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Month-long Suite of Performances Led by Kennedy Center Artistic Partners Highlights Range and Versatility of Space
Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Hip Hop Culture Q-Tip Kicks Off the Inaugural Hip Hop Season Alongside Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran in a One-Night-Only Collaboration, October 6
Artwork and Performances Pay Tribute to Japan Design Highlights Include Commissioned Work by Artist Dale Chihuly, Hand-Crafted Acoustic Panels, Updated and Expanded Facilities, and Fully Accessible Seating
(WASHINGTON) The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will officially re-open the Terrace Theater on Friday, October 6, kicking off a month-long suite of performances that highlight the theater position as The re-opening follows a 16-month renovation intended to update the theater and facilities, and enhance the overall guest experience.
“The Terrace Theater is the heart of the Kennedy Center, welcoming artists and audiences across the spectrum, and serving as a hub for artistic community-building,” said Deborah F. Rutter, president of the Kennedy Center. The first month of performances underscores the importance of having a highly versatile, fully accessible space that allows artists to explore and invites audiences to be up-close-and-personal with the art. We are grateful to the incredible team including artists and artisans, supporters, vendors, and staff who came together to ensure that this project was great success. We could not be more pleased to welcome patrons to experience the Terrace Theater once again…or for the first time!”
Opening Month Programming
Reflecting the Terrace Theater’s identity as a flexible venue for artists and audiences to come together, programming for the re-opening will activate the space with performances across a range of styles, with an emphasis on highly collaborative artistic explorations led by several of the Kennedy Center’s artistic partners. The theater opens October 6 with a sold-out collaboration that brings together Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran and Artistic Director for Hip Hop Culture Q-Tip in his Kennedy Center debut. The performance also marks the opening of the center’s first Hip Hop season and the opening of the jazz season.
On October 12, Fortas Chamber Music series’ Artistic Director Joseph Kalichstein will lead a performance featuring the renowned Emerson String Quartet and the Dover Quartet, and on October 13, Artistic Advisor At Large and superstar soprano Renée Fleming will team up with jazz bassist Christian McBride as part of the Renée Fleming VOICES series. Artistic Advisor Damian Woetzel will lead an all-star cast of New York City Ballet dancers in a special DEMO series lecture-demonstration that explores the visionary ballet and Broadway repertoire of Jerome Robbins on October 20 and 21.
During the re-opening, the Kennedy Center will also pay homage to the special connection the Terrace Theater shares with the people of Japan. In honor of America’s bicentennial in 1976, Japan made a philanthropic gift to the Center in order to build the Terrace Theater. Fantasy in Japan Blue, an installation by leading Japanese textile designer Reiko Sudo’s Nuno Corporation, will hang in the Hall of States October 3 November 12. In the Terrace Theater on October 18, Japanese artists, including tap-dancer Kazunori Kumagai and renowned koto artist Yumi Kurosawa, come together for a multi-genre performance titled Japanese Connections.
Among the 20 Terrace Theater re-opening events, also featured are Josh Blue, the comedian with Cerebral Palsy whose, self-deprecating work highlights the importance of the Terrace Theater’s accessibility renovations for both audiences and artists; performances by community partners WPA and Opera Lafayette; and David Rubenstein’s Profiles in Creativity with Harvey Weinstein. A complete calendar of Terrace Theater re-opening events is below and online.
