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Live Cinema: "Manon" - Royal Ballet

Press Release: 2018 Live Cinema Series to be Sponsored by Shakespeare Walla Walla

Gesa Power House Theatre is pleased to announce the 2018 Live Cinema Series Season, sponsored in part by Shakespeare Walla Walla.

The Live Cinema series features current productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Ballet, and Royal Opera. Direct from England, these professional productions are filmed live and rebroadcast later to select international screens. Most screenings run about 3 hours with an on-screen introduction and one or more intermissions.

First up this year is Guiseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto performed by The Royal Opera and screened on Wednesday, February 7. Alexander Joel conducts a cast led by Greek baritone Dimitri Platanias in the title role and featuring American tenor Michael Fabiano as the Duke of Mantua, alongside English soprano Lucy Crowe as Gilda.

The famous opera’s story follows the character of Rigoletto, the hunchbacked court jester to the libertine Duke of Mantua, who is cursed by the father of one of the Duke’s latest conquests for his mocking laughter. When the Duke turns his attention to Rigoletto’s own daughter Gilda, it seems the curse is taking effect, and the jester must plot to protect her from the Duke’s immoral intent.

Next up on Wednesday, February 28, is Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, also performed by The Royal Opera. Jonathan Kent’s production of this dramatic opera captures the dangerous political turbulence of Rome in 1800. Tosca was a hit with audiences on its 1900 premiere and it remains one of the most performed of all operas – with a gripping plot and glorious music.

The Royal Shakespeare Company offers their first show of the season on Wednesday, March 14 with Twelfth Night. Twins, separated in a shipwreck, are forced to fend for themselves in a strange land, as Shakespeare weaves a hilarious and heartbreaking story of unrequited love.

The Royal Ballet also begins with a Shakespeare-inspired production of The Winter’s Tale, screened on Wednesday, March 28. This modern ballet classic by Christopher Wheeldon (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) follows the destruction of a marriage through consuming jealousy and the abandonment of a child, through remorse and regret – and in an apparent miracle – to an ending of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Series Ticket Package ($120) is available for reserved seating at all 12 shows. Individual tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students) and more information about each production are available – online (www.phtww.org) or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500. Additional group discounts are available.

The 2018 Live Cinema Series, which continues through October, is sponsored by Shakespeare Walla Walla, a local 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that aims to make Shakespeare and theater approachable and entertaining to students in eastern Washington and Oregon.

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Live Cinema Schedule

Wednesday, February 7
Rigoletto
The Royal Opera

Wednesday, February 28
Tosca
The Royal Opera

Wednesday, March 14
Twelfth Night
The Royal Shakespeare Company

Wednesday, March 28
The Winter’s Tale
The Royal Ballet

Wednesday, April 11
Carmen
The Royal Opera

Wednesday, April 25
Macbeth
The Royal Opera

Wednesday, May 9
Bernstein Centenary
The Royal Ballet

Wednesday, May 16
Macbeth
The Royal Shakespeare Company

Wednesday, June 20
The Royal Ballet
Wednesday, July 18
The Royal Ballet
Wednesday, September 25
The Royal Shakespeare Company
Wednesday, October 10
The Royal Shakespeare Company

About the Gesa Power House Theatre

The historic Gesa Power House Theatre is a 300-seat performing arts venue, located in downtown Walla Walla. The 120-year-old building was once the Walla Walla Gas Plant, built to produce coal gas used to light the streets, businesses, and homes of Walla Walla. In 2011 the Gesa Power House Theatre building was transformed into a state-of-the-art playhouse for live performance. The interior design of the theatre was inspired by Shakespeare’s own intimate Blackfriars Theatre in London, England.

The Gesa Power House Theatre is on the Washington State Building Preservation Commission list of State historic buildings and on the National Register of Historic Places. The venue also hosts a variety of other cultural events, musical concerts, and private events (including weddings).

For additional marketing and media information, including interviews and hi-res images, contact:

Bradley Nelson
Media Contact
Phone: 509.529-6500
webmaster@phtww.org

Gesa Power House Theatre
111 North Sixth Ave.
Walla Walla, Washington 99362

Season Sponsors


Foundry VineyardsWalla Walla Union-Bulletin logo
Pacific Power logoWW Valley Honda logo

Additional support provided by
Walla Walla County, Port of Walla Walla, City of Walla Walla, City of College Place

Each Coldwell Banker Office is Independently Owned and Operated