San Francisco Arts Education Project to Present 'SITTIN' ON A RAINBOW'

Emily Keeler, San Francisco Arts Education's Artistic Director, announced today that the San Francisco Arts Education Project's 2015 production is the original musical revue Sittin' on a Rainbow: The Music of Harold Arlen, a celebration of the composer who gave us "Over the Rainbow," "Stormy Weather," "Come Rain or Come Shine" and many others.

Sittin' on a Rainbow runs for eight performances Saturday, Feb. 14 through Sunday, March 1, 2015 at the Eureka Theatre (215 Jackson St., San Francisco). Tickets ($15 for students and seniors; $25 general admission) are available by calling City Box Office at 415.392.4400 or online at www.cityboxoffice.com. Tickets for the Players' Family Benefit Reception and Closing Day Party on Sunday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m.,. which includes drinks, hors d'oeuvres and dessert and a very special performance by celebrated chanteuse Paula West, are $40 for general admission and $20 for student and senior admission. Proceeds benefit the programs of the San Francisco Arts Education Project.

Natalie Greene directs Sittin' on a Rainbow, which was created for SFArtsED in 2008 by Danny Duncan and Vince Peterson with Nicola Bosco-Alvarez, Keeler and Greene. Alex Stein serves as musical director, and choreography is by Greene, Keeler and Erin Gentry. As in past years, the set is designed by the technical theater students at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (AsawaSOTA) under the guidance of the program's director, Paul Kwape; Tiersa Nureyev is designing the costumes. Jeffrey Hyche, an alumnus of the Players, is the stage manager, and SFArtsED's apprentice program with AsawaSOTA provides opportunities for high school students to operate the light and sound for the production as well as building and painting the sets.

"It is very exciting to be working again with the music of Harold Arlen-to bring it into the consciousness of our Players and onto the stage is an honor," says Keeler, now in her 30th year with SFArtsED. "With a great team seven years ago, we created this revue, and it has been wonderful to revisit and refresh it with Natalie Greene as director and Alex Stein as musical director. Arlen was a composer's composer, and though his name is not well known, so many of his songs are. His work affords a multitude of opportunities to our strong singers and dancers, and the show will make a tasty confection for audiences since the uniformly wonderful music has a huge range of mood, style, rhythm and theme."

Greene, who has worked with the SFArtsED Players for more than a decade, says one of the remarkable things about the rehearsal process has been introducing the iPad generation to the power of live theater. "The students are called upon to be fully present; no special effects, no 'do-overs.' Through this work, we are cultivating more than just stage presence," Greene says. "The kids need to think on their feet, collaborate and compromise. They are asked to work hard, to engage with an audience, to be vulnerable, awake and aware. The raw talent that they displayed before entering this company is nurtured through class and rehearsal. The work on stage is professional-level, and, perhaps, that much more impressive because they are, in fact, children."

Sittin' on a Rainbow: The Music of Harold Arlen runs Saturday, February 14 to Sunday, March 1, 2014 at the Eureka Theatre (215 Jackson Street, San Francisco). Show times are Saturdays and Sundays February 14 through Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.; Fridays, February 20 and Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. Regular tickets are $15 for students and seniors; $25 general admission. Tickets for the Players' Family Benefit Reception and Closing Day Party on Sunday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m., which includes drinks, hors d'oeuvres and dessert and a special performance by San Francisco's resident jazz cabaret diva, Paula West, are $40 for general admission and $20 for student and senior admission. All tickets are available by calling City Box Office at 415.392.4400 or online at www.cityboxoffice.com.

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