Barbra Streisand's BACK TO BROOKLYN Concert, to Air Tonight as Part of PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL

The 2013 PBS Arts Fall Festival returned this fall with seven weekly programs that highlight Broadway classics, music from around the country, and legendary superstar Barbra Streisand.

Underscoring PBS' ongoing commitment to giving audiences a front row seat and a backstage pass to the best of the arts on-air and online, the series will be hosted by award-winning television, film and stage star Anna Deavere Smith ("Nurse Jackie," "The West Wing").

New offerings in the Festival include: the television premiere of Great Performances "Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn," featuring the great singer's return to her hometown; A RAISIN IN THE SUN REVISITED: The Raisin Cycle at Center Stage, which explores the impact of the groundbreaking play; Nashville 2.0 which looks at some of the greatest Americana and folk music artists in the country music capital; and a Great Performances "40th Anniversary Celebration" with a star-studded lineup celebrating the iconic series at Lincoln Center. Also scheduled from Great Performances are a star-studded version of Stephen Sondheim's musical Company, San Francisco Opera's new operatic version of Moby-Dick and a re-airing of the 1999 London stage revival of Oklahoma!

"PBS' commitment to arts programming has been strong for more than four decades, and our role as the broadcast industry's only true home for the arts is solidified by this fall's robust lineup," said PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger. "With the incredible 40-year run of Great Performances on public television, and the constantly regenerating pool of creative talent we bring to viewers through the Festival, I think this is the strongest fall ever for the arts on PBS."

"The Festival showcases all forms of art from across the country, with great star power and fantastic performances. It's a veritable arts road-trip from New York to San Francisco with exciting stops along the way," said PBS Vice President of Programming and Talent Management, Donald Thoms. "With Anna Deavere Smith as our host and guide, we expect these shows to resonate with audiences who seek out classic performances, cutting edge music and some of the greatest artists of all time."

GREAT PERFORMANCES "Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn"

Tonight, November 29, 2013, 9:00 p.m. ET

Superstar Barbra Streisand makes a historic homecoming at the new Barclays Center arena with her first Brooklyn concert. Joined by special guests Il Volo and Chris Botti, Streisand performs an extensive selection of songs from throughout her five-decade career, and duets with son Jason Gould on "How Deep is the Ocean." The seemingly endless collection of hits and fan favorites includes "Nice N Easy," "Didn't We," "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)," "Rose's Turn," "My Funny Valentine," "Some Other Time," "Make Our Garden Grow," along "Evergreen," "The Way We Were," "People," and "Happy Days are Here Again." Reviewing her opening night, Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, "Like few singers of any age, she has the gift of conveying a primal human longing in a beautiful sound."

Funding for the launch of PBS Arts has been provided by Anne Ray Charitable Trust, public television viewers and PBS.

Anna Deavere Smith is well known to television audiences for playing Gloria Akalitus on Showtime's hit series "Nurse Jackie" and Nancy McNally on NBC's "The West Wing." But she made her name first in theater, where her acclaimed solo works explore American character and its multifaceted national identity. Smith has won numerous accolades, including two Obie Awards, two Tony nominations and a MacArthur "Genius" fellowship. Through her theater work, Smith is known for looking at controversial events from multiple points of view. She is author of the acclaimed plays Twilight: Los Angeles 1992, Fires in the Mirror and House Arrest. Her most-recent play Let Me Down Easy, which, along with her other plays, was seen on PBS, tells the human side of the American healthcare story.

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