Mission and History
Mission
The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts of the University of Pennsylvania is a major cultural destination and crossroads in the performing arts, connecting Philadelphia regional audiences and the University of Pennsylvania through exposure to innovative human expression in theatre, music, and dance.
The Annenberg Center highlights the value of the performing arts by presenting world renowned and emerging artists and companies who express adventuresome perspectives on contemporary issues, timeless ideas, and diverse cultures. By offering contextualization programs, featuring Penn faculty as well as experts from the artistic and business communities, the Annenberg Center promotes critical thinking among its audiences, creating uniquely rewarding arts experiences.
History
Founded in 1971, the Annenberg Center's curatorial vision for its Penn Presents programming emphasizes four primary values: artistic integrity, cultural diversity, curatorial balance, and a willingness to take risks. In addition to presenting important dramatic theatre, the Annenberg Center presents series in New Music, Jazz, World Music, Dance, and Irish Culture. In the 2006-07 season, the Annenberg Center celebrated a quarter-century partnership with Dance Affiliates in the presentation of Dance Celebration, one of the nation's top dance series, featuring up to ten companies, 50 performances, and a variety of associated residency activities. Many of these works were Philadelphia premieres, and several were world premieres. In addition, the Annenberg Center has brought several high-profile events to the Philadelphia region, most recently a week-long engagement with the Stephen Colbert Report in the 2007-08 season. Through its Student Discovery Series and annual International Children's Festival (celebrating its 25th Anniversary in the 2008-09 season), the Annenberg Center provides high quality arts programming for thousands of school children in grades K-12 each year. Through these broadly diversified series and programs, the Annenberg Center reaches every section of Philadelphia's arts community, touching the needs of all ages, ethnicities and cultures.
True to its mission, the Annenberg Center is a leader in the Philadelphia region in its ability to offer audiences a wide array of high-level contextualization activities, from pre-performance social events, lectures, and workshops to meet-the-artist activities. These enrich the work on stage, bring diverse groups together, add to the educational value of the theatrical performances, and deepen the overall experience of the audience.
Schedules from Past Seasons:
