Hamilton’s America photo: © Joan Marcus Courtesy of PBS
2016’s PBS Arts Fall Festival gets underway with the premiere of Hamilton’s America – a look at the creation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s pop culture phenomenon, Hamilton – on Friday October 21st.
Featured programming includes: Bill Murray: The Mark Twain Prize; Alvin Ainley American Dance Theater; Gypsy (starring Imelda Staunton as Mama Rose); Alan Cummings Sings Sappy Songs; Lang Lang’s New York Rhapsody; Joshua Bell’s Seasons of Cuba, and Shakespeare Live! From the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Premiere dates and programming descriptions follow the jump.
PBS Announces Schedule for PBS Arts Fall Festival Lineup
– PBS Arts Fall Festival, Hosted by Tony and Grammy Award-Winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kicks Off Friday, October 21 –
ARLINGTON, VA; September 6, 2016 – PBS announced today the broadcast premiere dates for the diverse slate of performing arts specials that will air as part of the 2016 PBS Arts Fall Festival. Compelling specials from GREAT PERFORMANCES and LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER, as well as BILL MURRAY: THE MARK TWAIN PRIZE and ALAN CUMMING SINGS SAPPY SONGS, will join HAMILTON’S AMERICA as a part of this year’s festival.
“PBS is thrilled to unveil the full lineup and airdates for the 2016 PBS Arts Fall Festival,” says Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming for PBS. “The quality and variety of programs that compose this year’s festival, from Broadway performances to comedic tributes and cabaret acts, will keep viewers coming back to PBS every Friday night this fall.”
As previously announced, HAMILTON’S AMERICA, from GREAT PERFORMANCES, launches the PBS Arts Fall Festival on Friday, October 21 at 9:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). The full festival lineup follows:
HAMILTON’S AMERICA
Friday, October 21, 9:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. ET
GREAT PERFORMANCES follows the creation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s pop culture Broadway phenomenon Hamilton and the history behind it. Interviews with Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, Nas, Questlove, Stephen Sondheim and more.
BILL MURRAY: THE MARK TWAIN PRIZE
Friday, October 28, 9:00 – 10:30 p.m. ET
Celebrate beloved actor and comedian Bill Murray, the latest recipient of The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. From the stage of The John F. Kennedy Center, a star-studded lineup salutes the achievements of the comedic trailblazer.
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
Friday, November 4, 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET
Join LINCOLN CENTER AT THE MOVIES as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre showcases its spectacular range, diversity and artistry in this special presentation, which includes the company’s signature work, Revelations, along with three other pieces.
GYPSY
Friday, November 11, 9:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. ET
GREAT PERFORMANCES presents Imelda Staunton as the indomitable Momma Rose in London’s hit revival of Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical Gypsy about stripper Gypsy Rose Lee’s rise to fame. With Peter Davison and Lara Pulver.
ALAN CUMMING SINGS SAPPY SONGS
Friday, November 18, 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET
Get out your tissues and experience what The New York Times called “an emotional firestorm” as the award-winning television and Broadway star brings down the house with his acclaimed cabaret show.
LANG LANG’S NEW YORK RHAPSODY
Friday, November 25, 9:00 – 10:30 p.m. ET
Watch as internationally acclaimed pianist Lang Lang performs a love letter to New York in this LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER special, featuring music from Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Danny Elfman, Lou Reed, Alicia Keys, Don Henley and more.
JOSHUA BELL’S SEASONS OF CUBA
Friday, December 16, 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET
Witness world-famous, Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell lead a LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER event with musicians from America and Cuba, building a bridge between cultures and artistry.
SHAKESPEARE LIVE! FROM THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
Friday, December 23, 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET
On the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, GREAT PERFORMANCES presents the RSC’s star-studded gala. With David Tennant, Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Joseph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, David Suchet and many more.
Funding for the 2016 PBS Arts Fall Festival is made possible by generous support from the Anne Ray Charitable Trust.
About the PBS Arts Fall Festival
PBS premieres its sixth annual PBS Arts Fall Festival on Friday, October 21, with host Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton. The PBS Arts Fall Festival, which last year reached more than nine million viewers, is a cornerstone of the Friday primetime lineup, underscoring PBS’ ongoing commitment to give audiences the best seats in the house to watch arts performances on air and online. The festival presents diverse artists and performances from across the country, including programs from GREAT PERFORMANCES, LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER, as well as the specials BILL MURRAY: THE MARK TWAIN PRIZE, and ALAN CUMMING SINGS SAPPY SONGS. Most programs will be available online at video.pbs.org/ after their broadcast premiere. For more, visit pbs.org/pressroom.
Arts on PBS This Fall
Arts programming on PBS will continue throughout the fall in addition to the PBS Arts Fall Festival. Viewers get a backstage pass to learn how technology combines with human artistry to create modern recorded music with SOUNDBREAKING: STORIES FROM THE CUTTING EDGE OF RECORDED MUSIC, an eight-part series airing weeknights from November 14-23 at 10:00 p.m. ET. SOUNDBREAKING was the last project produced by legendary music producer Sir George Martin and features more than 150 exclusive and original interviews. ART21’s series ART IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY features 16 exceptional artists. Season eight, airing September 16 and 23, highlights four important hubs of contemporary art today — Chicago, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Vancouver. Also airing this fall are encore performances of two programs first featured as part of the 2015 PBS Arts Fall Festival. GREAT PERFORMANCES “Andrea Bocelli: Cinema” will air Friday, December 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET and FIRST YOU DREAM—THE MUSIC OF KANDER & EBB will air Friday, December 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET.