The Annenberg Center's "Penn Presents" has hosted a variety of acts since its creation in 1971, including Pulitzer Prize-winning jazz musician Wynton Marsalis and the world-renowned Shakespearean actors of the Globe Theatre Company.
In addition to drawing an audience of more than 175,000 show-goers annually and competing with the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia's crowded presenting-house market, Penn Presents continues to fly under the radar at the University.
This October, Eve Ensler, award-winning author of The Vagina Monologues, will help kick off yet another eclectic season of jazz music, dance, theater and children's performing arts at Penn Presents.
Performances will be held on campus at Irvine Auditorium, the Iron Gate Theatre and the Zellerbach Theatre.
Penn Presents is one of at least six performance houses serving the greater Philadelphia area, a group that also includes the Kimmel Center and World Cafe Live.
Roy Wilbur, the associate managing director for public engagements, said that Penn Presents has focused on performances for families with children, as well as introducing promising new artists to the Philadelphia area.
Wilbur cited jazz musician Christian McBride as an example."We presented him here," Wilbur said. "Now he's being presented at the Kimmel Center. Our mission is to present established artists, but also to seek out newer artists and introduce them to a Philadelphia audience."
Naomi Grabel, a spokeswoman for the Kimmel Center, said that while the center is known internationally for hosting acclaimed companies like the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Opera Company of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Ballet, its "Kimmel Presents" group is "in the same game" as Penn Presents.
"I would say that we are respectful collaborators in a competitive market," Grabel said. "But it's a huge market with a lot of opportunities."
Grabel added that artists would likely be at the Annenberg Center and the Kimmel Center at different points in their career because of differences in venue size and general audience. The Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall can seat 2,500 people, while the Zellerbach Theatre can only fit 950.
Wilbur said that Penn Presents tends to draw a younger, more diverse audience than the Kimmel Center.
"I think you're going to see a bigger cross-section in terms of age" at Penn Presents, Wilbur said. "A bigger cross-section in terms of people of color."
About 30 percent of the audience is Penn-affiliated, and one out of every eight people who attended shows last year was a Penn student.
Wilbur noted that Penn Presents is looking to attract more students both to watch and to help run its shows. Part of this effort is the "student rush" ticket program, which grants listserv members advance notice regarding shows coming to Annenberg. There are roughly 4,000 students currently on this listserv.
Penn students also receive discounts on Penn Presents shows. Regular tickets can cost as much as $45, depending on the show and seating location, but most student tickets cost between $5 and $15.
College sophomore Brian Gelletly attended last year's Playboy of the Western World.
"I enjoyed [the show]. It was well done," Gelletly said. "I think [Penn Presents is] a good way to bring in different cultural experiences to Penn and West Philadelphia."
However, despite Penn Presents' efforts to bring students to its shows, many still have little knowledge of the program.
"I've heard of it, but I couldn't tell you what it is," College freshman Meng Cheng said.
Fast facts - About 30% of the audience at most Penn Presents shows is Penn-affiliated - About 175,000 people attend Penn Presents shows annually - The Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall can seat 2,500 people; Zellerbach holds about 950
