Eccles Center Sets 2015-16 Season

Entertain. Illuminate. Educate. As Park City Performing Arts Foundation has transitioned into Park City Institute, its mission has broadened. This season at The Eccles Center illustrates PCI's efforts to not just entertain, but also to educate and to illuminate. PCI sets the tone for a "thinky" Eccles Center season with Edward Snowden opening the line-up on December 5 (via closed video feed). As always, the season includes an eclectic mix of live dance, music, authors, speakers, family shows, spectacles, up-and-comers and well-established legends.

The 19th season fills The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center for the Performing Arts from December through April. Tickets and season punch cards go on sale October 1 (early bird ticket purchase is available to PCI members Sept. 24). Tickets are available by calling 435-655-3114 or online at EcclesCenter.org.

"We started out in 1994 with the goal of bringing 'cutting edge' acts to Utah. And we did. But now we're pushing the envelope, reaching for performers, thinkers and doers, who are on the forefront of art, education and beyond," says PCI executive director Teri Orr. "This line-up represents some of the most illuminating acts we've ever presented. As they entertain, they will also feed our curiosity and - we hope - create meaningful conversation."

THE 2015-2016 LINE-UP:

An Evening with Edward Snowden - Live From Russia (Dec. 5, 2015) ? Eileen Ivers (Dec. 12, 2015) ? The Ann Wilson Thing (Dec. 31, 2015) ? DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion (Dec. 28 & 29, 2015) ? An Evening with the Creators of "Invisible Thread" (Jan. 9, 2016) ? An Evening with Dr. BJ Miller (Jan. 16, 2016) ? Reinventing Radio: An Evening with Ira Glass (Feb. 6, 2016) ? San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (Feb. 13, 2016) ? Railroad Earth (Feb. 20, 2016) ? Allen Toussaint (Feb. 27, 2016) ? Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (Mar. 5, 2016) ? Grupo Corpo (Mar. 19, 2016) ? Sarah Kay with Phil Kaye (Mar. 26, 2016) ? Ruthie Foster (Apr. 2, 2016) ? Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Co. (Apr. 9, 2016) ? Imagination Movers (Apr. 16, 2016)

THE DETAILS:

The 2015-2016 Season officially kicks off on December 5 with An Evening with Edward Snowden. The former CIA, NSA and DIA intelligence officer and contractor, who leaked classified documents to expose illegal government surveillance,* comes to Park City - live from Russia - in an exclusive conversation. KUER's Doug Fabrizio moderates the interactive evening with cybersecurity genius Snowden; special guest Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy & Technology Project, will contribute to the discussion. Let the ethics debate begin.

*Of note: In 2014, The Washington Post and The Guardian shared a Pulitzer for their coverage of government surveillance based on Snowden's information.

"The Jimi Hendrix of the violin" (The New York Times), Eileen Ivers wields her fiery bow with breath-taking - and foot-stomping - wizardry on December 12. An original musical star of Riverdance, founding member of Cherish the Ladies, nine-time All-Ireland Fiddle champion (and collaborator with artists ranging from Sting to the Chieftains), the Grammy-winning Ivers and her band unleash a show with unstoppable energy and exhilarating sound - a mix of traditional Celtic and pop-jazz-Afro-Latin influences wrapped up in a holiday show.

PCI's New Year's tradition continues with The Ann Wilson Thing on December 31. Best known as the lead singer for the sister rock band Heart, Ann Wilson is doing her own thing. The lyricist and songwriter behind hits such as "Crazy on You," "Barracuda," and "Mistral Wind," dedicates her solo mini tour to what she calls blues with a rock edge. Fans of chart-toppers ("These Dreams" and "Alone") and blues aficionados share the love - with a different side of Heart - in an intimate New Year's Eve show.

Visceral, organic and awe-inspiring, DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion soars onto the stage on December 28 & 29. Under the artistic direction of Jacques Heim, this "seriously athletic...high-risk performance style" (San Diego Union-Tribune) balances choreographic precision, daredevil dancers and massive, pin-wheeling and soaring stage props. The troupe's works reveal how we are affected emotionally, physically and socially by the spaces we inhabit. The result is hyper-physical, world-class, elegant dance phenomenon.

Park City knows Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews as the creators of the Broadway-bound musical "Witness Uganda" - now renamed "Invisible Thread." This tale of triumph and tragedy set in Uganda (where Matthews traveled on a humanitarian mission in 2005 while grappling with his NYC church's lack of acceptance of his homosexuality), combines Afro-pop music and heart-wrenching narratives as it tackles the question: Is changing the world even possible? The powerful Evening with the Creators of "Invisible Thread" on January 9 is part concert, part storytelling, part call to action.

An Evening with Dr. BJ Miller continues the thought-provoking theme on January 16. In Dr. Miller's TED Talk he left his audience with the following challenge: "Let death be what takes us, not lack of imagination." The palliative care physician and director of San Francisco's Zen Hospice Project proposes rethinking and redesigning how we die; creating a dignified system that allows life to play out as a "crescendo." A triple-amputee, Dr. Miller knows suffering on both a personal and professional level and he dedicates his career to a human-centered approach to end-of-life care. Join the conversation.

NPR's "This American Life" - created and hosted by Glass - has transformed journalism by pushing the limits of how a story is told (and won five Peabody awards along the way). In his February 6 live appearance entitled "Reinventing Radio," Ira Glass weaves memorable radio moments into a behind-the-scenes narrative about finding and telling compelling stories. As The New York Times puts it, "...[Glass] filters his interviews and impressions through a distinctive literary imagination, an eccentric intelligence, and a sympathetic heart."

Community. Activism. Compassion. Since 1978, San Francisco's Gay Men's Chorus* has brought harmony - and endearing playfulness - to the gay rights movement. The musically impeccable outfit's first impromptu concert on the steps of San Francisco's City Hall accompanied the vigil for the assassinated Harvey Milk and George Moscone. And the men have proudly waived the flag of inclusiveness, enlightenment, healing and unity ever since, from the historic Castro Theater to Carnegie Hall. The first openly gay chorus in the nation has persevered through the struggles of the LGBT movement, including the devastating AIDS crisis. Now under the baton of Dr. Timothy Seelig, SFGMC keeps the soundtrack of civil rights going strong. A 30-member touring chorus performs in Park City on February 13.

Newgrass-bluegrass-Americana - amplified. Railroad Earth is back on February 20 (an encore to their 2013 Deer Valley opening appearance for Bruce Hornsby), providing their "tightly crafted music that tells a story," (Glide) and refusing to be shelved solely in the string band category. Fronted by songwriter and guitar player Todd Sheaffer, RRE delivers rootsy rock n' roll while harkening back to simpler times. Fire-in-the-belly passion, gritty guitars, mandolin and songs with Woodie Guthrie-esque themes traverse this band's unplugged and plugged-in landscape.

Virtually every cool, R&B standard bears the imprint of prolific singer, songwriter, pianist and producer Allen Toussaint. A man "immersed in the rolling blues, ragtime jangles and funky polyrhythms of New Orleans music" (Financial Times), Toussaint has worked with everyone from Etta James to The Rolling Stones. His chart-toppers, "Working in the Coalmine" and "Lady Marmalade," exude the Crescent City sound of an unrelentingly talented Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Toussaint performs February 27.

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company perform "Analogy/Dora: Tramontane" on March 5.

According to The Huffington Post, "Bill T. has constantly pushed the envelope of what dance can be." And his groundbreaking artistry seeps into the movement of his lithe performers. The MacArthur "Genius" choreographer and his nine-member company tell the story of holocaust survivor, Dora Amelan (Jones' 95 year-old, mother-in-law) through dance and spoken word. This unconventional dance-theater piece is the latest installment in a career marked by "works of art that reflect the turmoil at the center of our society" (The Patriot Ledger).

Undulating limbs bridge the space between traditional Brazilian dance and modern western styles in a troupe The New York Times calls "spectacular." Under the direction of choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras, sensual athleticism intersects with vibrant color, music and rhythm as Grupo Corpo takes the stage, March 19. Combining "the precision of ballet with the laid-back allure of all things Latin American" (The Evening Standard), these rippling dancers deliver a sizzling concoction of suppleness, athleticism and sass.

"Poetry is a house with enough rooms for all." Poet and founder of Project VOICE (a non-profit promoting empowerment through literacy), Sarah Kay speaks across generations. At age 27, the award-winning poet has been performing for 14 years. Best known for her 2011 TED Talk (which garnered two standing ovations and more than 7 million views), she has published two books and inspired new voices. Co-director of Project VOICE, fellow Brown grad and two-time recipient of the National College Poetry Slam (CUPSI) award for "Pushing the Art Forward," Phil Kaye contributes his poetry to the evening, March 26.

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Winner of both the Best Contemporary and Best Traditional Female Artist of the Year Blues Music Awards, this "dusky-voiced," (Paste) blues singer and songwriter, Ruthie Foster, brings high voltage performance to the stage on April 2. She traverses blues, soul, rock, folk and gospel as she draws from her past - rural Texas church choir beginnings, a tour with the U.S. Navy Band and, most recently, time spent in the industry's limelight as a Grammy nominee. The New York Times calls her sound "long-suffering, forthright, resilient and thoroughly at home."

Under the artistic direction of Jean-Philippe Malaty and Tom Mossbrucker since 1996, the eleven dancers of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet gracefully delve into contemporary dance without abandoning the elegance of classical ballet training. Known for its "joy and verve" (The News and Observer), the troupe returns to Park City with a fresh, mixed repertory performance on April 9, promising edgy choreography and exquisite artistry.

The season wraps up with Disney's Imagination Movers on April 16. The Emmy-winning foursome - Rich Collins, Scott Durbin, Dave Poche and Scott "Smitty" Smith - makes music that speaks to kids and tackles every pint-sized conundrum, from bedtime fears to eating healthy foods. Parenting magazine praises the band's "dash of rebellion" and calls their hit tunes "fresh and treacle-free." Positive and bursting with energy, Disney's Movers stick by their motto onstage and in life: Reach high, think big, work hard, have fun!

Of Note: Prior to the season's official kick-off, PCI presents a special concert just for people who purchased naming rights to Eccles Center seats during the "Seat Campaign." This Private "Seat Campaign" Concert features Perla Batalla on November 28, 2015. With a "voice full of color and nuance" (Cosmopolitan), Perla Batalla delivers a unique blend of folk, Latin, pop, jazz and rock. A Leonard Cohen protégé, the Grammy-nominated composer-singer has earned critical acclaim for her startling vocals and culture-merging compositions. In an encore Park City performance (she graced the Deer Valley stage this summer), Batalla casts an enchanting spell.

EDUCTIONAL OUTRREACH

Providing free outreach to students and members of the community has been a key part of PCI's mission since the organization's inception. This season's highlights will include student workshops, master classes and lecture-demonstrations, including (but not limited to) the ACLU's Ben Wisner (Mr. Snowden's lead attorney), poet and Project VOICE founder Sarah Kay, writers-actors-producers Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews and choreographer-dancer Bill T. Jones.

Ongoing student programs will also run through the season. PCI opens the free, after-school tutoring side of the Mega-Genius Supply Store and IQ HQ on Oct. 5 through the school year. The Alan Tucker After-School Technical Theater Program continues to groom back-stage theater technicians from the Park City High School ranks.

PCI will also host TEDx events, Curiosities Evenings and the Park City Institute / Strategic News Service Future in Review Speaker Series during the 2015-2016 Season.

More details on student outreach and programs will be included in show specific press releases.

TICKETS AND INFORMATION

Tickets and Season Punch Cards** go on sales to Park City Institute members on September 24 and to the general public on October 1. Tickets may be purchased by calling 435-655-3114, online at www.EcclesCenter.org or at the box office, which is located within The Eccles Center (1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City). Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; the Box Office is open from noon through show time on the day of a performance.

Individual tickets range from $25 to $75* for regular season performances (the season opener with Edward Snowden, New Year's Eve, children's shows and benefits have different pricing); Season punch cards are also available.**

Show time: The majority of PCI Main Stage performances begin at 7:30 p.m.

*Discounts are available for children (16 and under), seniors and Summit County students (K-12).

**Season punch cards of 10 (redeemable for all regular season shows, but not eligible for Special Events, including New Year's Eve) are available for $350(bronze) $450 (silver), $550 (gold) and $650 (platinum).

* Please contact Jane Gendron for interview requests, review tickets and press information, jgendron@jgendron.com or 435-640-3315.

ENTERTAINING, EDUCATING AND ILLUMINATING SINCE 1998

Park City Institute is a non-profit organization, dedicated to bringing world-class performances and new ideas to the community. Since 1998, PCI has presented internationally renowned and cutting edge musicians, actors, authors, comedians, dancers, speakers and film at The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center for the Performing Arts (a joint-use facility with the Park City School District). The organization will embark on its 13th season of headliner concerts at Deer Valley Resort next summer. PCI is dedicated to introducing young people to the arts through free student outreach workshops, shows and demonstrations. They proudly launched the Mega-Genius Supply Store and IQ HQ - an after school literacy program and very thinky retail store - in January 2010 and recently opened a second Mega-Genius retail shop in New Park this past spring. And the organization continues to illuminate with TEDx events, Curiosities evenings and the Park City Institute / Strategic News Service Future in Review Speaker Series.

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