Posted 12:50 am Friday, June 22, 2012
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Cowan Center Announces Lineup For 2012-13 Season
By EMILY GUEVARA
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
The talent of Tony-award winners Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, the fun and silliness of "Shrek The Musical" and "the indescribable" Lyle Lovett will be among the performances available to East Texans this year.
Representatives from The University of Texas at Tyler's R. Don Cowan Fine and Performing Arts Center unveiled the 2012-13 season's line up during a news conference on Thursday.
Titled "Wrap Yourself in the Arts," the season features performances from around the globe and concludes with the return of the Blue Man Group, which sold out three shows in Tyler earlier this year.
"We go for diversity," Cowan Center director Susan Thomae-Morphew said. "We go for various ages and tastes. We try to bring different kinds of music and expose people to different kinds of dance."
The Cowan Center offers four subscription series. Patrons may choose from the Performing Arts Series, Broadway Series, Braithwaite Intimate Gatherings Series and the Distinguished Lecture Series.
Lyle Lovett and His Large Band kick off the season on Sept. 6. Lovett returns for the third time to the Cowan Center stage to bring his unique style of music combining blues, country, folk, gospel and jazz.
The Performing Arts Series continues with "An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin" on Sept. 14.
Complexions Contemporary Ballet performs Sept. 27 followed by Shaolin Warriors: Voices of the Masters on Oct. 29. Celtic Fire performs March 5.
"I'm really excited about Mandy and Patti," Ms. Thomae-Morphew said. "They have such glorious voices and (there's) such unity there."
The Broadway Series kicks off with "West Side Story" on Jan. 22. "Monty Python's Spamalot" will show March 21 followed by "Dreamgirls on March 26" and "Shrek: The Musical" on Nov. 15.
The Braithwaite Intimate Gatherings Series features the Larry Hagman Confessions on Nov. 10, Ed Asner as FDR on Feb. 5, and Masters of Illusion - Live on April 11.
Masters of Illusion - Live will bring tigers, snakes, fire, motorcycles and more to the stage as some of the world's greatest magical performers put on a show.
"The tigers on stage and the fire, we haven't done anything like that," Ms. Thomae-Morphew said.
The Distinguished Lecture Series will feature Ambassador Karen Hughes on Nov. 1 and Dr. John Carlos on Feb. 19.
This season's Arts in Education Series will feature a change in flavor, Ms. Thomae-Morphew said. In past seasons, the center has presented mostly children's plays and musicals in this series, but as other organizations in town have offered that type of show, the center decided to go in a slightly different direction.
The series will feature performances from Complexions Contemporary Ballet on Sept. 27 and Ed Asner as FDR on Feb. 6.
"I think this is a really special year for Arts In Education," she said.
Although these were all the announced shows, there may be a surprise or two in store, Ms. Thomae-Morphew said.
The deadline for season ticket renewals is Wednesday. New season ticket orders are available starting today. The deadline for purchase is Aug. 5.
For more information about the season or to purchase tickets, contact the Cowan Center Box office at 903-566-7424 or visit www.cowancenter.org.
