CONTACT Tim Dunn (714) 556-2122 x4209, [email protected]
Scalla Jakso (714) 556-2122 x4710, [email protected]
Images: SCFTA.org/media
RELEASE DATE
December 10, 2014
Judy Morr Theater Named to Celebrate Unrivaled Accomplishments
of Segerstrom Center Executive Judith O’Dea Morr
Venue formerly known as Founders Hall will become center of new
American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School
COSTA MESA, CA – Center Chairman Lawrence L. Higby announced at the 41st Annual Candlelight
Concert that Founders Hall would be renamed in honor of longtime Segerstrom Center executive Judith
(Judy) O’Dea Morr. Earlier that week, the Center’s Board of Directors voted unanimously on the new name of
the Judy Morr Theater.
“On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, it is our tremendous honor to celebrate the incredible
contributions of Judy with this new name,” Higby stated. “We hope that she will continue to work her magic
for many years to come. But with this name, we know that Judy will always be an unforgettable presence
here at the Center.”
Center President Terrence W. Dwyer added, “Judy has been an unmatched creative force throughout the life
of the Center. This new name is a heartfelt recognition of the tremendous accomplishments of Judy, who has
brought the Center to life for more than 30 years with her creativity, her passion and her delightfully generous
spirit.”
Judy Morr Theater will be the heart of the recently announced American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie
School at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, which opens January 8 & 9 with special complimentary
introductory classes. “It will be so rewarding to see future generations of great dancers training in a theater
named for someone who has done so very much for dance and for Orange County,” stated Dwyer.
Morr is executive vice president of Segerstrom Center for the Arts. She came to the Center as general
manager in 1985 before its 1986 opening. Prior to joining the Center, Morr was general manager of theaters
at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. She has played a major role in
guiding Segerstrom Center to become one of the nation’s most prestigious performing arts institutions. The
Center presents a broad range of the most significant national and international productions of music, dance
and theater to audiences from throughout Southern California and countless visitors to the region.
Guided by Morr, Segerstrom Center has earned a reputation as one of the most important centers for dance
in the United States, enjoying the respect and admiration of dance companies, performing arts organizations
and critics around the world. Nearly every leading dance company has appeared at the Center, and
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Costa Mesa, CA 92626
T (714) 556-2121
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Judy Morr Theater
December 10, 2014
NEWS 2/3
Segerstrom Center has presented, and at times, has produced an impressive list of world, American and
West Coast premieres.
Among the many history-making projects Morr has helped to create for the Center and its audiences are the
unprecedented Mariinsky Festival in 2006, which brought the opera, ballet and orchestra of the legendary St.
Petersburg institution for a series of performances celebrating the Center’s 20th anniversary; Russia’s Golden
Mask Award-winning production of Diana Vishneva: Beauty in Motion; Reflections, an artistic partnership
with the Bolshoi Ballet (currently nominated for a Golden Mask); Solo for Two, which featured three
premieres created for and performed by Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev; and world premieres of American
Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake (Mikhail Baryshnikov, 1988), The Firebird (Alexei Ratmansky, 2012) and The
Sleeping Beauty (Alexei Ratmansky, 2015).
Segerstrom Center will continue to celebrate the role the Founders played in the creation of the Center
through prominent recognition in the lobbies of both Segerstrom Hall and Judy Morr Theater.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is unique as both an acclaimed arts institution and as a multi-disciplinary
cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed
experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live
performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.
Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County’s largest
non-profit arts organization and owns and operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat
Judy Morr Theater, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall,
which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater, the studio performance space and
Boeing Education Lab. A spacious arts plaza anchors Segerstrom Center for Arts and is home to numerous
free performances throughout the year as part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ ongoing Free for All series.
The American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School at Segerstrom Center opens in 2015.
The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet
and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary
artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly
programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza
and many other special events. The Center’s arts-in-education programs are designed to inspire young
people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year.
In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus
also embraces the facilities of two independent acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast
Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region’s major
performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
T (714) 556-2121
F (714) 556-8984
SCFTA.org
Judy Morr Theater
December 10, 2014
NEWS 3/3
Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom
Center for the Arts.
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For more information about the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School, visit
www.SCFTA.org/ABTGillespieSchool, call (714) 556-2122 ext. 4100 or e-mail
[email protected].
“Segerstrom Center for the Arts” is a registered trademark.
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600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
T (714) 556-2121
F (714) 556-8984
SCFTA.org