Life on the Hill

The Providence Performing Arts Center Announces Full Schedule for 2010/2011 Broadway Season

J.L. "Lynn" Singleton, President of the Providence Performing Arts Center, is pleased to announce PPAC's Contemporary Specials, Holiday and Family Shows for the 2010/2011 Broadway Season. The majority of productions featured in the Broadway Series (excluding DISNEY PRESENTS THE LION KING; an on-sale date for this show will be announced), the TACO/The White Family Foundation Contemporary Classics Series, and Broadway Special MAMMA MIA! will go on sale Monday, July 26 at 10A.

There's still time to become a new PPAC subscriber with just a $99 deposit; this payment plan option is available until Thursday, September 2, 2010! Please contact the PPAC Box Office at (401) 421-ARTS (2787) or Sharon Corcoran in Direct Response at (401) 574-3136 to learn more about subscription packages and to order. Please note that Summer Box Office Hours are now in effect; they are Monday through Thursday, 10A to 3P and through curtain time(s) on show days. During the regular season, Box Office Hours are Monday through Friday, 10A to 5P; Saturday, 10A to 2P and through curtain time(s) on performance days. The PPAC Box Office is located at 220 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence.

Patrons are welcome to arrange a time to come to the Theatre to try out subscription seating and to place an order; please contact Sharon Corcoran in Direct Response via email: direct@ppacri.org or call (401) 574-3136. Direct Response Hours are Monday through Friday, 9A to 5P year-round and will be open most Saturdays, 10A to 2P from July through September 2010. Tickets for the RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR® STARRING THE ROCKETTES® (November 12 - 28, 2010) are on sale now and are $39 - $125. For an additional $39 per ticket, patrons will have the chance to meet the world-famous Rockettes® prior to selected performances; please contact the PPAC Box Office at (401) 421-ARTS (2787) for a complete Meet and Greet schedule and to order. Discounted admission is available for groups of 10 or more for the RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR and for most Family Shows, and for groups 20 or more for the majority of shows in PPAC's 2010/2011 Season; for complete information, please contact Group Sales Representative Paul Hiatt via email: phiatt@ppacri.org or call (401) 574-3162. In addition, PPAC offers military discounts and student/senior citizen discounts; call the PPAC Box Office at (401) 421-ARTS (2787) for information and to order.

Please note that all ticket prices include a $3 per ticket restoration fee. Tickets for PILOBOLUS (Saturday, September 25 at 8P; tickets are $48 - $28), YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE! THERE'S A PARTY IN MY CITY! (Tuesday, September 28 at 3P and 6:30P; tickets are $125 - $23; please note that the $125 tickets include a"Gabba Party Package"), BUDDY VALASTRO: THE CAKE BOSS on the Bakin' with the Boss Tour (November 6, 2010 at 8P; tickets are $45 - $23), and ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER (Tuesday, May 10 at 7:30P; tickets are $68 - $15) are on sale now.

On Monday, July 26, patrons may purchase tickets for the following shows in the Broadway Series: Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC (December 7 - 12, 2010; sponsored by Navigant Credit Union; tickets are $68 - $41), IN THE HEIGHTS (January 11 - 16, 2011; an Inskip Lexus Touring Selection; tickets are $68 - $41), NEXT TO NORMAL (March 22 - 27, 2011; sponsored by TACO/The White Family Foundation; tickets are $68 - $41), and WEST SIDE STORY (April 26 - May 1, 2011; an Inskip Lexus Touring Selection; tickets are $70 - $43). Tickets are available on Monday, July 26 for the following shows in the TACO/The White Family Foundation Contemporary Classics Series: BLUE MAN GROUP (March 4 - 6, 2011; tickets are $65 - $38) and MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT (April 15 - 17, 2011; tickets are $63 - $36). Tickets for Broadway Special MAMMA MIA! (December 28, 2010 - January 2, 2011; sponsored by Coastway Community Bank; tickets are $71 - $44) go on sale Monday, July 26.

OTHER SHOW TO WATCH FOR:

The POPS-PHIL-PPAC Series launches with CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE on Saturday, October 30, 2010 at 8P.

DEADLIEST CATCH LIVE! (Friday, September 10, 2010 at 8P) Dance Specials include PILOBOLUS and ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER, and are co-presented by PPAC and FirstWorks.

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER makes its Providence debut at PPAC on May 10, 2011 at 7:30P.

FESTIVAL BALLET'S "THE NUTCRACKER" returns to PPAC December 17 - 19, 2010. The IMAGINATION MOVERS visit PPAC on Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 7P.

Suffolk Downs Announces 2010 Racing Schedule

The 2010 live racing season at Suffolk Downs will begin Saturday, May 15 and consist of 101 racing days, the track announced today as it introduced its complete racing schedule for its 75th anniversary season.

Opening Day is scheduled on Preakness Stakes Day this year, two weeks later than the track's traditional opening on Kentucky Derby Day. First post time on Opening Day is 1:15 PM. "As more and more of the New England horsemen and horses winter in Florida, Delaware and Pennsylvania where purses are enhanced due to expanded gaming, extending our opening for even a couple weeks makes it easier for us to get top quality horses to return here," said Chip Tuttle, Suffolk Downs' Chief Operating Officer. "Based on the recent legislative action in Massachusetts, we look forward to our 75th anniversary season with a renewed sense of optimism for the future."

The track will be hosting Boston's Biggest and Best Kentucky Derby Party on Saturday, May 1. In addition to the standard simulcast areas, fans will be able to watch the Derby and other races on large outdoor television screens as part of a festival featuring live bands and an assortment of food and beverages. After the May 15th opening, live racing will be held on Wednesdays and Saturdays for the remainder of the month of May. Starting Memorial Day, May 31, the track will conduct a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Saturday racing schedule until the conclusion of the meet on Saturday, November 13. Usual first race post time is 12:45 PM.

For the start of the 2010 racing season, Suffolk Downs projects average daily overnight purses consistent with 2009's level of $90,000 per day. The track will announce its 2010 stakes program in the coming weeks. Suffolk Downs will celebrate its 75th anniversary throughout the season. Built by 3,000 workers in just 62 days, the historic track opened on July 10, 1935 and has been a showcase for some of the most famous names in Thoroughbred racing history. The legendary Seabiscuit first raced at the track in its inaugural season and would return in 1937 to win the track's signature race, the Massachusetts Handicap.

Champion racehorses War Admiral, Whirlaway, John Henry and Cigar have all competed at Suffolk Downs, as have Hall of Fame jockeys Eddie Arcaro, Chris McCarron, Angel Cordero and Jerry Bailey. The track's rich tradition extends beyond Thoroughbred racing. On August 18, 1966, the Beatles took the stage on the racetrack for an historic performance, one of their last official concerts as a group. Over 25,000 fans packed the house to witness what would prove to be the Beatles' final Boston appearance.