Saenger Theatre Celebrates Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert With Fan Costume Contest

In honor of the upcoming engagement, Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert, the Saenger Theatre is inviting fans of all ages to participate in a Star Wars costume contest on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. The winner of the costume contest will receive four tickets to a Saturday showing of Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert, VIP access and a commemorative poster. The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring guest conductor Erik Ochsner, will perform Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert live and will feature a screening of the complete film A New Hope with Oscar-winning composer John Williams' musical scores performed live to the film. Fans will be able to experience the scope and grandeur of this beloved Star Wars film in a live symphonic concert experience, as Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert debuts Friday, Sept. 7th at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 8th at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans.

Fans are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite Star Wars character or creature. A panel of qualified judges from local Princess Leia costume group, Leijorettes, as well as the Brian Held, co-host of The Week in Geek radio show will critique costumes on creativity and knowledge of the Star Wars universe. The Force may not be used to sway the judges' opinions. Participants may reserve their spot by visiting http://bit.ly/2Py15xZ, submissions are limited to 40 participants. The deadline to sign up is Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. The public is welcome to watch the costume contest.

"Fans of all ages will enjoy experiencing the film that started it all with live accompaniment from the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra," said Saenger Theatre General Manager David Skinner. "This costume contest is the perfect way to allow locals to show off their love for the iconic film series."

Tickets for Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert start at $29.50 and are available for purchase at the Saenger Theatre Box Office (1111 Canal St., New Orleans, LA, 70116), all Ticketmaster outlets and by phone at (800) 745-3000.

Legendary composer John Williams is well known for scoring all eight of the Star Wars saga films to date, beginning with 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope, for which he earned an Academy Award for Best Original Score. His scores for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and most recently Star Wars: The Last Jedi were each nominated for Best Original Score.

Williams has won five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and 23 Grammy Awards. With 51 Academy Award nominations, Williams is the Academy's most nominated living person and the second most-nominated individual in history, after Walt Disney. In 2005, the American Film Institute selected Williams' score to 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope as the greatest American film score of all time. The soundtrack to A New Hope also was preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry, for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Williams was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl's Hall of Fame in 2000, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004, the National Medal of Arts in 2009, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2016. Williams has composed the scores for eight of the top 20 highest-grossing films at the U.S. box office (adjusted for inflation).

The Star Wars: Film Concert Series is produced under license by Disney Concerts in association with 20th Century Fox and Warner/Chappell Music.

STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM

ABOUT DISNEY CONCERTS

Disney Concerts is the concert production and licensing division of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company. Disney Concerts produces concerts and tours, and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras and presenters on a worldwide basis. Disney Concerts' concert packages include a variety of formats, such as "live to picture" film concerts and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts, and range from instrumental-only symphonic performances to multimedia productions featuring live vocalists and choir. Current titles include the Star Wars Film Concert Series (Episodes IV-VII), Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Fantasia, Pixar In Concert, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Alice In Wonderland, Frozen, Ratatouille, The Pirates of the Caribbean series (Episodes I-IV), and Silly Symphonies, which last year collectively accounted for over 400 performances in many of the world's top concert venues, including Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Tokyo Forum and the Hollywood Bowl. Numerous new concert packages and touring productions from Disney's portfolio of studios, including Disney's feature animation and live action studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel, are currently in development.

SAENGER THEATRE

Originally built in 1927, the Saenger Theatre was designed to reflect a magnificent 15th century Italian courtyard and gardens, with a starlit evening sky ceiling, arched surroundings, statuary, columns and decorative moldings. In January 2012, the City of New Orleans, Canal Street Development Corporation (CSDC) and ACE Theatrical Group formed a public-private partnership to carry out a $52 million restoration project after the iconic theatre was severely damaged during Hurricane Katrina. The Saenger Theatre reopened in the fall of 2013, authentically restored to the finest level of detail, with state-of-the-art technological improvements and updated first-class amenities. The theatre hosts a wide variety of performing arts attractions including live theater, comedy shows and musical acts. The Saenger Theatre is located at the corner of Canal and North Rampart streets in downtown New Orleans and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Visit http://www.saengernola.com for more information.