Broad Stage Joins Forces with Major International Arts & Culture Institutions

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center today announced its fourth season, highlighting new twists in its performing arts series, fresh multimedia educational events, and the creation of exciting new artistic partnerships. The popular Summer Season also makes its return with celebrated theater, film and music artists and open-air parties on the plaza of the state-of-the-art modernist arts complex in Santa Monica. In addition, Season 4 increases to 174 performances, two U.S. Premieres, three West Coast Premieres and seven Los Angeles Premieres encompassing visionary artists in Shakespearean, American and avant-garde theater; legends and rising stars of Broadway, opera, jazz, world, classical and new music; the new multimedia lecture series and film.

Summer Season kicks off on July 12, 2011 when Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival hosts its star-laden Centerpiece Gala and film premiere. Following this the official 2011-2012 season begins September 25, 2011 with The Broad Stage's 3rd AnnuAl Westside Jazz Experience, attracting longtime connoisseurs and a new generation of jazz artists and audiences. Pat Metheny is the first of five headliners appearing throughout the season, including legendary and new stars in The Broad's celebration of the great American art form.

Building on a programming vision embracing a variety of genres, generations and global influences, the 499-seat theater and its 99-seat companion, The Edye Second Space, "are now part of far-reaching, forward thinking relationships with other artists and institutions looking to leap forward into the future together," announced director Dale Franzen, joined by artistic advisory board chair Dustin Hoffman, and board of directors chair Austin Beutner.

"We are particularly proud in The Broad Stage's fourth season to become the new Los Angeles home for productions coming out of London's Menier Chocolate Factory and the Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC)," continued the announcement by the three leaders. "These two new presenting partnerships are among several new and on-going artistic relationships that bring the world to the Westside. Both are celebrated as artistic lightning rods and cultural bellwethers for a new era while also being led by artistic directors, David Babani at Menier Chocolate Factory and Mikhail Baryshnikov at BAC, whose own careers have revolutionized the performing arts. Together we are turning vision into reality, nurturing and presenting world-class artists and their most inspired work."

A special ticket package invites audiences to experience four different performances by The Broad's new partners. From July 13-August 7, 2011, The Menier Chocolate Factory presents the U.S.Premiere of Guy Hollingworth's acclaimed solo showThe Expert at the Card Table directed by Neil Patrick Harris in The Edye Second Space. BAC presents the U.S. Premiere of In Paris - A Play April 12-22, 2012 for twelve performances, featuring Baryshnikov as actor; the West Coast Premiere of Spectral Scriabin on March 17, 2012, a multimedia piano and light experience; and the West Coast Premiere of BAC @ The Broad: The Chamber Music Project on March 8, 2012 with violinists Geoff Nuttall and Livia Sohn, violist Hsin-Yun Huang, cellist Nina Maria Lee and pianist Pedja Muzijevic. The program will include Telemann's Gulliver's Suite for 2 violins; Berger's Sink or Swim for solo violin; Schumann's Novelette and Faure's Piano Quartet in G Minor.

Oscar-winner Helen Hunt and the MacArthur Award winning director David Cromer triumph in the West Coast Premiere of this landmark production of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning Our Town that is "David Cromer's rethinking of Thornton Wilder's masterpiece is A LANDMARK" (Wall Street Journal)." The Broad Stage will re-mount the play and physically transform the theater, allowing for only 325 seats so that the audience and actors are at one level, to bring Grover's Corners, the play's every town U.S.A., truly home. "We invite the audience to come and experience The Broad Stage in a completely unique and different way that will add to the value of this production" says Franzen. Oscar-winner Hunt as the Stage Manager leads many of the original Chicago/New York cast in stripping away the myth and artifice to reveal what counts in Our Town and in ourselves. Opens January 13th through February 12th, 2012.

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