Pitt-Bradford Prism Series Brings History Together with Pop Culture

The 2011-12 Prism Series at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford promises its audiences a musical medley of North American heritage: from Native American and early settler beginnings to the Civil War to reality TV fame.

The university’s premier arts series will open the season with the return of The Barter Theatre in its performance of “Civil War Voices,” at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 25 in the Bromeley Family Theater in Blaisdell Hall. In 2010, Prism audiences enjoyed The Barter Theatre’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

Ticket prices for the public are $30 and $26; costs for faculty, staff and alumni are $26 and $22; students pay $13 and $11.

James R. Harris based his musical on the diaries and other writings of his great-great-uncle, a young couple separated by the war, a young professor who became a lieutenant, and a freed slave working as Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker. The music arrangements by Mark Hayes include period songs such as “Dixie,” “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Assistant Director Katy Brown explains, “The really beautiful thing is, by the end of the play, we see that even though it was North vs. the South, we all were so much the same, with such similar human hopes and fears.”

The Barter Theatre was founded in Abington, Va., during the Great Depression. Its name stems from the unique payment method used: a ticket cost 40 cents, and patrons could pay in cash, eggs, dairy products, livestock, or vegetables.

On Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m., Prism will present “American Idol Stars in Concert for the Holidays!” Gina Glocksen of Season 6, David Hernandez of Season 7, and Alexis Grace and Michael Sarver of Season 8 will grace the Bromeley Family Theater stage to perform a mix of familiar holiday songs.

Tickets for the public will cost $34 and $30; faculty, staff and alumni pay $30 and $26; cost for students is $15 and $13.

Pianist, arranger, and associate music director of “American Idol,” Michael Orland, is the show’s musical director.
Lee Martino, a top TV and stage choreographer and an Ovation Award winner, is the director and choreographer.

Gina Glocksen, known as the “rocker chick,” but really a much more versatile performer, finished in 9th place. This is finalist David Hernandez’s second Idol holiday tour, and he performed at the Inaugural Kick-Off Celebration Ball for President Barack Obama. Soulful singer and collector of old records Alexis Grace was prematurely eliminated in 11th place, and oil rigger turned country singer Michael Sarver finished in 10th place.

DRUM! will visit the Bromeley Family Theater from Nova Scotia at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27. Tickets for the public cost $32 and $28; cost for faculty, staff and alumni is $28 and $24; students pay $14 and $12.

Brookes Diamond’s creation, DRUM! is a combination of percussion akin to “Stomp!” and dancing and violin playing ala “Lord of the Dance.” The show combines Acadian, Black, Celtic, and Native American music, dance and poetry. The performance is multi-faceted, but the message is simple: Let’s celebrate the melting pot that is America.

The Halifax Chronicle Herald called it “unreviewable – it has to be experienced.” The Chicago Tribune declared it “sensational!” DRUM! first stole the show in 1999 at Tall Ships 2000 where it was just 45 minutes long. It has since grown into a full-length show with its own stage at the Halifax waterfront. DRUM! began touring in 2005 and has received countless standing ovations across the United States and Canada, sometimes after just the first act.

Contact the Bromeley Family Theater Box Office at (814)362-5113, Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and one hour before show time for tickets and more information.

For disability-related needs, contact the Office of Disability Resources at (814)362-7609 or clh71@pitt.edu

Photos courtesy of Pitt-Bradford. "Idol" performers pictured are Grace and Sarver.