PERFORMING ARTS SEASON PREVIEW

Tucson arts organizations are welcoming back patrons to live performances and new experiences after more than a year of closures and limitations due to the pandemic. The return of award-winning theater, live concerts and evocative visual arts is testimony to the art world’s creativity and resilience. New partnerships and enhanced infrastructure were developed during the hiatus, which will enhance this season’s offerings. Here are just a few of the exciting highlights. For more details, read the stories inside.

THEATER

Two world premieres are among the lineup for Arizona Theatre Company at the Temple of Music and Art. Immigration, family and the American Dream are the themes of how to make an American Son. US Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sandra Day O’Connor are the focus of Justice, a new musical. Hamilton makes its Tucson premiere this holiday season. Broadway in Tucson’s season kicks off with the worldwide sensation at Centennial Hall. Wicked, Jersey Boys and Tootsie also are on the roster. Arizona Repertory Theatre produces six works a season utilizing the talents of students at the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts. Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods is the first production, followed by classic and contemporary offerings including a rock ‘n’ roll musical. The Rogue Theatre, an intimate 170-seat setting near campus, is known for bringing great literature to the stage. This season includes Kate Chopin’s 1899 novel The Awakening, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Shakespeare’s classic Twelfth Night. Arts Express Theatre found itself without a home as a result of venues shutting down

WELCOME BACK!

Presenting the 2021-2022 season: Live and in-person

in 2020. The 38-year-old company forged a partnership with Park Place, where it will present a season of new hits and old classics.

MUSIC

Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director José Luis Gomez has crafted a spectacular opening night September 24 with trumpeter Pacho Flores playing contemporary Latin American works, followed by the Festive Overture by William Grant Still and concluding with Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. Women composers play a prominent role in the season, which unfolds at Tucson Music Hall. The power of music to connect us and make us move is the season theme of The Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, as the full orchestra returns with a diverse lineup of acclaimed international guest soloists led by Maestro Linus Lerner. Performances at various Southern Arizona venues feature music from ballets and operatic dance scenes by notable composers. The Tucson Desert Song Festival, an annual gathering in early winter, celebrates Women of Song. Composer Jennifer Higdon created a song cycle making its world premiere with an all-star cast. In Saddlebrooke TWO, look for shows of country, classical, rock and soul at DesertView Performing Arts Center.

DANCE

Tucson Regional Ballet welcomes Brittany De Grofft as new artistic director. The American Ballet Theatre soloist is returning to her native Tucson to direct A Southwest Nutcracker, a reimagining of the traditional Nutcracker with a southwestern twist. Once again, the organization partners with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra for the holiday favorite. Don Quixote is set for spring.