Thursday, August 12, 2010

UNCW Presents proudly announces its 2010/11season of performances and lectures that build on the excitement and success of previous years. UNCW Presents continues to bring the highest caliber professional performing artists on tour from around the world and across the spectrum of artistic disciplines through the Arts in Action Performance Series as well as notable, accomplished speakers through the Leadership Lecture Series to southeastern NC. Twelve performing arts and lecture events and related outreach activities are scheduled September 2010 through April 2011 at UNCW's Kenan Auditorium.

Subscriptions are on sale now through Kenan Box Office at 962.3500 and online at www.etix.com. Subscribers receive a 20% discount off regular ticket prices. Choose-Your-Own subscribers who purchase tickets to three or more performances save $4 off regular prices. Single tickets go on sale August 18 with savings for UNCW students, faculty/staff, and senior citizens.

The season opens Monday, September 20 with An Evening with Colin Beavan, author of No Impact Man and this year's UNCW Common Reading book. In 2006, Beavan launched a year-long experiment in which he and his wife attempted to do what most of us would consider impossible: buy nothing, waste nothing and reduce their carbon footprint to zero – while living with a young child in a 9^th floor Manhattan apartment.

Jazz guitarist Lionel Loueke displays his distinctive blend of jazz and West African harmonies and rhythms on Wednesday, September 22. Loueke started playing music during his childhood in the West African country of Benin before traveling to the States and gaining the admiration of jazz greats Terence Blanchard, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. Loueke will be joined by Massimo Biolatti on bass and Ferenc Nemeth on drums.

Author and NPR commentator Douglas Rushkoff discusses Digital Nation: Living and Learning on the Virtual Frontier on Monday, October 25. He explores what it means to be human in a 21^st -century digital world and to understand the implications of living in a world consumed by technology and the impact that this constant connectivity may have on future generations.

Fall events wrap up with Doug Varone & Dancers, one of America's leading dance companies prized for dexterity, musicality and performance instincts, on Wednesday, November 17. The evening opens with the company's triumphant work, Lux, and concludes with a new work, Chapters from a Broken Novel.

The New Year opens on Saturday, January 22 at Thalian Hall featuring the theatrical adaptation of Blood Done Sign My Name, the best-selling memoir by Tim Tyson, performed by Mike Wiley. Co-presented with Thalian Hall Main Attractions

Hawaiian-born Jake Shimabukuro transforms the ukulele into an instrument of incredible virtuosity on Friday, February 11. Renowned for lightning-fast fingers and revolutionary technique, he views the ukulele as an "untapped source of music with unlimited potential." Playing everything from lilting original compositions to pop and American songbook standards, Shimabukuro consistently stretches the boundaries of what people expect from the ukulele.

Author and animal scientist Temple Grandin shares her insights on human and animal minds in Thinking in Pictures: and Other Reports from My Life with Autism on Monday, February 14. A pioneer in increasing the public's understanding of autism and animal behavior, Grandin draws from her experiences with autism to design humane livestock facilities and to articulate the singular ways in which individuals with autism experience the world.

Israeli singer Yasmin Levy presents an exciting world music concert on Monday, February 28. In her deep, spiritual and moving style of singing, Yasmin Levy preserves and revives the most beautiful and romantic songs from the Ladino/Judeo-Spanish heritage, mixing it Andalusian Flamenco and Middle Eastern influences.

Danú brings Ireland to Wilmington for one amazing evening on Tuesday, March 15. For over a decade, Danú is one of the leading traditional Irish ensembles of today. Their standing room only concerts throughout Ireland are true events featuring high-energy performances and a glorious mix of ancient Irish music and new repertoire.

Harvard professor and political philosopher Michael Sandel will deliver Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? on Monday, March 21. His lecture explores the moral and ethical dilemmas embedded in contemporary issues such as income inequality, affirmative action, same-sex marriage, torture and terrorism. Sandel aims to show "how contemporary public debate can be deepened and enriched by an engagement with some of the big ideas of political philosophy."

On Friday, April 1 the series concludes with the award-winning company Viver Brasil. Rooted in the traditional and contemporary forms and techniques of Afro-Brazilian culture, Viver Brasil takes audiences for an inspiring cultural journey through Brazil, featuring a dazzling program of movement, stunning costumes, pulsating percussion and voice.

UNCW Presents is working toward crafting innovative outreach opportunities including master classes, lectures, demonstrations and more within the Wilmington community and with our partner community groups. Performances slated for possible community outreach efforts include Doug Varone & Dancers, Blood Done Sign My Name, Yasmin Levy and Viver Brasil. These events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit the UNCW Presents website at www.uncw.edu/presents.

Box Office and Ticket Information
Mainstage subscriptions to the full Arts in Action Performance series are available now. The subscription offers savings of 20% as well as priority seating for all performances. Season tickets are priced at $40 for non-UNCW students; $29 for UNCW students; $88 for UNCW employees and alumni and senior citizens; and $107 for all others. A smaller ticket package ("Choose-Your-Own-Series") option is also available and offers $4 off the public ticket price for ticket purchases to at least three different performances at Kenan Auditorium.

Individual tickets go on sale August 18 with special savings for students, faculty and staff and senior citizens. Groups of 10 or more receive a 20% discount. Leadership Lecture Series tickets are $9 for the public.

UNCW Presents is a member of the NC Presenters Consortium and the US National Association of Performing Arts Presenters. The 150 member venues of the NC Presenters Consortium may be visited at www.presenters.org. The series is supported by grants from the North Carolina Arts Council, a Division of the Department of Cultural Resources with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the South Arts Dance Touring Initiative in partnership with National Endowment for the Arts.