(Beverly Hills, CA September 1) Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces the full schedule and new artist additions to the lineup for WelcomeFest, a two-day celebration of the performing arts taking place Saturday, September 10 from 2pm – 10pm and Sunday, September 11 from 10am – 2pm. WelcomeFest will showcase many of the upcoming 2016/17 season’s artists and other Los Angeles-based performers who will bring their work to the Beverly Hills campus. Performances and activities are free to the public. For a complete listing of events and up-to-the-minute information, please visit TheWallis.org/WelcomeFest or join the WelcomeFest Facebook event.
Joining the WelcomeFest lineup is Syncopated Ladies, the female tap dance band who gained international recognition with their viral video featuring a performance to Beyonce’s Formation; Venice, CA-born musician Tutu Sweeney, whose sound fuses soul, funk, disco and rock; a performance poetry project by Jacqueline Suskin that consists of composing one-of-a-kind poems on a manual typewriter; portrait and calligraphy sessions with artist Emily J. Snyder; an intimate tableaux and video projection installation exploring historic Los Angeles by experiential filmmaker Gina Marie Napolitan; a special screening of a Harold Lloyd film (to be announced) accompanied by pianist Michael D. Mortilla; and an ASL Storytelling Hour in American Sign Language led by Broadway’s Sandra Mae Frank and Amelia Hensley (Spring Awakening) and actress Ipek Mehlum.
Already announced highlights include a Saturday Night KCRW Outdoor Dance Party featuring DJ Aaron Byrd, the return of Debbie Allen’s Dance Sundays, a conversation with Matthew Bourne, Michael Arden’s Pop-Up Sondheim, Deaf West Theatre, the Beverly Hills Marching Band, Silkscreening with Self Help Graphics & Art, performances by cast members of For The Record: Scorsese, Impro Theatre’s Twilight Zone Unscripted: Abridged and more.
The Wallis campus will feature a selection of food trucks located on the Eva and March Stern Arrival Court and cash bars located on the Promenade Terrace. The newly opened The Bar @ The Wallis, located in the Jim and Eleanor Randall Grand Hall, will feature specialty cocktails and a full bar. WelcomeFest sponsors include Town and Country and Peroni, the official beer of The Wallis.
SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10:
**Please note, times and locations are subject to shift/change.
Beginning at 2:00pm:
Season Opening Kickoff with The Wallis’ Artistic Director Paul Crewes and the Beverly Hills High School Marching Band on the Eva and Marc Stern Arrival Court.
Self Help Graphics & Art’s Barrio Mobile Art Studio interactive t-shirt silkscreening workshop happening throughout the day on the Eva and Marc Stern Arrival Court (until 7pm). Please note there is a small cost associated with session.
Beverly Hills Fire Department meet and greet with cadets and Fire Truck on view on the Eva and Marc Stern Arrival Court (until 6pm).
Community mural painting led by artist Wayne Perry of Self Help Graphics & Art happening throughout the day in the Fred Hayman Outdoor Hallway (until 7pm).
Poem Store featuring Jacqueline Suskin, who creates one-of-a-kind poems on a manual typewriter, in the Jim and Eleanor Randall Grand Hall (until 7pm). Please note there is a small cost associated with session.
Special calligraphy sessions by artist Emily J. Snyder, who uses her signature calligraphic line to create illustrative portraits, in the Jim and Eleanor Randall Grand Hall (until 7pm). Please note there is a small cost associated with session.
Intimate tableaux and video projection installation exploring historic Los Angeles by experiential filmmaker Gina Marie Napolitan in the Post Masters Office (until close).
Storybook corner, presented by the Beverly Hills Public Library, offering a quiet space to read throughout the day at GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education (until close).
Interactive scavenger hunt leading participants throughout the campus and through the history of The Wallis, dating back to 1934 when it first served as the Beverly Hills Post Office (until close). Completed entries are entered to win a pair of tickets to a 2016/17 show of the winner’s choice.
2:15pm
Gospel concert featuring Lorenzo Johnsonand the Praizum Gospel Choir in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.
2:30pm
Jazz concert by The Foshay Jazz Band, featuring students from the James A. Foshay School, on the Promenade Terrace’s Outdoor Stage.
Andrew Grueschow leads an interactive Drum Circle (drums provided) at GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education.
Movement theater and dance performance inspired by the textures and lights of the building, choreographed by Madeleine Dahm and featuring students from GRoW @ The Wallis’ The Art of Choreography class, happening throughout the campus.
3:30pm
Dance performance by “The Sole Sisters” featuring tap phenoms Melinda Sullivan and Sarah Reich on the Promenade Terrace’s Outdoor Stage.
Debbie Allen Dance Academy’s Ensemble perform an excerpt from Chicago choreographed by Jazz Master Kim Hale on the Promenade Terrace’s Outdoor Stage.
Chamber music concert featuring students from the acclaimed Colburn School perform in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.
4:00pm
Hip-hop master Chantel Heath leads Debbie Allen Dance Academy’s ‘Break the Floor’ Hip-Hop outdoor dance class at the Promenade Terrace’s Outdoor Stage and Dance Floor.
4:30pm
Broadway’s Sandra Mae Frank and Amelia Hensley (Spring Awakening) and international actress Ipek Mehlum (Norway’s Teater Manu) lead a family-friendly ASL Storytelling Hour in American Sign Language with English translation, presented by ASL Cabaret, for both hearing and deaf audiences.
5:00pm – 8:00pm
Musicians, singers, actors and dancers perform songs of the legendary composer Stephen Sondheim in director Michael Arden’s Pop-Up Sondheim, an immersive experience that leads audiences in an exploration of the grounds and hidden corners of The Wallis.
5:00pm
Vocal concert featuring the extraordinary individuals comprising The Miracle Project LIVE!, a performance troupe of self-advocates of all abilities (verbal and non-verbal) in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.
5:30pm
An original dance work designed specifically for The Wallis’ outdoor space featuring two dancers from Jacob Jonas The Company on the Promenade Terrace.
5:45pm
Deaf West Theatre, the company behind the Tony Award-nominated musical revival Spring Awakening, present a special cabaret performance in American Sign Language/English on the Promenade Terrace’s Outdoor Stage.
6:00pm
Musician Jamey Tate leads attendees in an interactive Jazz Jam Session at GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education. Attendees are invited to bring their own instruments.
6:15pm
Concert featuring cast members from For The Record: Scorsese performing various songs from Broadway hits to pop music on the Promenade Terrace’s Outdoor Stage.
7:15pm
Tutu Sweeney fuses soul, funk, disco and rock in a special live musical performance on the Promenade Terrace’s Outdoor Stage.
8:00pm – 10:00pm
KCRW Dance Party featuring an eclectic mix of music curated by DJ Aaron Byrd on the Promenade Terrace’s Outdoor Stage and Dance Floor.
8:30pm
Enter a dimension of imagination and comedy with Impro Theatre’s Twilight Zone UnScripted: Abridged, a completely improvised play in the style of Rod Serling’s classic, in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.
SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11:
**Please note, times and locations are subject to shift/change.
Beginning at 10:00am
Free Donuts, generously donated by Gelson’s, provided to the first 100 attendees. Supplies limited. One donut per person.
Deaf West Theatre guides audiences through a special Sign/Sing Along, along with select members of the Street Symphony Chamber Choir in the Bram Goldsmith Theater. Audience members will have the opportunity to learn a number of signs in a musical context, and sing and sign together, for both hearing and deaf audiences.
Wake up and dance with the 10-piece band Phat Cat Swinger bring style, class, charisma and an explosive energy (dancing encouraged!) to the Promenade Terrace’s Outdoor Stage and Dance Floor.
Self Help Graphics & Art’s Barrio Mobile Art Studio interactive t-shirt silkscreening workshop happening throughout the day on the Eva and Marc Stern Arrival Court (until 2pm). Please note there is a small cost associated with session.
Beverly Hills Fire Department meet and greet with cadets and Fire Truck on view on the Eva and Marc Stern Arrival Court (until 2pm).
Community mural painting led by artist Wayne Perry of Self Help Graphics & Art happening throughout the day in the Fred Hayman Outdoor Hallway (until 2pm).
Poem Store featuring Jacqueline Suskin, who creates one-of-a-kind poems on a manual typewriter, in the Jim and Eleanor Randall Grand Hall (until 2pm). Please note there is a small cost associated with session.
Special calligraphy sessions by artist Emily J. Snyder, who uses her signature calligraphic line to create illustrative portraits, in the Jim and Eleanor Randall Grand Hall (until 2pm). Please note there is a small cost associated with session.
Intimate tableaux and video projection installation exploring historic Los Angeles by experiential filmmaker Gina Marie Napolitan in the Post Masters Office (until close).
Storytelling, puppet show and sing-along with the Beverly Hills Public Library, happening throughout the day at GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education (until 2pm).
Interactive workshop with puppeteer Beth Peterson, happening throughout the day at GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education (until 2pm).
Dance workshops for the whole family with Invertigo Dance Theatre, happening throughout the day at GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education (until 2pm).
Interactive social media installation with the Young Storytellers, happening throughout the day at GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education (until 2pm).
Interactive scavenger hunt leading participants throughout the campus and through the history of The Wallis, dating back to 1934 when it first served as the Beverly Hills Post Office (until close). Completed entries are entered to win a pair of tickets to a 2016/17 show of the winner’s choice.
10:30am
Comprised of musicians from the Los Angeles Master Chorale, theStreet Symphony Chamber Choir perform a family-friendly music concert in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.
11:00am
Choreographer and director Sir Matthew Bourne sits down for a special conversation with The Wallis Artistic Director Paul Crewes in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.
11:15am
The fiercely talented tap dance band Syncopated Ladies deliver their cutting-edge sound and look in a special performance at the Promenade Terrace’s Outdoor Stage and Dance Floor.
12:00pm
Debbie Allen returns with her popular Dance Sundays leading a public outdoor Salsa class with Debbie Allen Dance Academy’s Latin Fusion Master Lyrik Cruz and a live band on the Promenade Terrace’s Outdoor Stage and Dance Floor.
12:20pm
Special Harold Lloyd Film Screening with live piano accompanist Michael D. Mortilla in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING INFORMATION
Parking Information: A special discounted rate of $6 for both Saturday, September 10 and Sunday, September 11 will be offered at the 450 N. Crescent Drive Parking Structure. Additional parking information can be found at: TheWallis.org/directionsandparking. No valet parking will be provided during WelcomeFest.
Bus Route Information: Getting to the Wallis by bus is easy! We’re located near stops on Metro buses 4, 704, 14, 16 and 316.
For more information about The Wallis’ 2016/17 season, please visit http://bit.ly/2aEsZ6l.
For more information about The Wallis, please visit: TheWallis.org.
For downloadable photos, please visit TheWallis.org/Press.
Like The Wallis on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
