Outside at the UI Research Park

Summer greetings to all KCSA members! The Marketing Department sent out this press release and it is posted here for your convenience.

For Immediate Release
June 20, 2007

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
For More Information Contact:
Bridget Lee-Calfas, Visiting Public Information Director
Phone: 217/333-6282
Fax: 217/244-0810
E-mail: bklee@uiuc.edu

Photography is available upon request.

KRANNERT AND FOX/ATKINS PRESENT
OUTSIDE AT THE UI RESEARCH PARK
July 7 and 20, August 17 at 7:30pm

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts has joined forces with Fox/Atkins Development LLC and the U of I Research Park for a new three–show series of summer concerts in a welcoming new public venue. OUTSIDE at the UI Research Park is a joint project that plays upon a simple concept: great music, fresh food, a green state of mind, and an open, relaxed environment. The performance space and seating area are located just south of the Motorola building at the corner of First Street and St. Mary’s Road in Champaign. Over the last several months, crews from Fox/Atkins Development have been regrading and replanting the area to create a shaded, grassy seating space that will accommodate about 500 people on a sloped area and additional seating in the tree-lined perimeter.

Laura Frerichs of Fox Development says that the site will offer an opportunity to share the amenities of the park with the greater community and will also provide a diverse cultural outlet for those who work within the facilities. Krannert Center director Mike Ross calls Fox Development, which has been a long-time sponsor of the Center, “a valued partner” who “understands the importance of collaborative enterprises across community sectors.” Ross added that the Center was “pleased to provide programming and marketing support to the new site in order to share the communal experience of live, outdoor music with others.”

Krannert Center’s senior associate director Rebecca McBride notes that another important facet of the OUTSIDE at the UI Research Park series is the effort to focus on “lightening the environmental footprint of the site. Krannert Center has, for some time now, been exploring ways to reduce waste, decrease energy consumption, and provide environmentally friendly services to patrons. OUTSIDE will further this initiative by offering locally grown, organic food at the concessions; utilizing biodegradable containers and utensils; and printing marketing materials on recyclable paper. They are also employing eco-minded planting and in the future, hope to explore eco-minded land management techniques and alternative energy sources.”

Performances:

Saturday, July 7 at 7:30pm
Funkadesi
This eclectic group integrates East Indian music with reggae, funk, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. The Chicago-based Funkadesi cooks up a delicious musical stew that intoxicates with its joy, warmth, and vibrancy. Krannert Center audiences may remember this group from the 2006 Corporate Night Party or their 2006 noontime lobby performance that had the crowd up and groovin’.
Corporate Sponsor: Caterpillar Champaign Simulation Center

Friday, July 20 at 7:30pm
Patty Larkin
This Midwestern singer/songwriter fuses Celtic flavored melodies with soulful folk and pop punch to take audiences on an enlightening acoustic journey tinged with beguiling wit. On her latest album, Red=Luck, Larkin easily slides from serene ballads like “Inside your Painting” to a jammin’ Celtic rock final track, simply called, “Louder.”

Friday, August 17 at 7:30pm
The Greencards
This fiery international acoustic trio mixes bluegrass jams, English folksongs, and the sweetest melancholy ballads. The Greencards’ latest recording, Viridian, debuted at number one on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart, which was a first for an international group. The combo of mandolin, electric bass, and fiddle might not be traditional in the bluegrass world, but with dashing reels, poetic lyrics, and Carol Young’s angelic voice, they’ve now carved their own niche and continue to gather new audiences with must-sing-along tracks like “When I Was In Love With You” and impressive finger picking numbers like “Mucky the Duck.”

Location, Parking, and Services:

These concerts will be held near the southwest corner of First Street and St. Mary's Road, south of the Motorola building.
Free parking is available in research park lots (not on First Street).

All concerts begin at 7:30pm and are free.

Spirits and locally grown, organic food are available at concession stands located at the northwest corner of the SAIC/Caterpillar building.

Restrooms are available inside the Illinois Natural History Building at 1816 South Oak Street.

Sponsors:

Presented by Krannert Center, in association with Fox/Atkins Development LLC, the University of Illinois Research Park, and the Illinois Natural History Survey.

Additional Information:

Visit KrannertCenter.com or call 217/333-6280 or 800/KCPATIX (527-2849).
Patrons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or speech-impaired may also contact via TTY at 217/333-9714.