PPAC Announces 2021/2022 Experience PPAC Season

J.L. "Lynn" Singleton, President and CEO of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), is pleased to announce the 2021/2022 "Experience PPAC" season. This season, Experience PPAC will offer a hybrid of three virtual, pre-recorded performances that all Rhode Island students can view and four live in-person performances for a limited number of 10th grade Rhode Island students.

"Experience PPAC" is a statewide, education initiative that was launched during the 2019/2020 season at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Experience PPAC's original mission was to allow every 10th grade student in Rhode Island to attend a live Broadway performance at PPAC, at no cost to their school, with busing provided. Because of the pandemic, the theatre has reimagined the program, embracing virtual viewings for students.

The virtual Experience PPAC performances include:

PAIGE IN FULL: A B-Girl's Visual Mixtape

November 29 - December 17, 2021

PAIGE IN FULL is a visual mixtape that blends poetry, dance, visual arts, and music to tell the story of a multicultural girl growing up in Baltimore, MD. The production explores how a young woman's identity is shaped by her ethnicity and popular culture, telling a personal, yet universal, story through the lens of hip-hop.

To create PAIGE IN FULL, sibling-duo Paige Hernandez (writer/performer) and Nick the 1da (WON-DUH) (musician) worked with Danielle A. Drakes (director) and Bryan Joseph Lee (dramaturg) to develop a story that speaks to a dynamic hip-hop influenced generation.

Curriculum Connections: Fine Arts, Biography, Culture, Self-Esteem, Character Development, Dance and Storytelling.

Runtime: Approximately 60 minutes

Disney's NEWSIES: The Broadway Musical

January 10 - 24, 2022

Set in New York City at the turn of the century, Disney's NEWSIES: The Broadway Musical is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and the leader of a ragged band of teenaged 'newsies,' who dreams only of a better life far from the hardship of the streets. But when publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsboys' expense, Jack finds a cause to fight for and rallies newsies from across the city to strike for what's right.

Disney's NEWSIES: The Broadway Musical features a Tony Award-winning score with music by eight-time Academy Award-winner Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman, a book by four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein and is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions. Disney's NEWSIES: The Broadway Musical is directed by Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, who won a 2012 Tony Award for his work on the show. Since opening on Broadway in 2011, NEWSIES has played 1,711 performances between Broadway and the North American tour, to more than 2.5 million audience members in 65 cities across the country.

Curriculum Connections: Fine Arts, Social Studies, Language Arts, History, Dance and Storytelling.

Runtime: Approximately 2 hours and 29 minutes

TURNING 15 ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM

February 4 - 18, 2022

Students can learn about the inspiring true story of Lynda Blackmon in TURNING 15 ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM. Blackmon celebrated her 15th birthday on the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965. Jailed nine times before the march and badly beaten on Bloody Sunday, Lynda and her neighbors fought alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to secure the right to vote for African Americans. She believed that "a voteless people is a hopeless people," and put her life on the line, non-violently, to prove that anyone can change history no matter how young or powerless they seem. The show features an ensemble of African American actor-singers who bring the 1960s to life through the music of the Civil Rights Movement.

Curriculum Connections: Fine Arts, Biography, Language Arts, History, Culture and Storytelling.

Runtime: Approximately 50 minutes

In addition to these culturally engaging virtual selections, PPAC has chosen four touring Broadway productions that a limited number of Rhode Island 10th grade students can pre-register for. Each student will receive an additional ticket so a parent/guardian may accompany them to the designated Experience PPAC performance. These tickets are free for a student and their parent/guardian and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis; they will be available for the following performances:

RENT - THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY FAREWELL TOUR

Friday, January 14, 2022 at 7:30P

Part of the Encore Series - Series Media Sponsor: Cox Media

For a quarter of a century, Jonathan Larson's RENT has inspired us to choose love over fear and to live without regret. This Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning phenomenon follows a year in the lives of a diverse group of artists and friends struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. It has become more than a musical - it's a cultural touchstone, a rite of passage and a source of joy and strength for millions. RENT has become a part of us forever.

Whether you've never seen RENT or have completely lost count, you can't miss it this time around - the 25th Anniversary "Farewell Season of Love" is your FINAL CHANCE to experience this celebrated touring production.

Curriculum Connections: Fine Arts, Social Studies, Language Arts, History, Culture, Music and Self-Expression.

Runtime: Approximately 2 house and 40 minutes including intermission

AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN

Friday, February 18, 2022 at 7:30P

Part of the Encore Series - Series Media Sponsor: Cox Media; in Providence, AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN is sponsored by Navigant Credit Union

Based on the Oscar-winning film, AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN is the timeless love story that celebrates triumph over adversity. The new musical features an iconic score including the Grammy and Oscar-winning #1 hit "Up Where We Belong" (Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes), and your favorite 80's hits including: "Higher Love" (Steve Winwood), "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (Yes), "Love is a Battlefield" and "Invincible" (Pat Benatar), "Lost In Your Eyes" (Debbie Gibson), "Right Here Waiting" (Richard Marx), "Venus" (Bananarama), "I Can't Hold Back" (Survivor), "Never Surrender" (Corey Hart), "Do The Walls Come Down" (Carly Simon), "Fly By Night" (Rush), "Hold On to Your Dream (Rick Springfield), "Overkill" (Men at Work), "Renegade" (Styx), and more!

Zack Mayo has the raw talent and strength for the US Navy's Officer Training School; but his arrogance is out of step. Graduating from the elite program will secure Zack's career and future, but can he endure the relentless commands of Drill Sergeant Foley? On his journey of self-discovery, Zack finds comfort in the arms of a strong-willed local factory worker. When tragedy befalls a fellow candidate, Zack learns the importance of friendship and honor, finds the courage to be his best self and wins the heart of the woman he loves.
Curriculum Connections: Fine Arts, Social Studies, Culture, Self-Esteem and Character Development.
Runtime: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes including intermission.

THE PROM

Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at 7P

Part of the Taco/The White Family Broadway Series

Everyone's invited to the joyous Broadway hit that New York Magazine hails as "smart and big-hearted" while The New York Times declares it "makes you believe in musical comedy again!" The Prom is a new musical comedy about big Broadway stars on a mission to change the world and the love they discover that unites them all.

Curriculum Connections: Fine Arts, Social Studies, Language Arts, History, Culture, Self-Esteem and Self-Expression.

Runtime: Approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes including intermission.

OKLAHOMA!

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 at 7P

Part of the Taco/The White Family Foundation Broadway Series

This is OKLAHOMA! as you've never seen or heard it before - reimagined for the 21st century and the Tony Award Winner for Best Revival of a Musical.

Direct from an acclaimed run on Broadway comes an OKLAHOMA! that looks and sounds like America today.

OKLAHOMA! contains fog, loud gunshot effects, and moments of total darkness and violence.

Curriculum Connections: Fine Arts, Social Studies, Language Arts, History, Culture and Dance.

Runtime: Approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes including intermission.

Please note that all guests aged 12 and over attending an in-performance at PPAC must provide proof of vaccination (digital photo or hard copy of vaccination card are accepted), along with a photo ID, OR provide printed proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time, or a negative COVID-19 antigen test (also known as a rapid test) taken within 6 hours of the performance start time. All guests, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth at all times while inside the venue (unless actively eating or drinking). Details are available at https://www.ppacri.org/healthandsafety

Students and educators can learn more about the Experience PPAC program by visiting https://www.ppacri.org/outreach/experience-ppac

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