Center For The Arts Presents 2019–2020 ARTSReach Season

Los Angeles-based hip-hop dance troupe Versa-Style Dance Company, Canadian Celtic group Derina Harvey Band, and the electrifying gospel performance of We Shall Overcome are just a few of the companies scheduled to perform as part of the ARTSReach program at the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts this season.

Since 1992, the ARTSReach program at Pepperdine University has provided performances and museum tours to thousands of area schoolchildren each year. The performances and museum exhibitions are free for the students and schools who participate. A limited number of transportation grants are available for schools with financial need. Funding for the program comes from donors to the Center for the Arts, including members of the President's Circle and the Center for the Arts Guild.

In 2018-2019, more than 4,700 students from 30 different schools participated in the program. This included students in grades K-12 from throughout Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.

"For many young people, the ARTSReach program provides their first opportunity to see a live performance and their first trip to a university campus," said Rebecca Carson, Managing Director for the Center for the Arts. "We love welcoming young people from all throughout our community to Pepperdine and introducing them to the arts. There's nothing quite like the feeling of sitting in the back of the theatre and watching the look of joy and wonder on the faces of 450 children as they watch our performances. I am incredibly grateful to our many donors for providing this gift to our community."

Each year, the ARTSReach program includes performances in dance, music, and theatre. Performances are selected to appeal to students in grades kindergarten through high school.

The ARTSReach program also provides guided tours of the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. This year's exhibitions include a fall exhibition of black and white contemporary art from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation and an exhibition of Auguste Rodin sculptures in the spring.

Tickets for ARTSReach performances and museum tours are available on a first-come, first-served basis to schools. Registration and more information is available at arts.pepperdine.edu/events/artsreach or by contacting Monica Chapon, Museum Assistant/Arts Education Coordinator, at (310) 506-4766.

The 2019-2020 ARTSReach season includes the following performances:

Simply Three

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

11:45 a.m.

Grades 3-6

With an infectious energy and heartfelt musicality, Simply Three has perfected the art of the classical crossover with their ingenious interpretations of contemporary hits by Adele, Coldplay, twenty one pilots, and more.

Versa-Style Dance Company

Friday, October 4, 2019

10 a.m. & 11:45 a.m.

Grades 2-6

Versa-Style fuses their highly energetic interpretation of cultural dance forms, including hip-hop and Afro-Latin, with an emphasis on diversity and the roots, history, and social and political issues of the L.A. region.

VIVA MOMIX

Thursday, October 24, 2019

10 a.m. & 11:45 a.m.

Grades 6-8

Transporting audiences from their everyday lives to a beautiful fantasy world, Viva MOMIX thrills with its athletic dance, riveting music, outrageous costumes, inventive props, and pure talent to create an entertaining multimedia experience that will surprise, enchant, and astonish.

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia presents

The Rainbow Fish

Friday, October 25, 2019

10 a.m. & 11:45 am

Grades K-3

Author Marcus Pfister's colorful book The Rainbow Fish is brought to life with enchanting puppetry, striking scenic effects, and evocative original music in an original stage adaptation.

Derina Harvey Band

Thursday, January 16, 2020

11:45 a.m.

Grades 3-6

Lead by fearless front-woman Derina Harvey, this Celtic rock group offers a fresh take on traditional folk songs with their rocky, rhythmic undertow. In this special show the band will perform while discussing the musical history and folk traditions of eastern Canada.

L.A. Opera presents

The Marriage of Figaro

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

10 a.m.

Grades 2-5

In this kid-friendly opera based on The Barber of Seville, students are transported to colonial America with Figaro along with his band of sneaky barbers and colonial compatriots.

Cirque FLIP Fabrique

Friday, February 7, 2020

10 a.m. & 11:45 am

Grades 3-6

Cirque FLIP Fabrique explores the awe and beauty of winter with their new show BLIZZARD, which brings audiences on a crazy, fun, poetic, and tender journey through winter, and invites you to get lost in a moment of white wonder.

Dance in Flight

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

10 a.m.

Grades 2-5

For over 20 years, Dance in Flight has provided a safe environment for emerging student dancers and choreographers to cultivate creativity, physical expression, and teamwork in a professional performing atmosphere.

We Shall Overcome

A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., featuring Damien Sneed

Monday, March 9, 2020

10 a.m.

Grades 6-12

Inspired by the words and action of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., We Shall Overcome showcases repertoire from across the African American music traditions that electrified generations of civil rights activists and defenders with interwoven spoken word from Dr. King's recorded speeches.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (The Musical)

Monday, March 30

10 a.m. & 11:45 a.m.

Grades K-3

Starring an innovative mix of actors, puppets, songs, and feathers, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (The Musical) is a comedic musical adaptation of the #1 New York Times best-selling, Caldecott-honor award winning Pigeon picture books, and is sure to get the audience's wings flapping.

The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University provides high-quality activities for over 50,000 people from over 1,000 zip codes annually through performances, rehearsals, museum exhibitions, and master classes. Located on Pepperdine's breathtaking Malibu campus overlooking the Pacific, the Center serves as a hub for the arts, uniquely linking professional guest artists with Pepperdine students as well as patrons from surrounding Southern California communities. Facilities include the 450-seat Smothers Theatre, the 118-seat Raitt Recital Hall, the "black box" Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre, and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art.

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