1920 Lied Center insert #5

CONTENTS DATE

EVENT

PAGE

FEB 12

Keeping Faith: Sisters of Story

2

FEB 18

The Peking Acrobats

4

FEB 19

Chris Thile

8

These events are sponsored, in part, by the Lied Performance Fund.

Please be mindful of the following in the Auditorium and the Pavilion:

• Please silence cellular phones and electronic devices.

• No cameras or recording devices.

• Refreshments purchased from KU Memorial Unions at concessions are permitted. No outside food or drinks.

Page 2

Wednesday

FEB 12 7:30 pm

Onstage Seating

Keeping Faith: Sisters of Story

This project is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how NEA grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

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FEB 12 | Keeping Faith: Sisters of Story

There will be no intermission during this event.

With the increase of hateful, vitriolic language and actions in recent years, three women wanted to create a project to demonstrate peace and commonalities between us—to bridge the divide. Rohina Malik, a Muslim woman and playwright; Susan Stone, a Jewish woman and storyteller; and Kim Schultz, a Christian woman, actor and storyteller came up with an idea: what if they all told stories from their faiths with the goal of bringing people together and showing peace, curiosity and similarities amongst them? Keeping Faith: Sisters of Story was born. In the performance, each of the three storytellers share three stories inspired by their own personal-faith journey.

There will be a post-performance discussion with the artists. https://sistersofstory.weebly.com ROHINA MALIK is a critically acclaimed playwright and solo performance artist. She is a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists and an artistic associate at the 16th Street Theater. Rohina’s plays, The Mecca Tales and Yasmina’s Necklace, were both nominated for a Jeff Award for Best New Work. Her one-woman play, Unveiled, has been produced at the 16th Street Theater, Victory Gardens Theater, Crossroads Theater, Brava Theater, Voyage Theater Company and Silk Road Rising. http://rohinamalik.weebly.com KIM SCHULTZ is a writer, actor, storyteller, improviser and refugee advocate. In 2009, she traveled to the Middle East as an artist/activist to meet with Iraqi refugees, fell in love with one and then turned their story into a critically-acclaimed solo play, No Place Called Home, and a memoir, THREE DAYS IN DAMASCUS (Palewell Press, 2016).

Kim acts at professional theatres such as The Goodman Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre and more. She is also a corporate improvisation trainer and a director of artist residencies in Mexico. www.kimschultz.net SUSAN STONE, storyteller and teaching artist, has performed all over the U.S. as well as Poland, telling multicultural and Jewish tales—Chasidic, folkloric and personal— for adults and children at schools, synagogues, museums and festivals. She believes that listening to stories nurtures our shared humanity. Susan offers workshops and coaching. Her CD’s have earned Parents’ Choice Gold and Storytelling World Awards.

Former adjunct faculty at National Louis University, she is the founder/co-director of the Evanston Public Library Storytelling Festival. www.susanstone-storyteller.com

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Tuesday

FEB 18 7:00 pm

This event is made possible through the generous support of Louis L. and Adelaide C. Ward.

Sponsored by

Your Lawrence Hy-Vee is a proud supporter of this family-friendly show as well as the Lied Center’s school-performance initiatives. We believe all children benefit from the performing arts, and we are happy to play a role in making these performances available to all Lawrence-area schools.

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FEB 18 | The Peking Acrobats

The Peking Acrobats 2020 North American Tour Program Bouncing Poles Plate Spinning Hoop Diving Teeter Balance Darling Diablos Contortion by Candlelight A “Strapping” Kung-Fu Ceremony

20-Minute Intermission

Lion Dance Five Girl Contortion A “Jar”-ring Experience!

Umbrella Artistry Wushu Kungfu High Chair Flag Act/Human Pyramid Bicycle Pagoda Finale The program for this performance will be selected from the above.

Management reserves the right to make alterations in the order of the program or in the cast due to illness or any cause whatsoever.

The use of cameras, flash or video photography, and tape recorders are strictly prohibited.

Parents, please advise your children that what they see on stage takes years of practice and should not be tried at home!

FEB 18 | The Peking Acrobats

Page 6

THE PEKING ACROBATS are produced by IMG Artists www.imgartists.com 7 West 54th Street New York, NY 10019 Telephone: (212) 994-3533 | FAX: (212) 994-3550 dshultz@imgartists.com AND International Asia, Inc. Mr. Ken Hai, President Mr. Steven Hai, VP, Creative/Artistic Director Ms. Melinda Hai, Assistant to the President PO Box 546 | Walnut, CA 91788 STAFF FOR THE PEKING ACROBATS: Company Director/Producer: Mr. Ken T. Hai Creative/Artistic Director/Producer: Mr. Steven Hai Technical Consultant: Mr. Yu / Fei Stage Manager: Mr. Jiang / F. Jun Orchestra Director: Ms. Zhao / Wen Xi Technical Director: Mr. Eli Schellinger For the last 33 years, THE PEKING ACROBATS have redefined audience perceptions of Chinese acrobatics. They perform daring maneuvers atop a precarious pagoda of chairs, and they display their technical prowess at such arts as trick-cycling, precision tumbling, juggling and gymnastics. They push the limits of human ability and defy gravity with amazing displays of contortion, flexibility and control. The Peking Acrobats are often accompanied by live musicians, who skillfully play traditional Chinese instruments. The time-honored Chinese music coalesces with high-tech special effects and awe-inspiring acrobatic feats, creating an exuberant entertainment event with the festive pageantry of a Chinese Carnival.

Since their founding in 1986, The Peking Acrobats have been featured on numerous television shows and celebrity-studded TV specials. These include Nickelodeon’s Unfabulous, Ellen’s Really Big Show (hosted by Ellen DeGeneres), The Wayne Brady Show, That’s Incredible, ABC’s Wide World of Sports and NBC’s Ring In The New Year Holiday Special. They have also appeared on HDNet TV’s In Focus series as well as regularly on NBC/Comcast’s new 3D Channel. The Peking Acrobats set the world record for the Human Chair Stack on FOX Network’s Guinness Book Primetime in 1999—they balanced six people atop six chairs 21 feet up in the air without safety lines, astounding audiences with their bravery and dexterity. The Peking Acrobats have also made their way onto the silver screen—company members were featured

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FEB 18 | The Peking Acrobats

in Steven Soderbergh’s hit film, Ocean’s Eleven, playing alongside Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and George Clooney. The Peking Acrobats alumnus Shaobo Qin also appeared in the film’s two sequels, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen.

The Peking Acrobats achieved another milestone in the fall of 2003 when they made their orchestral debut at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA. They performed as part of the Hollywood Bowl’s Fireworks Season Finale, where the company blended their unique brand of acrobatics with the majestic sound of the 100-piece Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by John Mauceri. Since their Hollywood Bowl debut, The Peking Acrobats have performed with many of the most prestigious Symphony Orchestras in North America today, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, featuring members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; the San Diego Symphony Orchestra; the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra; the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The Peking Acrobats return often to the Hollywood Bowl, where they perform with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra as special guest artists.

Over their 33-year career, The Peking Acrobats have achieved international acclaim, dazzling audiences around the world. In February of 2005, The Peking Acrobats premiered in Italy on a five-week, 12-city tour. Their opening in Milan became a spectacular media event that was covered nationally by the Italian press. In city after city, The Peking Acrobats took the stage for sold-out crowds, and the reviews were filled with accolades attesting to their superb performances. Since their Italian debut, the group has performed in seven European countries during their six European tours between 2005 and today.

The Peking Acrobats are part of a time-honored Chinese tradition, rooted in centuries of Chinese history and folk art. Tradition demands that each generation of acrobats add its own improvements and embellishments; because of this, high honor is conferred upon those skilled enough to become acrobats. The Peking Acrobats seek to uphold this rich and ancient folk art tradition, bringing it to new technical heights while integrating 21st-century technology.

In the words of Clive Davis of the New York Post, “The Peking Acrobats [are] pushing the envelope of human possibility,” combining agility and grace in remarkable feats of “pure artistry.”

“Nearly everything The Peking Acrobats did last night was amazing—and stunning, and breathtaking and WOW!” —Seattle Times “The physical feats of The Peking Acrobats seem almost…surreal, defying laws of body mechanics and physics. It’s like watching Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon LIVE, without camera tricks creating special effects. When a show can fill you with the wonder of a 10 year-old, you know you have had a good time…that’s success!”

—Dance Insider

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Wednesday

FEB 19 7:30 pm

Chris Thile

Sponsored by

Mandolin virtuoso, member of Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, and host of Live From Here

Kansas Public Radio, your local connection to NPR News, classical music, jazz and Live From Here, is proud to sponsor this solo performance by Chris Thile, mandolin virtuoso.

Page 9

FEB 19 | Chris Thile

There will be no intermission during this event.

Selections will be announced from the stage.

Multiple Grammy Award-winner and MacArthur Fellow CHRIS THILE— a member of Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, and now the host of the radio program Live from Here—is a mandolin virtuoso, composer and vocalist. With his broad music outlook, Thile transcends the borders of conventionally circumscribed genres, creating a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike.

A child prodigy, Thile first rose to fame as a member of the Grammy Award-winning trio Nickel Creek, with whom he released four albums and sold over two million records. In 2014, along with a national tour, the trio released a new album, A Dotted Line, their first since 2005.

As a soloist, Thile has released several albums including his most recent, Thanks for Listening, a collection of recordings, produced by Thomas Bartlett, originally written as songs of the week for Live from Here. In February 2013, Thile won a Grammy for his work on The Goat Rodeo Sessions, collaborating with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan. In September 2014, Thile and Meyer released their latest album collaboration, Bass + Mandolin, which won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Punch Brothers released their latest album, the Grammy-winning All Ashore, in July 2018 with Pop Matters describing the album as “a call to savor, to pay attention, to step back from the hustle and bustle and remember the importance of being calm.”

DON’T MISS THESE EXCITING EVENTS! lied.ku.edu • 785-864-2787

Siberian State Symphony Orchestra with Vladimir Lande, Music Director and Chief Conductor Tuesday, March 3, 7:30 pm $35–$50 Adult • $19–$26 Student

Samuel Ramey: An Intimate Evening of Music & Storytelling

World-renowned operatic bass-baritone Friday, April 3, 7:30 pm $30–$45 Adult • $16–$24 Student

Candid Camera’s LOL Tour with Peter Funt The classic TV series showcases its funniest moments on stage!

Friday, April 17, 7:00 pm $25 Adult • $14 Student/Youth

2019 2020

USHERS

Ann Alexander Dody Anderson Marolyn Anderson Tim Arnold Candi (Claudia) Baker Paul Baker Dorothy Bechtel Beth Bodine Marilyn Brobst Vern Brobst Suzi Cammon David Carl Kathy Carl Lynne Chase Rob Claassen Rose Claassen Karen Clark Pat Conner Donna Conway Carladyne Conyers Gerry Cottingham Jerry Cottingham Glen Davis Linda C. Dean Linda Dolsberry Anita Dougherty Shelley Dougherty Tish Duke Merilee Dymacek Leslie Elkins Don Faulconer Lanny Faulconer Jerry Feese Patrick Finnegan Jan Fox Debbie Fugett Ann Furlong Ligia Galarza

Thank you to our volunteer ushers for their dedication and commitment.

Angel Gillaspie Mark Gleeson MaryNell Gleeson Jane Gnojek Duane Goertz Barb Gorman Sue Gossett Eileen Grosser Stewart Grosser Barbara Gurss Julia Guthrie Linda Haar Nancy Hause Sonja Jacobs Judy Johnson Barb Johnston Keith Johnston Joyce Pearl Jones Audrey Kamb-Studdard Nancy Kaufmann Maggie Khater Robert Kimball Beth Krishtalka Brian Kuehl Deb Locke Mark Lohmeyer John Luhrs Breck Marion Grace Marion Robert Markley Katherine McGillivray Candice Meiners Dward Moore Mary Murphy Ellen Neis Susie Nightingale Teresa Olds Karin Pagel-Meiners

Pete Peterson Janice Rake Candice Ranney Barbara Reid Roberta Renz Brenda Rezac Randy Rezac Carl Rolf Dorothy Rolf Debbie Sack Tom Sack Anne Sargent Dan Schenkein Larry Schlosser Louise Schlup Greg Schmidt Gary Scott Dianne Sisk Vic Sisk Dot Smith Marcia Smith Mary Ann Stewart Ted Swartz Chris Tilden Katherine Tilden Tracy Tolbert Bill Troutfetter Linda Troutfetter Julie Trowbridge-Alford Linda Troxel Irene Tsuneta Carol Wallace Cliff Wallace Melissa Wick Teresa Wilke Jules Woodrick Jo Anne Zingo

We are grateful for the contribution of all our ushers. We apologize for any errors or omissions.

Be a Volunteer!

Would you like to join this dedicated group of volunteers? Our ushers scan tickets, provide directions and help the Lied Center maintain a welcoming environment. If you would like to join our team, email liedushers@ku.edu or call 785-380-9085.

UPDATE

These individuals have become Friends since the original list was published.

Benefactor ($1,000+) Cathy Reinhardt & Norman St. Laurent Jake Stoetzner & Dr. Kelli Henderson Sponsor ($250) Mary Ann Brenner John T. Bullock Ernie J. Chaney, MD Laura Klish Chris Sundstrom Doug Wendel & Lisa Wolf-Wendel

Contributor ($100+) Lou Ann Boydston Fred Dohogne Janice Early Claire Kim-Shin Sarah & Ugur Parlak Greg Schmidt Mark & Janice Schonwetter Sarah Tham Linda Troutfetter & Bill Manger Rob & Joy Ward

Advocate ($50+) Elizabeth Campbell Max & Jeanne Fridell Shyanne Garcia Tresa Hill Emily Metzger Peggy Quirin Lilian & Fred Six Dr. Gregory Stump

Your support of Friends of the Lied helps bring world-class performing arts to our community and impacts the lives of every student in the district, K–12, with free school performances.

Our Friends also enjoy many exclusive benefits!

• Invitation to the 2020–21 Season Announcement Party on May 3, 2020 • Advance ticket purchase opportunities and discounts • Just Friends Jazz Series • Invitations to special events and more

Donate today to take advantage of these perks AND help keep the arts thriving in our community!

785-864-2788 or visit lied.ku.edu/donate.