[FAC] Musical-comedy legend Carol Channing will visit Fresno State April 13-14

[Pamela Dyer-Smith]

Musical-comedy legend Carol Channing will visit Fresno State April 13-14

Legendary musical-comedy performer Carol Channing will star in an intimate public 
performance and talk with 
students at California State University, Fresno during a visit to benefit students in the 
university’s Department 
of Theatre Arts.

Channing’s appearance at Fresno State is part of her tour of the 23 California State University 
campuses, which 
began in 2005. At each, Channing performs and shares her experiences as one of Broadway’s 
enduring stars 
and establishes a scholarship through her Dr. Carol Channing-Harry Kullijian Foundation for 
the Arts.

"We deeply appreciate the gift that someone of Carol Channing's magnitude is giving to our 
theatre arts 
students,” said Dr. Vida Samiian, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, which is 
sponsoring Channing’s 
visit with the Department of Theatre Arts.

“We know our students will benefit from hearing about her experiences and we anticipate her 
fans in the central 
San Joaquin Valley will welcome this opportunity to hear her perform in the intimate setting 
of our Arena 
Theatre," Samiian added.

She will arrive on campus April 13 and lead a master class with Fresno State and University 
High School 
students, then join in a lunch for advanced Fresno State theater students and invited guests.

On April 14, she will perform at 2 p.m. in the Arena Theatre, Speech Arts Building. A 
reception will follow in the 
Lyles Gallery.

Channing, who made her Broadway debut in 1948’s “No for an Answer,” is best known for 
two starring turns. In 
the 1950s, she famously played Lorelei Lee in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” a character 
defined by the song 
“Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” She also played matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi in 
“Hello Dolly,” which 
debuted in 1964. She received a Tony Award in 1995 for Lifetime Achievement.

Broadway’s “first lady of musical comedy” also has starred on television and in films and 
performed in concert 
around the world. In Fresno, her most recent performance was in December with the Fresno 
Philharmonic 
Orchestra.

In 2003, Channing married Modesto real estate developer Harry Kullijian, who had been her 
junior high school 
sweetheart in San Francisco 70 years earlier. The next year, she received an honorary 
doctorate from California 
State University, Stanislaus.

Tickets to the performance are $50 per person and proceeds will benefit the Carol Channing 
Theatre Arts 
Scholarship at Fresno State.

Seating is limited. Tickets may be ordered online at http://www.csufresno.edu/Theatre or by 
calling the Carol 
Channing hotline at 559.278.5109.

Pamela Dyer-Smith
Business & Promotions Manager
Theatre Arts Department
California State University, Fresno
559-278-7512
559-278-7215 - FAX
www.csufresno.edu/Theatre