Luther Center Stage Series subscription tickets now on sale
May 30, 2008
Ten professional performing arts groups to appear at Luther 2008-09
Luther College Center Stage Series will bring 10 outstanding professional arts performances to the Center for Faith and Life stage for the 2008-09 season, including comedy, dance, epic drama, musical theater, and music ranging from jazz to bluegrass to gospel to classical string ensembles.
Tickets for Center Stage Series events may be purchased as a subscription package through Aug. 29 at Luther College Box Office.
Subscription forms are available online at http://centerstage.luther.edu: click on “Subscription Information.” To request the Center Stage Series brochure with subscription order form, visit website http://programming.luther.edu, send an e-mail message to boxoffice@luther.edu, or telephone the Box Office at (563) 387-1357.
You may pick up a brochure on Luther college campus, 700 College Dr., Decorah, Iowa, at the Box Office in the Center for Faith and Life or at the Welcome Desk in Dahl Centennial Union. Brochures are also available at the Chamber of Commerce offices in Decorah, Waukon, Cresco and West Union.
All ticket order and mailing information is in the brochure. The Box Office will have limited summer hours, but mail orders will be accepted throughout the summer.
Subscribers create their own personalized Center Stage Series package by selecting five or more different events for each subscription. Subscribers get 10 percent off 5-6 events, 15 percent off 7-8 events, and 20 percent off 9-10 events.
Other subscription benefits include invitation to a subscribers-only event, choice seating, full-season tickets mailed directly, assured seating, even for sold-out performances, seating with friends when subscription orders are mailed together and ticket insurance so lost tickets can easily be replaced.
Season subscribers have first opportunity to renew each year. Current subscribers should respond by June 20 to retain or select their seats.
This season, subscribers will be the first to receive the 2008-09 CSS Dinner Series menu, sent directly to them. Dinner Series subscribers receive tickets in the mail, premiere seating and discounted rates.
The 2008-09 Center Stage Series season provides an and exciting array of performances in the Luther Center for Faith and Life Main Hall.
Tickets for individual Center Stage Series events may be purchased about two weeks before each performance. All performances are at 7:30 p.m.
The 10 entertainment events include:
The Capitol Steps: Saturday, Sept. 13, individual tickets $25, seniors 65-plus and students 4-21, $23. The season is ripe for Capitol Steps’ uproarious blend of satire and politics. Founded by a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them, Capitol Steps has offered their sidesplitting take on Washington for more than 25 years. Using current events as fodder for hilarious song parodies and skits, The Capitol Steps entertains audiences through the final stretch of a historic election season.
Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theater: Saturday, Sept. 27, individual tickets $22, seniors and students $20. Founded at the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota with support from Lakota Indian educators, healers, community leaders, championship powwow dancers, singers and storytellers, LSDT presents “Cokata Upo!” or “Come to the Center.” Traditional, sacred and courting songs, narratives and creation stories woven into the fabric of the performance that celebrates the culture of the Lakota people. The Dakota Sioux, relatives of the Lakota, once called the lands north of the Upper Iowa River home.
Aquila Theatre Company presents Homer’s “The Iliad”: Tuesday, Oct. 14, individual tickets $22, seniors and students $20. The Aquila Theatre Company brings to life the stirring epic of the great Greek warrior Achilles and the Trojan War first recorded by Homer more than 2,500 years ago. The forces of revenge, honor and utmost loyalty spur great warriors from both sides of the Aegean on in a battle of the ages. Using Stanley Lombardo’s translation, ritualistic movement and superb acting, this innovative production reset on the beaches of Normandy will usher you into a tale that has captivated imaginations for millennia.
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: Saturday,
Nov. 1, individual tickets $23, seniors and $21. Audiences are enthralled by this acclaimed and innovative big band of jazz. An 18-piece orchestra, founded by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis in 1966, maintains the artistic integrity and cutting-edge tradition of its founders.
More than 100 jazz artists, including Wynton Marsalis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and Sonny Rollins, have recorded at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York, but The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra calls it home, playing every Monday for four decades to celebrate the soul, heart and sizzle of big band jazzy rhythms.
Jitro Girls Choir: Friday, Nov. 14, individual tickets $21, seniors and students 15-21 $19, youth 4-14 $15. Jitro, which means “daybreak” in Czech, has been stunning audiences worldwide for 35 years with their tonal brilliance, superb intonation, rich blend of sound and energetic vitality. Considered the best girls’ chorus in the world, these 30 young singers, under the direction of Jiri Skopal hail from the Czech Republic and leave audiences breathless.
Alison Brown Quartet: Saturday, Feb. 7, individual tickets $21, seniors and students $19. Composing and playing beyond expectations of banjo music, the Grammy-winning Alison Brown Quartet bends musical genres, blending the rugged drive of bluegrass and the harmonic sophistication of acoustic jazz. Brown’s five-string banjo creates a hybrid sound, showcasing a spirited virtuoso. Brown also founded Compass Records with husband, Garry West, released a series of critically acclaimed albums, and will soon release a new album.
Harlem Gospel Choir: Saturday, Feb. 21, individual tickets $24, seniors and students $22. Dance, rejoice and sing with the Harlem Gospel Choir. One of the United States’ most prominent gospel choirs, they have performed with U2 and Bono, Harry Belafonte, Diana Ross, Lyle Lovett, Whoopi Goldberg and appeared on “The Colbert Report.” Known for dynamic performances, inspirational music, and raising audiences’ spirit and soul, the Harlem Gospel Choir guarantees a jubilant performance.
The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players present “The Mikado”: Tuesday,
March 10, individual tickets $24, seniors and students $22. America’s preeminent Gilbert and Sullivan repertory ensemble with live orchestra breathes life and vitality into one of the most popular pieces of musical theatre. With a colorful Japanese town as a backdrop, follow the travails and foibles of three little maids from school, a wandering minstrel, a hilariously corrupt public official, and a squeamish Lord High Executioner. Humor-infused lyrics and memorable melodies abound in this visually stunning production.
Diavolo: Tuesday, March 17, individual tickets $22, seniors and students $20. Combining astonishing dance with fearless acrobatics, Diavolo’s unique style examines the funny and frightening ways individuals interact with their environment. Everyday items and large-scale architectural structures provide the backdrop for dramatic and risky movement that creates metaphors for the challenges of modern human life. Also trained as gymnasts, rock climbers and actors, the team of Diavolo dancers will astound you with their power and daring.
New Zealand String Quartet with guest artist Richard Nunns: Friday, April 3, individual tickets $21, seniors and students $19. Acclaimed for its powerful communication, gripping energy and pristine sound, the New Zealand String Quartet has enthused audiences around the globe with its imaginative programming. In addition to bringing fresh life to Mendelssohn, Stravinsky and Beethoven, the quartet will perform “Puhake ki te rangi,” a celebration of whales translated as “spouting to the skies,” a collaboration with artist Richard Nunns, considered an authority on “ngä taonga püoro”: Maori traditional musical instruments.