Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts Announces the 2020 National Geographic Live Speaker Series

By: Aug. 27, 2019
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The 2020 National Geographic Live season at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts will feature four speakers - including photographers, filmmakers and scientists - plus a special film and concert engagement.

National Geographic Live speakers share their journeys of exploration from being on assignment around the world. Illustrated with award-winning photography and video, select presentations conclude with a Q&A session with the audience.

For its ninth season at the Kauffman Center, National Geographic Live features rock climber-turned-photographer Andy Mann; acclaimed photographer and cinematographer Shannon Wild; paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim; and award-winning photographer Vincent J. Musi. The season will close with a screening of a remarkable documentary film, Jane, covering the unprecedented work of the esteemed chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall. The Kansas City Symphony will accompany the film, performing a rich orchestral score by legendary composer Philip Glass.

Single tickets for the five events will go on sale Friday, September 6, through the Kauffman Center Box Office at (816) 994-7222 or online at kauffmancenter.org.

Andy Mann, Photographer and Filmmaker

From Summit to Sea
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Muriel Kauffman Theatre | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Award-winning filmmaker and photographer Andy Mann uses his work to bridge the gap between science and policy. From his early days as a rock climber to his current passion documenting the critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark, his stunning images tell the story of our rapidly changing planet, from top to bottom.

Shannon Wild, Photographer and Cinematographer

Pursuit of the Black Panther
Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Muriel Kauffman Theatre | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

In 15 years as a wildlife photographer and cinematographer, Shannon Wild has learned to expect the unexpected. She's been bitten in the face by a dog, charged by an elephant, and pinned by a cheetah. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and dangers of her most difficult assignment to date: documenting a rare and elusive black panther in the dense forest in southern India.

Nizar Ibrahim, Paleontologist

Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous
Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Muriel Kauffman Theatre | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Spinosaurus was nearly lost to science until Nizar Ibrahim, a remarkable young paleontologist, discovered this prehistoric giant. With amazing video recreating the lost world of the Cretaceous-era Sahara, Ibrahim tells the story of Spinosaurus' discovery, loss, and rediscovery, and explains what - other than its size - makes this ancient monster unique.

Vincent J. Musi, Photographer

Where the Wild Things Live
Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Muriel Kauffman Theatre | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

For more than 30 years, award-winning National Geographic photographer Vincent J. Musi has covered diverse assignments - from traveling Route 66 to global warming, from life under volcanoes to Sicilian mummies. An unusual twist of fate led Musi to the highly unpredictable world of animal portraiture. Musi gets up close - almost too close - to his unique subjects, despite the fact that they growl, bark, roar, bite, hiss, claw, poop, and pee on him. With his trademark witty sense of humor, Musi taps into his inner Dr. Dolittle as he shares stories from his encounters with some extraordinary animals, including a bonobo with a 300-word vocabulary and a crow that makes and uses tools.

JANE In Concert

with Live Orchestra
Tuesday, June 9 and Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Muriel Kauffman Theatre | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Jane, a documentary by award-winning director Brett Morgan, draws from more than 100 hours of never-before-seen footage tucked away in the National Geographic archives for more than 50 years. It tells the story of a woman whose chimpanzee research challenged the male-dominated scientific consensus of her time and revolutionized our understanding of the natural world.

The film offers an unprecedented, intimate portrait of Jane Goodall - a trailblazer who defied the odds to become one of the world's most admired conservationists. The Kansas City Symphony will accompany this stunning documentary with a live performance of a rich orchestral score by legendary composer Philip Glass.

As part of the Kauffman Center's Open Doors program, National Geographic Live will present three student matinee performances in 2020:

  • February 18, 10:30 a.m.: Andy Mann - From Summit to Sea
  • March 10, 10:30 a.m.: Shannon Wild - Pursuit of the Black Panther
  • April 28, 10:30 a.m.: Nizar Ibrahim - Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous

Educators can find out more information and request tickets to student matinees by visiting: kauffmancenter.org/schoolmatinees.

Single tickets for all five National Geographic Live events go on sale Friday, September 6. Single tickets will be available through the Kauffman Center Box Office at (816) 994-7222 or online at kauffmancenter.org.

Fans of National Geographic Live and supporters of the Kauffman Center are invited to join the Adventure Circle membership group. In return for a partially tax-deductible gift to support the National Geographic Live series and Kauffman Center programming, Adventure Circle members receive invitations to private receptions with featured National Geographic speakers and other exclusive benefits. To learn more, call the Kauffman Center Box Office at (816) 994-7222 or visit kauffmancenter.org/adventure.



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