National Geographic Explorer Mireya Mayor Comes to The Auditorium This January

The Auditorium Theatre's National Geographic Live speaker series continues with its second presentation on January 24, 2019 with Pink Boots and a Machete, featuring primatologist and conservationist Dr. Mireya Mayor. Mayor - a former NFL cheerleader, daughter of Cuban immigrants, and mother of six - shares a behind-the-scenes look at the hardships and the dangers of life in the field, and discusses how she followed her unlikely dreams and became a respected primatologist, audacious explorer, National Science Foundation Fellow, Fulbright Scholar, and an Emmy Award-nominated wildlife correspondent for the National Geographic Channel.

"We are thrilled to continue our Nat Geo Live Series, featuring the top leaders from fascinating fields," says C.J. Dillon, Auditorium Theatre Chief Programming Officer. "We look forward to hearing Dr. Mayor's captivating stories on our historic stage, and hope that the next generation of explorers, biologists, and researchers join us to learn from her at this inspirational event."

"We're delighted to be sharing Dr. Mayor's remarkable story with Chicagoans at the historic Auditorium Theatre," says Danielle Deabler, Vice President of Membership and NG Live at National Geographic Partners. "The theatre is a wonderful home for National Geographic Live in Chicago, and we're excited to continue our partnership with a compelling and inspiring speaker like Dr. Mayor, who embodies National Geographic's 130-year focus on exploration and adventure."

Mayor's adventures have taken her to some of the wildest and most remote places on earth, armed with little more than a backpack, a notebook, and hiking boots. She's survived poisonous insect bites, been charged by gorillas, and chased by elephants. She's consumed cow blood in Tanzania, gone swimming with great white sharks, shared a raw goat kidney with the Maasai warriors of Africa, and helped calm an angry 400-pound silverback gorilla in Congo. Mayor is also the co-discoverer of a new rare species of mouse lemur, found in Madagascar and believed to be the world's smallest primate. Her discovery inspired the prime minister of Madagascar to establish a national park to help protect the new species, conserving the small remaining part of the African island nation's once-vast forest.

Mayor's exploits have earned her the nickname "the female Indiana Jones," but the fashion-loving anthropologist always packs an accessory Harrison Ford's character never would: a black dress - "should an unforeseen occasion arise," she explains.

Mayor currently divides her time between researching in the rainforests of Madagascar, lecturing at schools and universities across the country, and traveling the world as a wildlife correspondent. She lives with her husband, six children, 11 chickens, dog, rooster, and an ever-growing menagerie of other animals.

National Geographic Live - Pink Boots and a Machete

Thursday, January 24, 2019 | 7PM

Tickets are $42 and $54 and are available online at AuditoriumTheatre.org, by phone at 312.341.2300, or in person at the Auditorium Theatre Box Office (50 E Ida B Wells Dr). Pink Boots and a Machete is part of the National Geographic Live Series, which also includes Point of No Return and offers a 20% discount on both shows. Discounts are also available for groups of 10+.

The Auditorium Theatre also offers $15 student rush tickets to full-time college students, and $5 tickets to young people ages 13-19 with Urban Gateways' Teen Arts Pass program. The Auditorium Theatre's ADMIT ONE program, launched in 2016, offers complimentary tickets to Chicago area community groups. Community groups may apply for ADMIT ONE here.

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