Broad Stage announces 2013-14 season, jazz initiative, fundraising

By David Ng

April 8, 2013 12:35 PM PT

For its 2013-14 season, the Broad Stage in Santa Monica will present appearances by actress Patti LuPone, opera singer Bryn Terfel, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and the Los Angeles dance group Bodytraffic. Members of the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela will also perform in a concert during the coming season, which the Broad announced Monday.

Leaders at the Broad also announced a new initiative designed to bolster the company’s jazz offerings. A new Jazz Council, which will curate performances and events, will consist of Quincy Jones, Herb Alpert, Ruth Price, Jeff Gauthier, Joon Lee, Daniel Seeff, Luciana Souza and Ben Wendel.

The Broad also will announce a new fundraising campaign that will support new works, technology, community outreach and other initiatives. So far, $2.5 million in lead gifts has been raised, according to the company.

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The Broad’s season is to feature several theatrical offerings. LuPone will help inaugurate a new concert series titled “Broadway @ the Broad” (Oct. 19) that will feature pianist Seth Rudetsky as host. Two additional concerts in the series will be presented on Feb. 22 and March 29, with performers to be announced later.

The Broad’s jazz offerings will include Arturo Sandoval (Nov. 15); Bettye LaVette (Feb. 15); Hiromi: the Trio Project (March 22); and Kurt Elling (May 4, 2014).

Other theatrical productions include Impro Theatre’s “Jane Austen Unscripted” (Dec. 13-15 and 20-22); the National Theatre of Scotland’s “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart” (Jan. 15 to Feb. 9); and the Bristol Old Vic’s and the Handspring Puppet Co.’s production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (April 2-13, 2014).

Julian Sands will present one performance of “A Celebration of Harold Pinter” (Oct. 26), which has been performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and is staged by John Malkovich. Denis O’Hare will appear in “An Iliad” (Jan. 15-Feb. 2), a solo account of Homer’s epic saga that the actor performed at the New York Theater Workshop last year.

The Broad’s dance offerings will include Bodytraffic (Oct. 11-12); “Te Amo, Argentina,” a program devoted to the tango (March 8); and Circa (March 14-15), a show devoted to circus-like acrobatics.

One of the highlights of the classical-music line-up will be members of the Simon Bolivar Symphony performing as the Atalaya Percussion Ensemble and Venezuelan Brass Ensemble (Feb. 27).

Other classical performances will include Salerno-Sonnenberg (Oct. 25), with pianist Anne-Marie McDermott; Interpreti Veneziani (Dec. 6), presenting a Baroque program; mandolinist Chris Thile (Feb. 16); pianist Peter Serkin (March 2); and cellist Lynn Harrell (March 9).

Operatic recitals will feature bass-baritone Terfel (Oct. 18), countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (Nov. 16); soprano Ana María Martinez (Jan. 11); and mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught.

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