Ford Theatres Announces 2018 Season

The Ford Theatres today announced the 2018 season of events at the fully transformed John Anson Ford Theatres. The 2018 season will open on Friday, June 1 with Chano Dominguez'sFlamenco Sketches, a reimagining of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album in the world, featuring Chano on piano and National Flamenco Contest (Córdoba, Spain) winner Daniel Navarro, and will conclude on Sunday, October 28 with a new site-specific work by the always innovative Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre.

2018 marks the first full five-month season since 2013, following the completion of a nearly three-year renovation of this iconic venue nestled in the Cahuenga Pass. IGNITE @ the FORD!, a presenting series that began in 2017, will continue to broaden the Ford's offerings by drawing artists from around the globe. How the venue is used for performances has been expanded as well - audiences will join artists on the stage for several performances, film screenings will take place on the new terrace and a new dance work will debut in the loading dock. Tickets can be purchased at FordTheatres.org or by calling (323) 461-3673.

"The Ford Theatres 2018 season really does have something for everyone," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. "I think everyone should peruse this year's calendar event by event. Each and every performance is distinctive and might reveal a jewel in LA's cultural firmament new to you and amazing! If you haven't been to the Ford in years, this is the season to come back, and if you're a regular, you're in for another outstanding season."

With the 2018 Season, the Ford expands IGNITE @ the FORD!, its presenting series curated by Ford Theatres Interim Executive Director Olga Garay-English, an arts leader with more than 30 years in the field. IGNITE @ the FORD! features thought-provoking nationally and internationally-known artists whose work is compelling and contemporary. Two June performances are timed with city-wide events: Local favorite Lula Washington Dance Theatre will perform work by three renowned choreographers, Kyle Abraham, Rennie Harris and David Roussève, alongside work by Lula Washington and Tamica Washington-Miller, in conjunction with the 2018 Dance USA Conference. Over two nights in June, GRAMMY®-winning conductor Craig Hella Johnson and the GRAMMY®-winning Conspirare choir will performConsidering Matthew Shepard, Johnson's musical response to Matthew Shepard's tragic death upon the eve of the 20thanniversary. This timely event is part of the City of West Hollywood and WeHo Arts' One City One Pride commemoration.

Once again, the Ford Theatres will collaborate with several of its esteemed peers for events in the IGNITE series. OnSeptember 29, a half-pipe will transform the Ford stage for renowned pianist and composer Jason Moran's exploration of the intersection between skateboarding and jazz: Finding a Line, presented in partnership with UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance. On October 13, in association with LA Opera Off Grand, the Ford will present a Beth Morrison Projects' production of composer David T. Little and filmmaker Bill Morrison's groundbreaking multimedia piece Soldier Songs starring David Adam Moore.

"With so much outstanding work by so many stellar artists, the Ford Theatres' season will truly celebrate Los Angeles as a major cultural capital of the world," said Olga Garay-English, Interim Executive Director of the Ford Theatres. "I am so pleased the newly revitalized Ford is able to offer opportunities to artists whose work benefits from an even more intimate experience by expanding beyond the amphitheatre format. In our 2018 season, we will debut performances with the audience seated on the stage with the artists; explore performances in alternative spaces, such as in the loading dock; and make use of the Ford's beautiful new terrace, The Zev."

Highlights of IGNITE @ the FORD! events that take place in these new performance configurations include moon& by Stephanie Zaletel's szalt (dance co.), a new work performed under the full moon, presented with Los Angeles Performance Practice; Chano Dominguez's Flamenco Sketches, presented with the Fountain Theatre; a dynamic evening with boundary-pushing music by Mivos Quartet and evocative poetry by Saul Williams; a series of threeHollywood Shorts film screenings on The Zev; and Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre, among others.

The Ford Theatres' flagship Artists Partnership Series, in which the Ford partners with LA County-based artists and producers, will bring back to the Ford Jail Guitar Doors with a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the MC5 hit "Kick Out the Jams" and starring original MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, with Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), Brendan Canty (Fugazi), Dug Pinnick (King's X) and Marcus Durant (Zen Guerrilla); Outfest Under the Stars, part of the 2018 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival; Michael Giacchino for an encore performance of his music from the iconic TV seriesLOST, by Musicians at Play Foundation; Angel City Jazz Festival with Xenia Rubinos' "rhythmically fierce, vocally generous music" (The New Yorker); Go As If presenting a night with GRAMMY®-winner Anna Wise (Kendrick Lamar's "These Walls") and her band; Georges Bizet's Carmen presented by Pacific Opera Project; and TAIKOPROJECT, which will be taiko drumming to Blue13 Dance Company's modern Indian dance. New to the Ford's Artists Partnership Series isFusicology, presenting GRAMMY®-winner Louie Vega and his band E.O.L. Soulfrito for an evening of Latin jazz and deep house music and the inaugural Boleros De Noche by Roberto Carlos Entertainment, featuring the last of the great romantic trios Los Tres Reyes.

The Ford Theatres will also continue to present its Monday night free participatory arts program JAM Sessions and Big World Fun, a family series of one-hour music, dance and theatre events that take place over four Saturday mornings.

ABOUT THE FORD
At 1,200 seats, the Ford Theatres creates an intimate concert experience that is a favorite among Angelenos. Each summer, the Ford hosts music, dance, theatre, film and family events reflective of the communities that comprise Los Angeles County. Many Ford season events are presented in partnership with Los Angeles County arts organizations, producers and presenters. Unlike a traditional presenting model, these organizations apply to be part of the season and receive significant marketing, front of house and production support while keeping the majority of box office proceeds. Proceeds from IGNITE @ the FORD! events benefit the Ford Theatre Foundation. The Ford is owned by the County of Los Angeles and operated in partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Ford Theatre Foundation. Nestled in a canyon of a County regional park in the Cahuenga Pass, the Ford Theatres has a rich history dating back to the 1920s. Audiences attending the 2018 Season will enjoy a fully revitalized Ford after the completion of a nearly three-year renovation project, including improved lighting and sound and the Ford Terrace Café on the new terrace - dubbed The Zev - with a menu by Crumble Catering.

The 2018 Season at the Ford Theatres is made possible through the support of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Additional support provided by Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, along with ABC7; the Caruso Family Foundation; the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles; Chamber Music America; City National Bank; Discover Hollywood; First 5 LA; Fusicology; The James Irvine Foundation; KCETLink; KCRW; LAArtsOnline.com; Motev; The National Endowment for the Arts; NBC Universal; Southern California Edison; Union Bank; Univision; The Wasserman Foundation; Wells Fargo; and Yelp.com.

TICKETS:
Online: FordTheatres.org
Phone: (323) 461-3673

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