(left to right) Dale Franzen, Director of The Broad Stage and Broad Stage Artistic Chair Dustin Hoffman talk with actors Hattie Winston, James Cromwell and cast from 'Jane Austen Unscripted' about their craft after a press conference announcing the 2009-2010 Second Season for the Broads Stage at Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 30, 2009. The 2009-2010 season spans 81 performance, between September 2009 and May 2010, and includes Broadway and theatre, as well as the return of chamber music, jazz, world music, baroque, dance, opera/voice; and family and educational programs. Legendary Mikhail Baryshnikov will be opening the Second Season of The Broad Stage with a tour de force performance of unforgettable artistry and passion. Joined by prima ballerina Ana Laguna, the program features two U.S. premieres of dances by Alexei Ratmansky and Benjamin Millepied.

“The Broad Stage is a place where emerging artists may play large, and established artists may play small,” explains Dustin Hoffman, Chair, Artistic Advisory Committee, “where exploration of the edge is encouraged and supported, and the community experiences art outside the rails of commerciality.”

“Our mission is to bring established and emerging performing artists from all over the world and give them the freedom to do what they do best,” adds Dale Franzen. “The artists have responded brilliantly! For 2009-2010, our second season, we’ve added Theater, Jazz, Opera, World Music, and Broadway series and greatly increased the number of performances on both our stages from 40 to 81. There’s excitement surrounding our sophomore season, with opening night and open-air parties, free community concerts and legendary artists stepping out in ways we rarely, if ever, see. On top of that, we’ve got a free parking lot, ticket prices as low as $20 and ocean breezes,” says Franzen.