'IN AFRICA'S OKAVANGO' to Kick Off National Geographic Live Series at Benaroya Hall, 11/1-3

National Geographic Live announces the 19th season of its Seattle Speaker Series at Benaroya Hall. Demand for the National Geographic Lives eries at Benaroya Hall in Seattle has grown each year and this expanded 2015-2016 season begins three months earlier than previous years.

The longer season kicks off on Nov. 1 with a 2 p.m. matinee in the large S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium with "Into Africa's Okavango: Measuring a Mighty Wilderness," featuring National Geographic explorers Steve Boyes and Jer Thorp. Two additional evening presentations of "Into Africa's Okavango" will be held Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

In "Into Africa's Okavango: Measuring a Mighty Wilderness," National Geographic explorers Steve Boyes, a conservation biologist, and Jer Thorp, a data artist and educator, discuss their experiences over two consecutive summers leading a "live-data" expedition across Botswana's Okavango Delta. Boyes, a South African conservationist dedicated to preserving rare birds, learned about the Okavango from the Bayei Bushmen. Multi-disciplinary artist Thorp gives meaning and narrative to data through the creation of visualizations, sculpture, performance and interactive tools. Combining dugout canoes and GPS, and sharing all their data in real time, their team traversed this challenging wetland filled with elephants, lions, hyenas, hippos and crocodiles - while thousands around the world followed online.

This past summer, Boyes and Thorp conducted a mega-transect of the Delta, originating in Angola and flowing across the Kalahari Desert. The goals: to capture even more data about a region that Steve aptly calls "the beating heart of the Kalahari" and to convince the governments of Angola and Namibia to safeguard the waters leading into the Delta, which harbor and protect some of the planet's most varied and abundant wildlife.

The National Geographic Live Seattle Speaker Series continues in January with an exciting lineup of talks from explorers, scientists, archaeologists, and photographers, each sharing stories from the front lines of exploration. Award-winning video and digital images animate the presentations, which conclude with a question-and-answer session with audience members. After most events, speakers will be on hand to sign copies of their books or DVDs.

Topics and dates for the remaining five National Geographic Live events are as follows:

Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous 1/24/16 2 p.m.; 1/25 - 1/26 7:30 p.m. SMTFA

Gorongosa Reborn: A Cameraman's Journal 2/21/16 2 p.m. IBNRH*; 2/22 - 2/23 7:30 p.m. SMTFA

Rhinos, Rickshaws and Revolutions: My Search for Truth 3/20/16 2 p.m.; 3/21 - 3/22 7:30 p.m. SMTFA

I Bought a Rainforest 4/10/16 2 p.m.; 4/11 - 4/12 7:30 p.m. SMTFA

Ocean Wild 5/15/16 2 p.m.; 5/16 - 5/17 7:30 p.m. SMTFA

SMTFA = S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium
IBNRH = Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hal
* Single event held in the smaller capacity Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall

Single tickets and the six-show subscription package are on sale now. Single tickets start at $26 for adults and $20 for students. Visit www.benaroyahall.org or call 206.215.4747 for more information. The Benaroya Hall Ticket Office is on the corner of Third Avenue and Union Street. Ticket Office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Saturday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.

National Geographic Live is the live events division of the National Geographic Society, a global nonprofit membership organization driven by a passionate belief in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world. Drawing from a broad roster of talent including renowned photographers, scientists, authors, filmmakers and adventurers, National Geographic Live's critically acclaimed programs have connected with audiences worldwide for over a century. Currently, National Geographic Live events are held in 32 cities around the world, including New York, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney. In each of these cities, speakers share behind-the-scenes stories from the front lines of exploration on stage alongside stunning imagery and gripping footage. In 2014, National Geographic Live events were attended by over 150,000 people. For more information, visit natgeolive.org.

Benaroya Hall is home of the Seattle Symphony and venue of choice for many local arts organizations. It is located on an entire city block in downtown Seattle and is surrounded by numerous restaurants, retail stores and parking facilities. The hall has two performance spaces - the 2,500-seat S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium and the 540-seat Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall - and a 430-stall underground parking garage. Over 450,000 people participate in public and private events annually, making Benaroya Hall the most-visited performing arts venue in Seattle. Benaroya Hall has received numerous awards, including a 2001 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award for outstanding architecture. For additional information, including rental information, event listings and public tour schedules, visit www.benaroyahall.org.

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