WARREN MILLER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
The Warren Miller Performing Arts Center opens its doors for its ninth winter season this year encouraging all Big Sky locals to come see a show. Discounted ticket packages for the upcoming lineup of shows are on sale Nov. 15 until Dec. 1, when single tickets go on sale.
WMPAC’s ninth winter season features a combination of favorite returning performers and new talent. The massively popular outdoor concert “In a Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild” will return with renowned pianist Hunter Noack.
“That was one of the coolest outdoor events I’ve ever been part of,” said Big Sky local Carly Miron. “It just doesn’t get any better than that.” Over the weekend of Jan. 22-23, Noack will tow a Steinway grand piano to the middle of the Big Sky Resort Golf Course to play classical piano pieces while audience members, equipped with headphones, explore the landscape by snowshoe, cross-country ski and more.
Another returning interactive experience is Beyond the Fourth Wall, a reimagination and extension of the escape room-style game from last winter. “Last year we sold out so quickly that we doubled its run, and then realized there was enough demand for us to extend it the entire season,” said WMPAC Executive Director John Zirkle. Pods of up to 12 people will have the theater to themselves for the night, with teams this year competing against one another to get to the center of a maze.
Audiences can also see traditional stage performances, too. WMPAC’s season opens on Dec. 15 with a performance of holiday and Christmas songs by Maddie Poppe, winner of season 16 of American Idol. She’s followed on Dec. 27-28 by Black Magic, which, despite its name, is not a magic show. Instead, it’s a celebration of Black movement and history, featuring some of the best street dancers in the country today, including Quentin Robinson, founder of Missoula-based non-profit Movements 4 Movements, and Jon Boogz, whose dance artistry and activism was recently featured in the Netflix documentary “Move.”
The theater will also host Zimbabwean a cappella singing group Nobuntu; the Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, which is a comedic mash-up of all 37 plays of Shakespeare crammed into 97 minutes; the return of Lightwire Theater; and the legendary sketch comedy group Second City; plus a night of standup from Roy Wood Jr. and Helen Hong. To close the season, James Sewell Ballet returns with a project called “Earth Tomes,” featuring live singers performing with the dancers.
In keeping with the policies of other performing arts centers around the country, WMPAC will have COVID procedures and safety measures in place consistent with local school district policies and CDC guidelines. Guests will be asked at the door to show either a negative COVID test result within 72 hours of the show or proof of vaccination. In preparation for the season, ticket holders are encouraged to download and use the MyBindle app to facilitate the entry process. “We are thrilled to be opening the theater to full capacity this winter, and we want to ensure that everybody feels safe in the theater when they come see a show,” Zirkle said.
The entire winter season lineup is available on warrenmillerpac.org beginning Nov. 15.
