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April 18, 2002

Purdue Convocations announces 2002-2003 Centennial Season

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Convocations today (Thursday, 4/18) announced the new line-up of performing arts events for the 2002-03 season.

"This year, we're celebrating 100 years of convocations at Purdue," said director Todd Wetzel. "In honor of a century of bringing live, professional performing arts to the Greater Lafayette community, we're thrilled to be able to offer such a diverse range of exciting performances. From celebrities to Broadway to innovative dance ensembles to exciting family shows, I think everyone will find something to love in this lineup."

Season brochures detailing the performances, packages and ordering information were mailed the week of April 15 to members of Friends of Convocations. Renewing subscribers must submit their orders by June 7 to retain the seats they've held for the past season. Tickets to individual performances also are available by using the order form included in the brochure. After June 7, ticket orders will be processed according to Friends' donation level and order received. Series ticket purchasers will be processed before individual ticket orders. All tickets will be mailed in August, but ticket purchasers will receive a postcard confirming the receipt of their order within 10 business days.

Series ticket prices range from $27 for the Discovery Concert series to $132 for the full Lively Arts Package. Discounted prices on series subscriptions are available to Purdue retirees and their spouses, as well as other senior citizens and all students. Subscriber benefits include:

  • Savings over single ticket prices – for example, subscribers to the Lively Arts package will save $46, 26 percent, over the cost of buying single tickets for the same shows individually.

  • Priority seating and the option to retain the same seats from season to season.

    Purdue students also can purchase the Big Deal Card for $55, which gives them one admission to up to five performances during the Convocations' season. The card can be redeemed at any time during the season, allowing students time to decide which performances will work with their schedules. For the 2002-03 season, special performances are not included in the Big Deal Card offer, with the exception of "Lord of the Dance."

    Series packages are available until the first event of that particular series. For complete ticket pricing information and details on all performances, call the box office for a free season brochure at (765) 494-3933 or 800-914-SHOW. Patrons also may charge series or single tickets by phone. Complete information can be found at the Purdue Convocations Web site.

    All dates and performances are subject to change.

    SPECIAL EVENTS

    • Thursday, Sept. 5. 7:30 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. Judy Collins' Wildflower Festival 2002. The interpreter of hits such as "Both Sides Now" and "Turn, Turn, Turn" will be joined by fellow singer Arlo Guthrie and other special guests.

    • Saturday, Sept. 14. 6:30 p.m. Purdue Memorial Union Ballrooms. "Acting on the Dream: The Gala." Purdue Convocations will kick off its centennial with a celebration of 100 years of convocations. Those in attendance will join honorary co-chairs President and Mrs. Martin C. Jischke and Indiana's First Lady Judy O'Bannon for an evening of dining, dancing, auctions and surprise entertainment.

    • Friday, Sept. 27. 8 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. Bill Cosby, one of the most important entertainers of our time, will return to Purdue for a night of family fun and laughter.

    • Sunday, Jan. 19. 3 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. Michael Flatley's "Lord of the Dance." One of the most exciting performance phenomenons in recent history, Flatley's stunning choreography and a production full of magical sets and pyrotechnics will make this a breathtaking event.

    • Saturday, Jan. 25. 8 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Denyce Graves, a mezzo-soprano recognized worldwide as one of today's most exciting vocal stars, captivated America with her performance of "America the Beautiful" at the president's prayer service in the National Cathedral after the events of Sept. 11.

    THE LIVELY ARTS SERIES

    • Thursday, Oct. 24. 7:30 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. "Fosse." Few have revolutionized musical theater as much as director-choreographer Bob Fosse and this night of great music and Fosse's signature choreography will show why.

    • Sunday, Nov. 3. 3 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Roberto Minczuk, conducting, and Lynn Harrell, cello. The ISO will make its 30th appearance at Purdue with a new program, "America, The New World." The Grammy-nominated cellist Harrell will be featured in the performance.

    • Saturday, Feb. 15. 8 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. Meredith Willson's "The Music Man." This musical story of con artist extraordinaire Professor Harold Hill broke new ground when it debuted in 1957, and the recent hit revival on Broadway proves that it continues to delight audiences today.

    • Sunday, March 9. 4 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. "Madame Butterfly" by Giacomo Puccini, presented by London City Opera. The lyric power of this classic tragedy combined with Puccini's unforgettable score make this epic as riveting today as when it was first written, nearly 100 years ago. Performed in Italian with English subtitles.

    • Wednesday, March 12. 7:30 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. "Blast II: SHOCKWAVE." Teeming with color, light, movement and music, this performance from the makers of "Blast" is part precision marching band and part spectacular pageant.

    MUSIC & MOTION SERIES

    • Thursday, Sept. 12. 7:30 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Keb' Mo's soulful renderings of Delta-derived acoustic blues, propelled by his syncopated, percussive national-steel guitar grooves, have made him one of the driving young forces in blues music today.

    • Friday, Sept. 20. 8 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. Mickey Hart and Bembé Orisha. Hart, former Grateful Dead drummer and creator of "Planet Drum," brings his new nine-piece band, whose West African name translates to "party of the saints."

    • Friday, Jan. 24. 8 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. The dance ensemble Salia nï Seydou, from Burkina Faso, West Africa, melds the traditional African dance vocabulary with sophisticated contemporary choreographic ideas.

    • Friday, March 7. 8 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Tango Buenos Aires, with 12 dancers, six musicians and a sultry singer, creates the atmosphere of the brothels and nightclubs of Argentina, where the Tango first found life.

    CENTER STAGE SERIES

    • Thursday, Sept. 19. 7:30 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change." Book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro, music by Jimmy Roberts. This new musical is a look at what we have all felt about boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, parents, children and in-laws – but were afraid to ask.

    • Wednesday, Nov. 6. 7:30 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare, presented by Theatre de la Jeune Lune. Love, madness, envy, hatred, betrayal, murder and mayhem – all shot through with transcendent theatricality.

    • Saturday, Feb. 8. 8 p.m. Long Center for the Performing Arts. Laurence Luckinbill in "Teddy Tonight!" Critically acclaimed stage and film actor Laurence Luckinbill portrays Theodore Roosevelt in 1918, just after he has been informed that his son, Quentin, has been shot down by German planes. Luckinbill paints a stirring portrait of this colorful president as he recalls his life up to this watershed moment.

    • Thursday, March 6. 7:30 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Frank and Malachy McCourt's "A Couple of Blaguards." Like the McCourt brothers' best-selling books, "Angela's Ashes," "‘Tis," and "A Monk Swimming," this is an autobiographical tale in which two actors portray the brothers' early days in Limerick, Ireland, and their escape to America in search of a better life.

    LOEB MUSIC COLLECTION

    • Tuesday, Sept. 24. 7:30 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. The British ensemble Red Priest, named after the infamous flame-haired priest, Vivaldi, redefines the art of period performance, combining the fruits of extensive research with virtuosity, emotion and style.

    • Saturday, Oct. 26. 7:30 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Academy of Ancient Music. Founded by Christopher Hogwood, this ensemble was among the first to specialize in the performance of baroque music on period instruments. The academy's performance will be led by violinist Andrew Manze.

    • Thursday, Nov. 14. 7:30 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Atlantic Brass Quintet, widely acclaimed as one of the world's finest brass ensembles, has been heard in 48 states and more than a dozen countries across four continents.

    • Thursday, Nov. 21. 7:30 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio. Individually, pianist Joseph Kalichstein, violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson have performed with the world's finest orchestras and conductors.

    • Sunday, March 30. 3 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. American Chamber Players. Under the leadership of artistic director and NPR personality Miles Hoffman, this seven-member ensemble offers some of the best chamber music compositions the world of music has to offer.

    THE JAZZ SET

    • Friday, Nov. 8. 8 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Wayne Shorter Quartet. Saxophonist Wayne Shorter's career spans nearly 35 years. He was co-founder of Weather Report and has worked with some of the indisputable giants of jazz, including Horace Silver, Art Blakey and Miles Davis. His new quartet features pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Pattitucci and Brian Blade on drums.

    • Friday, Dec. 6. 8 p.m. Long Center for the Performing Arts. James Carter's Chasin' the Gypsy Project. Carter's band offers up a new take on the music of French Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt.

    • Friday, Jan. 17. 8 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Matt Wilson's Arts and Crafts, featuring Matt Wilson, drums; Terrell Stafford, trumpet; Larry Goldings, piano; Dennis Irwin, bass. Jazz Magazine wrote: "If you combined Groucho Marx with Marco Polo, Gomer Pyle and Albert Einstein and gave them a drum set – they would probably play exactly like the funny, explorative, country-boy genius Matt Wilson."

    FAMILY ADVENTURES SERIES

    • Sunday, Sept. 29. 3 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Wood and Strings Puppet Theatre is an evening of puppetry which includes the slapstick comedy "An Ire-ish Tale," performed by "larger than life" body puppets, and the mysterious "Out of the Mist … a Dragon," performed with Bunraki puppets from Japan.

    • Saturday, Nov. 2. 3 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. "Are You My Mother?" Based on P. D. Eastman's popular book, the ArtsPower National Touring Theatre has turned this lovable tale into an enchanting musical about Baby Bird's journey.

    • Friday, Nov. 15. 7 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Fred Garbo Inflatable Theatre Co. Fred Garbo, from Norway, Maine, and Daielma Santos, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, blend wild, physical comedy, dance and juggling with costumes that inflate.

    • Sunday, Feb. 2. 3 p.m. Long Center for the Performing Arts. David Holt: A One-man Celebration of Stories and Songs. A singer, storyteller and instrumentalist, the Grammy-winning Holt brings the best of traditional music and southern storytelling to a high-energy performance.

    • Thursday, Feb. 27. 7 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Kevin Locke brings the sound of his indigenous Northern Plains flute.

    • Thursday, April 10. 7 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Ramona Quimby, presented by Theatreworks USA. The latest adventure of the world's most animated elementary school student – the exasperating, but lovable third-grader, Ramona. Based on Beverly Cleary's Newbery Award-winning books.

    DISCOVERY CONCERTS

    • Thursday, Oct. 17. 7:30 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Piotr Anderszewski. This Polish-Hungarian pianist is ranked among the great musical artists of his time.

    • Thursday, Jan. 30. 7:30 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Classical guitarist Robert Bluestone is known for informal, yet insightful commentary on his music, its composers and historical context.

    • Thursday, Feb. 20. 7:30 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Gold Medalist of "The Indy" with the first place winner of "The Liszt." The winners won't be named until fall, but this performance will be the first-ever joint tour of the top prize winners from the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition of Utrecht, the Netherlands.

    Writer: Larry Sommers, (765) 494-5045, lsommers@purdue.edu

    Source: Todd Wetzel, (765) 494-9712, tewetzel@purdue.edu

    NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Publication-quality photographs of artists are available at https://www.convos.purdue.edu.

    Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu


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