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50 E Ida B Wells Dr Lily Oberman , IL 60605 AuditoriumTheatre.org 312.341.2331 (office) | 973.699.5312 (cell) [email protected] Release date: November 13, 2019

CASTING AND PROGRAMMING ANNOUNCED FOR AMERICAN THEATRE’S SPRING ENGAGEMENT MARCH 19-22, 2020 AT THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE

(CHICAGO, IL) The Auditorium Theatre and Theatre (ABT) have announced casting and programming for ABT’s March 2020 performances in Chicago, the second in its four- year residency at the National Historic Landmark.

ABT’s mixed repertory program at the Auditorium features the “Kingdom of the Shades” scene from Act II of ’s production of Marius Petipa’s classic ballet La Bayadère, Antony Tudor’s one-act ballet Jardin aux Lilas, and Twyla Tharp’s Deuce Coupe, which had its world premiere at the Auditorium Theatre in 1973. ABT’s mixed repertory program replaces the originally scheduled full-length La Bayadère.

The breathtaking “Kingdom of the Shades” scene from Marius Petipa’s La Bayadère, restaged by Makarova, opens the program. After the warrior Solor loses his love Nikiya to a deadly snake bite, he hallucinates their reunion in the Kingdom of the Shades, an elaborate scene that features 24 ballerinas dancing in perfect unison. The scene is considered “one of the most famous and poetic expressions in all of ” ().

Jardin aux Lilas, by ABT founding choreographer Antony Tudor, follows the story of Caroline, a woman attending a party thrown in honor of her wedding. At the party, both Caroline and her future husband – who are marrying for convenience – bid farewell to their former lovers. Tudor’s choreography, called “a masterwork of ” () explores human relationships with great subtlety, using quick gestures and movements to convey grand emotions.

Twyla Tharp’s Deuce Coupe, set to music by The Beach Boys, juxtaposes ballet movement with contemporary dance, creating a singular theatrical piece of dynamic spontaneity that contrasts classical ballet vocabulary with the playful sounds of the 1960s and 70s. The work was originally created for The and premiered at the Auditorium Theatre in 1973, and ABT introduced the piece into its repertoire in May 2019. Deuce Coupe “melds styles, but never loses its underlying groove. It’s wild and reckless, elegant and refined” (The New York Times).

Casting

Thursday, March 19 @ 7:30PM

La Bayadère, Act II – ,

Jardin aux Lilas – , Thomas Forster, , Roman Zhurbin

Deuce Coupe – Christine Shevchenko, , , , James Whiteside, Calvin Royal III

Friday, March 20 @ 7:30PM

La Bayadère, Act II – Hee Seo, Aran Bell

Jardin aux Lilas – Devon Teuscher, Cory Stearns, Katherine Williams, Alexandre Hammoudi

Deuce Coupe – Christine Shevchenko, Isabella Boylston, Misty Copeland, Stella Abrera, James Whiteside, Calvin Royal III

Saturday, March 21 @ 2PM

La Bayadère, Act II – Isabella Boylston,

Jardin aux Lilas – Hee Seo, Thomas Forster, Christine Shevchenko, Roman Zhurbin

Deuce Coupe – Katherine Williams, Cassandra Trenary, Luciana Paris, TBA, Blaine Hoven, Thomas Forster

Saturday, March 21 @ 7:30PM

La Bayadère, Act II – Sarah Lane, Joo Won Ahn

Jardin aux Lilas – Devon Teuscher, Cory Stearns, Katherine Williams, Alexandre Hammoudi

Deuce Coupe – Christine Shevchenko, Isabella Boylston, Misty Copeland, Stella Abrera, James Whiteside, Calvin Royal III

Sunday, March 22 @ 2PM

La Bayadère, Act II – Devon Teuscher, Cory Stearns

Jardin aux Lilas – Hee Seo, Thomas Forster, Christine Shevchenko, Roman Zhurbin

Deuce Coupe – Katherine Williams, Cassandra Trenary, Luciana Paris, TBA, Blaine Hoven, Thomas Forster ABOUT THE PRINCIPAL DANCERS

Stella Abrera, from South Pasadena, CA, joined ABT as a member of the in 1996 and was appointed a in 2001. She was appointed a in August 2015. Her repertoire with the company includes and Myrta in Giselle, Clara in , and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.

Isabella Boylston, from Sun Valley, ID, joined ABT as an apprentice in 2006 and the corps de ballet in 2007. She was promoted to Soloist in 2011 and to Principal Dancer in 2014. Her repertoire with the Company includes Kitri in , Lise in La Fille mal gardée, and Odette/Odile in .

Misty Copeland, from Kansas City, MO, joined ABT as a member of the corps de ballet in 2001. She was appointed a Soloist in 2007 and appointed a Principal Dancer in 2015. Her repertoire with the Company includes Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Giselle in Giselle, and Kitri in Don Quixote.

Herman Cornejo, from Mercedes, San Luis, , joined ABT in 1999 and was promoted to Soloist in 2000. He was appointed a Principal Dancer in 2003. His repertoire with the company includes Basilio in Don Quixote, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, and Albrecht in Giselle.

Sarah Lane, from San Francisco, CA, joined ABT as an apprentice in 2003 and became a member of the corps de ballet in 2004. She was promoted to Soloist in 2007 and appointed a Principal Dancer in 2017. Her repertoire with the Company includes Kitri in Don Quixote, Nikiya in La Bayadère, and Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty.

Hee Seo, from , , joined ABT as an apprentice in 2005 and the corps de ballet in 2006. She was appointed a Soloist in 2010 and a Principal Dancer in 2012. Her repertoire with the Company includes Kitri in Don Quixote, Giselle in Giselle, and Pierrette in Harlequinade.

Christine Shevchenko, from Odessa, , joined ABT as an apprentice in 2007 and became a member of the corps de ballet in 2008. She became a Soloist in 2014 and a Principal dancer in 2017. Her repertoire with the company includes Myrta in Giselle, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and Kitri in Don Quixote.

Cory Stearns, from Long Island, NY, joined ABT as an apprentice in 2005 and became a member of the corps de ballet in 2006. He was appointed a Soloist in 2009 and a Principal Dancer in 2011. His repertoire with the Company includes Edward Rochester in Jane Eyre, Albrecht in Giselle, and in Onegin.

Devon Teuscher, from South Burlington, VT, joined ABT as an apprentice in 2007 and became a member of the corps de ballet in 2008. She was appointed a Soloist in 2014 and a Principal Dancer in 2017. Her repertoire with the company includes Polyhymnia in , Jane in Jane Eyre, and Odette/Odile in Swan Lake.

James Whiteside, from Fairfield, CT, joined ABT as a Soloist in 2012 and was named Principal Dancer in 2013. His repertoire with the Company includes Harlequin in Harlequinade, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, and Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake.

SONIA FLORIAN – International Dance Series Sponsor PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

American Ballet Theatre

Thursday, March 19 | 7:30PM Friday, March 20 | 7:30PM Saturday, March 21 | 2PM Saturday, March 21 | 7:30PM Sunday, March 22 | 2PM

Tickets start at $50 and are available online here, by phone at 312.341.2300, or in person at the Auditorium Theatre Box Office (50 E Ida B Wells Dr). is part of the Auditorium Theatre’s International Dance Series subscription, which offers a 25% discount and also includes American Dance Theater and the . Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more people are also available.

The Auditorium Theatre also offers $20 student rush tickets to full-time college students and $5 tickets to young people ages 13-19 with Urban Gateways' Teen Arts Pass program. The Auditorium Theatre's ADMIT ONE program offers complimentary tickets to Chicago-area community groups.

Press photos are available here.

Upcoming Events at the Auditorium Theatre

November 16: Chicago Celebrates Sondheim!

November 21: An Evening with David Sedaris

November 30-December 29: The Joffrey Ballet – The Nutcracker

December 9: Auditorium Theatre's Birthday Celebration Open House

January 18+19: Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah

January 26: National Geographic Live – On the Trail of Big Cats

February 12-23: The Joffrey Ballet – The Times Are Racing

February 29: Trinity Irish Dance Company

March 4-8: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

March 9: Yundi Li

About the Auditorium Theatre

The Auditorium Theatre, located at 50 E Ida B Wells Dr at Roosevelt University in Chicago, is an Illinois, not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as The Theatre for the People. The organization also is committed to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark, and was recognized by the League of Historic American Theatres as the Outstanding Historic Theatre for 2019 for its programming, restoration, and community engagement.

The Auditorium Theatre 2019-20 Season is made possible in part with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, and the Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel. Chicago Magazine is the official magazine sponsor. For more information about programming, volunteer, and donor opportunities or theatre tours, please call 312.341.2310 or visit AuditoriumTheatre.org. For a complete listing of events at the Auditorium Theatre, please click here.

Devon Teuscher in the "Kingdom of the Shades" scene from La Bayadère, photo by Rosalie O'Connor. | Misty Copeland in Deuce Coupe, photo by Rosalie O'Connor. | Auditorium Theatre, photo by Arturo Gonzalez.

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