Audra McDonald, Chita Rivera, Stephen Sondhiem, Paulo Szot, et al. Set for Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ 2011-2012 Season

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa has announced its 2011-2012 schedule.

The venue’s Broadway Series will offer six touring productions including Shrek the Musical (October 4-16), Blue Man Group (November 8-20), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (December 13 – January 1), Million Dollar Quartet (April 24 – May 6), the 25th anniversary production of Les Miserables (June 12-24), and La Cage aux Folles (July 24 – August 5).

In addition, the Center’s Curtain Call Series will offer presentations of Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away (January 31 – February 5), the multimedia performance piece Traces (February 28 – March 4), and Green Day’s American Idiot (May 29 – June 3).

Tony Award winner Audra McDonald will open the Segerstrom’s Cabaret Series on October 15. Also on the schedule is Stephen Sondheim and Friends (October 29), which will feature the composer/lyricist in conversation with Michael Kerker in addition to appearances by special guests. Other offerings in the series will be performances by Chita Rivera in My Broadway (November 10-13), Paulo Szot (December 15-18), Steve Tyrell (January 5-8), and Andrea Martin, with Seth Rudetsky, (February 16-19).

The venue will be also offer its Off Center Series, which will present work in partnership with The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival. Confirmed for the series is the National Theater of the United States of America’s production of Chautauqua! (January 13-15), as well as Ten Tiny Dances (January 20-21). Other offerings will be announced in the near future.

John Tartaglia’s Imaginocean (February 4-5) will be just one offering in the Segerstrom’s Family Series. Additional family presentations will be the Polyglot Theatre’s Muckheap (October 8-9), the bilingual musical Dream Carver (April 14-15), and Zorro (March 17-18), which will be presented by Scotland’s Visible Fictions, among others.

The Segerstrom’s season will also include a Jazz Series, the International Dance Series, a Concert Series, and a free summertime Film Series, as well as such “season bonus events” as a one-night-only performance by the National Acrobats of China (October 1), an engagement of the popular Irish dance show Riverdance (October 28-30), and a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats (January 17-22).

For more information and tickets, click here.