NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE Returns September 24 with BETWEEN RIVER AND RIM: HIKING THE GRAND CANYON

The Auditorium Theatre's 2019-20 National Geographic Live Series kicks off with "Between River and Rim: Hiking the Grand Canyon" on Tuesday, September 24 at 7PM. The event features photographer and filmmaker Pete McBride and writer Kevin Fedarko, who in 2015 hiked the entirety of the Grand Canyon - a feat that has been accomplished by only a handful of people.

In "Between River and Rim," Fedarko and McBride recount their 750-mile hike through the length of the Canyon, accompanied by McBride's stunning photos and videos of the journey. In addition to highlighting the difficulties and delights of their expedition, they also shine a light on the myriad threats that the canyon - celebrating its 100th anniversary as a National Park in 2019 - faces due to environmental change.

"We are thrilled to launch this season's National Geographic Live series with Kevin Fedarko and Pete McBride in this timely event that celebrates both the 100th anniversary of the Grand Canyon's status as a National Park and the beginning of the Auditorium Theatre's 130th anniversary season," says C.J. Dillon, Auditorium Theatre Chief Programming Officer. "Fedarko and McBride's story is universally inspirational, whether you've visited the Grand Canyon yourself or whether you are experiencing it through photos and videos on our stage for the first time."

In addition to the Tuesday, September 24 event, the Auditorium Theatre hosts hundreds of Chicagoland K-12 students for a special one-hour Student Matinee presentation of "Between River and Rim: Hiking the Grand Canyon" on Wednesday, September 25 at 11AM. This is the first National Geographic Live Student Matinee to take place at the Auditorium Theatre, and the first event in the Auditorium's 2019-20 Student Matinee Series, which also includes one-hour performances of Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Fedarko lives in northern New Mexico and works as a part-time river guide in Grand Canyon National Park. His work has been published in publications including Outside, Esquire, and National Geographic Adventure. He is also the author of the New York Times' bestseller The Emerald Mile:The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon, and his work was included in The Best American Travel Writing anthologies in 2004 and 2005.

McBride, a Colorado native, has spent the last 20 years of his life capturing the world with his camera. He has both written and photographed for National Geographic Society, Smithsonian, Outside, Men's Journal, Esquire, STERN, and many others. In his photo book The Colorado River: Flowing Through Conflict, he followed the path of the Colorado River - which "carves" out the Grand Canyon - by way of aerial photography.

NatGeoLive.com

Photo Credit: Pete McBride