This summer, as Philadelphia prepares to take center stage for the nation\u2019s 250th birthday, one of the city\u2019s most beloved cultural institutions will be celebrating an anniversary of its own with a major glow-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the Highmark Mann wanted to remain a premier destination for the performing arts on the East Coast, we needed to invest both in the artist experience as well as the guest experience,\u201d says Cahill, who, in April, clutched a hardhat while doing an interview with construction crews surrounding her. \u201cWe have to carry the responsibility of artistic excellence forward, into the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, what will look different compared to the last time you were at the Mann? For starters, no more 50-deep lines outside the women\u2019s bathroom. Hopefully. The lower plaza, right past ticketing, has been expanded four-fold, including the addition of restrooms (three times the number of toilets!), flower gardens, and a \u201cHall of Fame\u201d multimedia visitor center where patrons can play games and explore the venue\u2019s storied history. Merchandise and concession lines will no longer run into one another, organizers say. And there will be ample room for private events.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most noticeable \u2014 and for some Mann purists, controversial \u2014 change is one reminiscent of Times Square: a 4,600-square-foot LED screen now looms over the lower plaza, custom-made for the trapezoidal shape of the facade. There won\u2019t be advertisements or commercials displayed, though. In order to get the project approved by the City Art Commission, the Mann agreed to limit the gigantic screen to \u201cdigital murals and storytelling,\u201d says General Manager Evan Rogers.<\/p>\n
For an institution that has welcomed generations of concertgoers beneath the stars, the lineup this summer is intended to reflect that history. The 50 performances this season span classical music, ballet, rock, pop, jazz, and community programming \u2014 including the return of the outdoor movie series, featuring screenings of Star Wars and The Lion King.<\/p>\n
In addition, to commemorate the milestone, the Mann also released a retrospective book<\/a> and a flashy website<\/a> featuring testimonials from artists who\u2019ve performed on stage over the years, describing what makes the Mann so special, and so meaningful to them. Among them, Philadelphia Orchestra music director Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin, who describes the Mann as a vital \u201csummer home\u201d for the ensemble for the last 50 years, and in particular today.<\/p>\n \u201cA venue like the Mann Center is exactly what music needs in the summer, because music and nature go hand-in-hand,\u201d says N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin in a video.<\/a> \u201cIt\u2019s so close to the city and yet you feel miles away. The trees are so beautiful. You hear all the crickets. It\u2019s special.\u201d<\/p>\n Below, a photo collection of the Mann over the years.<\/p>\n A rendering of the Mann Plaza from the air <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Directly below the iconic stage of the Highmark Mann Center lies a windowless venue that concertgoers don\u2019t see.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2847,7865,69,71,70,95018],"class_list":["post-217334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-fairmount-park","tag-music","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news","tag-photo-essays"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a>Detail from a 1976 promotional brochure for the new Robin Hood Dell West.\u00a0
<\/a>View from the lawn area of the new Robin Hood Dell West in 1976, showing the balcony wall facing the outside seats that created a visual barrier between the covered and outside seating areas.\u00a0
<\/a>Brochure for the 1980 Philadelphia Orchestra summer season at the Mann.\u00a0
<\/a>Promotional materials from the late 1990s.
<\/a>Joseph Conyers, Philadelphia Orchestra principal bass and education and community ambassador, conduct a session of the All City Orchestra Summer Academy at the Mann in 2019.\u00a0
<\/a>The Philadelphia Orchestra performs the score to a screening of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer\u2019s Stone in 2016.\u00a0
<\/a>2019 Roots Picnic Poster, the first year the picnic was held at the Mann.
<\/a>Phish performs at the mann on July 20, 2022. The group is a longtime Mann favorite, having played at the venue since 1992.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
MORE MUSIC IN PHILLY<\/p>\n