Celebrate the Annenberg Center's 40th Anniversary
One of the nation’s preeminent performing arts centers on a major university campus, the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts has been transforming the lives of Philadelphia audiences for 40 years with a vibrant array of world-renowned and emerging artists and insightful performance enhancements. The home of Dance Celebration, the Philadelphia International Children’s Festival, and the very stage where legendary Broadway directors Harold Prince and Joseph Papp premiered award-winning theatre productions, the Annenberg Center has brought some of the world’s greatest and most critically acclaimed musicians, dance troupes and theatre companies to millions of Philadelphians.
Join Us for a Toast to 40 Years
In celebration of our 40th Anniversary, we’ll be providing several opportunities for audience members to get to know each other and the Annenberg Center staff throughout the season. To kick off this celebratory season, we’ll be toasting the past 40 years of excellence and our exciting future with festive sparkling cider. Please join us immediately following these performances:
October 14 - Joshua Redman/Brad Mehldau Duo
October 28 - Omar Sosa Afreecanos Quartet & Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band
November 5 - Shantala Shivalingappa
November 8 - Gate Theatre Dublin: Endgame
November 17 - Chunky Move
December 2 - Danú: An Nollaig in Éirinn (Christmas in Ireland)
Audience Reflections on the Past 40 Years
As a college student at Penn in the ‘70s, my cultural horizons expanded dramatically as a result of the
Annenberg Center. How extraordinary it was to see Liv Ullmann in A Doll’s House, which was her United
States theatrical debut, and Dame Cleo Laine and John Dankworth on one of their early American tours,
right on the Penn campus. These events brought the community and the Penn campus together,
just as the Annenberg Center continues to do today.
- Andy Brownstein, audience member since 1971
I’ve had three first-hand experiences directing excellent revivals of plays at the Zellerbach Theatre prior to their Broadway engagements. It’s a magnificent facility and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I have a special place in my heart for the black box which bears my name.
- Harold Prince, world-renowned Broadway director/producer
I feel truly enriched by what I see, hear, experience and feel when attending a performance at the Annenberg Center. The Annenberg Center’s performances rival the best of what we may experience in any major metropolitan area.
- Afaf Meleis, audience member since 2002
I love going to the Annenberg Center, for everything from a bawdy and bouncy Tyrone Guthrie Theater production of Shakespeare to an evening of lively Cuban jazz. The quality is always excellent, the seats are comfortable (there isn’t a bad seat in the house!), parking is easy and
the University campus provides a variety of opportunities for pre- and post-show dining. The
Annenberg Center is my favorite place in town to attend theatre!
- Lenore Forsted, audience member since 1978
I appreciate the Annenberg
Center because I have seen
performances there I couldn’t
see anywhere else in
Philadelphia—poet-performer
Patti Smith, director/playwright
Moisés Kaufman, La Mama Theatre and the Next
Wave, a contemporary Dance
Celebration series in the
Harold Prince Theatre.
- Eileen Baird,
audience member since 1980
The Annenberg Center offers Philadelphia audiences a thrilling mix of music, theatre and dance performances that are measurably enriched by the context of the University environment in which they are performed. I’ll never forget a Dizzy Gillespie concert I heard at the Annenberg Center when I was a Penn student, or a Batsheva dance piece I saw there many years later as part of Dance Celebration. The dynamism of the audiences was as exciting as the work on stage.
- Naomi Grabel, audience member since 1982
We had our first date at the then brand new Annenberg Center in December 1971. While Penn students, we had the opportunity to see the most fantastic pre-Broadway productions of the Phoenix Repertory Company. Now, 40 years later, we still attend concerts at this amazing facility.
- Rick and Merry Feintuch, audience members since 1971
Our entire family has enjoyed the performances at the Annenberg Center for years. It’s great to have access to such a wide variety of talent from all over the world right here in our back yard. When our kids were younger we took full advantage of the Philadelphia International Children’s Festival and now that they’re teenagers, we’ve seen amazing concerts and plays. It’s indeed a family affair for us and we’re thrilled to be a part of the Annenberg Center.
- Osagie and Losenge Imasogie, audience members since 1980
I always enjoy performances at the Annenberg Center. If I had to narrow it down it would be between the two performances by the Globe Theatre Touring Company – Measure for Measure and Love's Labour’s Lost – and MOMIX's Opus Cactus and the unforgettable Botanica. I'm still replaying that memory after two years! I absolutely look forward to seeing MOMIX again! I cannot imagine what marvels they will bring, but I'm there!
- Miriam Rodriguez, audience member since 1985
Want to share your memory or thoughts about the past 40 years? Click here to share it with us!
