Park City Institute Adds Two Shows: Lyle Lovett And Robert Earl Keen; Mavis Staples.

Adding to the landmark 20th Anniversary Main Stage Season at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center for the Performing Arts, the Park City Institute announced the addition of two legendary music performances to its lineup.

On Thursday February 1, 2018, the Institute presents country artists Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen on Thursday, February 1, 2018 at 7:30 PM. On Saturday March 3, 2018, R&B singer Mavis Staples will perform.

"We are honored to feature these talented musicians as part of our 20th Anniversary Season," said PCI Executive Director Teri Orr. "These two performances round out a mix of legendary and emerging artists offering mind-bending dance, thought provoking theater, world-renowned musicians, authors, thinkers, and leaders."

Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen's intimate show on the Eccles stage (February 1) will showcase the two music legends' signature country songs, laced with blues, jazz, gospel and swing. "Both Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen have played our stages before," said Orr. "But they've never performed together, for us." The evening will highlight both artists' work, and the ways their collaborations have evolved since their days at Texas A&M in the '70s. "It's just the two of us taking turns playing our songs, telling stories," says Lovett. "I have so much fun." Adds Keen: "I don't always know his next move. Part of it is the repartee between the two of us, and, always, some really good surprises."

Mavis Staples' (March 3) performances-from her earliest days singing with her family at Holy Trinity Baptist Church in 1948, to founding the Staple Singers in 1953, to filling stadium shows for decades-run deep with struggle, hope and compassion. "Mavis Staples' R&B-and-gospel-tinged voice has only gotten richer," said Orr. "Her life story comes through in every note." Her latest release, If All I Was Was Black, is her third collaboration with songwriter, producer and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy. The album's 10 songs about America today, make it clear that the present is filled with ghosts of the past. Staples explores where love lies.

The complete season also includes five-time GRAMMY-winner, bluesman Robert Cray (December 9); acclaimed-and mesmerizing dance company, Momix (December 16); The big-band-inspired swing music of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (December 20); indie-pop kids' band Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band (December 27). The Park City Institute's traditional New Year's Eve celebration features newly-named MacArthur Genius, singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens.

Scholar and advocate, Monica Lewinsky (January 6) comes to our stage to help inform a generation of parents and kids how to tackle the "empathy crisis" of cyberbullying. The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center 20th Anniversary Party, will feature the music Pink Martini, among other special guests (January 13).

Returning to our stage, author Anne Lamott (February 3) shares with her wit, wisdom and ruthless honesty about the "tough stuff" of life-motherhood, faith, and the rough patches we all endure.

NPR personality, author, and media expert, Bob Garfield (February 17), performs his brand-new one-man show, "Ruggedly Jewish," examining the quirks of identity that make up the fabric of our culture. Singer-songwriter and author Dar Williams (February 24), performs and shares stories and insights from her new book, What I Learned in A Thousand Towns, exploring the ways in which towns she has visited on tour, have morphed from vacant to vibrant.

Trinity Irish Dance Company (March 10) fuses the vibrancy of traditional Irish Dance with contemporary American innovation. Then, on St. Patrick's Day, mischief and mayhem reign, at the Saints and Sinners Ball, supporting the Student Outreach Programs of the Park City Institute. Shane Koyczan brings his award-winning slam poetry to the stage (March 24), giving voice to the healing power of love that emerges in our darkest moments.

Honoring the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, the Institute presents the LA Theaterworks production of The Mountaintop (March 31). The simple two-person play is a fictional retelling of how Dr. King spent his last night on earth, after delivering his famous "I've been to the mountaintop" speech, in Memphis.

Anthony Romero (April 3) tackles the big questions of democracy, every day. The Executive Director of the ACLU, who is the first openly-gay person and the first Latino to serve in his role, will expand on his TED Talk, on our stage, about the ways in which history, art and politics intersect.

Our season concludes April 7, with the band who set a Rube Goldberg contraption to music, OK Go. The physics buffs, musicians and Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award-winners will play some music, break down some of their favorite experiments, and prove that it's possible-and fun-to set science to music.

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH

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, with our Main Stage performers. 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. 2 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.

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

TICKETS AND INFORMATION

Individual tickets range from $29 to $79 for regular season performances (Special Events and children's shows have different pricing). Discounts are available for children (16 and under), seniors and Summit County students (K-12). Call the Box Office at 435-655-3114, or visit parkcityinstitute.org for more information. The Box Office 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.

**PCI MEMBERSHIP EXCLUSIVE: 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 $240 (sapphire) $420 (ruby) and $690 (amethyst). For membership information, please visit parkcityinstitute.org.

Show times: The majority of PCI Main Stage performances begin at 7:30 p.m. New Year's Eve begins at 8:00 PM. Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band (December 27, 2017) will feature two performances at 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM