CENTURIES, A World Premiere Theatrical Concert, Set for Ancram Center For The Arts

Following a Summer Play Lab residency, musical collaborators Kate Douglas, Matthew Dean Marsh, and Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez return to the Ancram Center in the world premiere of Centuries, their theatrical concert that follows an Ohio family over two generations as a son retrieves and pieces together fragments from his mother's life. Told entirely through innovative choral music that weaves together folk and jazz, Centuries explores legacy within families and communities.

Tickets are available at www.ancramcenter.org. Regular show times are Friday, Oct. 25 at 7pm; Sunday, Oct. 27 at 3pm; Friday, Nov. 1at 7pm; Saturday Nov. 2 at 2pm and 7pm; and Sunday Nov. 3 at 3pm.  A special benefit performance, Centuries Plus: A Celebration in Two Acts, will be held Saturday Oct. 26 at 5:30pm. Tickets include the performance and an after-party at The Barn @Doodletown, with catering by chef Hannah Wong, formerly of The Aviary in Kinderhook, and wines curated by Copake Wine Works. 

Douglas, Marsh, and Sokolov-Gonzalez co-wrote and star in Centuries. All three are award-winning composers/performers/songwriters with thriving independent careers, and this is their first collaboration. The trio developed the show during two 2024 residencies at Ancram Center for the Arts and premiered selections during a Summer Play Lab showing in July. Audiences raved: “The music was beautiful, and the harmonies were incredible … I can't wait to hear the rest of it.” “I thought the show was wonderful, I really loved the harmonies, I'm looking forward to October.” “It was fantastic… I just moved to the area and have found the Ancram Center to be one of the most thrilling places in this little community. I look forward to seeing how the show evolves.”

“In Centuries, the creators have woven a harmonic canvas against which a multigenerational story is told entirely through song,” said Paul Ricciardi, Ancram Center Co-Director. “It's unique: we've never heard anything quite like it. That's why we were thrilled they agreed to develop the show in our Summer Play Lab.”

“Centuries embodies Ancram Center's commitment to supporting artists and their process of creating new work,” said Ancram Center Co-Director Jeff Mousseau. “Centuries' origins go back to Matthew, Kate and Raina being at Ancram Center for a 2021 residency, and then returning throughout the 2024 season to shape and refine it. We've seen them take this piece from an initial idea to the world premiere.”

Ancram Center for the Arts is an award-winning theater located in New York's Hudson Valley. Housed in an historic Grange Hall, Ancram Center has since 2016 presented groundbreaking theater and musical performances by nationally recognized theater artists. Ancram Center for the Arts receives significant annual support from the New York State Council on the Arts and in 2023 was awarded a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. For tickets and information visit www.ancramcenter.org.

Illustration by Danny Aviles

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