Bravo! The Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts' 2007-08 season comes with a new perk for UC Davis employees: 10 percent off Level 2 and 3 ticket prices for all performances all year long.

The coming season also brings these changes:

*7 p.m. starting time for Sunday evening events, an hour earlier.

*Midprice seats on Jackson Hall's main floor, except for the Classics and Concert series.

*Online subscription ticket sales. The subscription sales period began April 25; renewals are due by June 16. Single tickets are set to go on sale Sept. 8.

*20 percent discount, up from 15 percent, for series subscriptions, and a 15 percent discount for choose-your-own subscriptions, up from 10 percent.

For UC Davis employees, their new 10 percent discount coupled with a subscription discount means that they can save up to 30 percent.

"Our hope with the new discount is to have faculty and staff feel that visiting the Mondavi Center is a central part of life at UC Davis and one of the benefits of being part of the UC Davis family," said Don Roth, who became the center's executive director last June. "We would love to see a big response to our discount offer."

And, while the discount is only for Level 2 and 3 seating — whether purchased in series subscriptions or for individual events — the seating plan change puts some Level 2 seats on the main floor for most events in Jackson Hall.

"I'm proud of the fact that we've made some changes that help to make our events more accessible," Roth said in an e-mail interview. "Bigger subscription discounts, a faculty and staff discount, online subscription sales, and our new seating plan."

Roth praised Jeremy Ganter, director of programming, and the rest of the Mondavi Center staff for bringing in "highly significant artists in every genre" for the coming season.

Some ticket prices are up for 2007-08, in part because of bigger names: violinist Itzhak Perlman, soprano Kiri Te Kanawa and anthropologist Jane Goodall, for example.

But, in some cases, the new employee discount will more than cover the increased ticket prices.

For example, consider the Classics Series — the Mondavi Center's most expensive. An adult subscription at Level 2 for the five-show series in 2007-08 is priced at $271, up from this season's $259, for an increase of 4.6 percent. Therefore, an employee will come out ahead with the new 10 percent discount.

Another example is the Improvisations jazz series: For this season's four shows, the Mondavi Center is charging $36.75 on average for a midpriced seat for an adult. In the new season, the average price for the same ticket is $39.40, for an increase of about 7.2 percent.

Ticket prices for Studio Jazz concerts remain unchanged at $36 for adults.

Prices for Global Beat offerings, the biggest segment of the Mondavi Center's season, are almost unchanged: $36.50 on average for a midpriced seat for an adult. The employee discount lowers the average to less than $33.

New in the coming season is a Global Beat subscription discount of 20 percent for these five shows: Mariza, Tango Buenos Aires, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Peru Negro and Anoushka Shankar. People can add on other shows among nine other 14 Global Beat events, and those add-on tickets will come at a 15 percent discount.

In previous seasons, the only way to buy a Global Beat subscription was by choosing your own five shows, for a 10 percent discount. You can still do that — only this coming season you will get a 15 percent discount.

In fact, all choose-your-own series are being sold at a 15 percent discount for the coming season. The employee discount boosts your savings to 25 percent.

The Mondavi Center already sells tickets at half-price to students and children, and that discount will continue in the coming season, according to Joe Martin, the center's public relations manager.

New for 2007-08 is the Creativity Project, described as a way to strengthen the Mondavi Center's connection to the university's academic mission. The project invites students and others in the community to explore how music and dance works take shape, from idea to stage or concert hall.

"We have some amazing faculty members here, and it only makes sense for us to find ways to work with them and to more fully integrate the arts into the intellectual life of our campus," Roth said.

The Sideshow Physical Theatre and Empyrean Ensemble, two of the groups involved in the Creativity Project, are led by faculty members. "They'll also be participating in an ongoing series of discussions about the creative process that will also include people like (choreographer) Merce Cunningham and the Kronos Quartet," Roth said.

"We hope this becomes an enlightening examination of how creativity happens, not only in the arts but all across campus."

Martin said the Creativity Project's "discussions" will not necessarily be traditional discussions, but also may include blogs, or online Web logs. The project also is due to include podcasts and other media, such as a Nelson Gallery exhibit by artist Leonard Drew, who collaborates with Cunningham and is known for large-scale sculptural installations.