Wells Fargo Center Announces 2014-2015 Season Featuring Music, Dance, Comedy & More

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts announced 24 new shows for 2014-2015 featuring world-class performances in music, dance, comedy, speakers and family entertainment. For 33 years, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts has presented a popular and diverse range of outstanding performances for fans of all ages and diverse interests. Tickets will be available to members of Wells Fargo Center for the Arts on Tuesday, May 20 and on sale to the general public on Friday, June 13 at noon. Tickets and memberships may be purchased online at wellsfargocenterarts.org, by phone at 707.546.3600 and in person at the box office at 50 Mark West Springs Road in Santa Rosa.

"Last year, we reopened the Ruth Finley Person Theater after a $3.3 million renovation," said Rick Nowlin, the Center's Executive Director. "Now, after a year in which we saw ticket sales rise by 35%, we are thrilled to announce the first round of performances for the next year, offering something for everyone in our community."

Summer performances heat up as the Center's newest resident company, North Bay Stage Company, presents a production of Kander and Ebb's groundbreaking Cabaret in the Center's Carston Cabaret, transporting the audience to an actual cabaret, bringing a novel and fresh perspective to the musical (July 25 - August 10).

On Thursday, September 11, the Center welcomes lead vocalist for international super duo Sugarland, Jennifer Nettles, in That Girl Tour 2014 with special guest Brandy Clark. This performance marks Nettles' debut at the Center.

The popular, annual Fiesta de Independencia returns to the Center on Saturday, September 13. Presented by the Center's Latino Advisory Council, the campus-wide, free festival for the whole family will showcase a taste of Latino culture in Sonoma County with authentic food, music, entertainment, games, and activities.

Next up on Friday, September 26, iconic comedy duo Cheech and Chong will return to Santa Rosa for the first time since 2009 to present their hilariously irreverent, satirical, counter-culture, no-holds-barred comedy routines.

The laughs continue with the 39th Annual San Francisco Comedy Competition Semi-Finals on Saturday, September 27. The outrageously funny evening has a well-earned reputation as an important showcase of promising young entertainers - The San Francisco Comedy Competition launched the careers of Ellen DeGeneres, Dana Carvey and Louis C.K., among many others.

Best known for the role of Ron Swanson on NBC's hit comedy series "Parks & Recreation," Nick Offerman brings his live performance of Nick Offerman: Full Bush to Santa Rosa on Friday, October 3.

October continues with a run of playwright A.R. Gurney's Sylvia (October 3-19) in the Center's East Auditorium. Presented by the North Bay Stage Company, Sylvia tells the story of empty nesters Greg and Kate, as they move back to Manhattan after twenty-two years in the suburbs and the hilarious and touching complications they encounter as a dog becomes a part of their lives.

On Thursday, October 23, audiences will experience two legendary groups in one magical night. After creating hits for more than 40 years, The Temptations and The Four Tops perform iconic songs such as "My Girl" and "Baby I Need Your Loving."

The Santa Rosa Symphony presents classical music superstar Joshua Bell in a special benefit for the Symphony on Friday, October 24. One of the world's most celebrated violinists, Bell will enchant audiences with his breathtaking virtuosity, tone of sheer beauty and charismatic stage presence.

The Rodney Strong Vineyards Dance Series begins in November with San Francisco's celebrated contemporary ballet company Alonzo King LINES Ballet on Saturday, November 1, in a performance that features a diverse set of deeply rooted cultural traditions and imbues classical ballet with new expressive potential.

The hit interactive stage show The Price is Right Live will give audiences the chance to "Come On Down" and win appliances, vacations and even new cars by playing classic games from television's longest running and most popular game show (Sunday, November 2).

An Evening with Vince Gill and The Time Jumpers features country music star, Vince Gill, returning to Santa Rosa on Saturday, November 8, performing with an assemblage of high-wattage musicians representing the richness and vigor of country music.

After a sold-out show in 2013, Whose Live Anyway? brings the Emmy-nominated TV show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" to the stage for 90 minutes of hilarious improv comedy and song all based on audience suggestions on Saturday, November 15.

The Center will present a monumental performance of New Orleans Legends: Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Allen Toussaint when Preservation Hall Jazz Band and New Orleans icon Allen Toussaint join forces for an evening of legendary music making on Tuesday, November 18.

America's foremost humorist and social pundit, Garrison Keillor shares his wonderful, dry sense of humor on the Center's stage in An Evening with Garrison Keillor on Wednesday, December 3. True to his radio form, the humorist celebrity speaker will share hilarious anecdotes about growing up in the American Midwest, the people of Lake Wobegon and "late-life fatherhood" - all delivered with his signature class, charisma and wisdom.

On Thursday, December 11, award-winning filmmaker, author and comedian Mike Birbiglia returns with painfully awkward stories of telling jokes and how that can get you in trouble in Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes.

The holiday season kicks-off with an evening of traditional Mexican folk culture in Posada Navideña, the Christmas production and time-honored Posada celebration and the second performance of the Rodney Strong Vineyards Dance Series, performed by the Compañia Mazatlán Bellas Artes, on Friday, December 12.

On Sunday, December 21, for the first time at the Center, living legends of gospel music, The Blind Boys of Alabama will present their special Grammy-winning show, The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show featuring selections from their upcoming Christmas album along with Christmas classics and other highlights from their 70-plus-year career.

Entertainment in the new year starts on Sunday, January 18, when the captivating Psychic Medium & Author John Edward presents his thought-provoking work at the Center, leaving the audiences with a whole new outlook on life...and death!

On Tuesday, January 27, Brigham Young University's Young Ambassadors perform some of the world's all-time favorite love songs in Heartsongs - Melodies of Love, a vibrant musical journey through the rollercoaster of life. With show tunes from award-winning Broadway musicals Cinderella, Singin' In the Rain, and Thoroughly Modern Millie and international hits by The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Michael Bublé, Adele and Michael Jackson, the show celebrates life's unforgettable seasons of love in a spirited 90-minute showcase that is appropriate for family members of all ages.

On Wednesday, January 28, the Rodney Strong Vineyards Dance Series returns with River North Dance Chicago. Celebrated for creating vital connections between dancer and audience as well as presenting gutsy and entertaining repertoire, River North Dance Chicago presents dynamic works that combine athletic prowess and artistic perspective with bold, theatrical flair.

On Thursday, February 5, Chicago's lauded improv comedy troupe Second City offers The Second City Hits Home, a new show featuring hilarious sketches, songs, and improvisation about Santa Rosa as well as material from the famed Second City archives. This is a must-see night of comedy featuring some of Chicago's brightest comedy stars in a special one-night-only engagement.

In another special performance, Ira Glass, Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass will star in THREE ACTS, TWO DANCERS, ONE RADIO HOST on Saturday, February 7. This American Life host Ira Glass has teamed with Monica Bill Barnes & Company to create an unlikely combination of dance and radio, resulting in a funny, lively and heartfelt evening of dance and stories that brought down the house in its first run at Carnegie Hall.

On Sunday, February 8, Blues at the Crossroads: The Soul of the Blues will provide an evening of classic soul and R&B from the 60's and 70's starring The Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas; soul shouter Lee Fields; Eric Krasno of Soulive; and the New York Times "Break-Out-New-Artist," Alecia Chakour. All backed by The Dynamites, the show is filled with well known hits by Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Booker T & the MG's, Etta James, Sam & Dave, Bobby Womack and James Brown among other greats.

Young Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, together known as 2CELLOS, have achieved sensational success by taking the cello to a new level and will display their distinctive approach at the Center on Friday, March 20. Their repertoire ranging from classical and film music to pop and rock explodes musical boundaries, 2CELLOS have no limits when performing live, whether playing Bach and Vivaldi or rocking out to AC/DC.

On Wednesday, May 6, David Sedaris, the NPR humorist and bestselling author of "Naked," "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" and "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls" returns to Santa Rosa for An Evening with David Sedaris. With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America's pre-eminent humor writers.

The 2014-15 lineup also includes previously announced performances: Pat Metheny Unity Group & Bruce Hornsby with Sonny Emory in Campfire Tour 2014 on Thursday, July 17, and the sibling pair and "Dancing with the Stars" champions Julianne and Derek Hough in the sold-out performance of Move Live on Tour on Wednesday, July 23. One of the most respected comedians in the country, Brian Regan will play the Center on Friday, December 5 and the holiday tradition of Moscow Ballet's spectacular Great Russian Nutcracker will perform twice on Saturday, December 20, 2014.

Single tickets are available online at wellsfargocenterarts.org, by calling 707.546.3600, and in person at 50 Mark West Springs Road in Santa Rosa.

May 20 available to members of Wells Fargo Center for the Arts.
June 13 on sale to general public.

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