The Auditorium Theatre Proudly Presents

National Geographic Live’s “Coral Kingdoms and Empires of Ice”

with David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes

Sunday, April 30, 2023

National Geographic underwater photography team share never-before-seen images and stories from behind the camera.

Shedd Aquarium Vice President of Conservation Research Dr. Chuck Knapp will host Q&A

The Auditorium Theatre (Chicago’s landmark stage at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive) proudly presents National Geographic Live’s “Coral Kingdom and Empires of Ice” with photographic team David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes, Sunday, April 30 at 2:00 PM. Vice President of Conservation Research at Chicago’s own Shedd Aquarium, Dr. Chuck Knapp, will introduce the speakers and host a Q&A providing audience members the valuable opportunity to talk directly with Doubilet and Hayes.

David Doubilet is one of the most prolific living photographers at National Geographic magazine and jokes that he’s spent more of his waking hours underwater than on dry land. His wife Jennifer Hayes is an aquatic biologist and a globally published photojournalist. Together, they explore hidden underwater universes. Audiences will be treated to a visual journey of their National Geographic assignments to three unique marine environments.

Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, is a corner of the coral triangle that also includes the Philippines and Indonesia- and the center of the world in terms of marine biodiversity. It is home to an unspoiled wilderness of water crowded with layers of life: from fingernail-sized pygmy seahorses to 60-foot-tall towers of barracudas. Further south, in the cold ice filled waters of Antarctica, the team moves through and under the ice to capture images of the hidden world of the leopard seal, penguins, shipwrecks, as well as the sculptural beauty of icebergs. Finally, Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence, an extraordinary world of whales, wolfish, salmon- and the harp seal, a remarkable creature fighting to survive in a world of shrinking ice.

Doubilet and Hayes go beyond the published stories as they share never-before-seen images from their assignments. Discover the reality of life behind the camera- from parasites to harp seal bites- as they share their adventures working to get the best shot.

“We are thrilled to welcome David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes to the Auditorium Theatre for the final National Geographic Live program of the 2022-23 season,” said Auditorium Theatre CEO Rich Regan. “We are honored to partner with our neighbors at the Shedd Aquarium to bring a unique local perspective to this global photographic journey.”

National Geographic Live is a series of engaging, one-of-a-kind presentations featuring expert Speakers and Explorers at events happening throughout the United States and Canada. National Geographic’s broad roster of talent, including renowned photographers, scientists, authors, filmmakers, and adventurers, share their behind-the-scenes stories from the front lines of exploration alongside stunning imagery and gripping footage.

Tickets

National Geographic Live’s “Coral Kingdoms and Empires of Ice” takes place at the Auditorium Theatre Sunday April 30, 2023 at 2:00 PM. Tickets, priced at $25 and $48, are now available at auditoriumtheatre.org or by calling 312.341.2300, or at the Box Office at 50 E Ida B Wells Drive in Chicago, IL. Click here for phone and in-person hours.

Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more people are available. The Auditorium Theatre offers $20 student rush tickets to full-time college students and $5 tickets to young people ages 13-19 with Urban Gateways’ Teen Arts Pass program. The Auditorium also offers a Student Savings Club for both college and high school students. The Auditorium Theatre’s ADMIT ONE program offers complimentary tickets to Chicago-area community groups.

Special Thanks

The Auditorium Theatre is grateful for the support of the 2022-23 Series Sponsor of National Geographic Live, Deborah and Bruce Crown. The Auditorium Theatre 2022-23 Season is made possible in part with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. The Auditorium’s official hotel partner is the Palmer House Hilton.

About David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes

David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes are a photographic team for National Geographic magazine focusing on ocean environments. Their photography is a universal language to create a visual voice for a fragile and finite world. Doubilet began photographing a dark green Atlantic when he first put his Brownie Hawkeye camera in a rubber anesthesiologist’s bag at the age of twelve. He received his first National Geographic assignment while at Boston University. Hayes’ passion for conservation of primitive fish led to graduate degrees in zoology and marine ecology that evolved into photography and storytelling to document and share her subjects. Doubilet and Hayes believe images have the power to inform, illuminate, celebrate, honor, and humiliate—and most importantly, create change. As a team, they wish to promote the power of collaboration and to support emerging ocean advocates of the next generation.

About Dr. Chuck Knapp

Dr. Chuck Knapp oversees Shedd’s conservation research programs with the goal of saving wild animals and imperiled ecosystems. In addition to leading the aquarium’s portfolio of marine and freshwater research programs in the Caribbean and Great Lakes regions, Dr. Knapp himself has been conducting research in the wider Caribbean for 25 years. This research informs conservation strategies to prevent further population declines in endangered species. He also serves as co-chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) for iguanas, is an active member of the board of Directors for the Galápagos Conservancy and is a science advisor to The Bahamas National Trust. Knapp’s work supports Shedd’s mission to protect the aquatic animal world and inspire the public to become environmental stewards who protect aquatic life for future generations.

About The Auditorium Theatre

The Auditorium Theatre, located at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive at Roosevelt University in Chicago, is an Illinois not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as The Theatre for the People. The organization also is committed to the continued restoration and preservation of this National Historic Landmark that originally opened in 1889.

This Auditorium Theatre’s 2022-23 performance season continues with a dynamic mix of acclaimed global dance companies (American Ballet, April 14-16) while closer to home, beloved Chicago dance companies also take the stage (and an evening with Trinity Irish Dance Company, M.A.D.D. Rhythms, and special guest, New York-based Dorrance Dance, April 22, and South Chicago Dance Theatre, June 10).

For more information on the Auditorium Theatre and a complete listing of events at the Auditorium Theatre, please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org. For more information on National Geographic Live and other National Geographic events, please visit www.natgeolive.com.

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Photos: Baby Green Sea Turtle, French Polynesia_ CR David Doubilet.

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Tags: Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, Chuck Knapp, David Doubilet, Dr. Chuck Knapp, Jennifer Hayes, Loop, National Geographic Live – Coral Kingdom and Empires of Ice