TRIAD STAGE OPENS 16TH SEASON WITH ARMS AND THE MAN

"(Greensboro, NC) — Triad Stage is kicking off its 16^th season of producing professional theater on a lighter note, by asking the question “is all fair in love and war?” Somewhere far from anywhere, a young woman obsessed with romance novels longs for adventure, while just outside of town her fiancé is the hero of a raging war. But when the battle crashes through her bedroom window in the form of a retreating enemy soldier taking refuge under her bed, everything heroic gets turned upside down. In no time at all, her boudoir becomes a battlefield for two rival suitors. Arms and the Man runs Sept. 11 – Oct. 2, 2016. Opening Night is Fri., Sept. 16.

About the production

The creative team includes: director Preston Lane, scenic designer Howard C. Jones, costume designer Bill Brewer, lighting designer Norman Coates, and sound designer Palmer Hefferan. The dramaturg is Bryan Conger, Denise Gabriel is the movement coach, Christine Morris is the vocal coach, Jim Wren is the fight choreographer, Cindi Rush is the casting director, and the stage manager is Emily J. Mails.

The Cast

The cast includes some familiar faces at Triad Stage: Mark Boyett (Triad Stage: Masquerade, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Debunked, The Turn of the Screw), Beth Ritson (Triad Stage credits include Radiunt Abundunt, A Christmas Carol (2013-2015), and All’s Well that Ends Well), and Lee Spencer (Triad Stage credits include A Christmas Carol (2015), Reverse Psychology, and Trouble In Mind). Newcomers to Triad Stage in this production are Blair Busbee, Donovan Wayne Christie Jr, and Jose Joaquin Perez. UNCG alum Caity Brewer and current BFA Daniel Jenkins are also making their Triad Stage debuts.

More information on the production can be found online at www.triadstage.org.

Performance and special event information

All performances are at Triad Stage at The Pyrle Theater, located at 232 South Elm Street in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina (between Market and Washington Streets).

Show times for Arms and the Man are 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings and 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday matinees are at 2:00 p.m. There are no matinee performances during previews.

Opening Night is Friday, September 16 at 8:00 p.m. Pay-What-You-Can performances are Tuesday, September  20, and Wednesday, September 21, at 7:30 p.m. Wine Tasting Friday is Friday, September 23, prior to the evening’s 8:00 p.m. performance.

Technically Talking, a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the design team is Tuesday, September 13, immediately following the 7:30 p.m. preview performance.

The InSight Series with a noted expert who will be discussing the world of the play will be held on Sunday, September 18, immediately following the 2:00 p.m. matinee performance.

PostScript, a lively, open discussion with the cast, will be held on Thursday, September 22, immediately following the 7:30 p.m. performance.

About Triad Stage

Triad Stage is a professional not-for-profit regional theater company based in Greensboro’s downtown historic district. All Triad Stage productions are created in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina using the best of local and national talent. Triad Stage gratefully acknowledges the support of its Season Sponsors: Blue Zoom, the North Carolina Arts Council, ArtsGreensboro and The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

Season passes and single tickets are currently on sale for the 16^th Season. For more information about the 16^th Season, please visit www.triadstage.org. The next production will be The Mystery of Irma Vep (October 5 – 16, 2016) at the Hanesbrands Theatre in Winston-Salem.

All Triad Stage productions feature the bold acting and breathtaking design that have been nationally recognized by The Wall Street Journal and by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards^®, which named Triad Stage one of the top ten most promising theatres in the country as a recipient of the 2010 National Theatre Company Grant. Triad Stage has also earned accolades including “Best North Carolina Production of 2010” for The Glass Menagerie by Triangle Arts & Entertainment magazine; “One of the Best Regional Theatres in America”, New York’s Drama League; “Best Live Theater” (nine years running), Go Triad/News & Record and The Rhinoceros Times; and “Professional Theater of the Year” (2003, 2011), North Carolina Theatre Conference. 

To purchase tickets or for performance information on Arms and the Man, call the Triad Stage Box Office at 336.272.0160 or visit www.triadstage.org."

- A Press Release

South African Theatre Company Brings Intimate O’Neil Play to Triad Stage

"UNCG and Triad Stage bring multi-racial reboot of Eugene O’Neil play Desire Under the Elms September 28 – October 1

(Greensboro, N.C.—Sept. 1, 2016) Triad Stage and UNC-Greensboro’s College of Visual and Performing Arts is proud to be presenting Cape Town-based theatre company Abrahamse-Meyer Productions and their production of Eugene O’Neil’s Desire Under The Elms at Triad Stage’s UpStage Cabaret, directed by Fred Abrahamse.

The production is brought to North Carolina following its performance at the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival in September. The Festival is a co-producer of this presentation with the College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean’s Discretionary Creative Activity Fund, the UNCG IPC Kohler Fund, Triad Stage, and the O. Henry Hotel.

UNCG Theatre Professor Denise Gabriel has been producing the event. In 2014 Gabriel was invited to attend the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival where she was deeply moved by their production of Yukio Mishima’s The Lady Aoi. This led to discussions with Literary Director Thomas Keith and Artistic Director David Kaplan in which Gabriel ignited the possibility of bringing the company to Greensboro.

With the vision of establishing an ongoing visitation of international artists to perform in Greensboro yearly, Triad Stage Artistic Director Preston Lane enthusiastically supported this endeavor to be part of Triad Stage and UNCG’s mission for sharing global artistry across communities. This productions follows last year’s production of Welsh artist Robbie Bowen’s solo show Diary of a Madman. 

“I’m thrilled that Triad Stage can be a home to innovative and groundbreaking international theater productions,” said Triad Stage Founding Artistic Director Preston Lane. “Great theater captures the essence of the culture that produces it, becoming a window into a different place. I’m eager to share this extraordinary Eugene O’Neill drama re-envisioned by the acclaimed Abrahamse-Meyer Productions with our Triad audiences.”

About the Show

In Desire Under the Elms, O’Neill explores the plots and themes of Greek tragedy, reimagining classical characters as inhabitants of rural New England farmland. The play was inspired by the tragic love triangle in Hippolytus by Euripides, in which Phaedra, the wife of the Athenian king Theseus, falls in love with and attempts to seduce his son Hippolytus. The play premiered in 1924 at the Provincetown Playhouse in New York City. A film version, starring Sophia Loren, was produced in 1958.

This Abrahamse version has been hailed as “inescapably thought-provoking and extremely enjoyable.” Their presentation of Desire Under the Elms will mark the third Abrahamse-Meyers Production featured on the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival season.

Abrahamse-Meyer Productions is a theatre company founded in 2006 by Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer, this is one of a few independent classical theatre companies in South Africa. The small company built up an excellent international reputation, particularly through their innovative productions of the Shakespeare plays.

Their diverse productions include The Tragedy of Richard III (2010), Shakespeare's R&J (2011), A Midsummer Night's Dream (2012) including the South African premières of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, and Tennessee Williams's The Kingdom of Earth (2012 and 2013) and The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, (both in conjunction with Artscape, 2013), as well as a revival of Noël Coward’s Private Lives. The South African premiere of Desire Under the Elms was at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown and the Baxter Theatre, Cape Town.

Desire Under the Elms will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on September 28 - 29, 8pm September 30, and 2pm, 8pm on October 1 in the UpStage Cabaret at Triad Stage (232 Elm Street). Tickets are currently available through the UNCG or Triad Stage box office. For more information, call the Triad Stage box office at (336) 272-0160 or visit www.triadstage.org.

About Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival

The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival presents the works of Tennessee Williams, often world premieres, in plays, film, dance, live music, and performance art. We have presented shows from around the world and from different parts of America. We also present new works inspired by Williams.

About Triad Stage

Triad Stage is a professional not-for-profit regional theater company based in Greensboro’s downtown historic district. All Triad Stage productions are created in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina using the best of local and national talent. Triad Stage gratefully acknowledges the support of its Season Sponsors: Blue Zoom, the North Carolina Arts Council, ArtsGreensboro and The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County."

- A Press Release

TRIAD STAGE PRESENTS A WORLD PREMIERE ADAPTATION OF DON JUAN

Pictured: Dierdre Friel, Mickey Solis and Jamison Stern. Photo by VanderVeen Photographers.

Preston Lane’s adaptation of Moliere’s comedy

heats up Greensboro June 5 - 26, 2016

"(Greensboro, NC) — Triad Stage is ending its 15^th season of producing professional theater with a sizzling new comedy. Three of the funniest actors from Triad Stage’s first fifteen seasons return to go wild with Moliere’s wicked comedy of love and lust. A planned production of Don Juan threatens to go off the rails when the rest of the cast doesn’t pull their weight, but the play goes on thanks to the Herculean and hilarious efforts of three Triad Stage all-stars to bring the show about the world’s greatest romancer to uproarious life. Don Juan runs June 5 - 26, 2016. Opening Night is Friday, June 10.

About the production

“Moliere was a comic genius, and his plays keep us laughing from start to finish,” says Preston Lane, Founding Artistic Director and the director and adapter of Don Juan. “But behind the laughter is a sharp, satirical comment on hypocrisy that is as pertinent today as it was when written. In this increasingly strange election year, we need more laughter. I'm thrilled to be collaborating with some of the funniest actors I know to look for ways to surprise and delight audiences.”

“Don Juan has always been one of my favorite Moliere comedies. Its main character is drawn from classical literature but the folks around him are lifted from the touring street theaters. Its structure is much more rough-and-tumble than neoclassical. There's more sitcom and less comedy of manners at work in this very sinful comedy.”

The creative team includes: scenic designer Howard C. Jones, costume designer Miwa Ishii, lighting designer Kristen Geisler, and sound designer Gabriel Clausen. The dramaturg is Bryan Conger, Denise Gabriel is the movement coach, Christine Morris is the vocal coach, Jim Wren is the fight choreographer, Cindi Rush is the casting director, and the stage manager is Emily J. Mails.

The Cast

The cast includes three returning audience-favorite performers: Mickey Solis (Triad Stage: Wait Until Dark, The Illusion), Dierdre Friel (Triad Stage: Tennessee Playboy, Masquerade, Doubt), and Jamison Stern (Triad Stage: Snow Queen, Around the World in 80 Days). Also listed as appearing in this production are Ali Bieg, Reena Montala, Emery Deen Moon, E. Milton Roe, and Jake Whigboat.

More information on the production can be found online at www.triadstage.org.

Performance and special event information

All performances are at Triad Stage at The Pyrle Theater, located at 232 South Elm Street in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina (between Market and Washington Streets).

Show times for Don Juan are 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings and 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday matinees are at 2:00 p.m. There are no matinee performances during previews.

Opening Night, sponsored by Cone Health, is Friday, June 10 at 8:00 p.m. Pay-What-You-Can performances are Tuesday, June 14, and Wednesday, June 15, at 7:30 p.m. Wine Tasting Friday, sponsored by Bernard Robinson and Company, is Friday, June 17, prior to the evening’s 8:00 p.m. performance.

Technically Talking, a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the design team is Tuesday, June 7, immediately following the 7:30 p.m. preview performance.

The InSight Series, the free humanities program sponsored by Pennybyrn at Maryfield, with a noted expert who will be discussing the world of the play will be held on Sunday, April 17, immediately following the 2:00 p.m. matinee performance.

PostScript, a lively, open discussion with the cast, will be held on Thursday, June 16, immediately following the 7:30 p.m. performance. The PostScript series is sponsored by Clifford Clendenin & O’Hale, LLP.

About Triad Stage

Triad Stage is a professional not-for-profit regional theater company based in Greensboro’s downtown historic district. All Triad Stage productions are created in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina using the best of local and national talent. Triad Stage gratefully acknowledges the support of its Season Sponsors: Blue Zoom, the North Carolina Arts Council, ArtsGreensboro and The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

Triad Stage’s 16^th Anniversary Season has been announced! Season passes are currently on sale. For more information about the 16^th Season, please visit www.triadstage.org/seasonpreview.

All Triad Stage productions feature the bold acting and breathtaking design that have been nationally recognized by The Wall Street Journal and by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards^®, which named Triad Stage one of the top ten most promising theatres in the country as a recipient of the 2010 National Theatre Company Grant. Triad Stage has also earned accolades including “Best North Carolina Production of 2010” for The Glass Menagerie by Triangle Arts & Entertainment magazine; “One of the Best Regional Theatres in America”, New York’s Drama League; “Best Live Theater” (nine years running), Go Triad/News & Record and The Rhinoceros Times; and “Professional Theater of the Year” (2003, 2011), North Carolina Theatre Conference. 

To purchase tickets or for performance information on Don Juan, call the Triad Stage Box Office at 336.272.0160 or toll-free at 866.579.TIXX (8499), or visit www.triadstage.org."

- A Press Release

###

Triad Stage Launches $500,000 Fundraising Effort and Takes Proactive Steps to Address Challenges

"Greensboro, N.C. – In advance of announcing the professional theater’s 16^th Season on Monday, February 29, Triad Stage today announced a $500,000 fundraising initiative and changes to its business model designed to address current and future challenges.  The proactive changes include moving to a seasonal model of programming, reducing operating costs by 21%, deepening partnerships and properly capitalizing the theater for the future.

“In the face of changing demographics, ticket buying practices, new media and a changing local arts landscape, we need to change the way we work, but not change the things we hold dear: our core values, a commitment to quality and our regional focus ,” said Founding Managing Director Richard Whittington. Theaters across the country have fought the ongoing and increasingly more severe challenges of producing quality live theater.  Regionally, this has resulted in the demise of Charlotte Repertory, Blowing Rock Stage Company and most recently NC Shakespeare Festival/Festival Stage. 

In 2012, Triad Stage successfully completed a $250,000 Challenge from the Joseph M. Bryan and Cemala Foundations that allowed the theater to pay off its outstanding debt, but didn’t enable the company to address ongoing operational challenges.

Triad Stage has since identified new avenues of revenue and support, including the successful expansion into Winston-Salem; providing regional box office services (Eastern Music Festival, Greensboro Opera, UNCG School of Music, Theatre & Dance); and developing strategic partnerships including the recently announced partnership with UNCG.  With the help of nationally recognized arts consultants TRG Arts, Triad Stage implemented new strategies in 2015 that resulted in a 34% increase in year over year gross ticket sales versus the same period in 2014.

“We’ve pursued innovative solutions that have positively impacted our operations, but we recognize the need to make systemic changes that strengthen our foundation,” said Whittington.

The new operating model seeks to position the theater as a leader in addressing the challenges facing regional theaters nationwide. It will also reduce Triad Stage’s current $2.8 million annual operating budget by 21% next year through a condensed producing calendar, lower occupancy costs and zero-based budgeting practices.  The most significant shift involves redesigning the theater’s season to fit within the nine month academic calendar, which will allow the organization to reduce costs over the summer.

For the 2016-2017 Season, Triad Stage will offer a 3-play Season Pass in Greensboro and/or Winston-Salem, with the option of adding each city’s annual holiday production at a discounted price. The theater will also offer a 6-play Triad Pass that includes programming in both cities at an even deeper discount.

As an independent, not-for-profit arts organization, Triad Stage relies on ticket sales and private support from individuals, corporations and foundations for 95% of its total revenue.  The remaining 5% comes from an annual gift of support from the NC Arts Council and special funding from the City of Greensboro.  Triad Stage is unique in that it independently owns and operates its 35,000 square foot downtown Greensboro performing space, The Pyrle Theater, and a 30,000 square foot production facility that account for almost 14% of the theater’s expenses.

In addition to the business model changes, Triad Stage is actively pursuing ways to secure the theater’s financial future.  To give the theater the runway it needs to implement the changes, the 36-member Board of Trustees launched a campaign to raise $500,000 in new or increased tax-deductible gifts of support made by June 30, 2016.  To date, the board has secured $227,000 or 45% of the fundraising goal.

“The steps we are taking now are about more than just making the numbers work,” said Founding Artistic Director Preston Lane. “It’s about unlocking possibilities, living up to our core values, celebrating creativity and ultimately setting ourselves up to grow in ways we are just beginning to explore.”

Triad Stage will announce the 2016-2017 Season in an event open to the public on Monday, February 29, @ 7:30pm at Triad Stage’s Pyrle Theater in downtown Greensboro. RSVP by email to justin@triadstage.org.

Tax-deductible donations may be made online at www.triadstage.org/support, by calling the Development department at (336) 274-0067 x201, or by mail or in person at 232 S. Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401.

ABOUT TRIAD STAGE
Triad Stage is a professional not-for-profit regional theater company based in Greensboro’s downtown historic district. All Triad Stage productions are created in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina using the best of local and national talent. Triad Stage gratefully acknowledges the support of its Season Sponsors: Blue Zoom, the North Carolina Arts Council, Arts Greensboro and The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

All Triad Stage productions feature the bold acting and breathtaking design that have been nationally recognized by The Wall Street Journal and by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards^®, which named Triad Stage one of the top ten most promising theatres in the country as a recipient of the 2010 National Theatre Company Grant. Triad Stage has also earned accolades including “Best North Carolina Production of 2010” for The Glass Menagerie by Triangle Arts & Entertainment magazine; “One of the Best Regional Theatres in America”, New York’s Drama League; “Best Live Theater” (nine years running), Go Triad/News & Record and The Rhinoceros Times; and “Professional Theater of the Year” (2003, 2011), North Carolina Theatre Conference. "

- A Press Release

TRIAD STAGE EXAMINES MEANING OF ART AND FAMILY WITH RADIUNT ABUNDUNT

Kate Goehring (back), Beth Ritson (left), and

Lisa Kitchens (right) in Triad Stage’s

Radiunt Abundunt. Photo by VanderVeen Photographers.

The World Premiere drama by Preston Lane and

Laurelyn Dossett  runs Feb.  21 – Mar. 13, 2016

(Greensboro, NC) — Triad Stage’s 15^th season continues with an exploration of art, family and love in the world premiere of Radiunt Abundunt by Preston Lane, with original music by Laurelyn Dossett. Two women are searching for a missing family member. An art collector discovers a new visionary artist. A desperate young woman seeks to build a home in the most unlikely place. And an artist with a secret past struggles to preach her faith with shape and color. This new contemporary North Carolina drama by the creators of Beautiful Star and Snow Queen weaves together music, story, and outsider art. Come along as these five women each discover what they thought was lost forever. Radiunt Abundunt runs February 21 – March 13, 2016. Opening Night is Friday, February 26.

About the Production

“This is a continuation of the work Laurelyn and I have been creating for Triad audiences for a decade now,” says Preston Lane. “But it is also a real departure as we seek to radically reimagine the intersection of music, theater and the stories of our region.  This is our first contemporary story and it is both the story of family divided but also a exploration of what drives creativity.”

The creative team includes: designer Anya Klepikov costume designer Bill Brewer, lighting designer Jiyoun Chang, sound designer Taylor Dankovich, and projection designer Nicholas Hussong. The dramaturg is Bryan Conger, Christine Morris is the resident vocal coach, Denise Gabriel is the resident movement coach, Cindi Rush is the casting director, and the stage manager is Emily J. Mails.

The Cast

The cast includes Kate Goehring (Triad Stage: Wit; Underneath the Lintel; The Glass Menagerie; The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead; and The Little Foxes), Lisa Kitchens (Triad Stage debut), Dori Legg (Triad Stage: Brother Wolf, Snow Queen), Madelynn Poulson (Triad Stage: A Christmas Carol (2014-2015), All’s Well That Ends Well), Beth Ritson (Triad Stage: A Christmas Carol (2013-2015), All’s Well that Ends Well, Steel Magnolias, Night of the Iguana, Picnic, Bus Stop, Brother Wolf, Tobacco Road and The Rainmaker) and Lizzie Wouters (Triad Stage: Common Enemy).  The musicians playing alongside Laurelyn Dossett are Gailanne Amundsen, Shona Carr, and Julie Chiles.

Biographies of the cast and creative team, and more information on the production can be found online at www.triadstage.org.

Performance and Special Event Information

All performances are at Triad Stage at The Pyrle Theater, located at 232 South Elm Street in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina (between Market and Washington Streets).

Show times for Radiunt Abundunt are 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings and 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday matinees are at 2:00 p.m. There are no matinee performances during previews.

Preview performances of Radiunt Abundunt are on February 21, 23, 24, and 25. Opening Night, sponsored by Cone Health, is Friday, February 26 at 8:00 p.m. Pay-What-You-Can performances are Tuesday, March 1, and Wednesday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. Wine Tasting Friday sponsored by Bernard Robinson and Company is Friday, March 4, prior to the evening’s 8:00 p.m. performance. There will be two Accessibility Performances: on Sunday, March 6 at 2:00 p.m. with services provided by the Greensboro Communication Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and on Tuesday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. with Arts Access providing services for the visually impaired.

Technically Talking, a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the design team, is Tuesday, February 23, immediately following the 7:30 p.m. preview performance.

The InSight Series, the free humanities program with a noted expert who will be discussing the world of the play will be held on Sunday, February 28, immediately following the 2:00 p.m. matinee performance. The InSight Series is sponsored by Pennybyrne at Maryfield.

PostScript, a lively, open discussion with the cast, will be held on Thursday, March 3, in The UpStage Cabaret immediately following the 7:30 p.m. performance. The PostScript series is sponsored by Clifford Clendenin & O’Hale, LLP.

About Triad Stage

Triad Stage is a professional not-for-profit regional theater company based in Greensboro’s downtown historic district. All Triad Stage productions are created in Greensboro using the best of local and national talent. Triad Stage gratefully acknowledges the support of its Season Sponsors: Blue Zoom, the North Carolina Arts Council, Arts Greensboro and The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Radiunt Abundunt is presented with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Triad Stage’s 15^th Anniversary Season continues with an American classic Fences, by August Wilson (April 10 – May 1, 2016); and the season closes with a sexy comedy by Moliére, Don Juan (June 5 – 26, 2016).

Single tickets are on sale now.

All Triad Stage productions feature the bold acting and breathtaking design that have been nationally recognized by The Wall Street Journal and by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards^®, which named Triad Stage one of the top ten most promising theatres in the country as a recipient of the 2010 National Theatre Company Grant. Triad Stage has also earned accolades including “Best North Carolina Production of 2010” for The Glass Menagerie by Triangle Arts & Entertainment magazine; “One of the Best Regional Theatres in America”, New York’s Drama League; “Best Live Theater” (nine years running), Go Triad/News & Record and The Rhinoceros Times; and “Professional Theater of the Year” (2003, 2011), North Carolina Theatre Conference. 

To purchase tickets or for performance information on Radiunt Abundunt, call the Triad Stage Box Office at 336.272.0160 or toll-free at 866.579.TIXX (8499), or visit www.triadstage.org."

- A Press Release

Laurelyn Dossett hosts a free evening of songs focused on social justice issues and performed by North Carolina’s preeminent singer/songwriters

"Greensboro, N.C., August 24, 2015 — ArtsGreensboro announced today that it will present a free concert, “Songs of Hope & Justice,” at 7 pm on Thursday, September 10, at The Railyard, 106 South Barnhardt Street in downtown Greensboro. Sponsored by O.Henry and Proximity Hotels, this will be the first event in ArtsGreensboro’s 2015 Fabric of Freedomseries.

Singer/songwriter Laurelyn Dossett of Greensboro will host the free concert, which will feature songs that shine a light on important social issues—past and present. Performances will include songs from the folk canon of Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Odetta, and others as well as new and original songs underscoring today’s most pressing social challenges.

Dossett is well known for her own protest songs, including “Vote Against Amendment One” and “My Beloved Enemy,” and others on regional topics such as the Dan River coal ash spill and the loss of textile jobs. She has brought together an outstanding group of performers to celebrate the role of folk songs—specifically protest songs—in America. The performers include:

·      Rhiannon Giddens, of the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, regularly performs traditional folk songs. She also writes stunning protest songs focused on current issues, including “Cry No More,” which she wrote and recorded in response to the June 2015 shooting at “Mother Emanuel” AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

·      Bhi Bhiman, a topical, talented singer/songwriter who has toured and collaborated with Giddens, has garnered rave reviews from the New York Times, Washington Post, and NPR.

·      Alice Gerrard, a force in folk music for over 50 years, has spent her career singing traditional and original songs that tell the stories of everyday people, from coal miners to textile workers. A 2015 Grammy nominee for her latest album, Follow the Music, Alice is the founder of The Old-Time Herald, a publication dedicated to traditional music. 

·      Molly McGinn, founding member of Amelia's Mechanics, creator of the ground-breaking Postcards from the Swamp, and one of Greensboro’s favorite performers and songwriters, organized the Raise Your Voices campaign to bring out the Vote Against North Carolina’s Amendment One.

·      Django Haskins, founding member of Durham-based The Old Ceremony, received a 2015-2016 Artist Fellowship in Songwriting from the North Carolina Arts Council in recognition of “excellence and achievement” in his artform. In 2013, Django wrote, “We Are Not For Sale,” a protest song that he performed at a Moral Monday gathering in Raleigh.

·      Preston Lane, Artistic Director of Triad Stage will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Lane and Dossett have written five plays with music, all exploring the region's tradition of folk storytelling and song.

“This special concert is not about ‘showcasing’ artists,” said Dossett. “It’s about a community of artists coming together to shed light on and celebrate the role of songs in our collective social-justice history. There will be a variety of voices and styles, but a commonality of spirit and purpose.”

ArtsGreensboro President and CEO Tom Philion added, “This concert will be a truly historic event. The artists Laurelyn has gathered bring an incredibly deep understanding of the struggles for freedom and equality. ‘Songs of Hope & Justice’ will be a perfect introduction to the Fabric of Freedom themes that we’ll explore throughout the National Folk Festival and 17DAYS.”

Fabric of Freedom programming, funded by an Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts with support from the AJ Fletcher Foundation and Lincoln Financial, will run throughout the National Folk Festival and 17DAYS. The Fabric of Freedom showcases Greensboro’s unique history as a haven in the quest for freedom and a catalyst for social change since colonial times. From the pacifist traditions of the city’s 18^th-century Quaker founders (who nevertheless took up arms during the American Revolution) and the power of the Underground Railroad, through the birth of the sit-in movement and the Civil Rights era of the 1960s, and continuing into the present with the struggle among recent immigrants for standing and equality, the Fabric of Freedom tells Greensboro’s story.

###

About Proximity Hotel, 2015 Hospitality Sponsor for the National Folk Festival: New-world moxie meets old-world hospitality at Proximity Hotel. Custom-designed furnishings, commissioned art, and innovative design fill every corner of the AAA Four Diamond Proximity Hotel, which was the first hotel in America to receive LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Enjoy fresh European flavors at Print Works Bistro with creekside dining, modern loft-like guestrooms, a social lobby with 22-foot high windows, the adjacent greenway, and an outdoor pool.  proximityhotel.com

About O.Henry Hotel, 2015 Hospitality Sponsor for the National Folk Festival: Let elegance and tranquility restore your spirit at O.Henry Hotel. Reminiscent of the grand hotels of an earlier era, the O.Henry Hotel is conveniently situated adjacent to popular Friendly Center shopping village and just two miles from downtown Greensboro. The social lobby overlooking the Cloister Garden is a lovely setting for afternoon tea, pre-dinner cocktails, or Jazz every Thursday and some Saturdays. Guests enjoy informally elegant dining and seasonal foods showcasing old-world European flavors at the adjacent Green Valley Grill. A AAA Four Diamond hotel, the O.Henry Hotel features original paintings and a complimentary Southern-style breakfast buffet. Enjoy gracious amenities and an attentive staff. ohenryhotel.com

About the 2015 National Folk Festival: Co-produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) and ArtsGreensboro, the National Folk Festival is beginning its three-year residency in downtown Greensboro this year, when it will celebrate its 75th anniversary from September 11 – 13, 2015. The FREE, three-day event is America’s longest-running festival of traditional arts; it will highlight both long-standing traditions and the heritage and culture of North Carolina’s newest immigrant groups, and set the stage for a continuing and permanent North Carolina Folk Festival, beginning in 2018, after the “National” moves on.

Belk is the presenting sponsor of the 2015 Festival. With downtown Greensboro as the backdrop, audiences will enjoy seven stages featuring continuous musical entertainment—from rockabilly to old-time to mariachi, and from funk to Cajun to jazz. Attendees will also be able to dance non-stop to a variety of musical genres at the dance pavilion; dine on regional and ethnic foods; experience folk art demonstrations and performances by N.C. artists; and share the fun of the Family Activities Area with their children. nationalfolkfestival.com

About 17DAYS

Entering its fifth year, 17DAYS, hosted by ArtsGreensboro, has become the state’s largest collaborative arts and culture festival, featuring more than 100 events, exhibitions, and performances produced by more than 70 organizations, artists, and venues. In 2014, over 100,000 people attended 17DAYS events. With the addition of the 75^th National Folk Festival, which runs during 17DAYS’ opening weekend, September 11 through September 13, and is expected to draw up to 100,000 people, 17DAYS is poised to have its biggest year ever. The 2015 festival will take place from September 11 through September 27. 17DAYSGreensboro.org

About ArtsGreensboro

With an annual budget of approximately $4 million, ArtsGreensboro is a catalyst for innovation to build recognition and support for the arts. Through the 17DAYS Arts & Culture Festival, I HEART ARTS Month, power2give, and other opportunities including the National Folk Festival, ArtsGreensboro is driving the health and vitality of our community by supporting arts education, celebrating the diversity of Greensboro, and driving economic impact through excellence in arts programming. artsgreensboro.org"

- A Press Release