Press ReleaseThe historic Peoples Bank Theatre announces its 2019 Winter-Spring Spotlight Series. This latest lineup of eight national touring artists comes in the midst of the theatre’s 100th anniversary. From concerts and comedy, to acrobatics and silent movies with live accompaniment, the Winter-Spring series highlights the versatility of the recently renovated performance and the diversity of its year-round programs.
The season’s headliners include Amy Grant, Crystal Gayle, Lewis Black, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith, Runa, Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, and the Golden Dragon Acrobats.
Tickets for the Summer-Fall Spotlight Series go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on Monday, November 5. Theatre member sales open on October 29, 31, and November 2, based on membership level.
Crystal Gayle
Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
Inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in January 2017 by her sister Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle is the first female artist in country to reach platinum status with more than 20 number one hits. Renowned for her classic recording of her timeless signature song Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue, Crystal Gayle also scored with her multi-format hits You’ve Been Talking In Your Sleep, When I Dream, Half the Way, and her duet with Eddie Rabbitt, Just You and I. The Academy of Country Music recognized Crystal Gayle with a 2016 Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award for her lifetime achievements in country music. And in 2009 Crystal Gayle received her own star on the fabled Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra
Friday, March 1, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.
The annual Colony Short Film Festival opens with a nod to Peoples Bank Theatre’s 100th birthday. The Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, hailed by The Washington Post as “the premier American ragtime ensemble” will take the audience back in time to experience the movie going experience of the 1910s and 1920s. The Masters of Silent Comedy program features three hilarious silent comedy shorts, Charlie Chaplin’s “The Pawnshop” (1917), Buster Keaton’s “Cops” (1922) and Laurel & Hardy’s “Big Business” (1929), all accompanied live with their historic orchestral scores, as they would have been in the days of Marietta’s New Hippodrome Theatre. Between the films, hear Peacherine and Director Andrew Greene play the rollicking rhythms of the early 20th century, featuring favorites by Scott Joplin, Irving Berlin, and the creators of America’s first popular music: Ragtime.
Golden Dragon Acrobats
Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.
The Golden Dragon Acrobats represent the best of a time-honored tradition that began more than twenty-five centuries ago. The Golden Dragons are recognized throughout the United States and abroad as the premiere Chinese acrobatic touring company. World renowned impresario Danny Chang and choreographer Angela Chang combine award-winning acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacular costumes, ancient and contemporary music and theatrical techniques to present a show of breathtaking skill and spellbinding beauty.
The Golden Dragon Acrobats count among their distinctions being a seven-time recipient of the National Association of Campus Activities Entertainer of the Year Award, the Campus Activities Today’s Performer of the Year Award and, most recently, two most prestigious New York Drama Desk Award nominations for their Broadway performances. In recent years, individual members of the Golden Dragons have been recipients of awards at the Henan Regional Acrobatic Competition, the China National Acrobatic Competition, the National Teen Acrobatic Competition, the Italian National Acrobatic Competition, the International Young Adult Acrobatic Competition in Japan and the President’s Award at the International Acrobatic Competition, and have performed for President Bill Clinton and other leaders at the APEC meeting in Shanghai, China.
Runa
Saturday, March 16 at 8:00 p.m.
Quickly gaining recognition as one of Irish music’s new “super-groups,” RUNA has been enchanting audiences by pushing the boundaries of Irish folk music into the Americana and roots music formats since their formation in 2008. Interweaving the haunting melodies and exuberant tunes of Ireland and Scotland with the lush harmonies and intoxicating rhythms of jazz, bluegrass, flamenco and blues, they offer a redefining take on traditional music.
The group has been honored internationally, winning Top Group and Top Traditional Group in the Irish Music Awards and four Independent Music Awards including Best Live Album, Best World/Traditional Song and Best Bluegrass Song.
Ricky Skaggs
Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
Fourteen-time GRAMMY Award-winner Ricky Skaggs returns to Peoples Bank Theatre after recently being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. His life’s path has taken him to various musical genres, from where it all began in bluegrass music, to striking out on new musical journeys, while still leaving his musical roots intact. Skaggs album, Bluegrass Rules! swept major music awards, topped the charts, and cemented his reputation for bringing the genre to the masses. He, along with Kentucky Thunder, are 8-time winners of the International Bluegrass Music Association Instrumental Group of the Year. Skaggs struck his first chords on a mandolin over 50 years ago, and he continues to do his part to lead the recent roots revival in music.
Lewis Black
Friday, April 12, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
Known as the king of the rant, Lewis Black uses his trademark style of comedic yelling and animated finger-pointing to skewer anything and anyone that gets under his skin. His comedic brilliance lies in his ability to make people laugh at the absurdities of life, with topics that include current events, social media, politics and anything else that exposes the hypocrisy and madness he sees in the world. Receiving critical acclaim as a stand-up, actor and author, Lewis Black has performed for audiences throughout Europe, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. In 2012, he performed eight sell-out shows at Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway.
Connie Smith
Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
Ohio’s own Connie Smith makes her first appearance on the Peoples Bank Theatre stage in this Winter-Spring Spotlight Series. This Country Music Hall of Fame inductee has earned 11 Grammy nominations, and landed on the Billboard Top Ten country singles charts 20 times. Connie’s first record, the aching and unforgettable “Once a Day,” written by Bill Anderson and recorded on July 16, 1964 when she was just 23, became one of the most celebrated singles in country music history—the first debut single by a female country singer to go to Number One, a position it held for eight weeks. Dolly Parton once noted, famously, that there were just three real female singers around—Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, and Connie Smith. “The rest of us,” she said, “are only pretending.”
Amy Grant
Friday, June 21, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
Amy Grant’s has been dubbed the “Queen of Christian Pop.” Over the years, she has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, including three multi-platinum, six platinum, and four gold. Her chart performance has also been consistent throughout her career, boasting six No. 1 hits, 10 “Top 40” pop singles, 17 “Top 40” adult contemporary tracks and multiple contemporary Christian chart toppers. In recognition of such success, Grant has received 6 GRAMMY Awards and 26 Dove Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a star on the Music City Walk of Fame. Additionally, she was most recently inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
Full event details and ticket information for these events and more are available online at www.peoplesbanktheatre.com or by calling the box office at 740-371-5152. Walk-up hours at the box office, located in The Stage Door at 224 Putnam Street, are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and one-to-two hours prior to most performances.
Located at 222 Putnam Street in historic downtown Marietta, Peoples Bank Theatre is managed by the nonprofit Hippodrome/Colony Historical Theatre Association.