San Rafael, CA – Judging from the new Marin Center Presents schedule for the 2015-16 season, visitors will have more opportunities to have a hands-on and personal experience when they come to see performances and events at the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium and Showcase Theater in San Rafael.
Programmed by Marin County Director of Cultural Services Gabriella C. Calicchio, Marin Center Presents is all new with 10 programs ranging from small theater productions with local performers to the ever-popular 106 Years of Broadway and a special holiday program with the TEN Tenors. Many of the performers will offer master classes or other community programs in conjunction with their events on stage.
“It is important to me in programming to create opportunities to transform our patrons from observers to active engaged participants,” Calicchio said.
For example:
- Soul Street Dance will conduct a master class on stage for young people before its performance;
- Hawaiian musician Willie K. has invited 100 ukulele students from Novato’s Lynwood Elementary School to join him on stage for one of his songs;
- Famed writer Armistead Maupin will participate in a meet-and-greet and book signing following his show, and;
- the Ten Tenors and the performers from Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway will have meet-and-greets following their performances.
Marin Center Presents began in 1986 with a three-show season and has grown ever since, showcasing the talents of renowned artists from all over the globe. Performers from Chile, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Italy, Ireland, Cuba, South Africa, France, Indonesia, Spain, Senegal, Ukraine, and Turkey have all had Marin County debuts at Marin Center, introducing local residents to an astounding array of arts, culture, and creative traditions.
As the major performing arts, events center, and fairgrounds in Marin County, Marin Center serves the community by presenting and expanding a variety of multicultural theater presentations, affordable rental venues, and professional expertise. Visitors also get to enjoy the beautiful Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Marin Center Presents Season 2015-16
Joey Alexander / 12-Year-Old Jazz Sensation
- Friday, October 2, 8 p.m.
- $50, $40 / Showcase Theater
- With rave reviews from the New York Times, don’t miss Joey Alexander’s first show in Marin County. An extraordinary and uniquely gifted pianist from Bali, 12-year-old Joey brings a delicate, profound and soulful touch to his own interpretation of such classics as My Favorite Things, Giant Steps and Over the Rainbow and showcases his talents as an arranger, composer and bandleader. His major influences include Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis.
Soul Street Dance – Breakin’ Backwards
- Sunday, October 4, 3 p.m.
- Master class at noon
- $45, $35, $25, $20 students / Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium
- Houston-based Soul Street Dance is one of the most dynamic premier dance companies in existence. Their technical and artistic skills, stage presence and wit allow them to push the performance envelope to an amazing standard of excellence. With repertoire ranging from the music of Vivaldi and, to rock ‘n’ roll to hip-hop and every stop in between, Soul Street brings the arts straight into your heart.
Armistead Maupin’s Logical Family
- Sunday, October 25, 7 p.m.
- $50, $40, $65 pre-show meet & greet / Showcase Theater
- Post-show book signing in partnership with Book Passage
- Celebrated and revered author Armistead Maupin presents his newest work “Logical Family” for a special performance at Marin Center. In this poignant new stage presentation, Maupin turns a keen eye on his own youthful (and stumbling) search for family, love and authenticity. It’s a tale that leads from a repressive boyhood in North Carolina to the Mekong Delta of Vietnam to a new life and sexual salvation in 1970’s San Francisco. Funny, witty and wise, “Logical Family” embodies the qualities that have already endeared Maupin to generations of readers.
Brian Copeland’s Scion
- Friday, November 6, 8 p.m.
- $45 / Showcase Theater
- THE SCION (KQED’s Best New San Francisco Play of 2014) looks at the role of privilege in society through the case study of Stuart Alexander, the fourth-generation owner of San Leandro’s Santos Linguisa Factory who in 2000 videotaped himself murdering three meat inspectors because he believed that the rules didn’t apply to him. With his trademark humor and pathos, Copeland explores how we decide who’s dangerous in society.
Brian Copeland’s Jewelry Box
- Friday, November 13, 8 p.m.
- $45 / Showcase Theater
- In his third solo play, Brian Copeland takes us back to the East Oakland of Christmas 1970 when, as a 6-year-old he wanted to buy his mother the perfect gift: a jewelry box from the White Front store on Hegenberger Road. The astronomical price of the gift ($11.97) sends the child on a quest to raise the needed funds by Christmas Eve. The journey through a gentler Oakland teaches the child (and all of us) about the true meaning of Christmas.
The TEN Tenors – Home for the Holidays
- Friday, November 27, 8 p.m.
- $75, $55, $30 students
- $100 post-show meet & greet reception / Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium
- Home for the Holidays is a magical experience for the whole family that will dazzle, delight and captivate audiences. Join Australia’s rock stars of the opera as they amaze and enthrall with their unique selection of traditional and contemporary seasonal favorites. With soaring versions of Joy to the World, Sleigh Ride, White Christmas, Amazing, Grace, Winter Wonderland, Feliz Navidad and many more, Home for the Holidays is the perfect way to kick off the spirit of the season.
Moscow Festival Ballet – Romeo & Juliet
- Sunday, February 5, 3 p.m.
- $65, $50, $25, $20 students / Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium
- Get in the mood for Valentine’s Day with a special performance of Romeo & Juliet. The Moscow Festival Ballet was founded in 1989 when the legendary principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet, Sergei Radchenko, sought to realize his vision of a company which would bring together the highest classical elements of the great Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet companies in an independent new company within the framework of Russian classic ballet.
Willie K
- Saturday, March 5, 8 p.m.
- $55, $40, $25 / Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium
- One of Hawaii’s most versatile talents, Willie Kahaiali`i (a.k.a. Willie K) will perform myriad musical genres, including Hawaiian, jazz, blues, reggae, rock, country & western, and even opera. He has played with musical giants such as B.B. King, Santana, Al DiMeola, Willie Nelson, Prince, Elvin Bishop, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Mick Fleetwood, George Benson, Jimmy Buffett and more. Raised on Maui, Willie has been entertaining audiences with his music since the age of 10. Willie will be joined on stage for a special encore presentation with Novato’s Lynwood Elementary School ukulele class followed by a special CD signing.
Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra performs Beethoven
- Saturday, March 12, 3 p.m.
- $65, $45, $25, $20 students / Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium
- Founded in 1945 on the heels of postwar Polish independence, the Polish Baltic Philharmonic is the largest music institution in northern Poland. The orchestra is visited not only by local music lovers but by cosmopolitan Polish and international patrons alike. This is an event for those who enjoy art of the highest quality. The Philharmonic organizes symphonic concerts, recitals, and chamber music soirées performed by the most prominent Polish musicians as well as by many other world-famous artists.
Neil Berg’s 106 Years of Broadway
- Sunday, May 1, 3 p.m.
- $65, $45, $25, $75 post-show meet & greet reception
- Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium
- Back by popular demand, the history of the Broadway musical returns with an all-new show. Direct from New York, Neil Berg’s 106 Years of Broadway features five of Broadway’s finest stars singing hit songs from classic shows such as My Fair Lady and South Pacific, groundbreaking songs from West Side Story and Chicago, and the biggest hits from current blockbusters such as Jersey Boys and Wicked.