August 27, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MCCC ANNOUNCES 2007-08 SEASON EVENTS LINEUP
Bradley Sowash, Jeff Daniels, Heywood Banks, Shania Twin (A tribute to Shania Twain) and Mitch Ryder Highlight Diverse Slate of Performances

MONROE, Mich. - Monroe County Community College has announced its lineup of Season Events for 2007-08, which consists of performers from all genres of the entertainment community.  There will be comedic, musical and theatrical performances, as well as cultural and community events – this year is sure to have something for everyone.

            Most of the events will take place at the La-Z-Boy Center, Meyer Theater, the college’s state-of-the-art, 580-seat venue that opened in October 2004.

            Not in the La-Z-Boy Center, but certainly all around it, the season begins with Antiques and Autos on Sunday, September 23.  This is the twenty-first year of the Auto Show, and it is open to all makes, models and years.  Visitors are invited to stroll at their leisure across the MCCC Main Campus among muscle cars, low riders, the classics and more.  Around the corner in the Welch Health Education Building will be the Antiques Show, where visitors can find every conceivable type of “blast-from-the-past” merchandise imaginable.  New this year will a Craft Show, which will be held in the Audrey M. Warrick Student Services/Administration Building.  Hay rides and children’s activities will also be available.  Musical entertainment will be provided by The Fabulous Oldies but Goodies Band.

            Acclaimed jazz pianist, composer and educator Bradley Sowash will play the Meyer Theater on Saturday, September 29.  Sowash’s music has been categorized as contemporary jazz with classical styling, roaming somewhere between Ellington’s playfulness and Beethoven’s romanticism.  His emotional expression and formidable technique have prompted favorable reviews in national publications, including The Village Voice and Billboard.  Among Sowash’s broadcast credits are national radio airplay on NPR’s Morning Edition and regular guest appearances on the PBS series, The Piano Guy, since its inception.
           
         From October 5 through 7 at the Meyer Theater, MCCC’s own QuagMeyer Productions will present Waiting for Godot, a “tragicomedy” by Samuel Beckkett.  According to the Massachusetts Review, Waiting for Godot was voted the most significant English language play of the 20th century by 800 playwrights, actors, directors and journalists.  This performanceis intended for mature audiences.

      Chelsea native Jeff Daniels will take the Meyer Theater stage on Friday, November 16.  A movie star is usually not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “grass roots” and “down to earth,” but that is exactly what you’ll get when Daniels performs his one-man acoustic show of bluesy folk songs, personal stories and comedy.  According to the Albany, N.Y. Times Union, “Daniels’ regular-guy attitude and homespun delivery always hits the mark.”

            With his new CD, Grandfather’s Hat, Daniels has proven that he is not an actor who sings, but an accomplished singer/songwriter who’s musical talent does not require the support of his acting.  And even though he has shared the musical stage with legends such as Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt, Daniels never forgets his roots and is a lover of all things Michigan.

            Grandfather’s Hat features a rowdy rendition of “Detroit Train,” as well as an updated version of “Lifelong Tiger Fan Blues,” originally a lament to the team who compiled the second-worst season in baseball history.  The revised version – “Lifelong Tiger Fan Blues, Revisited” – is an ode to the 2006 American League (and almost World Series) Champions.

            On Saturday, January 19, fans can “come on over” to the Meyer Theater to check out Shania Twin, the premier tribute to Shania Twain featuring Donna Huber.  During an interview on TNN Prime Time, the real Shania once said, “I thought she was me for a moment…..she’s the best one.”  Shania Twin is the busiest act for major fairs, festivals and exhibitions in North America.  She has been featured on national television networks such as CBC, TNN and Bravo and in major print publications such as the National Enquirer and National Post.  Opening for Shania Twin is Monroe’s own country singer/songwriter, Chèrie.

            In February, MCCC, the Monroe County Library System and a “Blues Coalition” of community co-sponsors will present the twenty-first annual Black History Month Blues Series.  Blues legends Willie Dixon, Hubert Sumlin and Pinetop Perkins and legends-in-the-making like Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women, Guy Davis and Peter “Madcat” Ruth will be performing free concerts.  The lineup for this month-long award-winning series of concerts will be released in October.

            The stage will come alive on Friday, February 15, when Dr. Dolittle comes to the Meyer Theater.  Dr. Dolittle is a musical for children about a colonel in the Royal British Army whose imagination comes alive as he concocts a marvelous tale about a kind-hearted physician who can talk with animals.  Inspired by Hugh Lofting’s The Story of Doctor Dolittle, the musical conveys the power of storytelling and the need for all creatures to set aside their differences and communicate.

            On Saturday, March 1, Heywood Banks will perform at the Meyer Theater.  This one-of-a-kind stand-up comedian/songwriter/singer/poet/musician is a cult hero and pop icon whose comic routine appeals to a wide variety of people, from college students to business people to grandmothers.  Banks intersperses his humorous observations on life with twisted, inventive, bizarre songs sung and played in a variety of styles.
          

       Just a few of his national television credits include Entertainment Tonight, A&E’s Evening at the Improv and MTV’s ½-Hour Comedy Hour.  He is also a regular guest on the nationally syndicated radio program, The Bob and Tom Show.    This performance is intended for mature audiences.

            The college will host its eight-annual Antiques in April Show and Sale on Saturday, April 5.  This event is quickly becoming one of the best antique shows in the Midwest, featuring an unprecedented display of high quality antiques and collectibles from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

            Dubbed the “Detroit voice of the 1960s” by Rolling Stone, Mitch Ryder will zoom into the Meyer Theater on Saturday, April 12 with the Detroit Wheels.  Ryder “was a major influence on Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp,” according to Rolling Stone.  He and the Wheels – with their signature, high-octane, supercharged sound – served as the musical bridge between the Motown soul factory and the take-no-prisoners rock n’ roll that would roar out of Detroit via the likes of Ted Nugent and Bob Seger.  Among their most memorable songs are the Top 40 hits “Little Latin Lupe Lu,” “Jenny Take a Ride” and “Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly.”

            MCCC’s own QuagMeyer Productions will bring The Fantasticks, the world’s longest-running musical, to the Meyer Theater stage from May 9 through May 11.  Written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, The Fantasticks is a classic coming-of-age-story about two meddling, matchmaking fathers who scheme to get their children together.  But once the couple is united, the real drama begins!  The Fantasticks is a celebration of love – and all its simplicities and complexities – and features such beloved songs as “Try to Remember” and “Soon it’s Gonna Rain.”

            Throughout the season, the Meyer Theater also plays host to the college and community members who make up the Symphony Band and Agora Chorale.  The band, conducted by Mark Felder, will perform on October 22, December 17, February 18 and April 28.  The chorale will sing October 22, December 18, February 18 and April 29.

       Tickets are on-sale now and may be purchased in-person at the MCCC Cashier’s Office or by calling the MCCC Ticket hotline at (734) 384-4272.  VISA, MasterCard and Discover are accepted.

            Tickets will soon be available for purchase on-line via the MCCC Web site at www.monroeccc.edu/events, a new feature for 2007-2008.  Details on when tickets will be available on-line will be released soon.

         To see our complete event listing visit http://www.monroeccc.edu/events.