Norris Cultural Arts Center kicks off 2020 season with Debra Miller's portrayal of Beatrix Potter Jan. 19
The Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles launches its 12-event winter/spring season at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, in the Norris Gallery, when Debra Miller presents “A Tale of Beatrix Potter,” a family-friendly portrayal of the beloved children's author and illustrator.
Tickets purchased at the box office on the day of the event will be priced at $15. Save $5 on each ticket purchased in advance at NorrisCulturalArts.com.
Born Helen Beatrix Potter on July 28, 1866 in London, England, the author has a legacy that goes far beyond Peter Rabbit and his friends. Beatrix Potter produced and copyrighted stuffed toys, developed board games, coloring pages and wallpaper; and her drawings of fungi are still used in instruction and identification texts. A generous supporter of England's National Trust, she helped to preserve the landscape and culture of the Lake District and raised award winning Herdwick Sheep.
Like Peter Rabbit, she was devoted to her parents, but disobedient; did not hesitate to squeeze under and around the barriers put up to keep women out of the world of work and science, and got into her share of scrapes with “Gentlemen Gardeners.”
Beatrix tells her own story through her letters to friends and their children; and her diary, which was written in a code so complex it took 5 years to break. A question-and-answer session with Miller will follow her performance.
For the first time in its 40-plus years of operation, the Norris Cultural Arts Center in 2020 will present event series at a second venue in St. Charles, the historic Baker Community Center.
The season will include four Saturday concerts at 7:30 p.m. and four Wednesday events at 1 p.m. at Baker Community Center, 101 S. Second St.
Tickets for each of the four “Saturday Night Lights” concerts are $25 if purchased on the day of the event or $20 if purchased in advance.
For the Saturday night concerts, each ticket holder will receive coupons for two complimentary beverages upon arrival at the venue.
The four “Wednesdays @ One” events will be presented free of charge, thanks to the generous support of Colonial Cafe.
Scheduled concerts on Saturdays are: Alyssa Allgood Jazz Quartet on Feb. 15; Ragged Rascals Irish band on March 7; Dan Buck and One of the Boyzz on April 4; and Joan Ellison in “Love Finds Judy Garland” on May 16.
The “Wednesdays @ One” series will feature: “Beethoven @ 250” with Andrew Lewis on Feb. 19; “The Making of ‘My Fair Lady'” with Charles Troy on March 18; “Music to Commemorate the Titanic” with Phil Passen on April 15; and “Schubert: Man of Melody and Mystery” with Janna Williamson on May 20.
In addition to the Jan. 19 event, The Norris will present three other performances in its art gallery: “March of the Women: Music to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage” with Phil Passen at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23; a concert of Beethoven violin and piano sonatas with Dmitri Makhtin and Julia Siciliano at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 29; and “Images of the Roaring '20s” with Jeff Mishur at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 19.
The Norris thanks and acknowledges Meyers & Flowers Trial Attorneys for the firm's fifth consecutive year as season sponsor of all Norris Cultural Arts Center events and performances.