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Three Kauffman Center Presents Shows in January You Won’t Want to Miss

Kauffman Center Presents – January 2022

The start of 2022 brings audiences three exciting Kauffman Center Presents performances. Whether you’re looking for awe-inspiring stories of adventure and discovery, hilarious movie-riffing robots or crooning vocals from a jazz icon, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at the Kauffman Center.

On Jan. 18, carnivore ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant kicks off the 2022 season of our National Geographic Live speaker series. This incredible presentation features Wynn-Grant’s work to protect and restore iconic wildlife populations—grizzly bears, bison, pronghorn, cougars and more—in a region once known for its great number of wild animals.

But when the wild lands of their habitat are crisscrossed by roads, fences and ranches, how can bears and humans coexist peacefully? Dr. Wynn-Grant studies the movements and behaviors of these animals to find ways to improve the relationship between local communities and the powerful wildlife that surround them.

Join this committed carnivore ecologist for a fascinating look inside the secret lives of bears and a report from the front lines of the mission to help humans and carnivores coexist peacefully.

National Geographic Live Tickets

National Geographic Live is made possible by the Teresa and Tom Walsh Family Foundation.

Then on Jan. 22, audiences can laugh along with “Mystery Science Theater 3000 LIVE: Time Bubble Tour.”

Originally airing for 11 seasons from 1988 to 1999, “Mystery Science Theater 3000” immediately won over fans and became one of the most beloved cult TV shows of all time, making a human mind experiment more entertaining than anyone could have predicted.

Fast forward to 2015 when fans of the show joined forces for a robust kickstarter campaign to revive the show for a brand new, 14-episode season that premiered on Netflix in 2017.

“Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live” then took their hilarious act on the road. First with the “Watch Out for Snakes! Tour” in 2017, then “30th Anniversary Tour” in 2018 followed by “The Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour” in 2019.

Now, you have the chance to see the world’s greatest – and only – movie-riffing robots live. Tom Servo (Conor McGiffin), Crow (Nate Begle) and GPC (Yvonne Freese) take you on an exhilarating rollercoaster ride through the film “Making Contact,” imposed by Mad Scientist, Mega-Synthia (Yvonne Freese).

“Making Contact” appears to be a send up – or at least heavily references  –  every Spielberg movie ever made, including notes of “E.T.,”  “Poltergeist,” “The Goonies,” “Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and just a pinch of “Lincoln.” Featuring animated toys in an overcrowded childhood during the ’80s, complete with an evil ventriloquist dummy and heavily branded IP at almost every turn. You’ll have fun watching as Emily and the Bots try to make sense of it all.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 LIVE Tickets

To cap off the month, jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall joins us on the Helzberg Hall stage to wow audiences with her stunning vocals.

Diana Krall is the only jazz singer to have eight albums debut at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. To date, her albums have garnered two Grammy Awards, ten Juno Awards and have also earned nine gold, three platinum and seven multi-platinum albums. Krall’s unique artistry transcends any single musical style and has made her one of the most recognizable artists of our time.

Born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, which is outside of Vancouver, Krall began playing the piano at age 4. As a teen, she performed locally and with the encouragement of her father, a stride pianist.

Krall was still a teenager when she was awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. After two years in Boston, she moved to Los Angeles, where she met her first jazz heavyweights. In 1993, the Montreal-based Justin Time Records released her debut album, “Stepping Out.” The following year she signed with GRP Records and recorded “Only Trust Your Heart.”

Krall’s success continued with her subsequent releases “All for You” and “Love Scenes,” but her watershed moment came in 1999 with the release of “When I Look in Your Eyes.” The recording spent an unprecedented 52 weeks in the #1 position on Billboard’s Jazz chart, won two Grammy Awards and went platinum in the U.S. and Canada. Krall’s next album, “The Look of Love,” continued her international success and became a top 10 seller on Billboard’s Top 200 Album charts.

Diana Krall Tickets

Kauffman Center Presents is made possible by the John N. and Marilyn P. McConnell Foundation.

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