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Head to the @KimmelCenter on 9/10 for the 2nd Annual #KCOpenHouse –– 100+ shows on sale, FREE performances, tours, giveaways, & more!
Press Contact:
Amanda Conte
215-790-5847
aconte@kimmelcenter.org
KIMMEL CENTER ANNOUNCES DETAILS FOR 2ND ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE SEASON KICKOFF EVENT, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016, 10AM-2PM
Community Invited to FREE Performances, Activities, Behind-the-Scenes Tours, No Ticket-Handling Fees In-Person, and MORE!
Season Sponsor TD Bank Cardholders Earn $5 Off Every Ticket Purchased
Attendees Can Enter for a Chance To Win TWO TICKETS TO PARIS
Courtesy of American Airlines – Official Broadway Philadelphia Season Sponsor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Philadelphia, PA, August 24, 2016) –– For one-day-only, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Merriam Theater, the Academy of Music, and the Avenue of the Arts – all part of the Kimmel Center Campus - will come alive in a festival-style celebration of Philadelphia’s artistic pulse. The Kimmel Center’s FREE Open House season kickoff event – in partnership with its eight Resident Companies – will feature free performances, behind-the-scenes Campus tours, exclusive giveaways, family-friendly activities, intimate chats with Kimmel Center staff and artistic teams, and more!
“We are thrilled to launch the season with this cultural county fair of sorts," said Ed Cambron, Executive Vice President of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. "The day's events serve as the perfect prelude to the upcoming season, showcasing some the rich cultural tapestry that will be woven across our campus by our Resident Companies, the best of Broadway, and so much more!”
FREE programming will include kindie group Moona Luna and the Kimmel Center’s PNC Grow Up Great children’s musical theater program, season sampler performances from members of The Philly Pops and Pennsylvania Ballet II, dance classes, demonstrations on the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ, stage selfies, and a panel discussion featuring some of Philadelphia’s top arts leaders and journalists. A full list of the day’s events can be found below.
Those in attendance will have the opportunity to enter to win two free airline tickets to Paris – courtesy of American Airlines, the official Broadway Philadelphia season sponsor – in celebration of the 2016–17 Broadway season opener, An American in Paris.
Simultaneous with the Open House, an incredible selection of more than 100 Kimmel Center performances will be on sale to the public for the first time, available for purchase in-person with no ticket-handling fees. The Kimmel Center’s season sponsor, TD Bank, will offer $5 off every ticket purchased by a TD Bank debit or credit cardholder during the event. A representative will be on site to sign up new customers. For a complete list of shows that will go on sale, visit kimmelcenter.org/openhouse.
A complete list of campus-wide Open House activities can be found below:
9:00 a.m. Early access for Group Sales (groups of 10 or more)
10:00 a.m. Open House begins and tickets go on sale
Performance by Moona Luna
Kimmel Center – Commonwealth Plaza
Cultural Journalism Crystal Ball: A Look Ahead with Philly’s Top Arts Leaders and Journalists
Kimmel Center – Perelman Theater
Join us for a lively panel discussion between some of Philadelphia’s preeminent cultural leaders and top journalists covering the arts beat about what the future may hold.
Organ Demonstration – Organist Rudy Lucente on the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ
Kimmel Center – Verizon Hall
11:00 a.m. PNC Grow Up Great – Family fun with musical theater led by Rachel Camp
Kimmel Center – Commonwealth Plaza
Organ Demonstration – Organist Rudy Lucente on the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ
Kimmel Center – Verizon Hall
11:30 a.m. Dance Class – Country Line Dancing with Linda Hayden
Kimmel Center – Perelman Theater
Behind the Curtain: Building a Broadway Season with Frances Egler
Merriam Theater
Take a look behind the curtain at what it takes to put together a Broadway season at the Kimmel Center during this insider chat with Frances Egler, Director of Broadway Philadelphia Programming, led by WHYY’s Howard Shapiro.
12:00 p.m. Performance by PHILADANCO! D/2 Apprentice Company
Kimmel Center – Commonwealth Plaza Stage
Organ Demonstration – Organist Rudy Lucente on the Fred J. Cooper memorial Organ
Kimmel Center – Verizon Hall
12:30 p.m. Performance by musicians from The Philly Pops
Kimmel Center - Commonwealth Plaza
How To Be a Friend in the Theater
Merriam Theater
Bring the whole family to this insider chat with Kimmel Center teaching artist and comedian Jennifer Blaine as she shares tips on performance etiquette for young theater-goers.
1:00 p.m. Performance by Pennsylvania Ballet II
Kimmel Center – Commonwealth Plaza
Dance Class – Flamenco with Elba Hevia y Vaca
Kimmel Center – Perelman Theater
Organ Demonstration – Organist Rudy Lucente on the Fred J. Cooper memorial Organ
Kimmel Center – Verizon Hall
1:30 p.m. Community Sings Broadway
Kimmel Center - Commonwealth Plaza
Performance of Broadway selections from the Broadway Philadelphia 2016–17 season
Academy of Music chandelier light show: Every hour on the hour
30-minute behind-the-scenes tours: Depart from the information desk on Commonwealth Plaza at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 12:30 p.m.
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, The Kimmel Center’s mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience through diverse programming, arts education, and community outreach. The Kimmel Center campus is comprised of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, SEI Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center), the Academy of Music (owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association), and the University of the Arts’ Merriam Theater. The Kimmel Center is also home to eight Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly Pops, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Curtis Institute of Music. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is the season sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2016-2017 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit kimmelculturalcampus.org.
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For a PDF version of this press release, please click here