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Master Arts Theatre Presents Quilters
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GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Quilters, a moving musical presentation of the quiet dignity and perseverance of our nation’s pioneers, is coming to life at Master Arts Theatre August 22 – September 22, 2012.
This tribute to America’s past, written by Molly Newman and Barbara Damasek, blends music and drama to create a unique experience as a pioneer mother and her daughters share stories of the frontier.
Each patch and block they quilt represents a part of life crossing the prairie – love, marriage, toil, twisters, fire, illness, and death. The joys and sorrows of life are bound together with the threads of love and music, together creating a breathtaking tapestry.
The seven cast members, led by Daryl Waggoner as frontier mother Sarah, play many diverse roles as scenes and stories change. Nancy Peters directs the singing voices of the prairie, leading them to the richness needed to convey so many diverse images.
Director Pris McDonald said that quilting was a way to record history on the frontier. Every scrap commemorated someone’s life.
“It’s a picture book of their lives in fabric,” she said. “Quilting was a thread of their lives.”
Much of the show is based on portions of actual accounts of the frontier.
“These are life stories,” said McDonald. “There are joys, but there are tremendous struggles. They married, had children; they had goals, hopes and dreams. Some survived, some didn’t. There are life stories that are hard to tell.”
This is the second time Master Arts has produced Quilters, the previous production performed by an award-winning cast in September of 1998.
The GR Press review of the 1998 performance spoke of the “catchy folk tunes,” “lovely” music, and sketches combined to make a quilt that is a mother’s legacy to her daughters.
Quilters will be performing August 22 – September 22. Evenings shows are at 7:30 pm and Saturday matinees are offered at 2:00 pm. There will be no performances over Labor Day weekend.
Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for senior citizens and $16 for students. Discounts are offered for groups of twenty or more.
Tickets go on sale July 23, but groups may call earlier to reserve a block of seats. To purchase tickets please call the box office at 616-455-1001.
Master Arts is located at 75 77th St. SW, Grand Rapids.
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