the most sought-after salsa bands in Los Angeles; Lúnasa and Karan Casey, bringing Irish
charm to the month of December with a song and dance-filled Celtic Holiday; Zap Mama and
Antibalas, mixing African vocal techniques with New York City Latin funk; Black Violin, busting
genres and bringing smiles with the duo’s high-energy classical music act; and Hawaii’s hottest
group, Hapa, performing hypnotic, liquid guitar runs woven around exhilarating folk harmonies.
FAMILY
The Broad Stage’s celebrated family program returns for the new season with Impro Theatre
and the Calder Quartet in Fairytales UnScripted–a fun, interactive, and unscripted production
that celebrates the spontaneous nature of music and live theater. The season continues with
Carnegie Hall’s Musical Explorers, a program that celebrates music and song through different
world cultures, and Theatergroep Kwatta’s Manxmouse: The Mouse Who Knew No Fear, the
story of a delightful little mouse who is just a little different from the rest.
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
The Edye Second Space
Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
Location Address: 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 310. 434. 3412 www.thebroadstage.com
NAT GEO LIVE!
National Geographic Live!, National Geographic’s popular and entertaining speaker series, will
showcase the world through the eyes of great explorers, filmmakers, and photographers with a
new season starting in October. The series includes On the Trail of Big Cats: Tiger, Cougars, and
Snow Leopards with photographer Steve Winter; Untamed Antarctica featuring the
photographic adventures of climbers Cory Richards and Mike Libecki; Coral, Fire, and Ice, with
underwater exploration photographers David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes; and Chasing Rivers
with photographer and filmmaker Pete McBride.
EDUCATION
The Broad Stage inspires curiosity in learners of all ages through engagement in pre- and postshow facilitated conversations. Coming up this season, audience members will be invited to
delve into Shakespeare’s King Lear with lobby activities, recall important moments in history
with Letter from a Birmingham Jail and participate in Q&A’s with artists across all genres.
This season marks the first time the Broad Stage enters into a formal residency with the
classical ensemble the Calder Quartet. The first year of the residency includes performances
with Yulia Van Doren and LA Phil principal cellist Robert DeMaine, in addition to performances
for family audiences with Impro Theatre, an Under the Radar performance in The Edye with
Bear McCreary, and master classes for advanced Santa Monica College student musicians.
To supplement its robust student matinee program from K-12 students, The Broad Stage will
provide educators with professional development workshops for Carnegie Hall’s Musical
Explorers, Diavolo, and Shakespeare’s King Lear. Educators will explore topics and receive
classroom resources to help students think critically about the performances they attend.
After a successful pilot year, The Broad Stage will continue its Family Circle initiative, which
provides opportunities for families in community partner organizations to attend world-class
performances throughout the season. The program will continue to address some common
barriers that keep families from participating in the arts by providing tickets, transportation,
and educational activities for each performance.
“If we want to invest in the next generation of innovators, creators, and thought-leaders in Los
Angeles, supporting early and broad participation in the arts is critical to developing young
minds and opening up new ways of thinking,” says Austin Beutner, Chair of the Board of
Directors.
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
The Edye Second Space
Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
Location Address: 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 310. 434. 3412 www.thebroadstage.com
“The Broad Stage’s commitment to arts education for young, diverse audiences is an absolutely
vital way in which the organization services not only the Westside community, but the Los
Angeles community at large,” says Beutner.
Education is supported by the Herb Alpert Foundation, Dr. Leonard Lipman, and City of Santa Monica
Cultural Affairs Department. Family Circle is supported by the Herb Alpert Foundation and Dr. Leonard
Lipman.
TICKETS
Subscriptions go on sale for members on May 22, 2014.
Subscriptions go on sale to the general public on July 1, 2014.
Single tickets and create-your-own packages go on sale August 16, 2014.
Purchase subscriptions by phone at: 310-434-3200
Single Tickets available online at: thebroadstage.com
CALENDAR
All performances are on the main stage, unless otherwise noted.
THEATER
Isango Ensemble presents The Magic Flute
Wednesday, October 8*, 2014 / 7:30pm (Opening Night)
Thursday, October 9, 2014 / 7:30pm
Friday, October 10, 2014 / 7:30pm
Saturday, October 11, 2014 / 2pm
Saturday, October 11, 2014 / 7:30pm
Sunday, October 12, 2014 / 4pm
Shakespeare’s Globe Theater presents King Lear
Tuesday, November 4 (Preview) and November 11, 2014 / 7:30pm
Wednesday, November 5* and 12, 2014 / 7:30pm (Opening Night)
Thursday, November 6 and 13, 2014 / 7:30pm
Friday, November 7 and 14, 2014 / 7:30pm
Saturday, November 8 and 15, 2014 / 2pm
Saturday, November 8 and 15, 2014 / 7:30pm
Sunday, November 9 and 16, 2014 / 2pm
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
The Edye Second Space
Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
Location Address: 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 310. 434. 3412 www.thebroadstage.com
Box Tale Soup presents Northanger Abbey
Friday, December 5 *, 2014 / 8pm/ The Edye (Opening Night),
Friday, December 12, 2014 / 8pm / The Edye
Saturday, December 6 and 13, 2014 / 8pm / The Edye
Sunday, December 7 and 14 2014 / 2pm / The Edye
Sunday, December 7 and 14, 2014 / 5pm / The Edye
Sunday, December 7 and 14, 2014 / 8pm / The Edye
Saturday, December 13, 2014 / 5pm / The Edye
Chris Lemmon as Jack Lemmon in Jack Lemmon Returns
Wednesday and Thursday January 7 & 8/ (Previews)/ 8pm /The Edye
Friday, January 9*, 2015 / 8pm / The Edye , (Opening Night)
Friday, January 16, 23, 30, February 6, 13, 2015 / 8pm
Saturday, January 10, 17, 24, 31, February 7, 14, 2015 / 5pm / The Edye
Saturday, January 10, 17, 24, 31, February 7, 14, 2015 / 8pm / The Edye
Sunday, January 11, 18, 25, February 1, 8, 15, 2015 / 2pm / The Edye
Tuesday, January 13, 20, 27, February 3, 10, 2015 / 8pm / The Edye
Wednesday, January 14, 21, 28, February 4, 11, 2015 / 8pm / The Edye
Thursday, January 15, 22, 29, February 5, 12, 2015 / 8pm/ The Edye
JAZZ
Bobby McFerrin
Saturday, September 20, 2014 / 7:30pm (Season Launch)
New Orleans Legends featuring Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Allen Toussaint
Friday, November 28 & Saturday, November 29, 2014 / 7:30pm
Taj Mahal
Friday, February 20, 2015 / 7:30pm
Bruce Hornsby
Friday, April 10-Saturday, April 11, 2015 / 7:30pm
CLASSICAL
Beethoven, Bagels & Banter
Sunday, September 14, 2014 / 11am / The Edye
Sunday, October 5, 2014 / 11am / The Edye
Sunday, November 30, 2014 / 11am / The Edye
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
The Edye Second Space
Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
Location Address: 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 310. 434. 3412 www.thebroadstage.com
Sunday, March 22, 2015 / 11am / The Edye
Sunday, April 26, 2015 / 11am / The Edye
Calder Quartet
Sunday, October 19, 2014 / 4pm
Thursday, April 9, 2015 / 7:30pm
Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Jeremy Denk, piano
Friday, March 13, 2015 / 7:30pm
Conrad Tao, piano
Saturday, March 28, 2015 / 7:30pm
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano
Saturday, May 16, 2015 / 7:30pm
DANCE
Dorrance Dance, The Blues Project
Saturday, November 1, 2014 / 7:30pm
BODYTRAFFIC
Thursday, February 26-Friday, February 27, 2015 / 7:30pm
Diavolo
Friday, May 1, 2015 / 7:30pm
Saturday, May 2, 2015 / 2pm
Saturday, May 2, 2015 / 7:30pm
Sunday, May 3, 2015 / 2pm
SPECIAL EVENTS
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Saturday, February 14, 2015 / 7:30pm
Sunday, February 15, 2015 / 4pm
Anna Deavere Smith in Letter From A Birmingham Jail
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 / 7:30pm
Thursday, April 16, 2015, 2015 / 7:30pm
Friday, April 17, 2015, 2015 / 7:30pm
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
The Edye Second Space
Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
Location Address: 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 310. 434. 3412 www.thebroadstage.com
Saturday, April 18, 2015, 2015 / 2:00pm
Saturday, April 18, 2015, 2015 / 7:30pm
Sunday, April 19, 2015, 2015 / 2:00pm
National Children’s Chorus
Friday, May 8, 2015 / 7pm
WORLD
Son Mayor
Saturday, October 25, 2014 / 7:30pm
A Celtic Holiday with Lúnasa and Karan Casey
Saturday, December 20, 2014 / 7:30pm
Zap Mama and Antibalas
Saturday, February 21, 2015 / 7:30pm
Black Violin
Friday, March 20, 2015 / 7:30pm
Hapa
Friday, March 27, 2015 / 7:30pm
FAMILY
Theatergroep Kwatta presents Manxmouse: The Mouse Who Knew No Fear
Friday, October 24, 2014 / 7:30pm / The Edye
Saturday, October 25, 2014 / 11am / The Edye
Saturday, October 25, 2014 / 1pm / The Edye
Saturday, October 25, 2014 / 3pm / The Edye
Carnegie Hall’s Musical Explorers
Saturday, March 14, 2015 / 11am
Saturday, March 14, 2015 / 1pm
Impro Theatre and the Calder Quartet present Fairytales UnScripted
Sunday, March 22, 2015 / 2pm
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
The Edye Second Space
Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
Location Address: 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 310. 434. 3412 www.thebroadstage.com
NAT GEO LIVE!
On the Trail of Big Cats—Steve Winter
Thursday, October 2, 2014 / 7:30pm
Untamed Antarctica—Cory Richards & Mike Libecki
Thursday, December 4, 2014 / 7:30pm
Coral, Fire, and Ice—David Doubilet & Jennifer Hayes
Thursday, February 19, 2015 / 7:30pm
Chasing Rivers—Pete McBride
Thursday, March 19, 2015 / 7:30pm
###
ABOUT THE BROAD STAGE
Under the leadership of Director Dale Franzen and Artistic Chair Dustin Hoffman, The Eli and
Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center opened its doors in
Santa Monica in October 2008. Inspired by Italian “horseshoe” theaters, yet conceived in an
absolutely contemporary vernacular, The Broad Stage is an artist’s dream and an audience’s
delight. Unlike any performance space in the country, the sublimely intimate an d s t r i k in g l y
g r a n d 499–seat venue allows for eye contact with artists from the boxes to the back row—
forging a new kind of artist and audience experience in Los Angeles. Theater, dance, film, jazz,
operas, musicals, symphony, chamber orchestras, and world music are presented on one of
the city’s largest proscenium stages. In addition to The Broad Stage, The Edye, a smaller black
box theater, presents new, developing and innovative work in music as part of the Under the
Radar Series and upcoming jazz artists as part of the Quincy Jones Presents series. The Broad
Stage education and outreach program offers opportunities for cultural exposure through six
initiatives: Student Matinees, In/-‐School Workshops, Master Classes, Open Rehearsals, Family
and Community Events, and Conversation Pieces. Education reaches 13,000 students and
community members annually through free and low/-‐cost events.
Visit The Broad Stage online at www.TheBroadStage.com.
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
The Edye Second Space
Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
Location Address: 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 310. 434. 3412 www.thebroadstage.com
The Broad Stage is located at 1310 11th Street at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts
Center. Parking is FREE.
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
The Edye Second Space
Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
Location Address: 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: 310. 434. 3412 www.thebroadstage.com