Westwego Performing Arts Theater Presents A CELTIC CHRISTMAS 12/21

Jefferson Performing Arts Society (JPAS) is pleased to announce the one-night-only holiday season special A CELTIC CHRISTMAS on stage at the Westwego Performing Arts Theatre (177 Sala Ave. in Westwego) Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 7:30PM. Join Danny O'Flaherty with Janet Shea, Michael Cahill, Misha Kachkachishvili, Dorian Joye and Netti Vaan as you slip back in time and savor the yuletide season as it has been celebrated for centuries among the Celtic countries. A Celtic Christmas celebrates the holiday season through mesmerizing music and song, fiery dance and tantalizing storytelling that will surely kindle the Christmas spirit in every heart! Tickets are General Admission $25.00. For tickets, call the JPAS Box Office at 504-885-2000 or online at www.jpas.org. JPAS has great group rates!

The cast of A Celtic Christmas will once again celebrate the true Christmas spirit of the Celtic Nations of Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Brittany, Galicia, Astoria and the Isle of Man on Tuesday, December 21st at Westwego Performing Arts Theatre. The show will tell the tales of the charming and unique yuletide customs that evolved over the centuries in the nations of the Celts. Since December of 1990, A CELTIC CHRISTMAS has become a holiday favorite and has been performed annually at venues throughout Southern Louisiana, including O'Flaherty's Irish Channel Pub in New Orleans. The cast of A CELTIC CHRISTMAS will bring the precious ancient gifts of music, song, dance and especially the gift of storytelling to the Westwego Performing Arts Theatre for one performance only. Their fiery dances, mesmerizing songs and tantalizing stories, will rekindle the true Christmas spirit in every audience member's heart.

More about A Celtic Christmas:
In the summer of 1990, Danny O'Flaherty met with Welsh harpist, Robin James-Jones, to discuss the feasibility of creating a Christmas program that encompassed customs, stories and songs from each of the seven Celtic nations: Eire (Ireland), Alba (Scotland), Cymru (Wales), Kernow (Cornwall), Breizh (Brittany), Mannin (The Isle of Man), and Gallaecia (Galicia). Within these Celtic communities, the yuletide season was a time for families to gather as did their ancestors, the clansmen and women throughout the centuries. Danny and Robin knew it would be an enormous undertaking because nothing like it had ever before been attempted, but it was a labor of love and conscience for both men. Hours of exhaustive research went into the project, and by December 1990, Danny and Robin had put together what they considered a beautiful and entertaining program. Nervous and excited, they premiered the Celtic Christmas program to delighted audiences and rave reviews. Three years later, in 1993, a half-hour version of the show premiered on the PBS affiliate WLAE-TV in New Orleans and was soon picked up by other PBS affiliates around the country. In 2004, the Celtic Christmas was televised by Louisiana Public Broadcasting at McNeese University in Lake Charles. Danny O'Flaherty's Celtic Christmas does indeed capture the essence of all the treasured Celtic yuletide customs. The program features actors, Michael Cahill and Janet Shea, along with many talented and dedicated musicians, singers and dancers who come together to present this one-of-a-kind performance.

More about Danny O' Flaherty:
Danny's success as an entertainer is driven by his dedication to preserving and passing on his Celtic heritage. As the last of a generation reared in the isolation of a pure Gaelic culture, Danny's youth recalled the simple tradition kept alive on the rugged and desolate islands. His first language is Gaelic, and his first love - the ancient music played and sung around the peat fires in the evenings. Danny evokes the often indistinguishable link between history and myth. Whether singing the timeless songs of Galway fishermen or performing his own contemporary ballads, Danny O'Flaherty keeps a unique heritage alive. Danny O'Flaherty has traveled far from his boyhood home in the farthest reach of the Irish west, to the steps of the United States Capitol where he performed before a crowd of a half a million on Solidarity Day. There have been numerous other stops along the way - each a momentous occasion: a tour of Israel culminating in a private command performance with then President Herzog; a performance at the National Cathedral for Pope John Paul II's visit to the U.S.; featured performer for President Ronald Reagan's Inaugural Ball; the opening concert for the Pan Celtic Festival in Ireland; an invitation only concert for alumnae of the University of Notre Dame, and a headliner for the Tulsa Philharmonic and The National Theatre in Washington, D.C. - just to list a few.

More About the Jefferson Performing Arts Society (JPAS)
Founded in 1978 by Dennis G. Assaf and Hannah Cunningham, Jefferson Performing Arts Society is a non-profit professional arts organization whose mission is to promote arts performance, training and outreach by providing a diverse range of quality programs that entertain, educate and enrich the cultural and economic vitality of Jefferson Parish, Greater New Orleans and the Gulf South.
JPAS focuses on three main elements:
PERFORMANCE JPAS annually provides a wide range of theatrical performances that appeal to many interests and age groups. Most seasons include a selection of grand opera, musical theater, dance and music. JPAS strives to network and partner with national and International Artists and companies to bring new and diverse programming to the Southern Region.

TRAINING JPAS provides performance and technical based training in the arts for all ages with a particular focus on young people.

OUTREACH JPAS provides arts education programming in local area schools, as well as access to professional theatrical experiences that align to classroom curricula and Louisiana Content Standards, including Arts Adventure Series, Cultural Crossroads and Stage Without A Theatre. JPAS provides performers, musicians, artistic experiences and expertise to select area events and organizations to enrich the community.

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