Former President George W. Bush will speak at the Saban Theatre on April 19. (photo courtesy of DSS)

Already well established as Southern California’s largest and oldest speaker series, the Distinguished Speaker Series of the Westside has again lined up some of the world’s most influential and captivating presenters for the upcoming 2019-2020 season at the Saban Theatre. With the fifth season running from October 2019 to May 2020, on six different evenings, the Distinguished Speaker Series continues a tradition of bringing fun, bipartisan, intellectual entertainment to Beverly Hills.

“The series was created with curious, smart, open-minded people in mind. Our audience is made up of friends, neighbors, and community and business leaders who like to be entertained in a unique and compelling way,” said Kathy Winterhalder, series co-founder.

Accomplished actors and activists Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin will kick-off the series together for a night of hilarity, witty observations and thoughtful conversation on Oct. 20.

The Rev. Gregory Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries, will share decades of hard-earned wisdom and rejoice in shared humanity on Nov.17.

In 2020, award-winning broadcast journalist Anderson Cooper will appear on Jan. 26.  Neuroscientist, primatologist and best-selling author Robert Sapolsky will distill stories and use humor to help us understand the science of the brain and why people do the things they do on Feb. 16.

Former President George W. Bush will take the stage on April 19, and the series will conclude with Dan Buettner, explorer and best-selling author of “The Blue Zones,” who will take the audience on an epic visual journey around the world unlocking the key to happiness and a long productive life on May 17.

The Distinguished Speaker Series events will begin at 7 p.m. at the Saban Theatre, and the audience will have the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with each speaker, as each event concludes with a moderated question-and-answer session.

The series is open to the public in subscription packages only ranging from $280 to $510 each.  Individual speaker tickets are not available.

The Saban Theatre is located at 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. For information or subscriptions, visit speakersla.com, or call (310)546-6222.