National Geographic Live’s “Coral Kingdoms and Empires of Ice” Comes to Auditorium Theatre

On Sunday, April 30 at 2 p.m., Auditorium Theatre will present National Geographic Live’s “Coral Kingdom and Empires of Ice” with photographic team David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes. Vice President of Conservation Research at Chicago’s own Shedd Aquarium, Dr. Chuck Knapp, will introduce the speakers and host a Q&A providing audience members the valuable opportunity to talk directly with Doubilet and Hayes.

David Doubilet is one of the most prolific living photographers at National Geographic magazine and jokes that he’s spent more of his waking hours underwater than on dry land. His wife Jennifer Hayes is an aquatic biologist and a globally published photojournalist. Together, they explore hidden underwater universes. Audiences will be treated to a visual journey of their National Geographic assignments to three unique marine environments.

Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, is a corner of the coral triangle that also includes the Philippines and Indonesia- and the center of the world in terms of marine biodiversity. It is home to an unspoiled wilderness of water crowded with layers of life: from fingernail-sized pygmy seahorses to 60-foot-tall towers of barracudas. Further south, in the cold ice filled waters of Antarctica, the team moves through and under the ice to capture images of the hidden world of the leopard seal, penguins, shipwrecks, as well as the sculptural beauty of icebergs. Finally, Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence, an extraordinary world of whales, wolfish, salmon- and the harp seal, a remarkable creature fighting to survive in a world of shrinking ice.

Doubilet and Hayes go beyond the published stories as they share never-before-seen images from their assignments. Audiences will discover the reality of life behind the camera- from parasites to harp seal bites- as they share their adventures working to get the best shot.

“We are thrilled to welcome David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes to the Auditorium Theatre for the final National Geographic Live program of the 2022-23 season,” said Auditorium Theatre CEO Rich Regan. “We are honored to partner with our neighbors at the Shedd Aquarium to bring a unique local perspective to this global photographic journey.”

National Geographic Live is a series of engaging, one-of-a-kind presentations featuring expert speakers and explorers at events happening throughout the United States and Canada. National Geographic’s broad roster of talent, including renowned photographers, scientists, authors, filmmakers, and adventurers, share their behind-the-scenes stories from the front lines of exploration alongside stunning imagery and gripping footage.
National Geographic Live’s “Coral Kingdoms and Empires of Ice” takes place at the Auditorium Theatre Sunday April 30, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets, priced at  $25 and $48,  are now available at auditoriumtheatre.org or by calling 312.341.2300, or at the Box Office at 50 E Ida B Wells Drive in Chicago, Illinois.