UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) and The Theatre at Ace Hotel has teamed up once again to present 14 bold programs by leading innovators and acknowledged masters in contemporary dance, music, theater and literature.
CAP UCLA launched their 2018/19 season and Jazz series with composer and pianist Vijay Iyer and writer and photographer Teju Cole’s powerful new collaboration, Blind Spot, at the Theater at the Ace Hotel on September 22nd.
Opening Night: Within the Theater of the Ace Hotel the audience sat quietly debarred from the outside world. The live score composed by Iyer and his exclusive lineup of musicians including trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, mallet percussionist Patricia Brennan and cellist Tomeka Reid resonated flawlessly beneath the theater’s crystal dome, as eyes of angels, demons and those painted upon the murals peered down on them from the balconies above. As the audience matched poetry with light and sound, Cole’s striking photography diligently injected them into the “investigation of humanity’s blindness to tragedy and injustice throughout history”.
The more things change…
The United Artists Building recently renovated by the Ace Hotel was built in 1927. In a time of intellectual rigidness, the grandeur of the theater culminates with the aspirations of a few, really “united artists”, D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. These beloved Hollywood icons rebelliously pooled their resources to create something quite bold indeed. Using the talents of Architect C. Howard Crane, they created a film production studio in Spanish Gothic Style second only to the Segovia Cathedral in Spain. DTLA’s own little Theatrical Cathedral so to say – if we could be so bold.
Three exclusive programs created especially for CAP UCLA’s new season will be staged at The Theatre at Ace Hotel DTLA.
CAP UCLA will present over 40 unique events and 60 performances taking place throughout Los Angeles, from Septemeber 22nd to May 10, 2019. These spiritually engaging performances featuring pioneering champions for social justice and diverse worldviews will open and close with programs at The Ace Hotel.
L.A.’s legendary UnCabaret will celebrate 25 years of groundbreaking comedy in a one-time-only evening of wildly fun, idiosyncratic live performance, music and never-before-seen footage featuring special guests Julia Sweeney, Janeane Garofalo, Maria Bamford, Greg Behrendt, Rebecca Corry, and just about all things funny, hosted by creatrix Beth Lapides with musical director Mitch Kaplan.
CAP UCLA is dedicated to the advancement of the contemporary performing arts in all disciplines around the globe.
“We’re thrilled for The Theatre to continue to be a home for CAP UCLA’s programming and to be able to support special projects, artists and audiences in downtown LosAngeles,” said Ace’s Chief Brand Officer Kelly Sawdon. “Like Ace, CAP is about community, collaboration and an unequivocal trust in risk-taking. For the first year of this collaboration, we celebrated the groundbreaking work of contemporary artists through some of the most compelling programming being showcased today. Together, we look forward to be able to expose a broader demographic to contemporary performance and creative expression.”
CAP UCLA at The Theatre at Ace Hotel 2018–19 Season
- Vijay Iyer and Teju Cole: Blind Spot – Saturday, Sept. 22
- DakhaBrakha – Thursday, Sept. 27
- Fran Lebowitz – Sunday, Sept. 30
- UnCabaret 25th Anniversary Show and Celebration – Sunday, Nov. 18
- A Thousand Thoughts: A Live Documentary with the Kronos Quartet, Written and Directed by Sam Green and Joe Bini – Friday, Dec. 7
- Nadia Sirota: A LIVE Podcast Event with wild Up Featuring Andrew Norman and Caroline Shaw – Saturday, Jan. 12
- Jérôme Bel: Gala presented in association with Ford Theatres – Saturday, Feb. 2
- The Soul Rebels – Saturday, Feb. 16
- Carrie Mae Weems: Past Tense – Friday, March 8
- An Evening with Lettuce and John Scofield – Wednesday, March 20
- Roberto Fonseca and Fatoumata Diawara – Saturday, March 23
- Nano Stern – Saturday, March 30
- The Gloaming – Friday, April 12
- Nico Muhly: Archives, Friends, Patterns – Friday, May 10
Ace Choice Series Subscription
- Vijay Iyer and Teju Cole: Blind Spot – Saturday, Sept. 22
- Fran Lebowitz – Sunday, Sept. 30
- UnCabaret 25th Anniversary Show and Celebration – Sunday, Nov. 18
- A Thousand Thoughts: A Live Documentary with the Kronos Quartet, Written and Directed by Sam Green and Joe Bini – Friday, Dec. 2
- The Gloaming – Friday, April 12
Tickets and subscriptions are available now at cap.ucla.edu and theatre.acehotel.com, 310-825-2101 and at The Theatre at Ace Hotel box office. Theatre.acehotel.com.
