Balboa Theatre – ArtPower

COMFORT: An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi

Spend a delicious evening with Yotam Ottolenghi as he talks about his new book, COMFORT, in this fun and participatory event. Live on stage, Yotam will take the audience through COMFORT, (from eggs, to noodles, to roast chicken, to a wide array of cultural and culinary themes) in conversation with his local host, and will invite the audience to participate in a second half as he prepares one of his dishes. Just as food brings people together, this event combines the culinary innovation of Ottolenghi with suggestions and questions from the audience (that’s you!) to create a one-off live experience. Yotam will undoubtedly share some childhood stories, his passion for layered dishes with bold flavors and colorful ingredients, and his influences from across the world.

Yotam will undoubtedly share some childhood stories, his passion for layered dishes with bold flavors and colorful ingredients, and his influences from across the Middle East.

About

Yotam Ottolenghi is a celebrated chef and bestselling cookbook author. He is the restauranteur and chef-patron of six London-based Ottolenghi delis, as well as the NOPI and ROVI restaurants. He is the author of ten bestselling and multi-award-winning cookbooks. Yotam has been a weekly columnist for the Guardian (UK) for over sixteen years and is a regular contributor to the New York Times. His commitment to the championing of vegetables, as well as ingredients once seen as ‘exotic’, has led to what some call ‘The Ottolenghi effect’. This is shorthand for the creation of a meal which is full of color, flavor, bounty, and surprise.

In Fall 2024 Yotam Ottolenghi will publish his latest cookbook, COMFORT (published by Ebury in the UK and by Ten Speed Press in the US and Canada). Ottolenghi COMFORT is a celebration of food and home; of the connections we make and pass on as we cook, from place to place and from generation to generation.

Learn more about his tour >

Sign up to be notified about the on sale date.

An Evening with Sir Patrick Stewart

Join beloved actor Sir Patrick Stewart for an evening of inspiring conversation in celebration of his long-awaited memoir, Making It So. From his acclaimed stage triumphs to legendary onscreen work in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations. Now, he presents Making It So, a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life – from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.

The intimate conversation will be facilitated by Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe’s Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director, and is presented by ArtPower at UC San Diego in partnership with Warwick’s Bookstore and the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination.

Books will be available for purchased online or at the venue through Warwicks.

*The first five hundred tickets purchased through the ArtPower website – artpower.ucsd.edu – will include a copy of Making It So by Sir Patrick Stewart.

An Evening with David Sedaris

Master of satire and one of today’s most observant writers addressing the human condition, best-selling author David Sedaris returns once again with his acerbic humor, social commentary, and outlandish stories. Slashing through cultural euphemisms and political correctness, he will delight the audience with twists of humor and intelligence as he shares both published stories and works-in-progress.

Come early or stick around post-performance for Sedaris’s legendary book-signing sessions.

An Evening with David Sedaris

Come early or stick around post-performance for Sedaris’s legendary book-signing sessions.

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham

“Lush movement, infectious music and magnetic dancers” (New York Times) in an enticing program A.I.M by Kyle Abraham brings a unique program to UC San Diego that ranges from the bold to the sensual to playful. The program includes Big Rings choreographed by A.I.M company member and Dance magazine’s “25 to Watch”, Keerati Jinakunwiphat. This powerful, yet fun, work is a celebration of the unique style and camaraderie of this dynamic dance tribe, as well as an ode to her hometown Chicago. Also featured is Our Indigo: If We Were a Love Song, a series of poetic vignettes that explore the intimacy, intricacies, and vulnerabilities of Black Love set to the songs of Nina Simone. The film adaptation of this work has been nominated for a 2023 NY Emmy. This flavorful gumbo of cultural expression is one you won’t want to miss.

Canceled: Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group: POWER

Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group is a Brooklyn-based dance company whose mission is to create, research, develop, and present new performance work that investigates the intersections of culture and movement practices. The Company’s body-of-works draw from the spiritual and mundane traditions of Africa and its Diaspora; Fist and Heel believes in the potential of the body as a valid means for knowing.

The company performs POWER, Reggie Wilson’s newest work. It reimagines compelling core Shaker values, contributions, practices and histories through a postmodern American lens.

The presentation of POWER was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.

An Afternoon with David Sedaris

David Sedaris, the master of satire and one of today’s most observant writers addressing the human condition, returns with the acerbic humor, social commentary, and outlandish stories that transfixed a sold-out audience at his last year’s ArtPower show. Slashing through cultural euphemisms and political correctness, he will delight the audience with twists of humor and intelligence as he shares both published stories and works-in-progress.

Come early or stick around post-performance for Sedaris’s legendary book-signing sessions. Books will be available to purchase from Warwick’s.

An Evening with Neil Gaiman

“Gaiman is, simply put, a treasure-house of story, and we are lucky to have him.”—Stephen King

“I make things up and write them down” is the way Neil Gaiman describes his varied art. Today, as one of the most celebrated writers of our time, his popular and critically acclaimed works bend genres while reaching audiences of all ages.

Much of Gaiman’s work has been adapted for visual media including movies Stardust and Coraline, as well as hit television series American Gods (Starz network); Good Omens (on Amazon Prime); and Lucifer (on Netflix), based on the DC comics character created by Gaiman in The Sandman.

Neil Gaiman will tell stories, answer questions, and in his own words “amaze, befuddle and generally delight.”

Signed books will be available for purchase through Mysterious Galaxy

Ronald K. Brown\EVIDENCE
Upside Down, Grace, and The Equality of Night and Day (TEND)

Founded by Ronald K. Brown in 1985 and based in Brooklyn, New York, EVIDENCE is a dance company that focuses on the seamless integration of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. Through his work Brown uses movement as a way to reinforce the importance of community in African American culture and to acquaint audiences with the beauty of traditional African forms and rhythms with his blended contemporary style. He has set works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Cleo Parker Robinson Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and many others. “I hope that when people see the work, their spirits are lifted. I am interested in sharing perspectives through modern dance, theater and kinetic storytelling. I want my work to be evidence of these perspectives,” says Brown. The company is thrilled to be returning to San Diego after a long hiatus and will share three works; audience favorites, Upside Down and Grace, and its newest work The Equality of Night and Day (TEND).

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
An Untitled Love

Elastic and electric, luxuriantly rippling, poetically arranged with moments of perfect stillness that arrive amid splashes of expression.”—Dance Magazine

An Untitled Love is Kyle Abraham’s newest evening-length work. Drawing from the catalogue of Grammy Award-winning R&B legend D’Angelo, this creative exaltation pays homage to the complexities of self love and Black love, while serving as a thumping mixtape celebrating our culture, family, and community.

About the Company

Founded in 2006 by choreographer Kyle Abraham, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham is a Black-led contemporary dance company that provides multifaceted performances, educational programming, and community-based workshops. The mission of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham is to create a body of dance-based work that is galvanized by Black culture and history. The work, informed by and made in conjunction with artists across a range of disciplines, entwines a sensual and provocative vocabulary with a strong emphasis on music, text, video, and visual art. While grounded in choreographer Kyle Abraham’s artistic vision, A.I.M draws inspiration from a multitude of sources and movement styles.

Since A.I.M’s founding, Artistic Director Kyle Abraham has made more than 15 original works for and with the company. In 2018, A.I.M began commissioning new works and performing existing works by outside choreographers to expand its repertoire and offer a breadth of dance work to both the dancers and audiences. The repertory now includes works by Trisha Brown, Andrea Miller, Bebe Miller, Doug Varone, and A.I.M dancer and early-career choreographer Keerati Jinakunwiphat.

A.I.M’s audience base is as diverse as A.I.M’s movement vocabulary, which ranges from hip-hop to formal ballet technique. As Abraham says, “I’m interested in a really wide range of folks from the brother who owns the corner store to the woman who has never even heard of a corner store. I want those people to interact, and I want them to be sitting next to each other sensing the other person’s experience. And then, I want them to stick around for the post-performance discussion and hear the other person’s perspective and learn more about each other. That’s what is most exciting for me.”

The presentation of An Untitle Love was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.