Lyceum Series begins Sept. 22

The 2015-16 GRU Lyceum Series brings artistry, creativity and a whole lot of history to the Maxwell Theatre, with four shows that are guaranteed to please.

First up, on Sept. 22, is Step Afrika!, a nationally known step company that traces the popular, percussive dance back to its traditions in African and modern dance.

“You won’t just see a step show when you come to see Step Afrika!, you’ll learn about step as well,” said Maxwell Theatre Director Kelly Thomas.

Coming exactly a month later is the world-famous Vienna Boys Choir.

“When you think children’s choir, this is the choir you think of,” Thomas said.

Featuring young singers from over 20 countries, the Vienna Boys Choir performs in front of more than a half million people every year. Not only that, but the choir is old. Really, really old.

“They don’t just sing Mozart’s music,” Thomas said. “They were around to work with Mozart.”

In conjunction with the GRU Opera and American Musical Theater Institute, the third Lyceum Series event this year will bring “The Marriage of Figaro,” a full opera featuring professional baritone Mark Diamond, to the stage on Feb. 12.

“Starting last year, we wanted to find a way to more directly connect the Lyceum Series with the students, and part of that was a decision to not just link up the professionals with the students outside of the performance, but to actually link up the professionals with the students on stage,” Thomas said. “And this year, instead of inserting the students into the professional’s performance, we’re inserting the professional into the students’ performance.”

The final event of the Lyceum season will occur on March 4, when the Peking Acrobats wow audience members with a daredevil program presented in coordination with the Confucius Institute.

“For people who have been coming to Lyceum Series for a long time, they’ve probably seen different acrobat shows,” Thomas said. “This is the biggest acrobat show we’ve ever done.”

Company members were featured in “Oceans 11,” and their Human Stair Stack set a world record.

The price structure for this year’s events remains unchanged from last year, though Step Afrika! and the Peking Acrobats will have options that will allow audience members on the thrust stage.

Tickets are free for GRU students, $5 for staff, students and children, $10 for alumni and military and $15 for the general public. They can be purchased at the box office or online here.