High Point Theatre Announces Date for Inaugural “High Point Has Talent” Competition

Finalists set to perform on October 8 for People’s Choice Award, cash prizes!

"High Point - The Stage is set for the first ever High Point Has Talent event on Oct. 8, 2016. The twenty-five performers selected as finalists after an extensive audition process come from all walks of life, with an age range from 12 years old to mid-70’s. Performances will get underway at 7:00 PM!

High Point Has Talent will feature performances by singers, dancers, stand-up comics, musicians, and singer/songwriters, with music ranging from classical, to patriotic, to hip hop/R&B. An amazing group of performers will be putting their skills on display for the public to see with an opportunity to win cash prizes, and to be seen by regional talent buyers and agents for a shot at advancing their performing career!

Contestants will have an opportunity to win one of four prizes: $500 for first, $250 for second, $100 for third and a special “People’s Choice” award.

HPHT is a new fundraising event for the Friends of the High Point Theatre, the non-profit volunteer arm of the High Point Theatre. This event will replace the long standing Cabaret, which was a City of High Point owned staple of the Friends for 27 years.  David Briggs, Director of High Point Theatre noted “The Cabaret event was very popular, but the Friends decided that they needed to broaden the horizons, bring a new type of show, and create a special event that will be enjoyed by many more people.” Leslie Graham, a Friend and Volunteer at the theatre said, “This is an exciting way to help create our audience for the amazing talent found in our area.”

 

Tickets for High Point Has Talent are $15, tax included, available through the High Point Theatre Box Office, in person or by calling (336) 887-3001 during regular business hours (Mon-Fri, noon-5PM).  Tickets may also be purchased on-line by visiting www.highpointtheatre.com. Online tickets are subject to a convenience fee. Visit the ‘official’ High Point Theatre website in order to avoid ticket re-sellers.

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About High Point Theatre                                                                                                                                                                     

Owned and operated by the City of High Point, the High Point Theatre is conveniently located within

the International Home Furnishings Center at the corner of Commerce Avenue and Hamilton Street

in High Point. The Theatre features an elegant 965-seat auditorium with continental style seating,

three exhibition galleries for meetings, display, or receptions, and free parking."

- A Press Release

An Evening of Sidesplitting Silliness Guaranteed with “Hemi Guy” Jon Reep and “Keep It Real Girl” MollyAnn Wymer

Reep and Wymer set to take the stage at the

High Point Theatre on Friday, September 23

"High Point, North Carolina – A native of nearby Hickory, North Carolina, Jon Reep has never forgotten his roots. In fact, they’re one of his main sources of material. His unique blend of cleverly crafted characters and witty writing makes him a hit in comedy clubs around the country. MollyAnn Wymer has become an internet sensation with her video clips on “Drama-mine” and “Protection Guns.” An evening of laughter, enlightenment and just plain silliness will ensue when the pair takes the High Point Theatre stage on Fri., Sept. 23. Show starts at 8 PM.

A 1997 graduate of NC State, Reep’s talents earned him a win in season five of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” nationwide fame as the Dodge Ram “Hemi Guy,” numerous appearances at Comedy and Arts Festivals, and on cable channel stand-up shows including TBS' “Pit Stop Comedy”, NBC's “Late Friday”, CMT's “Comedy Club” and “Comedy Stage”, Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend” or his own half-hour special, “Comedy Central Presents: Jon Reep.” Reep has built a gut-busting routine out of the comedic contradictions between his small-town upbringing and his current life in Los Angeles, California; memories of cruising in his brother’s 1985 IROC Z-28 Camaro; the people you’ll meet at the county fair; and a host of other fun takes on American life.

Since creating her first video in June 2014, Wymer, a preacher's daughter and single mother of five children from Greensboro, North Carolina, has become a viral sensation on social media, where her "dumb blond" humor addresses everything from Krispy Kreme donuts to gun control. With 120,000 Facebook followers and five of her 20 YouTube videos hitting more than 22 million views, Wymer says she is amazed that about 70 percent of her fans just don't understand that her "hick from the sticks" persona is all an act.

“We are so fortunate to be able to bring these two talented North Carolina natives to the Theatre for an evening of sidesplitting hijinks,” says High Point Theatre Director David Briggs. “With Jon’s zany characters and MollyAnn’s fresh and sassy approach to comedy, the audience will never forget this laugh-out-loud entertainment experience.” Tickets are $30-$45, available online at www.highpointtheatre.com or through the Theatre box office by calling (336) 887-3001. 

About High Point Theatre

Owned and operated by the City of High Point, the High Point Theatre is conveniently located within

the International Home Furnishings Center at the corner of Commerce Avenue and Hamilton Street

in High Point. The Theatre features an elegant 965-seat auditorium with continental style seating,

three exhibition galleries for meetings, displays, and receptions, and free parking."

- A Press Release

Grammy Award Winning Sweet Honey in the Rock Set to Perform at High Point Theatre

An Evening of Song, Enlightenment and Empowerment scheduled for Saturday, May 14

"High Point, North Carolina – Rooted in a deeply held commitment to create music out of the rich textures of African-American legacy and traditions, Sweet Honey in The Rock has diligently set out to educate, entertain, and empower its audience and community, now well into its fourth decade. On Saturday, May 14, the Grammy Award winning ensemble will share its stunning vocal prowess with Triad residents when it comes to the High Point Theatre for a single live performance. Concert will get underway at 8:00 pm.

Formed as a quartet in 1973 at a workshop at the D.C. Black Repertory Theatre Company in Washington, the founding members - Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, and Mie - drew their name from the first song they learned, “Sweet Honey in the Rock,” based on a Biblical psalm. “Sweet Honey speaks of a land that is so rich when you break the rocks open, honey flows. And we thought it was something like us African-American women . . . strong like a rock, but inside [there’s] honey – sweet,” explains Robinson.

With current members – Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, Aisha Kahlil, Nitanju Bolade Casel, and Shirley Childress – Sweet Honey captures the complex sounds of blues, spirituals, traditional gospel hymns, reggae, African chants, ancient lullabies, and jazz improvisation, often accompanied by hand percussion instruments, producing a sound filled with soulful harmonies and intricate rhythms. The group educates, entertains and empowers its audience and community through the dynamic vehicles of a cappella singing and American Sign Language interpretation, preserving and extending the traditions of African American vocal music while inspiring others to find and use their individual and collective voice to address the critical issues of our time.

The ever-growing list of Sweet Honey’s musical and activist achievements since its creation is stunning. The group has appeared at various festivals in the US and Canada, including the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife at the National Mall in Washington. After the 1976 release of its first album, the group expanded its touring and, in of 2011, joined other muse musicians (Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills & Nash, et al) in a benefit concert for disaster relief efforts in Japan. The ladies have performed in Nairobi and Beijing at the U.N. World Conference on Women, toured extensively at home and abroad, and been the subject of two PBS documentaries “Gotta Make This Journey” and “Sweet Honey In The Rock®: Raise Your Voice.” They have recorded film soundtracks, received Grammy nominations for several of their albums for children, shared a Grammy Award for their participation in a multi-artist tribute record to Woody Guthrie, appeared in a PBS special on the first national observance of Martin Luther King Day and performed at the unveiling ceremonies for the monument for Dr. King on the National Mall, provided the lyrics for composer William Banfield in their first orchestral collaboration, and co-wrote, co-recorded and released (on their own label) a thought-provoking single and video, “Are We a Nation,” resulting in a Gold Songwriter Award from the 27^th Mid-Atlantic Song Contest.

“It’s an honor to present this Grammy Award winning ensemble to our patrons this season,” says High Point Theatre Director David Briggs. “Sweet Honey delivers a fabulous entertainment experience with bonus educational factor!” Tickets are $35-$45, available at the box office by calling (336) 887-3001 and online at www.highpointtheatre.com."

- A Press Release

Multi-Grammy Award Winning Band BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet to Bring Special Blend of Cajun Music to the Triad

Traditional meets musical innovation in sampler of group's varied musical offerings, 

Fri., Feb. 26

"High Point, NC – Multi-Grammy award winning band, BeauSoleil avec  Michael Doucet, has a deep connection with, and dedication to, the music of the sacred French-Cajun culture. With a distinctive sound derived from the distilled spirits of traditional Creole, New Orleans’ jazz, blues, rock, folk, swamp pop, Zydeco, country and bluegrass, Triad listeners can expect a raucous good time when the band hits the stage at the High Point Theatre on Fri., Feb. 26, at 8 pm.

Since the band’s inception in 1975, this Lafayette-based group - brothers Michael Doucet (fiddle, vocals) and David Doucet (guitar, vocals), Billy Ware (percussion), Tommy Alesi (percussion), and Mitchell Reed (bass, fiddle) - has played a vital role in the revival of Cajun and Southern Louisiana-Creole culture through its music. In 1998, BeauSoleil became the first Cajun band to earn a Grammy Award when "L'amour ou la Folie" clinched the Traditional Folk Album title, earning a second Grammy in 2010 with its live New Orleans Jazz Fest album.

Born out of the rich Acadian ancestry of its members, and driven by Michael Doucet’s mesmerizing fiddle playing and expressive, soulful vocals, the band’s unique blend of musical innovation and tradition is reflective of Doucet’s own intuition and past experiences. He credits his apprenticeships with Dennis McGee, a Cajun fiddler heavily influenced by French musical traditions, and Canray Fontenot, a Creole musician who integrated elements of Afro-Caribbean culture, as especially influential. Doucet also found musical traditions to be dynamic rather than static; accepting and embracing that folk music had actually absorbed multiple influences over the centuries and, furthermore, believing it must continue to do so, in order to remain relevant.

While BeauSoleil’s repertoire includes traditional Louisiana-Cajun folk and Zydeco, concert goers can expect to hear music as varied as sedate waltzes, no-holds-barred two-steps, propulsive reels, and western swing-infused swamp pop. From The Grand Ole Opry to Newport Folk to the set of the hit HBO series Treme, and from concert hall to dance floor, the music of BeauSoleil continues to captivate audiences the world over.

“Our season would not be complete without a salute to Mardi Gras and a re-visit to this rich and fun-filled Southern Louisiana culture,” says High Point Theatre Director David Briggs. “Notorious for bringing even the most reserved audiences to their feet, chances are the audience at this show won’t remain sitting for very long!” Tickets are $25-$30, available online at www.highpointtheatre.com or by calling (336) 887-3001."

- A Press Release