SLO PAC’s new season features Broadway shows, legendary music acts and more

Sarah Linn
·3 min read
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Blues guitarist Taj Mahal, jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin and humorist David Sedaris are among the entertainment icons lined up to perform at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo this season as part of a schedule that includes three Broadway shows.

Cal Poly Arts announced the schedule for its 2023-24 season in a news release Thursday.

Highlights include concerts by a number of legendary music acts — ranging from pop rock pianist Bruce Hornsby to choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo to Tijuana Brass bandleader Herb Albert and his wife, Brasil ’66 lead singer Lani Hall.

For fans of musical theater, there are performances of Broadway favorites “Chicago,” “Mean Girls” and “Come From Away.” Also taking the stage is popular percussion performance group Stomp.

Dance fans can look forward to performances by Bodytraffic, Trinity Irish Dance Company and Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles. The latter group is collaborating with Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar in “Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular.”

Several of the acts blend genres — such as Lightwire Theater, whose glow-in-the-dark adventures combine puppetry, technology and dance.

The Queen’s Cartoonists accompanies cartoons live with jazz and classical music, while Shaolin Jazz scores martial arts and action films with hip hop, soul and funk spun by live DJs.

Younger theatergoers are the target audience for “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood LIVE!: King for a Day,” based on the popular PBS Kids television series.

Daniel Tiger isn’t the only TV star taking the stage.

“Glee” standout Jane Lynch joins “The Office” cast member Kate Flannery and others for “A Swingin’ Little Christmas,” a show that’s advertised as “one part cabaret, one part comedy, and one heaping helping of Christmas kitsch.”

Tickets for individual shows at the PAC go on sale Aug. 7.

For more information, call 805-756-4849 or go to calpolyarts.org the Cal Poly Ticket Office at 805-756-4849 or

You can also visit the the Cal Poly Ticket Office in person at 1 Grand Ave. in San Luis Obispo. It’s open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, through Sept. 1.

Bobby McFerrin performs during the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the New Orleans Fairgrounds Racetrack in New Orleans, Saturday, May 3, 2008. The vocalist will perform at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo on Oct. 4, 2023.
Bobby McFerrin performs during the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the New Orleans Fairgrounds Racetrack in New Orleans, Saturday, May 3, 2008. The vocalist will perform at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo on Oct. 4, 2023.

Here’s the full schedule, organized by date:

  • Sept. 22: Taimane

  • Oct. 4: Bobby McFerrin

  • Oct. 10: Dreamers’ Circus

  • Oct. 18: Bodytraffic

  • Oct. 22: Lupita Infante

  • Oct. 26: Phantom of the Organ with Raul Prieto Ramirez

  • Nov. 16: An Evening with David Sedaris

  • Nov. 28: Flor de Toloache

  • Dec. 6: Matthew Whitaker

  • Dec. 13: Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular

  • Dec. 17: Jane Lynch: A Swingin’ Little Christmas

  • Jan. 19, 2024: Turtle Island Quartet

  • Jan. 31, 2024: Herb Alpert and Lani Hall

  • Feb. 7, 2024: Marquis Hill

  • Feb. 8, 2024: Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live: King for a Day!

  • Feb. 9, 2024: Trinity Irish Dance Company: Jig

  • Feb. 15, 2024: Shaolin Jazz: Can I Kick it?

  • Feb. 22, 2024: “Chicago”

  • Feb. 24, 2024: Taj Mahal Quartet & Sona Jobarteh

  • Feb. 25, 2024: Lightwire Theater, “Dino-Light”

  • March 3, 2024: Stomp

  • March 8, 2024: The Queen’s Cartoonists

  • March 19, 2024: Ladysmith Black Mambazo

  • April 1, 2024: “Mean Girls”

  • April 9, 2024: Bruce Hornsby and yMusic

  • April 17, 2024: Anna Lapwood

  • April 26, 2024: Small Island Big Song

  • May 2, 2024: “Come From Away”

  • May 31, 2024: Alcee Chriss