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LULING — The Dr. Rodney R. Lafon Performing Arts Center, which opened in the fall of 2018, is gearing up for their 2022 season of shows.

Willma Harvey, director of sales and business development for the River Parishes Tourist Commission, encourages community members to purchase tickets.

“The community should look forward to the 2022 Season Shows at the Lafon Performing Arts Center,” Harvey said. “Season tickets are on sale beginning August 8 at noon and can be purchased on the Lafon Performing Arts Center’s website.”

The 2022 season of shows begins in October, beginning on Oct. 1 with a celebration of Judy Garland’s career on the year of her 100th birthday, performed by Garland’s daughter, Lorna Luft.

On Oct. 21, the Lafon Performing Arts Center will showcase “R.E.S.P.E.C.T,” a tribute to Aretha Franklin.

According to the Lafon Performing Arts Center’s website, “the elevated concert experience brings a community together with timeless music that speaks to the complicated human condition, honoring the impassioned and transcendent music of one of America’s most beloved singer-songwriters.”

From Dec. 17 to Dec. 18, River Region Ballet, Inc. will be in the Lafon Performing Arts Center for their annual performance of “The Nutcracker,” which will be performed with a live orchestra this year.

To kick off 2023, Voctave, an 11-member acapella group, will be performing on March 3.

On Saturday, April 1, Step Afrika! will take the stage.

According to the website, “Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities; traditional African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience.”

Finally, to close out the 2022 season, the Lafon Performing Arts Center will showcase BritBeat, a “multimedia concert journey through Beatles music history.”

The BritBeat performance will take place on Saturday, May 13.

For more information on the acts coming to the Lafon Performing Arts Center in the 2022 season, visit https://lafonartscenter.org/season-shows/.