Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Thanks to Campaign support, the Annenberg Center is increasingly positioned to connect diverse audiences with visionary performances like the 2019 world premiere of Vessels, a multidisciplinary piece in which seven women explore the transcendental possibilities of music during the Middle Passage. Vessels brought an impactful new collaboration to campus between the Annenberg Center and the Penn History of Slavery Project, weaving together history, performance, and contemporary issues through the transformative experience of the performing arts. Photo: Kyle Kielinski

The Power of Penn Campaign has positioned the Annenberg Center to reimagine the power of performance at its most inspiring, creative, and inclusive. With dynamic leadership and an ambitious strategic plan, the Annenberg Center has distinguished itself by increasing partnerships across campus and in the community, transforming its physical space, and diversifying and expanding programming—notably adapting rapidly and smoothly to deliver live-streamed performances during the past year when in-person audiences were not possible. Propelled by momentum from the Campaign, the Annenberg Center is poised to advance an ambitious slate of new projects and priorities that will further strengthen its reputation as a vibrant and welcoming hub of artistic innovation at the heart of the University.

1,234

Donors

$11

Million Raised

Highlighted Accomplishments

Diversified and expanded programming through the creation of new work and collaborations with regional arts organizations, presenting 743 performances across dance, music, theatre, and film, resulting in dozens of Philadelphia premieres, debuts, and world premieres and reaching over 260,000 audience members.

Further embedded the performing arts across Penn through the establishment of the Brownstein Residency for Artistic Innovation, the Powell-Vandever Dance Masterclass Series, and the Executive & Artistic Director’s Student Advisory Council.

Increased community outreach through partnerships in children’s programming, including collaborations with the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, Pilobolus @ Play, Settlement Music School, and over a dozen local arts partners for the Annual Philadelphia Children’s Festival.

Deepened alumni connections by hosting dozens of outreach events locally and across the country that brought thousands of alumni and friends to celebrate the arts at Penn.

Transformed physical spaces to create a more welcoming and accessible environment. Through the generosity of donors, four important spaces were named, all of which benefit artists, students, and patrons alike: The Feintuch Family Lobby; The Julia Lang Mally, W’83 Stage; The Class of 1994 Studio Lobby; and The Class of 1975 Green Room.

Christopher Gruits

“The Campaign allowed the Annenberg Center to deepen our support for the innovative artists who bring our stories to life. As a result, we are providing a forum for the Penn and Philadelphia communities to explore important issues and to create a space where empathy is core to the performing arts experience.”

Christopher Gruits

Executive & Artistic Director, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts