PCS Blog
Wednesday, May 16 Only! One Day Sale for “It Ain’t Nothin But the Blues”
Posted by Natalie Gilmore | 15 May 2012 | Comments (0)
We’re having a one day sale on tickets for “It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues.” Tickets are just $30! Offer good for any available seat for performances in May. But hurry, you must purchase on May 16!
MoreSingin’ the Blues: The History of an American Genre
Posted by Kinsley Suer | 08 May 2012 | Comments (0)
It’s going to be a bluesy couple of months here at PCS. In Black Pearl Sings!, much of what Pearl sings throughout the show can be defined as blues; her music carries on the legacy of her family’s struggles while simultaneously drawing on the folk tradition of her African heritage. And, of course, It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues, which will explore the history and transformation of blues music, opens in just a few weeks. Luckily, our moods are anything but blue. We’re about to have two fantastic shows filled with catchy blues classics spilling out of the doors and windows of the Armory!
MoreCab Calloway and The Cotton Club
Posted by Kinsley Suer | 03 May 2012 | Comments (0)
In Black Pearl Sings!, Pearl is released from prison and travels to New York City with Susannah, the song collector who has secured her release. Susannah has arranged for Pearl to perform her songs for various academic groups throughout the city. After her first concert, Pearl is inundated with attention from the “ladies of the historical society,” who take her out for a night on the town – including a stop to sing with Cab Calloway at the famed Cotton Club.
MoreThe Drama You Bring
Posted by Natalie Gilmore | 02 May 2012 | Comments (6)
Every audience member sitting in a darkened theater brings his or her own drama to the experience. It’s only natural that we’d see a play through the lens of our individual life and experiences. So of course Anna’s living space would speak volumes to an interior designer! She reads the language of fabric choices and furniture shapes as a profession. Tell us about a moment you saw in a play that sparked a particular resonance with your own life and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win tickets to Black Pearl Sings! and dinner for two at Cassidy’s!
MoreThe Music of Black Pearl Sings!
Posted by Kinsley Suer | 27 April 2012 | Comments (0)
Before writing Black Pearl Sings!, playwright Frank Higgins did extensive research on American folk music. More than 20 of these historical songs were ultimately included in the script; many were originally collected by ethnomusicologists, employed by the Library of Congress as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), who traveled the country with recording equipment throughout the 1930s. Although you may recognize some of the more widely-known songs, such as “This Little Light of Mine” and “Kum Ba Yah,” they appear in the production in their original folk versions.
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