A new arts initiative called “Experience PPAC” will make it possible for every 10th grader in Rhode Island to see a touring Broadway performance at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) in 2019-2020.
During the 2019/2020 season and school year, sophomores will have the opportunity to see Thursday morning presentations of “Come from Away” or “Fiddler on the Roof.” A third show will be announced later.
“Participating in and exposure to the arts positively affects the lives of students: it increases self-esteem, inspires creativity, and helps to build communication skills, among many other benefits,” said Dana Brazil, PPAC’s Director of Education.
Show study guides will be provided to schools prior to their attendance of the specified performance so that they can engage in the educational material, creative concepts, and lessons prior to attending.
This education initiative is made possible by PPAC’s Board of Directors and staff. Working in partnership with PPAC, bus transportation company FIRST STUDENT will provide transportation to and from these shows. Show tickets and busing is paid for by PPAC. There is no charge to the students or their schools for the theatre tickets or for bus transportation.
“PPAC’s Board of Directors is pleased to be able to offer students the chance to see a live Broadway production right here at the Theatre. Through this program, we are ensuring that every student in Rhode Island will ‘experience PPAC’ and the ‘world of Broadway,” said PPAC Board Chairman Joseph W. Walsh, Esq.
For more information on Experience PPAC, contact Dana Brazil, Director of Education, at dbrazil@ppacri.org or (401) 574-3132.
Experience PPAC Shows – 2019/2020 Broadway Season
These shows are part of the Taco/White Family Foundation Broadway Series
COME FROM AWAY: December 3 – 8, 2019
Experience PPAC performance: Thursday, December 5, 2019
COME FROM AWAY tells the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them as air traffic was re-rerouted from the U.S. airspace, which was closed in the wake of 9/11. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. On September 11, 2001 the world stopped. On September 12, their stories moved us all.
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF: February 11 – 16, 2020
Experience PPAC Performance: Thursday, February 13, 2020
A beloved theatrical classic from Tony Award-winner Joseph Stein, and Pulitzer Prize- winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, Fiddler on the Roof is directed by Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher (South Pacific, The King and I); choreographed by the acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter; inspired by the original choreography of Jerome Robbins; and has musical direction by Ted Sperling. Fiddler on the Roof is the heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and life, love and laughter. This classic musical is rich with Broadway hits, including “To Life (L’Chaim!),” “If I Were A Rich Man,” “Sunrise Sunset,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” and “Tradition.”
Photos: Providence Performing Arts Center
