The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is one of many companies performing at the UCSB Arts & Lectures 2020-2021 season. The dance performances will be held in Campbell Hall and Granada Theatre.
UCSB Arts & Lectures announced its 2020-2021 season of digital and live events, bringing a wide variety of cultural and artistic experiences to homes and venues from UCSB to downtown Santa Barbara and beyond.
The season offers talks from thought leaders and performances from premier dance companies, musicians and performers.
“House Calls,” a curation of online events, will kick off the season from September to January, with artists, comedians, singers and authors sharing ideas and stories. Among these virtual participants is ukulele musician Jake Shimabukuro, Pink Martini’s China Forbes and Thomas Lauderdale, comedian Mike Birbiglia, singer-songwriters Rhiannon Giddens and Jason Isbell, American rocker Nathaniel Rateliff and podcaster Cheryl Strayed.
House Calls will also feature a “fanless” concert, live streaming the Danish String Quartet on Nov. 12.
The live events will begin Feb. 1, staging pianist Yuja Wang, French cellist Gautier Capuçon, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Broadway star John Leguizamo and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. These performances will be held in February, March, April and May.
A new virtual and live series will include “Race to Justice,” a season-long look into systemic racism with presentations from authors, activists, attorneys and social justice advocates. Highlights include author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, activist Sister Helen Prejean, criminal justice reform advocate Brittany Barnett and author Ta-Nihisi Coates.
Race to Justice is just one of Arts & Lectures’ Education and Community Outreach programs. In-person activities such as Arts Adventures for K-12, A&L’s Thematic Learning Initiative for adults and the Viva el Arte program will be augmented with digital content.
The Dance series in 2021 will showcase performances by Dorrance company Ephrat Asherie Dance, Kyle Abraham and his company Abraham.in.Motion, Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. These will take place at Campbell Hall and the Granada Theatre.
The Word of Mouth series will highlight author Ann Patchett, award-winning chef José Andrés, attorney and activist Bryan Stevenson and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. There will also be an evening with entrepreneur and former Democratic presidential nominee Andrew Yang.
The performance season will include a Speaking with Pico series, curating conversations by authors Barbara Kingsolver, Cheryl Strayed, Mohsin Hamid and Elizabeth Strout.
The Family Fun series will feature a bilingual performance from Sonia De Los Santos and The Okee Dokee Brothers, an all-ages educational program called Mountainfilm on Tour Kids’ Showcase and a presentation with stories and images from wildlife photographer Ami Vitale.
Series subscriptions go on sale Wednesday, July 29 at 10 a.m. For more information on dates, locations and ticket sales, visit www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.
email: gmccormick@newspress.com
