A significant annual event in Boca Raton will soon mark a momentous occasion as Festival of the Arts BOCA commemorates its 20th season, returning to the Mizner Park Amphitheater from Feb. 27 to March 8 to continue nearly two decades filled with cultural, artistic and musical events and appearances by famed lecturers.
This year, the weekend-to-weekend agenda includes the showing of a dinosaur-filled film with a soundtrack provided by a live orchestra along with a ballet, a presentation by a funky musical ensemble, a tuneful trio appearance, a show featuring a talented pianist and a finale starring famed vocalist Patti Lupone.
Presented by The Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park, the festival kicks off a new decade of inspiration with its signature blend of musical brilliance, thought-provoking ideas and artistic innovation — a series filled with activities that play out this year’s theme of “Legends, Luminaries & the Unexpected.”
“As we celebrate this milestone season, we’re honoring the legendary artists who’ve graced our stage — and making space for the next generation of greats,” said Joanna Marie Kaye, executive director of Festival of the Arts Boca.
“This season is a love letter to the power of the arts to surprise, inspire and unite,” she added.
Festival of the Arts BOCA begins its activities under the massive roof that covers the amphitheater’s seating area on Friday, Feb. 27 with the return of a Festival favorite, Postmodern Jukebox, whose time-traveling musical performances transform today’s chart-toppers into vintage jazz, swing and Motown hits.
On Saturday, Feb. 28, the amphitheater stage will come to life – prehistoric life, that is – with the showing of the classic film, “Jurassic Park” on the Festival’s state-of-the-art LED screen. A live orchestra will provide the musical soundtrack crafted by composer John Williams for the flick that Steven Spielberg adapted from the 1990 novel by Michael Crichton.
The boundary-blurring Live Arts Global dance ensemble will take the stage on Sunday, March 1, presenting “From Swan Lake to the Stones: A Night of Ballet,” fusing classical ballet and contemporary choreography with some of today’s most renowned dancers from around the world.
The Festival’s Authors & Ideas series runs March 2–5 with a dynamic lineup of literary and thought leaders, scheduled for 7 o’clock each night.
- March 2: Pulitzer Prize–winning presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin will take to the lectern on the Boca stage where she has spoken many times before, presenting “The Enduring Significance of the American Revolution: A Historical Perspective.” Goodwin will be conversing with Dr. Robert Watson of Lynn University, offering audiences a rich dialogue between two distinguished historians.
March 3: Walter Mosley, the award-winning novelist best known for his crime fiction, joins the series with “The Only True Race is the Human Race.” With a simple, eloquent message, Mosley changes the conversation about race because to him, there is only one: the human race.
March 4: Esteemed bioethicist Arthur L. Caplan of NYU Grossman School of Medicine will step to the microphone to address the topic, “In Defense of Science.”
March 5: Political scientist Dr. Danielle Gilbert will take the stage to discuss “A Very Particular Set of Skills: Life Lessons from Hostage Negotiation,” exploring how negotiation strategies from hostage situations can apply to everyday life.
