Paramount announces Fall/Winter Schedule

Media Contact:

Kristen Gleason
Director of Marketing
The Paramount Theater
215 East Main Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.979.1922 ext. 103
kristen@theparamount.net

For Immediate Release

July 24, 2007

For the Fall/Winter 2007-08 Season Schedule, click here.

Continuing a tradition of offering star-studded and genre-crossing events, The Paramount Theater has announced its Fall/Winter 2007-08 Season.  The 39-event series, which runs from September 2007 through February 2008, features a variety of theatrical performances, comedians, musical concerts, dance companies, and family programs as well as some big names coming to Charlottesville for the first time. 

In a special media event held at the theater, Paramount Director of Marketing Kristen Gleason unveiled the theater’s Fall/Winter lineup, which includes performances with such renowned artists as pop legend Dionne Warwick, jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis leading the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, country music icon Wynonna, folk music great Arlo Guthrie, bluegrass master Ricky Skaggs and The Whites presenting a Skaggs Family Christmas, celebrated Broadway composer /conductor pianist Marvin Hamlisch, the incomparable and time-honored sounds of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and the internationally-acclaimed Vienna Boys Choir.

In the meantime, tickets for August events in The Paramount’s Summer Season -- including performances with guitarist/singer Peter Frampton, country music artist Terri Clark, and poet/actress/activist Maya Angelou -- are still available.  The schedule of shows in the theater’s spring season beginning March 1 will be announced in the fall.

“There have been many magical experiences and captivating evenings in the three short seasons since The Paramount reopened,” Gleason commented.  “Credit is due to the wonderful and generous donors who helped bring this intimate and historic theater back to life so that we can offer the quality and wide variety of performances our patrons in Charlottesville, Central Virginia, and the Shenandoah Valley have come to expect.”

“We are thrilled to continue that tradition with this Fall/Winter series of world-class artists and talented up-and-coming performers.  Ticket prices alone do not cover the costs of putting on events at The Paramount, so we are especially grateful to our annual contributors.  They help make both our public performances and educational programs -- including school time shows, workshops, and master classes -- accessible to the community.”

Tickets for all events in The Paramount’s Fall/Winter 2007-08 Season will go on sale in August, with Paramount members having the first opportunity to buy tickets.  The series is available to members at the theater’s Star Circle level ($1,000 and above) on August 7, and to all Paramount members on August 14.  Sales for the general public begin on August 21.

Anyone who is not currently a member of the theater may take advantage of the early purchasing period by joining when placing an order. Tickets will be available through the theater’s website, www.theparamount.net, and The Paramount Box Office (434.979.1333).

Accompanying a shift to year-round programming, The Paramount is breaking its schedule into smaller seasons.  “Having multiple seasons and announcing the acts in this way allows the theater more flexibility,” Gleason noted.  “We are able to book artists closer to the date of their Paramount performance, which increases the pool of performers that can appear here.”

The Fall/Winter Season bookends with a pair of “5s” -- kicking off on September 9 with a concert by six-time Grammy winners and Vocal Group Hall of Fame inductees The 5th Dimension, and concluding on February 21 with an exhilarating and flawless classical performance by the five Juilliard-trained grand pianist siblings of The 5 Browns.

The Paramount’s wide-ranging fourth season includes the following performances and artists:          

• Broadway and drama will be in the spotlight with Gypsy, star of the Great White Way Betty Buckley, and Aquila Theatre Company’s Julius Caesar.

• Jazz and big band will resonate through the theater with guitarist Bill Frisell’s Disfarmer Project (inspired and accompanied by projections of stunning photographic portraits from the 1930s and 40s), the sizzling sounds of the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band, and big band favorites from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.

• Folk, country, and bluegrass fans have plenty to sing about with An Evening of American Acoustic Music Featuring David Bromberg with Angel Band & The Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Quartet, the unmistakable voice and memorable melodies of Clint Black, and the Billboard Bluegrass Album Chart-topping family band Cherryholmes.

• Dance enthusiasts will be spinning with North Carolina Dance Theatre’s presentation of Balanchine, Ailey, and Tharp choreography in American Masters; the passion and sensuality of the 25 dancer/musician company Tango Buenos Aires, and Philadanco’s innovative blend of ballet, jazz, modern, and African-American-based dance.

• Classical music and opera will be center stage with the dynamic and debonair Australian export The Ten Tenors; The Oratorio Society of Charlottesville-Albemarle’s annual Christmas at The Paramount; Teatro Lirico D’Europa’s entertaining presentation (in the original Italian) of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville; and a diverse symphonic program of Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn, and Mexican composers Carlos Chavez and Silvestre Revueltas when the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico (directed by Maestro Enrique Batiz and featuring pianist Leonel Morales) comes to the United States for the first time. 

• Comedy offerings will have audiences in stitches, with Laughter Arts Festival (LAF) starring Colin Quinn, Caroline Rhea, and Christian Finnegan; the return of The Second City improv troupe for their Dysfunctional Holiday Revue; and political comedian Mark Russell, appearing just in time for brilliant commentary on the Spring Presidential primaries.

• Nostalgia is the name of the game thanks to a repeat performance by Elvis interpreter extraordinaire Matt Lewis in Long Live the King with special guests and hometown favorites Big Ray and the Kool Kats, as well as a concert featuring the distinctive close harmonies of The Ink Spots.

• Families will enjoy smiles and plenty of fun with the Russian American Kids Circus; Mad River Theater Works’ production of the legendary tale of John Henry; the fascinating dancing, exciting swordplay, and authentic Slavic music and movement of the Georgian State Dance Company; Enchantment Theatre Company’s presentation of literary classic The Velveteen Rabbit; and the return of Nebraska Theatre Caravan for the annual musical holiday favorite A Christmas Carol.

• Gospel fans will experience an unforgettable evening courtesy of three-time Grammy winners and four-decade vocal powerhouse Mighty Clouds of Joy.

• Beats of world music will fill The Paramount in concerts by Riverdance vocalists and haunting Celtic singers Anúna, and the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet with iconic acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke in a joyous program of holiday music from around the globe.

• Once again this season, The Paramount will complement live performances with a series of movies shown in grand style, including Viva Las Vegas, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Night of the Living Dead, A Christmas Story, and White Christmas.

The Paramount also continues to serve as “Charlottesville’s Largest Classroom for the Performing Arts” through The Paramount Theater Arts Education Program sponsored in part by The Ralph & Mary Fischer Bell Foundation.

For the Fall/Winter Season, five ArtsReach education performances geared for elementary, middle, and high school students will offer school time opportunities for young people to experience the performing arts.  Seven InterACT events -- workshops, master classes, performance discussions, and an open rehearsal -- will benefit theatergoers of all ages and interests.  Additional educational events will be offered in the spring.