Garden City, NY - August 18, 2017 - Adelphi University Performing Arts Center (PAC) is marking its 10th anniversary season featuring the concert version of the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning RENT by Adelphi graduate Jonathan Larson; multiple Grammy winner Bruce Hornsby; powerhouse Broadway singer and Hamilton star Mandy Gonzalez; star of stage and screen Lucie Arnaz and much more. Tickets are now on sale at the box office or online at pac.adelphi.edu.
The Adelphi PAC, a 53,000-square foot, $30 million cultural space opened its doors in the fall of 2008, joining under one roof the theater, music and dance programs. The center has won numerous awards including Best Concert Venue and Best Live Local Theater in the Best of Long Island competition. The Adelphi PAC is an important part of Adelphi’s commitment to creating powerful community connections and to fostering student success. Adelphi programs in acting, design/technical theatre, music and dance have grown to become some of the country’s most esteemed, attracting exceptional students and delighting audiences with acclaimed performances. In addition, it also draws some of the best emerging and established artists from New York and around the world to Adelphi.
Season ten promises to be spectacular with an all-star lineup, family programming and a variety of productions by the talented students and faculty of Adelphi University. The celebration continues throughout the year as we bring back some favorite guest artists from past seasons. A few highlights:
RENT In Concert
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson (’82)
Produced and directed by T. Oliver Reid
Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, RENT has become a pop cultural phenomenon. The Adelphi PAC opened in the fall of 2008 with the first college production of this landmark musical. We are honored to kick off the 10th anniversary season in a similar fashion with a concert version of this classic. This concert performance (with RENT’s original Music Director and Conductor Tim Weil) will feature a cast of some of Broadway’s finest performers including Danielle Lee Greaves (reprising the role she played on Broadway) playing the role of Joanne. Additional members of the cast will include Lilli Cooper (the upcoming Sponge Bob, Square Pants musical), Sydney James Harcourt (Hamilton), Douglas Lyons (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and more to be announced. VIP tickets for the Saturday night performance include an invitation to the post-show 10th anniversary celebration with the cast and other special guests.
Adelphi’s Best of Broadway
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Sunday, October 15, 2017
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Adelphi PAC, the October performances of Best of Broadway are a featured event during Adelphi Spirit Weekend and will highlight classic and contemporary music from shows that have appeared on Broadway over the last ten years. The Poole Family Broadway Series at Adelphi PAC is generously sponsored by Mary Jane and Thomas Poole.
An Afternoon with Bruce Hornsby
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Multiple Grammy winner Bruce Hornsby’s work displays a creative iconoclasm that’s been a constant in the artist’s two-and- a-half decade recording career. His commercial stock soared early on, when “The Way It Is”–the title track of his 1986 debut album–became one of the most popular songs on American radio. Despite his early mainstream successes, Hornsby has pursued a more personal, idiosyncratic musical path, focusing on projects that sparked his creative interest, including collaborations with the Grateful Dead, Spike Lee, Ricky Skaggs, Don Henley, Ornette Coleman, Bob Dylan, Bela Fleck, Bonnie Raitt, Pat Metheny, and Robbie Robertson. Hornsby’s performance will offer a glimpse of a restless spirit who continues to push forward into exciting new musical terrain.
Peter and the Starcatcher
Tuesday, November 7 through Sunday, November 12, 2017
The Tony award-winning play Peter and the Starcatcher upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan). Featuring a company of actors portraying more than 100 unforgettable characters, Peter and the Starcatcher uses ingenious stagecraft and the limitless possibilities of imagination to bring the story to life. An "Autism Friendly" performance of Peter and the Starcatcher is scheduled on Sunday, November 12 at 6:00 p.m. in the Olmsted Theatre. This is a play by Rick Elice, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
Lucie Arnaz
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Lucie Arnaz is celebrating 25 years as a solo artist performing in theaters and nightclubs all over the world and celebrating her father’s 100th birthday year. You have seen her on stage in They’re Playing Our Song, Lost In Yonkers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Seesaw, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Social Security, My One and Only or The Witches of Eastwick. You’ve seen her on television in The Black Dahlia, The Mating Season, The Lucie Arnaz Show, Sons and Daughters or Here’s Lucy. You may also recognize her from film in The Jazz Singer opposite stars Neil Diamond and Sir Laurence Olivier. But now you can see the daughter of TV royalty Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz again live, in concert.
TheatreWorks USA presents: Click, Clack, Moo
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Our “Adelphi Kids” series continues with a musical version of a popular book, Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin. A hilariously “mooooo-ving” musical about negotiation and compromise, is a great way for children in grades K-4 to be introduced to the performing arts.
Trio Solisti
Saturday, November 18, 2017 and Saturday, March 3, 2018
Classical music audiences will appreciate the acclaimed chamber music ensemble Trio Solisti for its 13th year as ensemble-in- residence. The ensemble has forged its reputation as “the most exciting piano trio in America,” according to The New Yorker.
Dance Adelphi: Encounters
Wednesday, November 29 through Sunday, December 3, 2017
Department of Dance alum Jessie Ryan returns to Adelphi to create Encounters that will have its world premiere as part of Dance Adelphi. The program will also feature a mix of ballet and modern dance choreographed by our talented faculty.
Swing’n The Holidays with The Jive Aces
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Put a kick into your Holiday classics with powerhouse UK jive and swing band the Jive Aces. These former Britain's Got Talent semifinalists are as dapper as they are danceable, driving audiences wild with sizzling sax, trombone and upright bass licks, and a high-energy stage show. Swing'n the Holidays finds this irresistible six-piece putting a fresh spin on yuletide hits from the likes of Louis Prima, Bobby Darin and Dean Martin. This performance by the Jive Aces is generously sponsored by Sam, Susan and Zubin Grogg.
Mandy Gonzalez
Friday, February 2, 2018
One of the most powerful and versatile voices in musical theatre, Mandy Gonzalez is currently starring in the hit musical phenomenon, Hamilton as Angelica Schuyler and we are thrilled she’ll be taking a night off from the show to kick off the second half of the 10th anniversary season. She is best known for playing the role of Nina Rosario in the Tony Award-winning musical In The Heights, and has also been on Broadway as Princess Amneris in the musical Aida and as Elphaba in the hit musical Wicked.
SingStrong International A Cappella Festival
Friday, February 9 through Sunday, February 11, 2018
The popular SingStrong Festival returns for their third year at the Adelphi PAC. The movie Pitch Perfect and the TV show Sing-Off give you a glimpse of the incredible A Cappella concerts at SingStrong. Five completely different concerts and two days of classes feature A Cappella pop, jazz, doo-wop, barbershop and even beatbox artists – all performing with nothing but the human voice. Professionals, high schools, college groups – there’s even an open group you can join! Plus a silent auction to help fight Alzheimer’s.
AUPAC is one of Long Island’s premier cultural arts venues for entertainment of all kinds. Tickets are currently on sale with discounts available to seniors, students and alumni. Information is available at the Lucia and Steven N. Fischer Box Office at 516.877.4000 or boxoffice@adelphi.edu. The box office is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from
Noon to 5:00 p.m. through August, then begins regular hours of Tuesday through Friday from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. after Labor Day.
About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning.
Adelphi University is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university offering exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training with particular strength in its Core Four—Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness. Adelphi is dedicated to transforming students’ lives through small classes, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support student success.
Founded in Brooklyn in 1896, Adelphi is Long Island’s oldest private coeducational university. Today Adelphi serves over 7,600 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York—just 23 miles from New York City’s cultural and internship opportunities—and at dynamic learning hubs in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, and online.
More than 100,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, caring citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world beyond.