NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts Announces 10th Season

NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is pleased to announce programming for its tenth season, 2013-14. In its first decade, NYU Skirball has made substantial contributions not only to the community surrounding the country's largest private university, but also to a broader cultural landscape. In recent years, Executive Director Michael Harrington has used the venue-which, with 860 seats and state-of-the-art production capabilities, is unique in downtown Manhattan-to provide a platform for artists from around the world and from the facility's Greenwich Village neighborhood to practice their craft on a larger scale. In addition to multiple-night or -week runs (Joshua Light Show, Not by Bread Alone, Shlemiel the First), NYU Skirball Center hosts a range of singular events, such as a dialogue between David Byrne and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, Reggie Watts in concert, Comedian Rob Delaney and the and season 2 premiere of HBO's "Girls."

The 2013-14 season exemplifies NYU Skirball's distinct programmatic character, beginning September 15 with a riotous bang. TheMasada Marathon will feature twelve highly diverse groups of masterful musicians in a marathon performance of the 316 compositions comprising Zorn's Book of Angels. The concert marks the biggest collaboration of musicians in the citywide Zorn@60 series celebrating John Zorn's sixtieth birthday,

Greenwich Village neighbor the Joshua Light Show returns to NYU Skirball September 20-22, following 2012's sensational appearance with musical talents including John Zorn, Lou Reed and Milford Graves; MGMT principals Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden; and Terry and Gyan Riley, among others. A kaleidoscope of imagery morphs, liquefies, drips and dances, inspired in the moment by live music, raising the concert experience to a whole new sensory dimension. This year's line-up includes The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Dan Deacon with additional artists to be announced at a later date.

A centerpiece of the 2013-14 season is the second annual Visions + Voices Global Performance Series, which focuses this time on China. Running February 20-May 12, 2014, Visions + Voices: China includes the U.S. premiere of Tao Dance Theater's 5 and 6(February 20-22), the works continue choreographer Tao Ye's journey of pushing the boundaries of corporeal expression. The all-female ensemble Hangzhou Yue Opera Company transform two classic Ibsen plays into lyrical adventures with Hedda (February 25) andThe Lady from the Sea (February 26). From March 26-30, The National Theatre of China, one of the new faces of 21st century Chinese theater, will make their U.S. debut with a production of Richard III. The series will close on May 12 with Tan Dun's The Mapperformed by the NYU Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Cyr and featuring cellist Wendy Sutter.

From December 18 2013 - January 5, 2014, the critically acclaimed, Montreal-based Cirque Éloize, which has been changing the face of circus, will perform the NYC premiere of Cirkopolis. In the work, Cirque Éloize's Artistic Director Jeannot Painchaud collaborates with Dave St-Pierre, choreographer of Cirque du Soleil's shows Zumanity and LOVE. In Cirkopolis, one man's imagination transforms piles of papers, looming towers and giant gears into a vibrant, romantic and lavish cityscape.

NYU Skirball continues its role as a host for the National Theatre Live series, which is broadcast via satellite from London to audiences worldwide. On September 26, the series will present Othello featuring Olivier Award-winning actors Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear with direction by Nicholas Hytner. Hytner utilizes a contemporary military perspective to frame this classic work, highlighting the themes of racism, love, betrayal and the destructive power of jealousy. Oscar-winner Danny Boyle directs Benedict Cumberbatchand Jonny Lee Miller in Frankenstein (October 30). On November 2, the National Theater celebrates its 50th anniversary with a once-in-a-lifetime performance directed by Nicholas Hytner and on February 5, the series will present the Donmar Warehouse's production of Coriolanus.

Longtime presenting partner World Music Institute returns on November 16 with sitarist and composer Anoushka Shankar, daughter and disciple of the legendary Ravi Shankar. Additional highlights include the fifth annual Creative Time Summit on October 25 and 26and VOX, the premiere workshop for new American opera from New York City Opera on January 14.

Michael Harrington shared his enthusiasm about the season: "In addition to celebrating the past 10 years and the tremendous progress we have made in establishing NYU Skirball Center as one of downtown's premier venues, we are reinforcing the foundation for our next 10 years. I am thrilled with the potential of this season to continue our success in building audiences for the future of live performance. It's exciting, relevant and diverse and I am eager to share it with our community."

Tickets for the 2013-2014 Season may be purchased online at www.nyuskirball.org, by phone at 212.352.3101 or 866.811.4111, or in person at the NYU Skirball Center Box Office: Tuesday-Saturday, 12:00-6:00 P.M.

The NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is located at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square, New York, New York 10012. For more information, please visit www.nyuskirball.org.