WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Convocations announced during a reveal event that the 2021-22 spring season will return with in-theater offerings at their Party of the Season.
“We have loved animating campus with outdoor spectacles and special projects this fall, and now we’re excited to welcome fans back into our venues for a dynamic spring season,” said Todd Wetzel, assistant provost for Student Life and Purdue Convocations executive director. “It has been so gratifying to see how audiences have embraced our creative approach to keeping the performing arts a vital part of the Purdue experience.”
Although not all of the events will have an in-person performance, the first four events of the season will be film screenings or virtual performances. Starting in 2022, the last 17 out of the 18 events of the season will be performed in person.
2021 Events
The season will start with a screening of "Frida: Viva la Vida," on Oct. 14, at 7:30 p.m. at Fowler Hall. The documentary film explores the life of artist Frida Kahlo and those events which influenced her art.
On Oct. 28, Purdue will be screening "King Lear," presented by National Theatre Live, at 7 p.m. at Fowler Hall. National Theatre Live enhances Shakespeare’s familial tragedy with a cinematic presentation of the aging king seized by madness.
On Nov. 17, Purdue will be screening another National Theatre Live production, which will be performing the World War I epic, "War Horse," at 7:30 p.m. Fowler Hall.
For those who missed out on the performance last year, Purdue will be returning a virtual performance of Manual Cinema’s "Christmas Carol" on Dec. 10 and 11, at 8 p.m.
2022 Events
Purdue will be kicking off 2022 with a performance from Joshua Redman Quartet at Purdue’s Jazz Festival on Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. at Loeb Playhouse.
On Jan. 26, the multimedia experience of "The Simon & Garfunkel Story" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. at Loeb Playhouse.
On Jan. 30, violinist, Geneva Lewis, will be performing Debussy’s Violin Sonata and Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in D minor at Loeb Playhouse at 3 p.m.
On Feb. 3, Dökk, a live media performance by the Italian studio fuse*, will perform at 7:30 p.m. at Loeb Playhouse.
On Feb. 5, vocalist and banjoist Abigail Washburn will be returning to Purdue with a new partner, Wu Fei, a prodigy on the Chinese zither known as the guzheng, to perform a multilingual collaboration of global folk. Washburn and Wu will perform at 8 p.m. at Loeb Playhouse.
On Feb. 12, Purdue will be streaming a live performance of Emmet Cohen Trio and the "Live from Emmet’s Place All-Stars," at 8 p.m. at Loeb Playhouse.
On Feb. 17, the new Broadway musical of the classic tale, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. at Elliott Hall of Music.
On Feb. 19, Purdue will be hosting "TEDxPurdueU: Modern Renaissance," which will explore the dynamics of the social, cultural, and political world post-pandemic. The event will be held at Loeb Playhouse at noon.
On Feb. 26, Sonia De Los Santos will be performing twice at Wells Cultural Center in downtown Lafayette, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. On top of performing at the Wells Cultural Center, Santos will also be visiting elementary schools to share her bilingual children's music with the children of the area.
March 2, the New York City’s Aquila Theatre will be performing a reimagination of the classic American story, "The Great Gatsby," where Gatsby is a man of color. Exploring the theme of racism, class, and discrimination and how that reflects on the idea of the American Dream. It’ll be held at the Loeb Playhouse at 7:30 p.m.
March 3, the New York City’s Aquila Theatre will also be performing Shakespeare’s "Macbeth" at Loeb Playhouse at 7:30 p.m.
March 6, Italian pianist, Beatrice Rana, will be performing four scherzos by Frédéric Chopin, Claude Debussy’s Études, Book 1, and an excerpt of Igor Stravinsky’s "Petrushka" ballet at 3p.m. at the Loeb Playhouse.
March 10, the Broadway musical, "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical," will be performed at 7:30 p.m. at Elliott Hall of Music. The musical tells the story of Carole King’s rise to stardom.
April 2, Tabea Debus, a recorder player, and Alon Sariel, a lute player, will be performing classic recorder melodies that originate from the 15th century to the present day at 8 p.m. at Duncan Hall in downtown Lafayette
April 7, the Tony-nominated Broadway musical, "Waitress," will be performed at 7:30 p.m. at the Elliott Hall of Music. The Waitress follows Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of escaping the small-town life and rocky marriage.
April 9, Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and Syrian-Armenian visual artist Kevork Mourad will be performing "Silkroad Presents: Home Within," an audiovisual meditation on loss, longing and the tragedy of Syrian conflict, at 8 p.m. at Loeb Playhouse.
On Apr. 19, the Broadway musical, "Jersey Boys," which tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and follows the group’s rise from New Jersey street kids singing on the corner to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. The performance will be held at the Elliott Hall of Music at 7:30 p.m.
Lastly, April28, Kaleta & Super Yamba Band will conclude the season at Convos End of Season Bash at 7:30 p.m. at Purdue’s Memorial Union Ballrooms.
For anyone interested in attending one of these events, tickets are available to purchase at www.purdue.edu/convocations/tickets. For the Friends of Convocations, presaletickets will be available from October 7 to 18. For the general public, individual performance tickets will go on sale on Nov. 12 at 10 a.m.
Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitterat1NoePadilla.
