Media Contact:

Jessica Petrie

651-282-3113

jpetrie@ordway.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Presents

Broadway Songbook®: Rock & Roll on Broadway

On stage in the new Concert Hall

SAINT PAUL, Minn. (March 18, 2015) The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts will continue the popular Broadway Songbook® series April 17-18 with Broadway Songbook®: Rock & Roll on Broadway. Tickets are $37 and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at 651-224-4222 or in person at the Ordway ticket office.

The Broadway Songbook series offers an intimate, personal look at the stories behind the songs that created Broadway. Each show is filled with funny portraits and anecdotes of the writers, producers and performers who created some of the most iconic shows of all time. Broadway Songbook: Rock & Roll on Broadway takes the audience on a musical ride from the 1960s through today with songs from musicals such as Hair, Mamma Mia, Jesus Christ Superstar, Dreamgirls, RENT, Spring Awakening, Next to Normal and more.

Back in October, we looked at the first 100 years of Broadway and how the genre got its start. Now, were completing that journey by diving into contemporary Broadway, said James A. Rocco, Ordways vice president of programming and producing artistic director. Rock & Roll on Broadway illustrates the path that musicals took, shifting from the classic book musical epitomized by shows like Oklahoma! and into a more conceptual style used to reflect and comment on contemporary times and issues.

Broadway Songbook: Rock & Roll on Broadway is written by James A. Rocco and Jeffrey P. Scott with musical arrangements by Albert Evans and Raymond Berg. Rocco also acts as the shows host, while Berg acts as musical director. The cast features Dieter Bierbrauer, Yolande Bruce, Reid Harmsen, Caroline Innerbichler, Kersten Rodau, Randy Schmeling and Erin Schwab.

In celebration of the Ordways recently completed Concert Hall, Broadway Songbook: Rock & Roll on Broadway will take place in the new space, showcasing the acoustics, intimacy and versatility of the hall. The series will move back into the Music Theater for the 2015-2016 season.

For tickets and more information, visit www.ordway.org.

ABOUT THE ORDWAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Ordway is widely recognized as one of the nations leading nonprofit performing arts centers and Saint Pauls most elegant and inviting performance space. The Ordways Music Theater and Concert Hall attract diverse audiences with an array of productions showcasing the finest in American musical theater, world music, dance and vocal performance. Education and community engagement are integral to the Ordways mission, with major initiatives including the annual Flint Hills International Childrens Festival and Ordway Education programs that serve more than 50,000 students annually. The Ordway also sponsors the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a charter high school with a professionally guided academic and artistic environment that trains aspiring pre-professional performing artists. Together with the Minnesota Opera, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and The Schubert Club, the Ordway is a member of the Arts Partnership and serves as the principal venue for their performances. For more information, visit www.ordway.org.