The Auditorium Theatre Presents NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE — SPINOSAURUS

The Auditorium Theatre presents the first event in their National Geographic Live Series on February 27, 2022 with Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous, featuring National Geographic Explorer and paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim.

Meet Spinosaurus, the largest predatory dinosaur yet discovered - larger than T. rex - and hear the incredible story of how this prehistoric giant was almost lost to science, before being uncovered again with the help of Ibrahim. With amazing video recreating the lost world of the Cretaceous-era Sahara, he tells the story of Spinosaurus' discovery, loss, and rediscovery, and explains what - other than its size - makes this ancient monster unique.

"We are excited to welcome audiences back to our Nat Geo Live Series," says Auditorium Theatre CEO Rich Regan. "We look forward to this fascinating story from Nizar Ibrahim about the prehistoric world and this one-of-a-kind discovery."

This is the first event of a 3-show series that also includes Wild Hope with Ami Vitale (March 13) and Social by Nature with Ronan Donovan (April 10).

German/Moroccan paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim, a postdoctoral scholar in vertebrate anatomy and paleontology at the University of Chicago and 2014 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, scours the deserts of North Africa for clues to life in the Cretaceous period, when the area was a large river system teeming with a profusion of diverse life. In addition to unearthing many huge dinosaur bones, he has discovered fossil footprints and a new species of flying reptile with an 18-foot wingspan that lived 95 million years ago.

Ibrahim's remarkable story and the findings of an international team of scientists were published in the journal Science and as a cover story for National Geographic magazine. What has been unveiled appears to be the first truly semiaquatic dinosaur, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus.

In 2014, Ibrahim was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and in 2015, he was named a TED fellow, the first paleontologist in the history of the program. His upcoming paper describing the ecosystem of what is now Morocco's Sahara Desert in the mid-Cretaceous period promises to be a milestone, providing the most detailed account of the diversity, paleoecology, and geologic context of fossil vertebrates from North Africa.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE - Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous

Sunday, February 27, 2022 @ 2PM

Tickets are $54 or $42 and are available now at AuditoriumTheatre.org, by calling 312.341.2300, or at the Box Office at 50 E Ida B Wells Drive in Chicago, IL. Click here for phone and in-person hours.

Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous is part of a 3-event National Geographic Live Series subscription that offers a 20% discount for all 3 shows. Spinosaurus may also be added to the Auditorium Theatre's "Create Your Own" Series subscription offering a 15-25% discount. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more people are also available.

The Auditorium Theatre 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 also offers a Student Savings Club for both college and high school students. The Auditorium Theatre's ADMIT ONE program offers complimentary tickets to Chicago-area community groups.

The Auditorium Theatre is fully committed to the health and safety of our patrons and our staff. For this event, patrons 5 and over are REQUIRED to show proof of vaccination at the door. Guests under 5 may gain entry by wearing a mask at all times when not eating and drinking. All guests must wear a mask when not eating or drinking. Click here for the most current safety protocols.

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