INSIDE

A complete list of events at the Carolina Theatre in 2010-11 | D2

By Cliff Bellamy

cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744

DURHAM -- Gospel and rhythm and blues vocalist Mavis Staples and saxophonist David Sanborn will be the guest artists for the opening weekend of the Carolina Theatre's 2010-2011 season.

Staples, first known for "I'll Take You There," "Respect Yourself" and other hits with her family The Staples, and later for her solo career, will perform Oct. 1. Sanborn, one of the veterans of modern jazz, will perform Oct. 2, with organist and keyboard player Joey DeFrancesco. Both of these shows will have VIP receptions that will raise funds for the Carolina Theatre.

Other highlights of the coming season, announced this week, include "Broadway by Request," a concert featuring Broadway veteran Betty Buckley ("Cats," "1776," "Sunset Boulevard"). Buckley will perform Nov. 20. This concert will have a special (separate from the regular ticket price) pre-concert reception in which audience members can meet Buckley, and enter a song for possible performance during the show.

National acrobatic touring artists Cirque Mechanics will perform "Boom Town," a show with a Gold Rush theme, Feb. 15. The troupe usually plays venues larger that the Carolina Theatre, and the theater had to make sure they could accommodate their technical demands, said Bob Nocek, incoming president and CEO of the Carolina Theatre. "It's going to be a first class acrobatic show," Nocek said. "It's going to be at a level people have not seen us do with an acrobatic show."

The theater was fortunate to get Staples for the opening event, he added. She is scheduled to have a new recording released in the fall, and Staples plans to tour dates on the East Coast, "so it was really an opportunity for us to get in on a fairly limited tour," he said.

Sanborn has been a popular artist with Carolina Theatre audiences. "The Carolina Theatre has a great jazz audience," Nocek said. "They certainly understand who the great jazz artists of our time are. ... We look to satisfy that audience by bringing in as many great artists as possible."

Other new artists who will perform are actor and songwriter Jeff Daniels, classical music family The 5 Browns, and The Max Weinberg Big Band, the former house band for Conan O'Brien's now defunct "Late Night" show.

Artists familiar to past audiences include R&B singer Shemekia Copeland, world music vocal ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and blues duo Hot Tuna

This season marks the first in which Nocek, who assumes full duties July 1, did the programming. He sought to put together a lineup that appeals to a broad range of tastes. "We've got some new artists. We've got some old favorites," he said. "I'm really pleased with how well rounded the season is."

Here is a complete list of events. For information about season or individual tickets, call the box office at 560-3030 or visit www.carolinatheatre.org.

n Mavis Staples. Oct. 1 at 8 p.m.

n David Sanborn Trio featuring Joey DeFrancesco. Oct. 2 at 8 p.m.

(Both of these opening weekend shows will have VIP receptions where the public can meet out incoming Board Chair Paul Brock and new CEO Bob Nocek. VIP tickets will be $100. Proceeds to benefit the non-profit Carolina Theatre of Durham, Inc.)

n Jeff Daniels. Oct. 27, 8 p.m.

n Bellydance Superstars present Bombay Bellywood. Oct. 29 at 8 p.m.

n Mike Birbiglia. Nov. 6, 8 p.m.

n Shemekia Copeland. Nov. 11 at 8:00 p.m.

n Betty Buckley: Broadway By Request. Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. A $150 VIP package includes pre-show reception in Connie Moses Ballroom, meet and greet with Buckley, and one entry for a song to be performed during the show (not all songs entered will be performed).

A: $45 B: $35 / Member Group A: $38 B: $30

n Natalie MacMaster: Christmas in Cape Breton. Dec. 16 at 8 p.m.

n Kathleen Madigan. Jan. 29, 2011, at 8 p.m.

n The Max Weinberg Band. Feb. 4, 8 p.m.

n Harlem Gospel Choir. Feb. 12 at 8 p.m.

n Cirque Mechanics Boom Town. Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb.16 at 7:30 p.m.

n Jim Brickman. Feb. 17, 8 p.m.

n Hot Tuna Blues. Feb. 22, 8 p.m.

n Vienna Teng and Alex Wong, March 3 at 8 p.m. One-hour free workshop for music students in Fletcher Hall at at time to be determined.

n Ladysmith Black Mambazo. March 11 at 8 p.m.

n Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble: Dance for America Tour. April 1 at 8 p.m.

n The 5 Browns. April 8 at 8 p.m.

n Mother Load. May 14 at 8 p.m.