Broadway's WAR PAINT, COME FROM AWAY and More Get Behind-the-Scenes Looks in Guggenheim's Spring 2017 'Works & Process' Series

Works & Process at the Guggenheim has announced its spring 2017 season.

Since 1984, the performing arts series has championed new works and offered audiences unprecedented access to leading creators and performers. Each intimate, 80-minute performance combines artistic creation with stimulating conversation, and takes place in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's Frank Lloyd Wright-designed, 285-seat Peter B. Lewis Theater. Described by the New York Times as "a popular series devoted to shedding light on the creative process," Works & Process is produced by founder Mary Sharp Cronson.

Additional information about the spring 2017 season is available at worksandprocess.org.

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Spring 2017 Season Schedule:

New York City Ballet: Pontus Lidberg

Sunday and Monday, January 8 and 9, 7:30 pm

Prior to the world premiere, New York City Ballet dancers perform excerpts of acclaimed Swedish choreographer and filmmaker Pontus Lidberg's first-ever work for the company. The ballet features a newly commissioned score by Pulitzer Prize winner and Grammy award-winning American composer David Lang, with costumes designed by longtime Lidberg collaborator Rachel Quarmby-Spadaccini. In a discussion moderated by former NYCB principal dancer Wendy Whelan, Lidberg shares insights into his creative process during the development of this new work.

This Works & Process program is made possible in part by Gail D. Hashimoto.

War Paint on Broadway

Sunday, January 22, 7:30 pm

In advance of the Broadway opening, Works & Process offers a behind-the-scenes look into the newest musical by librettist Doug Wright, composer Scott Frankel, lyricist Michael Korie, and director Michael Greif. Two-time Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole star as America's first major female entrepreneurs and relentless and legendary rivals, Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden. LuPone and Ebersole join the creative team for a moderated discussion and performance excerpts.

The Metropolitan Opera: Rusalka with Mary Zimmerman

Monday, January 23, 7:30 pm

Prior to the opening of the Met's new production of Rusalka, general manager Peter Gelb interviews director Mary Zimmerman about her wondrous approach to Dvorák's operatic fairy tale. Met artists sing excerpts.

Miami City Ballet: The Fairy's Kiss by Alexei Ratmansky

Sunday, January 29, 3 and 7:30 pm, and Monday, January 30, 7:30 pm

In advance of the world premiere in Florida, company dancers perform excerpts from The Fairy's Kiss, choreographer Alexei Ratmansky's newest narrative ballet. Set to a score by Igor Stravinsky, the production is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's story The Ice-Maiden. Ratmansky, set designer Wendall K. Harrington, and artistic director Lourdes Lopez participate in a discussion moderated by John Meehan, Vassar College professor of dance.

Washington National Opera: Champion by Terence Blanchard

Sunday, February 12, 7:30 pm

Five-time Grammy award-winning composer Terence Blanchard tells the true story of Emile Griffith in this haunting and visually stunning "opera in jazz." This work explores the life of the closeted gay boxer whose knockout of a homophobic rival in the early 1960s led to unexpected tragedy. Artistic director Francesca Zambellomoderates a discussion with Blanchard and members of the cast following performance excerpts.

Works & Process Rotunda Project: Michelle Dorrance

Thursday, February 16, 6:30, 8, and 9:30 pm

In 2017, Works & Process launches a new initiative, commissioning site-specific residencies and performances for the iconic Guggenheim rotunda. The first Works & Process Rotunda Project features MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance, one of the most sought-after tap dancers of her generation. Dorrance, leading a large cast of dancers and musicians, uses dance and percussion to create a performative soundscape incorporating the rotunda as a musical instrument.

This 30-minute performance will be viewed from the ramps and requires audience members to stand for the duration of the program.

This Works & Process program is made possible by Stuart H. Coleman and Meryl Rosofsky.

Playwrights Horizons: The Profane by Zayd Dohrn

Monday, February 27, 7:30 pm

Safe in the liberal fortress of Manhattan, Raif Almedin is a first-generation immigrant who prides himself on his modern, enlightened views. But when his daughter falls for the son of a conservative Muslim family, two households are forced to confront each other's religious beliefs and cultural traditions, and to face their own deep-seated prejudice. Playwright Zayd Dohrn and director Kip Fagan discuss the creation of The Profane, and members of the cast perform excerpts from this sharp and timely tale.

Come From Away on Broadway

Sunday, March 5, 7:30 pm

On September 11, 2001, 38 planes and 6,579 passengers were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, doubling the town's population. Newfoundlanders opened their hearts and homes to host an international community of strangers-spurring unexpected camaraderie in extraordinary circumstances and inspiring a new musical. Before the Broadway opening, Canadian writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein, choreographer Kelly Devine, and director Christopher Ashley discuss their creative process and cast members perform highlights.

Lincoln Center Theater: Oslo with J.T. Rogers and Bartlett Sher

Monday, March 6, 7:30 pm

Oslo tells the little-known story of Norwegian diplomat Mona Juul, her husband Terje Rød-Larsen, and a group of Israelis and Palestinians struggling to overcome their fears and mistrust of one another to coordinate secret negotiations between Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Their efforts culminated in the signing of the Oslo Accords and led to the iconic moment when the two leaders shook hands on the South Lawn of the White House in 1993. Director Bartlett Sher and playwright J.T. Rogers discuss the play, and excerpts are performed prior to the Broadway premiere of what has been hailed as a "disarmingly funny masterpiece" (Huffington Post).

The Santa Fe Opera: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs by Mason Bates and Mark Campbell

Sunday and Monday, April 9 and 10, 7:30 pm

In anticipation of composer Mason Bates's first opera commissioned by The Santa Fe Opera, join Bates, librettist Mark Campbell, and director Kevin Newbury for a moderated discussion and musical excerpts from The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs prior to the world premiere.

New York City Ballet: Music at the Ballet with Andrew Litton

Sunday, April 23, 7:30 pm

A longtime conductor of symphony orchestras around the world, Andrew Litton recently made the transition to ballet orchestra maestro with his appointment as New York City Ballet's music director. Litton shares his unique perspective on the similarities, differences, and nuances of these two experiences. Joined by fellow NYCB artists, he illuminates how he sees, hears, and executes the intricacies of NYCB's vast repertoire prior to the Here/Now Festival, which features forty-three ballets and two world premieres.

This Works & Process program is made possible by Stephen Kroll Reidy.

American Ballet Theatre: Whipped Cream by Alexei Ratmansky

Sunday and Monday, April 30 and May 1, 7:30 pm

Delightfully whimsical, this new full-length production springs from the imagination of American Ballet Theatre artist-in-residence Alexei Ratmansky and pop surrealist Mark Ryden. Based on the 1924 Viennese ballet Schlagobers (Whipped Cream) with music by Richard Strauss, Whipped Cream follows a young boy who overindulges at a Viennese pastry shop and falls into a delirium. Ratmansky and moderator John Meehan discuss the new work and ABT dancers perform excerpts prior to the New York premiere.

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All events take place at the Peter B. Lewis Theater, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street (Subway: 4, 5, 6 train to 86th Street; Bus: M1, M2, M3, or M4 bus on Madison or Fifth Avenue). Tickets: $40, $35 members; $10 student rush tickets available one hour prior to each performance if space allows (for students under 25 with valid ID). Priority ticket access and preferred seat selection starts Dec 8, 2016, for Friends of Works & Process or Guggenheim Members Associate level and above. Season tickets will be on sale Dec 15, 2016. For more information, call 212 758 0024 or 212 423 3587, Mon-Fri, 1-5 pm, or visit worksandprocess.org.