RAISIN' CANE Plays Byham Theater Tonight

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces the Pittsburgh premiere of Raisin' Cane: A Harlem Renaissance Odyssey, starring Jasmine Guy and The Avery Sharpe Trio, which will be performed tonight, April 16, 2015, at 7:30 p.m., at the Byham Theater, 101 Sixth Street, Pittsburgh's Cultural District. This event is part of the Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents series, presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The creative concept for this production was inspired by the classic 1923 Jean Toomer novel "Cane" and works by the musicians, composers, poets and actors of the Harlem Renaissance. The Arizona Daily Star said, "Cane is a sweet salute to Harlem's glory days" and the Dayton Daily News wrote the performance was "Lively, informative, motivating and entertaining..."

Tickets ($25-$50) are available online at www.TrustArts.org, by calling 412-456-6666, or in person at the Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue. Groups of 10 or more, please visit TrustArts.org or call 412-471-6930.

In the American Black community, during the years leading up to the Harlem Renaissance, there was a sense of building artistic expression. Outlets and avenues for its poets, musicians, novelists, artists and actors were few. But in 1918, as the first great World War concluded and thousands of African-American soldiers returned home victorious, this mountain of artistic expression was now ready to explode.

The words and thoughts of Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, W.E.B. Du Bois and many others, became the voice of a new generation of African-Americans, looking forward but still struggling with the past and present. These thoughts, songs, and images are woven into a panoramic experience that spans this extraordinary outpouring of artistic endeavor. Raisin' Cane is a window on this critical point in our history.

Starring the award winning actress, singer, and dancer Jasmine Guy, a modern day Griot, and the acclaimed Avery Sharpe Trio, Raisin' Cane celebrates and honors the legendary voices of the Harlem Renaissance through text, song, music, movement, and imagery. Raisin' Cane was written and conceived by Harry Clark with adaptation by Jasmine Guy and original musical score by Avery Sharpe. Production design was created by Gregg Bellon, with theatrical projection design by Daniel Foster. The show is directed by Dan Guerro and produced by Jade Enterprises LLC.

Jasmine Guy has a regular presence on film, television, and stage. She was the star of the Bill Cosby spin-off A Different World for which she won six consecutive NAACP Image Awards. Recent television work includes The Vampire Diaries, Melrose Place, NYPD Blue, and Dead Like Me. A former dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, she has also appeared in a range of Broadway and national productions including Chicago, Grease, and The Wiz. On film, she starred in Spike Lee's School Daze, as well as in Harlem Nights, and Stompin at the Savoy. Her collaborations over the years, from Bill Cosby to Spike Lee to Kenny Leon to the Atlanta Ballet, show her to be a multi-faceted star. Ms. Guy is not only recognized as an accomplished actress, singer, and comedienne, but also as a director, writer and speaker.

Avery Sharpe is considered one of the greatest Jazz bassists of his generation. He has performed and toured with many of the world's top jazz musicians including Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Cab Calloway, Bobby McFerrin, Pay Metheny and others. Sharpe's extraordinary composition skills are on display in Raisin' Cane. His exceptional works have been performed in every musical configuration from orchestras to the Grammy Award winning jazz recordings of Michael Brecker and McCoy Tyner. For performances of Raisin' Cane, Mr. Sharpe is joined by the renowned percussionist Kevin Sharpe and acclaimed jazz violinist Diane Monroe.

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