THIS AMERICAN LIFE's Ira Glass Comes to Benaroya Hall, 9/8; Tickets on Sale 4/30

Tickets for Ira Glass's September 8, 2012 show at Benaroya Hall go on sale Monday April 30, at 10:00 a.m. www.benaroyahall.org. It has been two years since his last Seattle appearance and those shows sold out quickly. This American Life fans are passionate about the show's content and Ira Glass's recent, and now legendary, "Retraction Episode" with former Seattle resident and playwright Mike Daisey is expected to add fuel to the fan's desire to see host and producer, Ira Glass, live.

In Reinventing Radio Glass presents a fresh new talk about his program and how it's put together: He'll discuss what makes a compelling story, where they find the amazing stories for the show, and how he and his staff are trying to push broadcast journalism to do things it doesn't usually do. He'll share funny and memorable moments from and talk about what is behind their creation. Mixing stories from the show live onstage with his narration, pre-taped quotes and music, Glass recreates the sound of the show for this live audience. Glass will take questions from the audience.

Together Northwest Associated Arts (NWAA), and The Stranger present Ira Glass: Reinventing Radio. Tickets are $47, $38 or $25 and available through the Benaroya Hall Box Office, at 206.215.4747 or online at www.benaroyahall.org.

Named by Time Magazine as the "Best Radio Show Host in America," Ira Glass is leading a journalistic revolution and bridging the generation gap as host of This American Life.This American Life premiered on Chicago's public radio station WBEZ in 1995 and is now heard on more than 500 public radio stations each week by over 1.7 million listeners. Most weeks, the podcast of the program is the most popular podcast in America. The show also airs each week on the CBC in Canada and on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's radio network.

Glass began his career as an intern at National Public Radio's network headquarters in Washington, DC in 1978, when he was 19 years old. Over the years, he worked on nearly every NPR network news program and held virtually every production job in NPR's Washington headquarters. He has been a tape cutter, newscast writer, desk assistant, editor, and producer. He has filled in as host of Talk of the Nation and Weekend All Things Considered. Under Glass's editorial direction, This American Life has won the highest honors for broadcasting and journalistic excellence, including several Peabody and DuPont-Columbia awards. The American Journalism Review declared that the show is "at the vanguard of a journalistic revolution."

A television adaptation of This American Life ran on the Showtime network for two seasons, in 2007 and 2008, winning three Emmy awards, including Outstanding Nonfiction Series. The show has put out its own comic book, three greatest hits compilations, DVDs of live shows and other events, a "radio decoder" toy, temporary tattoos and a paint-by-numbers set. Half a dozen stories are in development to become feature films.

Photo Credit: Kevin Thomas Garcia

Need more Seattle Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...