Palm Beach Dramaworks Announces its Summer Production WOODY GUTHRIE'S AMERICAN SONG

The life and work of one of the country's greatest and most admired folk balladeers is celebrated in the musical revue Woody Guthrie's American Song, which Palm Beach Dramaworks will present this summer from July 13 - August 5 at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre. There will be a specially priced preview on Thursday, July 12. Bruce Linser will direct.

The show, conceived by Peter Glazer and orchestrated by Jeff Waxman, had its world premiere in 1988 at the American Stage Festival in Milford, NH. It has since been seen at scores of theatres across the United States and earned numerous awards and countless accolades. The Boston Globe called it "a dazzling, dizzying explosion of Guthrie's genius," and the Seattle Timesraved that it is "an exuberant musical celebration of our nation, our history, and our shared humanity."

Guthrie was a wandering minstrel and poet of the downtrodden, the voiceless, the powerless, and the forgotten. He was a humanist who railed against injustice, particularly during the Great Depression, but also extoled the splendors of this country, especially in his most famous song, "This Land is Your Land." That is among the more than two dozen numbers sung during the course of the evening, which also includes "Bound for Glory," "Grand Coulee Dam," "Nine Hundred Miles," "Pasture of Plenty," "Union Maid," and "Hard Travelin'."

Guthrie's work had a powerful influence on subsequent generations, and remains strong to this day. Bob Dylan, whose "Song to Woody" appeared on his debut album, wrote in his memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, that Guthrie's works "had the infinite sweep of humanity in them." He went on to say, "I could sing all these songs, every single one of them and they were all that I wanted to sing. It was like I had been in the dark and someone had turned on the main switch of a lightning conductor."

Woody Guthrie's American Song keeps that light glowing.

Cast and design team will be announced at a later date.

Theatre To Think About

Palm Beach Dramaworks is a non-profit, professional theatre and is a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the South Florida Theatre League, Florida Professional Theatres Association, and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.

The performance schedule is as follows: Evening performances are Thursday at 7:30PM, Fridayand Saturday at 8PM. Matinees are Saturday and Sunday at 2PM. Individual tickets are $75, with specially priced preview tickets at $55 and Opening Night tickets at $90. Subscribers pay $60 for individual tickets (excluding Opening Night), and $40 for preview tickets if they make their purchases by June 1. Pay Your Age tickets are available for those 18-40. Student tickets are available for $15; tickets for educators are half price with proper ID (other restrictions apply). Group rates for 20 or more are also available.

The Don & Ann Brown Theatre is located in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach, at 201 Clematis Street. For ticket information contact the box office at (561) 514-4042, open Monday through Wednesday from 10AM to 5PM, Thursday through Saturday from 10AM to 8:30PM, andSunday from 11AM to 7:30PM, or visit www.palmbeachdramaworks.org.

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