PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, October 22, 2014 CONTACT: Patrick Finlon, Marketing Director 315-443-2636 or [email protected]

Community Partnerships during The Piano Lesson Feature Discussions, Exhibit, Student Matinees, and Live Music

(Syracuse, NY)—Syracuse Stage is proud to be partnering with local organizations for a number of special events during the run of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, running October 22 through November 9 in the Archbold Theatre in the Syracuse Stage/Drama Complex.

The central event will be a panel discussion on “Perspective/Audience: Matters of Race in Viewing the Plays of August Wilson” sponsored by the 2014 Syracuse Symposium™ on PERSPECTIVE. Panelists include Christian DuComb (assistant professor of English and Theatre, Colgate University), Timothy Bond (producing artistic director, Syracuse Stage), Beth Broadway (Executive Director, InterFaith Works), Wynetta Devore (Professor Emeritus, School of Social Work in Falk College at ), and George Kilpatrick (Executive Producer and Host, New Inspiration for the Nation). The panel discussion will take place at 5 p.m. in the Sutton Pavilion on Sunday, October 26, following the 2 p.m. matinee performance of The Piano Lesson.

In the Coyne Lobby, the Onondaga Historical Association will once again create an insightful exhibit offering a local perspective to themes in The Piano Lesson. The exhibit will include information on Syracuse's role in the anti-slavery movement, the story of two slaves in Onondaga County when slavery was still legal in the state, the significance of pianos in 19th century society, and pre-WWII images of the 15th Ward in Syracuse.

Over 1,500 high school and junior high school students from across Central will see The Piano Lesson at special 10:30 a.m. student matinee performances. Schools bringing students include Auburn High School, Camden High School, Chittenango High School, C.W. Baker High School (Baldwinsville Central School District), Fayetteville-Manlius High School, Jamesville-Dewitt High School, Liverpool High School, Marcellus High School, Nottingham High School (Syracuse City School District), Otto Shortell Middle School (Oneida City School District), and Otselic Valley Central School District.

Following the opening night performance on Friday, October 24, the post-show Opening Night Party in the lobby will feature music by five-time SAMMY (Syracuse Area Music Award) winning jazz pianist Ronnie Leigh, joined by Marcus Curry on Guitar. Complimentary food from Simone’s Soul Food will be available for guests, and the Stage bar will stay open late.

On Saturday, Oct. 25 the Syracuse Stage Young Adult Council presents Jazz Night, with performances by local high school jazz musicians, 6:45-7:30 p.m. in the Sutton Pavilion. Complimentary refreshments will be provided.

For the Wednesday @ 1 Lecture series on October 29, Jeff Gonda, professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, will speak on “Specters of the South: Race, Migration, and the Inscribed Histories of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson.” Wednesday Lectures take place at 1 p.m. in the Sutton Pavilion, before 2 p.m. Wednesday matinees.

On Thursday, October 30, a “Soul Food and Soulful Blues” Happy Hour will start at 6 p.m. Live music will feature Andrew Carroll on piano and Bill Horrace on bass. Complimentary food will be available for guests, and half-price drinks will be available at the Stage bar.

Three times throughout the run, pre-show discussions with actors will take place as part of Stage’s Prologue Series. Prologues are moderated, 20-minute discussions that begin one hour before select performances. The Piano Lesson prologues will take place on October 26 at 1 p.m., November 1 at 2 p.m., and November 6 at 6:30 p.m.

On Sunday, November 2 following the 7 p.m. performance, an Actor Talkback will take place in the theatre where audience members may interact with cast members.

In August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece The Piano Lesson, the past threatens to pull apart brother and sister. Bernice treasures a one-of-a-kind piano, an heirloom with carved figures of their enslaved ancestors. Boy Willie suddenly arrives from the South determined to sell the piano and buy the land his family worked on. When the ghost of the piano’s original owner appears, family conflicts escalate to a dramatic confrontation. With lyrical language rolling from the rowdy to the tender, this is one of Wilson’s finest.

August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson performs Oct. 22 – Nov. 9 in the Archbold Theatre at the Syracuse Stage/Drama Complex, 820 East Genesee Street. Discounted preview performances are Oct. 22 & 23. The Opening Night performance is Friday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. Tickets and info are available at www.syracusestage.org, by phone at 315-443-3275, and in person at the Syracuse Stage Box Office, Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more at 315-443-9844. Discounts are also available for seniors, students, and U.S. military personnel and veterans. Sign interpretation, open captioning, and audio description services are available for select performances.

The Syracuse Stage production of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson is made possible through the support of generous sponsors. The Presenting Sponsor is The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation. Sponsors are Lockheed Martin and the 2014 Syracuse Symposium™ on PERSPECTIVE. Media Sponsors are Urban CNY and WAER 88.3. The 2014/15 Season Sponsor is Syracuse Media Group.

ABOUT SYRACUSE STAGE

Syracuse Stage is ’s premier professional theatre. Founded in 1974, Stage has produced more than 300 plays in over 40 seasons including a number of world, American, and East Coast premieres. Each season 70,000 patrons enjoy an adventurous mix of new plays, and bold interpretations of classics and musicals, featuring the finest theatre artists. In addition, Stage maintains a vital educational outreach program that annually serves more than 15,000 students from 14 counties. A solid core of subscribers and supporters helps keep Syracuse Stage a vibrant artistic presence in Central New York. Additional support comes from the government, foundations, corporations and Syracuse University. Syracuse Stage is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, and a member of the Arts and Cultural Leadership Alliance (ACLA), the University Hill Corporation and the East Genesee Regent Association. Syracuse Stage is a member of The League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the largest professional theatre association in the country.

###

Syracuse Stage I Producing Artistic Director: Timothy Bond I Managing Director: Jeffrey Woodward 820 E. Genesee St. I Main: 315-443-4008 I Box Office: 315-443-3275 I www.SyracuseStage.org