Audience | Kentucky Performing Arts | October 2021 by Audience502

OCTOBER 2021

Andrew Schulz: The INFAMOUS Tour October 8 Tommy Emmanuel, CGP with Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley October 9 Randy Rainbow: The Pink Glasses Tour October 15 Nurse Blake: The PTO Tour October 24

Mat Kearney The January Flower Tour with The National Parks October 27 Pink Martini featuring China Forbes October 29

Members see it all for free!

Advanced ticket purchase strongly encouraged.

Visit speedmuseum.org for details

October 7, 2021 – January 2, 2022 This exhibition examines the artwork that has shaped our collective imagination of the supernatural and paranormal and asks why America is haunted. Image: Agatha Wojciechowsky American (born Germany), 1896-1986 aw 0323, 1963 Watercolor on paper Courtesy of the Collection of Steven Day, New York, NY

This exhibition is organized by the Minneapolis Institute of Art and has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Support for this exhibition provided by: The Ford Foundation Alan and Shelly Ann Kamei David A. Jones, Jr. and Mary Gwen Wheeler Northern Trust Robert Lehman Foundation Lopa and Rishabh Mehrotra

Media sponsorship from:

Support for contemporary exhibitions comes from: Augusta and Gill Holland

Exhibition season sponsored by: Cary Brown and Steven E. Epstein Paul and Deborah Chellgren Debra and Ronald Murphy

OCTOBER 2021

Audience® is the official program guide for: Kentucky Performing Arts Presents Kentucky Shakespeare Louisville Orchestra PNC Broadway in Louisville

Publisher The Audience Group, Inc. G. Douglas Dreisbach Founding Publishers Kay & Jeff Tull Managing Editor Amy Higgs Creative Director Rhonda Mefford Sales & Marketing G. Douglas Dreisbach Printing V. G. Reed & Sons

PROGRAM

Andrew Schultz: The Infamous Tour The Brown Theatre...................................... 7 Tommy Emmanuel, CGP with Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley The Brown Theatre...................................... 9 Randy Rainbow The Brown Theatre.................................... 16 Nurse Blake: The PTO Tour The Kentucky Center-Bomhard Theater.... 18 Mat Kearney: The January Flower Tour The Brown Theatre.................................... 20 Pink Martini Featuring China Forbes The Brown Theatre.................................... 25

THEATRE INFORMATION The Kentucky Center (Whitney Hall, Bomhard Theater, Clark-Todd Hall, MeX Theater) 501 West Main Street; Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway; and Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, 724 Brent Street. Tickets: The Kentucky Performing Arts Box Office, 502.584.7777 or KentuckyPerformingArts.org. Reserve wheelchair seating or hearing devices at time of ticket purchase.

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The Audience Group, Inc. 136 St. Matthews Avenue #300 Louisville, KY 40207 502.212.5177 Audience502.com Printed in USA

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A MESSAGE FROM KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS At Kentucky Performing Arts, safety is our highest priority. Amid rising COVID-19 cases and the increasing threat of the Delta variant, we are taking the following steps to provide the highest level of public safety for audiences, staff, volunteers, and artists. Effective October 1, 2021, guests attending indoor performances at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, the Brown Theatre, and Old Forester’s Paristown Hall will be required to provide proof of vaccination, or a negative PCR COVID test taken within 72 hours of the performance time. Masks will also be required at all times while inside The Kentucky Center and the Brown Theatre, except while actively eating and drinking. Masks are recommended inside Old Forester’s Paristown Hall. To gain entry to an event in one of our venues you will need to follow the following guidelines: • Patrons must present a state or federal issued photo ID along with one of the following: • An official COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card (US or Canada) or... • Immunization Certificate from healthcare provider on official letterhead or... • Image or Photocopy of COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or... • Negative PCR COVID-19 test dated no more than 72 hours from the time of the event. *The negative test requirement also applies to children between the ages of 5 and 12. Children under 5 are not required to obtain a negative COVID test for entry.

Thank you.

For more information, including Frequently Asked Questions, please visit Kentucky Performing Arts COVID-19 Guidelines.

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COMING SOON to KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

9 – 14

The Magic and the Wonder 7PM, The Kentucky CenterWhitney Hall

Louisville Orchestra Music of Prohibition 8PM, The Kentucky CenterWhitney Hall

Louisville Orchestra Teddy Talks Schubert 8PM, The Kentucky CenterWhitney Hall

Waitress PNC Broadway in Louisville The Kentucky CenterWhitney Hall

Louisville Orchestra Holiday POPS 8PM, The Kentucky CenterWhitney Hall

Heather Land: The Age Gap Tour Comedian 8PM, Bomhard Theatre

Billy Prine & The Prine Band 7PM, Brown Theatre

For more of our preferred arts and entertainment recommendations, visit Audience502.com. 6

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Live Nation & Kentucky Performing Arts present

ANDREW SCHULZ: THE INFAMOUS TOUR Friday, October 8, 2021 • 7:30pm • The Brown Theatre

Taking revenge on the year that was 2020, Andrew Schulz created and stars in Schulz Saves America now streaming on Netflix. This four-part special tackled last year’s most divisive topics. And Schulz remains one of most viewed stand-up comedians in the world.

The Crowd Work Special has been viewed over 4 million times. His other specials 441 and Views From the CIS have been viewed over 18 million times. Schulz’s debut comedy album 551 was #1 on Billboard, Apple Music, Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Music.

A native New Yorker, Schulz is known for his hilariously unapologetic takes and wild off-the-cuff interactions with the crowd. His stand-up clips posted on YouTube have amassed over 252 million views, and his latest comedy special

Andrew was a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience three times last year, with episodes lasting over three hours. His two podcasts – The Brilliant Idiots and Flagrant 2 – receive more than 2 million listens per week.

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Billy Prine & the Prine Time Band present

The Songs of

John Prine

With Special Guest Jason Wilber from the John Prine Band

NOV. 18 BROWN THEATRE

KENTUCKYPERFORMINGARTS.ORG

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91.9 WFPK presents

TOMMY EMMANUEL, CGP WITH ROB ICKES & TREY HENSLEY Saturday, October 9, 2021 • 8:00pm • The Brown Theatre

“Songs are our teachers. They show us the depth of the human race and its unrelenting desire to create.” − Tommy Emmanuel

Anytime you talk to any of his fans, whether musicians or civilians, invariably they will speak of not one but two qualities that define his greatness.

The first, predictably, is his extraordinary guitar playing. Considered by those in the know to be among this planet’s greatest guitarists, his playing is simply miraculous, as it would take three musicians, or more, to do what Tommy does solo. Who else, for example, when playing “Day Tripper,” can lay down the rhythm part, dig into the riff and sing the melody all at once on just one acoustic guitar?

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Which brings us to the other aspect of his music always mentioned, and without which the first might not be as powerful or as infectiously appealing: the joy. Yes, joy. Because it’s one thing to play these multi-dimensional arrangements flawlessly on an acoustic guitar. But to do it with that smile of the ages, that evidence of authentic, unbridled delight, is an irresistible invitation to feel his music as deeply as he does. “The joy, he says, “is there always because I’m chasing it through music. Seeing the surprise in peoples’ eyes is worth living and working for... I can’t help but play to the people with all my heart, which is overflowing with joy of being in that moment that I’ve worked all my life for. And here it is!” Although his expression is instrumental, he comes to the guitar much more like

a vocalist, positively singing melodies through the strings. He inhabits the tunes he performs, delivering every nuance and turn of phrase. His own songs are also illuminated always with lyrical melodies that go right to the heart, such as his beautiful ode to his daughter, “Angelina,” or his great “story without words,” “Lewis & Clark.” That they resonate so deeply without words makes sense, as words only go so far. But music, coming from a genuine and joyful source, can go so much farther. Now with The Best of Tommysongs, he brings us a complete collection of his own songs, all rich with ripe melodicism and rendered with joy in real-time. Born in 1955, one of six kids in Muswellbrook, New South Wales Australia, his first years were fairly uneventful, mostly mastering necessary

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motor skills between naps. By age four, he got busy becoming a musician. His father, an engineer who loved music and musicians, brought home an electric guitar one day with the intention of finding out how it worked. Piece by piece, he took it apart to discover its secrets. But Tommy and his brother were much more interested in music than mechanics, so that when their dad was away at work, they’d surreptitiously sneak away with the guitar. Driven somewhat by sibling rivalry, they developed contests that were both fun and extremely educational. “We turned our backs to each other,” Tommy remembered, “and Phil would play a chord and I would have to say what the chord was, what the notes in it were.” It was competition which impacted his entire career, allowing him access to the rich interior architecture of songs. Though neither brother had any formal musical training, this selfschooling quickly transformed both into seriously sophisticated musicians. Though they assumed their father would be angry if he found out, which he did, they were wrong. He was surprised and thrilled his sons could play music. Soon their big brother Chris was enlisted to play drums, and with sister Veronica playing lap-steel, a family band was born. They joyously rocked hip guitar instrumentals such as “Apache” by The Shadows, featuring Hank Marvin on guitar, who both Phil and Tommy adored and emulated. They called themselves The Emmanuel Quartet. But when people kept mistaking them for a classical string quartet, they changed the name to The Midget Surfaries. They entered a band competition, and easily surpassed all contenders to take first prize, a national TV

appearance. On that show they burned through “Apache” with such aplomb that the producer told their dad he should take the band on the road. He agreed. Back home he told everyone the plan: Sell the house, buy a tent and two station wagons, and hit the road. It seemed to be a dream, yet it was true. What they didn’t know was that their dad had learned recently that he had an incurable heart disease and was not expected to live for much more than a year. His doctor said if there was ever anything he really wanted to do; he should do it. It lasted for six years. They were on the road constantly, except for a few periods when their dad was too ill to tour, and Tommy and his brothers picked fruit to make some money. When his father’s heart finally gave out, Tommy remembered, his mother grieved for a few hours alone, and then emerged to give them the choice of a “normal life” or staying on the road. They chose the road, of course, and signed up with a successful traveling show, which kept them gainfully employed for a good stretch. But that came to an end when the child welfare department forced them off the road again for perceived child labor violations. “They made us go to normal schools,” Tommy said. But normal was not something Tommy accepted for long. Though they settled down in a little town near Sydney, the brothers quickly assembled a little rock band, playing pubs, parties, weddings, and dances. One thing he learned on the road and never forgot was that he loved performing. And he was great at it. From these origins, Tommy’s music expanded in every direction. At 30, he was burning on electric guitar with several rock bands in stadiums all over

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“When I was a kid, I wanted to be in show business. Now, I just want to be in the happiness business. I make music, and you get happy. That’s a good job.” − Tommy Emmanuel

Europe. He could have gone on to live the rock star life. Yet he yearned for something purer and closer to his heart. Casting off the reliable rock band engine of monstrous sonics blasting with chains of effects through monstrous stacks of amps, he did a reverse Bob Dylan, and instead of going electric, Tommy went acoustic. Stripping away everything but the essentials, Tommy found the ideal equation, and one which has led him to worldwide acclaim: one acoustic guitar in standard tuning played by one ambitiously unchained guitarist and lover of song. Always it’s about melody, of expressing the tune not with a barrage of notes, but with those which touch the heart. And it’s about his singular greatness at translating the dimensional dynamics and dimensions of arrangements onto the six strings of his guitar. Although many scoffed that it was possible, Tommy made a series of hit albums as a solo guitarist, and became a major star first in Australia, and soon everywhere. The inspiration for Tommy’s transformation? That would be guitar legend Chet Atkins, who represented to Tommy the pinnacle of guitar playing. One man, one guitar, and unlimited, passionate song. Like Dylan, who made a pilgrimage from the Midwest to New York 12

to meet his idol, Woody Guthrie, Tommy always knew he had to get to Chet. To let Chet hear his music, which had been so shaped by his years listening, and absorbing, Chet’s genius. When he finally made that trek around the globe to meet the man himself, in Nashville, their bond was immediate, and like their music, existed beyond words. Chet picked up his guitar, and the two men jammed joyously for hours. It started a lifelong friendship which shaped Tommy’s music forever. Chet welcomed Tommy into guitarist knighthood by bestowing upon him the coveted title of CGP (Certified Guitar Player), an honor awarded only to four other humans ever. Though already devoted to the life of a solo player, receiving the love and esteem of Chet lifted Tommy into a different realm. Because, as Chet recognized instantly and told the world, musicians like this don’t come along that often; pay attention to this man. Of course, Chet knew of what he spoke. Tommy’s triumph on his singular solo path has been extraordinary. From the Midget Surfaries he’s become beloved and revered around the planet for the music. And, for the joy.

ROB ICKES & TREY HENSLEY Take a 15-time IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Dobro Player of the Year and a Tennessee-born guitar prodigy who made his Grand Ole Opry debut at the age of 11, and you have Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley, a powerhouse acoustic duo that has electrified the acoustic music scene. Known for their white-hot picking, stone country vocals with soul and world class live musicianship, Ickes and Hensley meld together blues, bluegrass, country,

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rock and other string band music of all kinds to form a signature blend of music that defies restrictions of genre. They are equally at home on stages of prestigious performing arts centers, theatres and the Grand Ole Opry as they are on Americana, jamgrass, bluegrass and jam band festivals. Ickes co-founded the highly influential bluegrass group Blue Highway and has been a sought-after Nashville session player and live performing musician for decades, with credits to his name such as Vince Gill, Earl Scruggs, Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire and Alison Krauss. Hensley has been called “Nashville’s hottest young player” by Acoustic Guitar magazine and his soulful baritone vocals have received acclaim as well. Influenced by repertoires as diverse as The Allman Brothers Band, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hensley has shared stages with artists such as Johnny Cash, Steve Wariner, and Peter Frampton. As a duo, Ickes and Hensley have shared the stage and collaborated with Tommy Emmanuel, Taj Mahal, David Grisman, and Jorma Kaukonen & Hot Tuna — all enthusiastic admirers of the duo — as well as Luther Dickinson of North Mississippi All Stars, Molly Tuttle, and many more. The duo were key players on Original, the recent highly lauded Compass album by bluegrass giant Bobby Osborne; their participation garnered a Recorded Event Of The Year Award for Bobby’s version of “Got To Get A Message To You” on that album at this year’s IBMA Awards; they also were on the 2016 Recorded Event winner, “Fireball,” featuring Special Consensus, in 2016. Ickes and Hensley have gained some added grit and a nod to the roots side of Americana aided by the guiding

hand of GRAMMY-winning producer Brent Maher on the duo’s new Compass Records album, World Full of Blues (released Oct. 4, 2019). Maher, known for his production and engineering of such diverse artists as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Merle Haggard, Kenny Rogers, The Judds, Faces, Ike and Tina Turner, Sly and the Family Stone, and Chuck Berry, loved the duo’s demos and signed on to produce immediately upon hearing them. Acclaimed bluesman Taj Mahal provides his unmistakable mojo to the title track and country music legend Vince Gill guests on an inspired rendition of cover of the Grateful Dead’s moonshiner song, “Brown-Eyed Women.” The project includes a range of songs that could be featured on a vintage Sun Records recording to Trey’s more traditional country originals. On World Full of Blues, they move beyond the acoustic-centric sound of their previous two releases (including the GRAMMYnominated Before The Sun Goes Down) and juice things up with Hammond B3 and a horn section. The album was recorded live at Maher’s Nashville studio, The Blueroom, with minimal overdubs. Maher says, “For me, this record was all about living in the moment... letting spontaneity rule.” Despite the diversity in instrumentation and song selection — acoustic blues to jammed out roots rockers, “Hag” country to Duane and Dickey style twin leads reminiscent of The Allman Brothers—the end result is a sound unified in its approach to the broad scope of roots music. “Ultimately we’re the unifying factor,” says Ickes. “It’s obvious we’re into all these different styles, but there’s a commonality in the sound of our instruments that, blended with Trey’s voice, makes it one sound.”

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Ickes and Hensley wrote or co-wrote nine of the songs on World Full of Blues and put their own spin on the two covers. Hensley says, “Our songwriting was always present on the last records, but there were maybe three originals and the rest covers. We made a decision on this one to present more of our own material.” Ickes contributes the instrumental “The Fatal Shore” and the cautionary “Thirty Days,” while Hensley offers the optimistic life-on-the-road song, “Both Ends of My Rainbow.” Hensley got the idea to write the lively “Nobody Can Tell Me I Can’t” after hearing a friend use that phrase in conversation. That title clearly embodies the duo’s creative streak, too. “World Full of Blues felt important to me to include from the first time Rob talked about it,” says Hensley. “Bill Scholer had written a version of the song, but Rob and I decided to rewrite it, with some help from our friend Jason Eady, to make it more modern, while keeping Bill’s original intent intact: ‘It’s a crazy world and it feels like it’s getting crazier all the time...’ We knew we wanted a guest on this song and Taj Mahal was at the top of our dream list. He loved it and agreed to sing a verse and play some guitar on it. Working with Taj in the studio was a huge highlight for us... what an amazing guy and an absolute legend in every sense.” “Brown Eyed Women” has the distinction of not only being one of the duo’s favorite Grateful Dead tunes, but a career first for country legend Gill. “Vince is one of our big musical heroes and it was so awesome having him sing on a Grateful Dead tune, which was the first time he’s recorded a Dead song.” “Born With The Blues” is a song Ickes and Hensley wrote with their friend 14

Bobby Starnes. “Bobby started it and we finished it up,” Ickes recalls. “It reminds me of a Clint Eastwood western, and the percussion and horn section really solidifies that. This is a song that gives us room to stretch out musically. It felt like the perfect song to kick off the record. “ “Suzanne,” written by Hensley with Larry Shell and Larry Cordle, finds the duo swapping instruments, Hensley playing a 1931 National resonator guitar and Ickes playing a 1927 Montgomery Ward guitar that belonged to his grandfather. “We had spent the morning talking about how amazing Lightning Hopkins, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker all were and this song just appeared.” Hensley recalls. “Having Jim Hoke arrange the horns and play on it just really added a Howlin’ Wolf-era/Sun Records vibe.” Closing the project is a rousing, smoking hot take on blues-jazz-rock guitarist Robben Ford’s “Rugged Road.” Few guitarists cross boundaries as deftly as Ford and this rendition firmly places Ickes and Hensley in the same pantheon as the celebrated guitar slinger. Ickes grew up in a suburb of San Francisco and discovered the Dobro as a teenager when he borrowed a Mike Auldridge cassette from his brother. He later moved to Nashville to pursue session work, and eventually graced the recordings of some of the best in the business before co-founding Blue Highway, and earning an unprecedented number of IBMA Dobro Player of the Year accolades. Hensley grew up in East Tennessee and started singing in a gospel group when he was 6 years old. A few years later, his parents took him to a bluegrass festival where the lineup included back-to-back sets by bluegrass legends Charlie Waller

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and Jimmy Martin. Hensley decided then and there that he wanted to play guitar. By the time he was 11, he had given the life-changing first performance on the Grand Ole Opry playing guitar with Earl Scruggs and Marty Stuart. When Scruggs played Knoxville not long after the Opry appearance, he invited the young Hensley to sit in. Ickes, who was playing Dobro in Scruggs’ band at the time, remembers Hensley as “a very talented kid,” but it would be roughly a decade before they crossed paths again. When they did, Ickes was blown away. “I couldn’t believe the guy!” Ickes says. “I was just so excited about his music that I called everyone I knew in Nashville and told them about him. Then I suggested that we start playing at (Nashville’s) Station Inn and treat it like a showcase for Trey, just to see what might happen. I used to tease him and say, ‘I’ll have you famous by Christmas.’ Then, just one year later, our first record was nominated for a GRAMMY.” Ickes and Hensley have performed in places as close to home as Nashville’s world famous Grand Ole Opry (multiple performances at both the Grand Ole Opry House and the Ryman Auditorium)

and as far away as Denmark’s Tonder Festival. They’ve played many prestigious music festivals, including Telluride Bluegrass, ELLNORA | The Guitar Festival, AmericanaFest, Rockygrass, ROMP, Wintergrass, Bluegrass Underground, Vancouver Island Music Festival, Guitar Town, Sisters Folk Festival, the Freshgrass Festival, Copper Country Music Festival and several others. They were invited to perform at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass with Buddy Miller in Oct. 2019 and will set sail from Miami to St. Croix and Antigua on the Cayamo cruise alongside Brian Wilson, Jeff Tweedy, Mavis Staples, Rodney Crowell and others Feb. 2020. Several more tour dates are planned in 2020 with Taj Mahal, their World Full of Blues collaborator. Going forward the goal is simply to reach more people and illustrate what the unique talents and down to earth, honest approach of Ickes and Hensley can bring to roots music. “We want to keep doing the music that we love, no matter what the genre, and finding the audience that gets what we’re mixing together” says Ickes. Hensley adds, “I love what we’re doing, so it’s just continuing on with that, to more and more people.”

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LEO Weekly – A Little Off Center

RANDY RAINBOW: THE PINK GLASSES TOUR Friday, October 15, 2021 • 7:30pm • The Brown Theatre

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Randy Rainbow is a three-time EMMY® nominated American comedian, producer, actor, singer, writer, and satirist best known for his popular YouTube series, The Randy Rainbow Show. His musical parodies and political spoofs have garnered him worldwide acclaim and two EMMY® nominations for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series. In 2019 he landed a spot on The New York Times Best Performances list, and in 2020 The Washington Post proclaimed Rainbow as Best Parody. His first viral video of 2020 was called “The Funniest Trump Roast Ever” by Funny or Die, and his subsequent viral parodies like “Andy,” “Social Distance” and “A Spoonful of Clorox” (described as “perfect” by John Legend) have been viewed by tens of millions. Rainbow (yes, that’s his real name) enjoys a star-studded fan base that regularly retweets and shares his work. Some notable admirers include Ryan Reynolds, Carol Burnett, Sean Hayes, Debra Messing, Sharon Stone, Mark Hamill, Hillary Clinton, Stephen Sondheim, Jane Lynch, Ana Navarro, Barry Manilow, Ben Stiller, Sarah Silverman, Julie Andrews, Rosie O’Donnell, Martin Short, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Steve Martin. Last December, Randy collaborated with TONY, GRAMMY, and EMMY®-winning composer and lyricist, Marc Shaiman, on his first studio album, “Hey Gurl, “It’s Christmas!” which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Comedy chart and #1 “on iTunes Holiday chart. Touring the U.S. to sold-out crowds, the influencer and Internet sensation’s viral comedy videos have received hundreds of millions of views across all social media and digital platforms. His fresh take on politics and current events has led to interviews and profiles

by such venerable media outlets as The Washington Post (magazine cover story), The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, NPR, ABC News, OUT, People, and Entertainment Weekly. American author and media pundit, Dan Savage, called him “the best thing to come from the GOP race.” In a recent article, Forbes Magazine pondered “Why Randy Rainbow, The Muppets, and The Avengers Should Host the Oscars.” Rainbow has written for celebrated comedians, including the cast of NBC’S Will & Grace. He starred in a musical commercial/campaign for Orbitz opposite Margaret Cho and created and starred in multiple hit web series for BroadwayWorld.com. He’s appeared as himself on RuPaul’s Drag Race and Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live. In 2020, he performed on the live-streamed Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration, along with Meryl Streep, Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, Ben Platt, Jake Gyllenhaal, and others. Rainbow was recently featured as a guest lead opposite Molly Shannon on the fourth season of FX’s comedy-drama series Better Things. He has hosted and performed in numerous theatrical events for the Broadway, cabaret, and LGBTQ communities, as well as for the TONY® Awards. He starred in New York City Center’s Encores production of Call Me Madam and headlined a concert at the Paramount Theatre in New York alongside Rosie O’Donnell. This past November, he sold out the Beacon Theatre as a headliner for the New York Comedy Festival. As The Washington Post noted, Randy Rainbow has found his own spotlight through the Internet, emerging as a YouTube sensation who dispenses musical-comedy salve for a divided nation.

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LEO Weekly – A Little Off Center

NURSE BLAKE: THE PTO TOUR Sunday, October 24, 2021 • 7:00pm • The Kentucky Center-Bomhard Theater

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Nurse Blake is one of a kind entertainer who uses his experience as a nurse for a fun filled comedy event that celebrates the hard work of healthcare providers. Blake tells candid and raw stories from his time in nursing school and from his shifts at the bedside. His upbeat attitude and hilarious spins on the obstacles nurses face day to day offer a fun and interactive experience for audience members. Blake’s comedy stands apart by using humor to advocate for nurses. By using masterful storytelling to captivate audiences, he provides an unforgettable night of laughs and inspiration. He is the ultimate solo performer using visuals, crowd participation, and live sketches that have audiences engaged and laughing from start to finish. Born and raised in Orlando, FL- Nurse Blake is a registered nurse and the most popular nurse influencer on social

media, with over 2.4M followers. He has been a nurse for over 7 years and has worked in a number of nursing roles at Level 1 Trauma centers around the country. Blake is a founder of Nurses Support Their Young, which aims to promote healthy work environments throughout the healthcare industry. Blake is also the creator of the ultimate nursing organization, NurseCon which provides education and a supportive online community to nurses worldwide. His 2019 Call Light Tour SOLD OUT, featuring a mix of live skits, videos, and interactive presentations drawn from his real-life experiences as a nurse and nursing student. Blake launched a popular podcast in 2021 alongside his husband Brett. They cover topics relevant to nurses and healthcare workers alike, and tell their own personal stories while being insightful and offering a lot of laughs through it all.

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Production Simple and Kentucky Performing Arts present

MAT KEARNEY: THE JANUARY FLOWER TOUR WITH THE NATIONAL PARKS Wednesday, October 27, 2021 • 8:00pm • The Brown Theatre

Unexpected, unplanned moments often yield the most beautiful results. That’s how Mat Kearney arrived at his sixth album, January Flower, a collection of honest, stripped down songs that brings the Nashville-based, Oregonborn musician back to his singersongwriter roots. 20

In January of 2019, Mat packed up his recording gear and decamped to an isolated house in Joshua Tree with his childhood friend Marshall Roeman, a painter, and songwriter Eli Teplin. The plan was to use their two weeks in the desert to create with a full recording studio, but a massive storm hit, deluging

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the area in record rainfall and shutting down their power. With the light of the wood burning stove to guide the way, Mat took the opportunity to explore music from a new angle, armed with only his voice and an acoustic guitar. “You couldn’t see anything from the house but desert and it was so beautiful,” the musician remembers. “This storm came in and we were just in this house, so we started writing songs. We wrote four or five of the songs that are on the record. Stripping it back to me and a guitar and some friends reminded me of how I started and that was the genesis of this record.” The album’s reflective opening number “Powerless” came from those sessions, with Mat considering what it means to lose power – both literally and figuratively – and embracing the feeling of your life being pleasantly out of control. “That mirrors our experience in life,” Mat notes. “We have all these grand plans and then something else happens and it can become even better than you planned.”

palatable for people. But we wrote this song that’s simple and has a message of taking responsibility, and doing that allowed me to decide to make a record that is what is.” When Mat returned to Nashville he carried that spirit into the rest of the writing and recording process, re-teaming with his longtime producer Robert Marvin, who also helmed his 2006 breakout Nothing Left To Lose and 2011’s Young Love. The goal was to create songs with no other intention than simply the joy of making music. For Mat, the yearlong process was about rediscovering why he loves writing songs in the first place. He brought in several older songs, including “Can’t Look Back” and “Running In Circles,” reimaging them to fit in with the newer work and kept the instrumentation simple. “Pontiac” was inspired by Bruce Hornsby, with the band tracking live to a pop backbeat, while “Stuck In the Moment” emphasizes an organic, approachable aesthetic that allows Mat’s emotional vocals to lead the way.

It was in this desert house, accompanied by his friends, that Mat also realized that his next album needed to be as vulnerable and open as possible. He wrote affecting acoustic ballad “Blame” in under an hour, but found himself hesitating thanks to the sheer honestly in its lyrics. Marshall encouraged him to embrace the words and speak from the heart – a sensibility that pervades January Flower.

“The introspection of this year framed that,” explains Mat, who spent 2020 revising and editing the songs he and Robert recorded the year before. “It’s hard to write big party anthems in a year like we had in 2020. I was more introspective and I also craved that, so there’s more that melancholy, simple songwriter stuff. We spent this past year really taking our time. It was a really beautiful way to have perspective on the songs.”

“I was thinking about a specific moment I had in my life that I have a lot of regret for and taking responsibility for that, but I wasn’t sure if it would make for a good song,” Mat says. “I was fighting my own inspiration to make it more

January Flower recalls Kearney’s early work on his gold-selling album Nothing Left To Lose, veering in a different direction from his 2018 album CrazyTalk. The album was also inspired by his acoustic tour in the fall of 2019 to

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promote the 10th anniversary of The City of Black and White, which was the last time Mat was on the road before everything shut down in the pandemic. His vast touring history, which includes treks with John Mayer, Sheryl Crow and NEEDTOBREATHE, is evident in the vibrancy of the songs, as is his enduring success as a recording artist. The musician has released five albums in the Billboard Top 200, with three in the Top 20, and has seen his dynamic songs placed on Grey’s Anatomy, 30 Rock and NCIS. Overall, he has over 2.5 billion global streams. It’s been a long and winding path to where Mat is now, but it’s a journey he’s happy to still be taking. “I’m most proud of how I didn’t compromise and stuck to my guns on making something that wasn’t paying attention to a trend,” Mat says of January Flower. “It was about what kind of music I really wanted to hear right now. It was about digging down and finding the innocence that comes with wanting to make music solely for the love and passion of doing it. I wanted to stay true to that voice. The time encapsulated in these two weeks in Joshua Tree was very reflective of my own heart. I needed to be emotionally brave. And by doing that, I get to lead people into their own vulnerability. That’s one of the gifts I want to bring to my music. Music can give you freedom and life, and I hope to lead people through their own inner world as I delve into my own.”

THE NATIONAL PARKS In nature, wildflowers signify freedom. Nobody plants them. Rather, they blossom on their own. The same could be said of The National Parks. Since emerging in 2013, the Provo, UT quartet – Brady Parks [guitar, vocals], Sydney 22

Macfarlane [keys, vocals], Cam Brannelly [drums], and Megan Parks [violin] — has quietly grown into an independent phenomenon with roots embedded in blissful pop, cinematic electronics, organic orchestration, and rock energy. Racking up over 90 million total streams, selling out headline shows on tour, and acclaimed by NPR, Paste, Atwood Magazine, PopMatters, and more, the group bloom like never before on their aptly titled independent fourth fulllength, Wildflower. “It was an umbrella theme for the album, because we feel like wildflowers in the whole landscape of music,” states Brady. “We do what we want to do, and nothing will stop us. All of these songs fit into our aspirations to grow and dream big. We wrote with a lot of heart. We didn’t chase any trends. We tried to create something beautiful, epic, and true to us. This is who we are.” Over the past seven years, they also diligently worked towards making such a statement. As the story goes, Brady performed at open mics as a singersongwriter around Utah and often hosted a show at his apartment complex. Sydney attended one of these homey gigs and reached out to jam shortly after. Right off the bat, the musicians recognized they found “a match made in heaven.” After meeting via mutual friends, Megan joined the fold — and eventually married Brady! The National Parks introduced itself on 2013’s Young, staking out a spot in the Top 15 of iTunes Top Singer/ Songwriter Albums Chart. A year later, the filmmakers of Love In The Tetons tapped the band to pen a companion single for the film. Their contribution, “As We Ran,” not only amassed over 12 million Spotify streams, but the first month of

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its proceeds benefited the National Parks Conservation Association. Following the release of Until I Live in 2015, Salt Lake City Weekly proclaimed them Utah’s “Band of the Year.” Joined by Cam behind the kit, they unveiled Places in 2017. Securing coveted placements on Spotify’s Pop Chillout, Indie Pop, and Morning Commute playlists, the record yielded a series of fan favorites, including “1953” [2.8 million Spotify streams] and “Lights in the City” [1.1 million Spotify streams]. Along the way, The National Parks packed headline gigs, toured with Andy Grammer and Peter Bjorn and John and performed everywhere from KAABOO Del Mar and SXSW to Snowmass Mammoth Fest and Oyster Ridge Music Festival. On the heels of Places, The National Parks kicked around initial ideas for what would become Wildflower. This time around, Brady simply “sat down with a guitar and let whatever was inside come out without worrying if it was catchy.” Allowing inspiration to take its course he wrote “for a cathartic emotional release, rather than chasing a sound.” “That’s why I feel like it’s the best writing I’ve ever done,” he admits. “I let myself do what comes naturally. It’s a fresh start. At this point in our career, we wanted to show the world we can do a lot of different things. We pushed ourselves instrumentally. It isn’t just acoustic guitar or piano on every song. There’s a lot of variety, but we’re not pursuing trends. We focused on songwriting. We narrowed in and created a sound that is The National Parks.” Produced by longtime collaborator Scott Wiley, the sound unfurls on the first single and title track “Wildflower.” A steady arena-size beat reverberates underneath Brady’s soaring vocals backed by a harmony from Sydney.

Distorted electric guitar elevates the hypnotic hook — “I could be your wildflower” — before the whispered bridge pours into an ecstatic riff. “It’s probably the most rock ‘n’ roll song we’ve ever done,” says Brady. “It was fun to step into a new energy. Lyrically, it’s about chasing our dream. We don’t fit into a certain mold, but we belong under the open skies and vast world.” On “Time,” warm acoustic strumming wraps around a glitchy electronic beat as Brady and Sydney share verses before an emotional hook that urges “having patience and perseverance through struggle.” Meanwhile, the folk instrumentation of “Waiting for Lightning” gives way to a sunny chant “about putting yourself out there and waiting for your chance.” Maintaining the momentum, “Horizon” relays a story of “getting lost in the forest, but chasing a flickering light on the horizon, like a dream.” Then, there’s “Painted Sky.” The track’s expansive soundscape evokes a Spaghetti Western- soundtrack and illuminates the sonic adventurism at the heart of the music. “It’s got those over-the-top western vibes,” affirms Brady. “Sometimes, everything will be good, but you get lost under the ‘Painted Sky’. Things aren’t as great as you portray them or really want them to be. It’s about the journey.” In the end, The National Parks follow a muse of creative freedom to the fruition of a dream. “I’d love for listeners to be uplifted by the album and maybe inspired in some way,” he leaves off. “There are a lot of personal experiences in the record. I hope you walk away feeling the heart of it and The National Parks.” Please visit: thenationalparksband.com.

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Louisville Public Media presents

PINK MARTINI FEATURING CHINA FORBES Friday, October 29, 2021 • 8:00pm • The Brown Theatre

In 1994 in his hometown of Portland, Oregon, Thomas Lauderdale was working in politics, with the intention of eventually running for office. Like other eager politicians-in-training, he went to every political fundraiser under the sun... but was dismayed to find the music at these events underwhelming, lackluster, loud and un-neighborly. Drawing inspiration from music from all over the world – crossing genres of classical, jazz and

old-fashioned pop – and hoping to appeal to conservatives and liberals alike, he founded the “little orchestra” Pink Martini in 1994 to provide more beautiful and inclusive musical soundtracks for political fundraisers for causes such as civil rights, affordable housing, cleaning up the Willamette River, funding for libraries, public broadcasting, education and parks. One year later, Lauderdale called China Forbes, a Harvard classmate who was

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living in New York City, and asked her to join Pink Martini. They began to write songs together. Their first song – “Sympathique” (Je ne veus pas travailler)became an overnight sensation in France, was nominated for “Song of the Year” at France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards, and to this day remains a mantra (“Je ne veux pas travailler” or “I don’t want to work”) for striking French workers. Says Lauderdale, “We’re very much an American band, but we spend a lot of time abroad and therefore have the incredible diplomatic opportunity to represent a broader, more inclusive America... the America which remains the most heterogeneously populated country in the world... composed of people of every country, every language, every religion. Except for Native Americans, all of us are immigrants from every country, of every language, of every religion.”

“Pink martini is a rollicking around-the-world musical adventure... if the united nations had a house band in 1962, hopefully we’d be that band.”

– Thomas Lauderdale, bandleader/pianist

Featuring a dozen musicians, with songs in 25 languages, Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America and North America. Pink Martini made its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998 26

under the direction of Norman Leyden. Since then, the band has gone on to play with more than 70 orchestras around the world, including multiple engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Boston Pops, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, the San Francisco Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House, and the BBC Concert Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall in London. Other major appearances include the grand opening of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, with return sold-out engagements for New Year’s Eve 2003, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2018; sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall; the opening party of the remodeled Museum of Modern Art in New York City; the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 100th anniversary party in 2018; the Governor’s Ball at the 80th Annual Academy Awards in 2008; three sold out shows with the Sydney Symphony at the renowned Sydney Opera House; sold-out concerts at Royal Albert Hall in London in 2011, 2013 and 2016, multiple sold-out appearances, and a festival opening, at the Montreal Jazz Festival, two sold-out concerts at Paris’ legendary L’Olympia Theatre in 2011 and 2016; and Paris’ fashion house Lanvin’s 10-year anniversary celebration for designer Alber Elbaz in 2012. In 2014, Pink Martini was inducted into both the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame and the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. Television appearances include The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Later with Jools Holland, and a feature on CBS Sunday Morning. The band created a nationally-broadcast

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2015 NPR holiday concert special, Joy to the World: A Holiday Spectacular, and has been featured on multiple New Year’s Eve broadcasts on NPR’s Toast of the Nation. Pink Martini has sold over 3 million albums worldwide on their own independent label Heinz Records (named after Lauderdale’s dog). The band’s debut album Sympathique was released in 1997, and quickly became an international phenomenon, garnering the group nominations for “Song of the Year” and “Best New Artist” in France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards in 2000. Pink Martini released Hang On Little Tomato in 2004, Hey Eugene! in 2007 and Splendor in the Grass in 2009. In November 2010 the band released Joy to the World — a festive, multidenominational holiday album featuring songs from around the globe. Joy to the World received glowing reviews and was carried in Starbucks stores during the 2010 and 2011 holiday seasons. All five albums have gone gold in France, Canada, Greece and Turkey. In fall 2011 the band released two albums – A Retrospective, a collection of the band’s most beloved songs spanning their 18-year career, which includes eight previously unreleased tracks, and

1969, an album of collaborations with legendary Japanese singer Saori Yuki. 1969 has been certified platinum in Japan, reaching #2 on the Japanese charts, with the Japan Times raving “the love and respect Saori Yuki and Pink Martini have for the pop tradition shines through on every track.” The release of 1969 marked the first time a Japanese artist hit the American Billboard charts since Kyu Sakamoto released “Sukiyaki” in 1963. The band has collaborated with numerous artists, including Phyllis Diller, Jimmy Scott, Carol Channing, Rita Moreno, Jane Powell, Rufus Wainwright, Japanese legends Saori Yuki and Hiroshi Wada, Henri Salvador, Chavela Vargas, New York performer Joey Arias, puppeteer Basil Twist, Georges Moustaki, Henri Salvador, Michael Feinstein, Charo, Doc Severinsen, filmmaker Gus Van Sant, Courtney Taylor Taylor of The Dandy Warhols, clarinetist and conductor Norman Leyden, Italian actress and songwriter Alba Clemente, DJ Johnny Dynell and Chi Chi Valenti, Faith Prince, Mamie Van Doren, the original cast of Sesame Street, the Portland Youth Philharmonic, Mariachi Aztlan of Pueblo High School in Tucson, Arizona; the Jefferson High School

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Gospel Choir; the Royal Blues of Grant High School; the Pacific Youth Choir of Portland, Oregon; and Karen Early (who played sleigh bells and crash cymbals on the band’s holiday album and the band’s collaborative album with Japanese singer Saori Yuki, respectively). Pink Martini has an illustrious roster of regular guest artists: NPR’s Ari Shapiro, host of All Things Considered; Cantor Ida Rae Cahana (who was cantor at the Central Synagogue in NYC for five years); koto player Masumi Timson; harpist Maureen Love; and Kim Hastreiter (the publisher/editor-in-chief of Paper magazine). In January 2012 bandleader Thomas Lauderdale began work on Pink Martini’s seventh studio album when he recorded the Charlie Chaplin song “Smile” with the legendary Phyllis Diller. The album, titled Get Happy, was released in September 2013 and features 16 globe-spanning songs in nine languages. The band’s beloved vocalist China Forbes anchors the recording, and she was joined by her co-lead singer Storm Large, recording with Pink Martini for the first time, along with a cavalcade of special guests including Rufus Wainwright, Philippe Katerine, Meow Meow, The von Trapps & Ari Shapiro. And while still in the studio for Get Happy, Lauderdale simultaneously began work on the band’s eighth studio album, Dream a Little Dream, featuring Sofia, Melanie, Amanda and August von Trapp, the actual great-grandchildren of Captain and Maria von Trapp, made famous by the movie The Sound of Music. These siblings have been singing together for over a dozen years and have toured all over the world in concert. Drawn into the magical orbit of Thomas Lauderdale, they 28

now live together in a house in Portland, Oregon and have been frequent guest performers with Pink Martini for the past several years. The album, released in March 2014, traverses the world, from Sweden to Rwanda to China to Bavaria, and features guest appearances by The Chieftains, Wayne Newton, “Jungle” Jack Hanna, and Charmian Carr (who played Liesl in the original Sound of Music). In 2016, Pink Martini released its ninth studio album, Je dis oui!, which features vocals from China Forbes, Storm Large, Ari Shapiro, fashion guru Ikram Goldman, civil rights activist Kathleen Saadat, and Rufus Wainwright. The album’s 15 tracks span eight languages (French, Farsi, Armenian, Portuguese, Arabic, Turkish, Xhosa and English), and affirms the band’s 23-year history of global inclusivity and collaborative spirit. In 2018, Pink Martini released a special 20th Anniversary Edition of its first album Sympathique, featuring the band’s iconic arrangement of Ravel’s “Bolero”, now in the public domain and finally reinstated on the album after a 20-year absence. In 2019, Thomas Lauderdale and members of Pink Martini collaborated on several new albums. Hotel Amour is the longawaited collaboration between Thomas Lauderdale and the international singing sensation Meow Meow and features guest appearances by Rufus Wainwright, The von Trapps, Barry Humphries (of Dame Edna fame), and the inimitable late French pianist and composer, Michel Legrand. Tomorrow with Jimmie Herrod and Besame Mucho with Edna Vazquez feature the bands newest vocalists along side the rest of Pink Martini’s band. Both EPs were released in October 2019 and were recorded coproduced by China Forbes and Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon.

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ANNUAL SUPPORT Commonwealth of Kentucky, The Honorable Andy Beshear, Governor Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, The Honorable Mike Berry, Secretary, The Kentucky General Assembly Kentucky Performing Arts Foundation, as of 7/15/21

Mr. John Abel & Mrs. Nancy Smith The Honorable & Mrs. Jerry E. Abramson Accredited Wealth Management Dr. & Mrs. Jesse Adams Donnie & Kandis Adkins Alpha Energy Solutions AIA Kentucky Mr. & Mrs. Phillip D. Allen Mr. & Mrs. William Altman Anonymous Walter E. App & Donna W. Tilson Dr. & Mrs. Frederick W. Arensman Dr. & Mrs. Joe F. Arterberry Ms. Sheila & Mr. Adam W. Ashley The Audience Group** Ms. Joanne G. Bader Ms. Lourdes Christine Baez Dr. Eric Baker & Dr. Tara Odle-Baker Joseph and Linda Baker Kim & Mark Baker Jim & Sibylla Banks Sadie Barlow Mark & Kathy Barrens Theresa Bautista Mr. & Mrs. Donald Baxter BB&T Ms. Becky Becherer Dr. David & Bobbie Bell Mr. & Mrs. J. Peter Bell Mark Bender Josh & Megan Bentley Barry Bernson Turney P. Berry & Kendra D. Foster Hon. Steve Beshear Beth Ward Studios** Mrs. Edith S. Bingham B.J. Killian Foundation Mrs. Ann Leah Blieden Mr. & Mrs. James H. Bloem Mr. & Mrs. Keith Board Ms. Eloise Boarman Mr. & Mrs. Dale J. Boden Ms. Lolita Bonds Mr. & Mrs. James W. Boone Mrs. Elaine Bornstein Mr. Jacob A. Bortell Mike & Paula Britsch Brown-Forman Corporation Brown-Forman Foundation Mrs. Christina Lee Brown Ms. Dace Brown Laura Lee Brown & Steve Wilson The Owsley Brown II Family Foundation John and Patricia Bruggman Terry & Sara Burd Mr. & Mrs. David Burianek Marianne Butler Mr. Jack & Mrs. Barbara Butorac Mrs. Karen Byrley Dolores Calebs James and Karen Campbell

Dennis & Joyce Cardwell Sharon and Barry Carruthers Keith & Rene Cartwright Mr. Lindy Casebier Charles & Linda Cauble Marica Chacona Carri Chandler Jennifer & Ben Chandler Tony & Davina Chambers Clarendon Flavor Engineering John & Gretchen Clark John Austin Clark Ms. Marilyn Clark June Woo Clausen Mary Cleary & Roxanne Yeoman Ann & Stewart Cobb Family Fund Greg & Susan Cohen Stacey Combs Commonwealth Bank & Trust Co. Mr. Thomas Conley Tammy and John Copeland Mr. & Mrs. Denver Cornett III Mr. Alfonso Cornish & Ms. Yvonne Austin Mr. John B. Corso Dr. Hope Cottrill Mr. Nick Covault Ms. Karen Cozine Malvina & Thomas Craig Mr. Roger Cude & Mrs. Kathie Markle-Cude Ms. C.S. Dalgleish Ms. Janet R. Dakan Elizabeth W. Davis D.D. Williamson & Co, Inc. Ms. Christine Deeble Louis Deluca & Victoria Faoro Ms. Gayle Arndt DeMersseman Ms. Clarice Denoux Dr. John Derr & Dee Weil Shaista Deshmukh Stephen & Theresa Diebold Mr. Christopher Dischinger Norman Dixon & Patrick Owen Mr. Andrew Jay Douds & Mr. David Mawn Eric & Claudette Doyle Ms. Laurie Duesing William & Christi Dukes Ms. Karen Dunn Whitney Durham Eric Eatherly Mrs. Maria J. Eckerle Nick Eckhart Mr. Michael Eckstein Fr. John G. Eifler Mr. & Mrs. John Elder Mrs. Linda Ellingsworth Ms. Gay Ellison Patience Elsner Ms. Donna & Mr. John Embry Employees of Kentucky Performing Arts Ms. Catherine Emrick Mr. Glenn Epperson Mr. & Mrs. Michael Erickson

Mr. & Mrs. William Esakov Phil Eschels Dr. Robert Esterhay & Ms. Ruth Mattingly Michael & Jennifer Evans Dr. Vilma Fabre Dr. Robin Fankhauser Mr. Michael & Mrs. Maggie Conner Faurest Mr. & Mrs. Bruce W. Ferguson Fifth Third Bank Fiji Water Company, LLC LaVonne & Brian Fingerson Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Finnegan Mr. & Mrs. Donald Finney Mr. Chuck & Ms. Beth Fitch Bruce Flannery Ellen Hagan & David Flores Mr. & Mrs. Terry E. Forcht Dan Forte & Chris Schuster Foundation for the Tri-State Community Mr. & Mrs. Gregg Fowler Mr. Randall Fox Ms. Sandra Frazier Fund for the Arts Ms. Melissa Gaddie Cindy & Jim Gaffney Tim & LuAnn Galbraith Mr. & Mrs. Gene Gardner Dr. Brent Garrett & Mrs. Glenda Marker George Lamar Gaston Jr. & Joan Gaston GE Appliances, a Haier Company Donna Geddes The Gheens Foundation Sheldon & Nancy Gilman Mr. Ryan Gittings The Glenview Trust Company Dr. & Mrs. Richard Goldwin Mr. Ankur Gopal & Ms. Kiran Gill Linda & Jerry Grasch Dr. Laman & Juliet Cooper Gray Greater Milwaukee Foundation Chuck & Jackie Grimley Rick & Ann Guillaume Dr. & Mrs. William Gump Karen & Roger Hale Mr. & Mrs. John R. Hall Amber & Paul Halloran Patrick & Jody Hamilton John & Maria Hampton Ken & Judy Handmaker Ms. Julia Hansbrough Michael & Martha Hardesty Jerry Abramson, matched by Hardscuffle, Inc. Mr. Bill Harned Amy Harrington Herman & Gail Harrington Hood & Heather Harris Pamela Harris Ms. Susan Harrison & Mr. Paul Reid Mr. & Mrs. William Harrison Mr. & Mrs. Frank and Paula Harshaw

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Marian & Thomas Hayden Mr. & Mrs. John Hayes James E. and Sarah Haynes Mr. James Hite Hays Ms. Beverly Hearn Mr. & Mrs. Hearn Mr. Ryan Hernandez Mr. William Herndon Joe & Kelly Hertzman Ms. Deborah Hibberd Cathy Hill Dr. Frederick K. Hilton Mr. & Mrs. Jason Hines Ms. Mary Jane Hoben Jonathan & Janet Hodes Mr. David Hogan Augusta Brown Holland & Gill Holland, Jr. Dr. John & Mrs. Christel Hollis Dr. Keith Hornung Rainer Hoyer Jalileah Huddleston Gary & Brenda Huntoon Dave & Rebekah Hussung Ms. Marybeth Irvine Anne Sunshine Ison Harry & Sherry Jacobson-Beyer Jeffrey & Margaret Jamner Caroline & Ben Jeffers Mr. & Mrs. William H. Jenkins Mrs. Anita Jones Sandra Jones Stephen & Mary Jones Chris & Ashley Kaelin Ian & Denise Kalina Charlie & Teresa Kamer Charles & Robyn Kane Ms. Peace Karalakulasingam Mr. & Mrs. Morton L. Kasdan Dr. Daniel Kean Mr. & Mrs. W.W. Benton Keith The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Kentucky Department of Education Kentucky Music Educators Association Kentucky State Parks** Ms. Mary Jane R. Kephart Dan & Sharon Kessler Dr. Nancy Kiesow-Webb & Dr. Chuck Webb Chris & Jessica Kipper Mr. Ray Kirkland Gerald & Dana Kirpes Ms. Ann B. Kirwan Mr. David Klaphaak Marjorie & Robert Kohn Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Kosse Kroger Community Rewards Diane Kyle Mr. Eugene Lacefield & Ms. Mary Margaret Lowe Ms. Judith Landis Damon & Julie Lange Amy &. Sterling Lapinski Mr. Lance & Mrs. Marie Larsen Mr. Dean Lause

ANNUAL SUPPORT John & Lilia Lawson Pamela Leezer & Henry Harris Joe Lewis Kristy Lewis David & Phyllis Leibson LEO Weekly** LG&E & KU Services Company Ms. Anne Liechty Lincoln Trail Title Jerry Lindsey Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government Louisville Public Media** Louisville Tourism Mr. Todd P. Lowe & Ms. Fran C. Ratterman Ms. Diane Loy George Lucier Jim & Lois Luckett Mr. Robin Luckett Mr. James D. Ludwig Mr. & Mrs. Philip Lynch Robert Major Mr. & Mrs. Brian Manlove Mansbach Foundation Endowment Fund John & D’Ann Markert Tom & Joslyn Marksbury Leolie and David Marquez Ms. Jane Martin & Ms. Janet Childress Martha and Jerry Martin William & Sandra Martz Mr. Anthyun Mask Malinda & Billy Masterson Craig & Karen Matthews James Mauch & Sharon Smith Craig and Lauren Maxey Mr. Darrin & Ms. Becky McElroy Martha McLaughlin The Melcher Family Lori & Michael Mehlbauer Drs. Chris Mescia & Tricia J. Gray Mr. & Mrs. Barry P. Meyers Linda and David Miles Dave & Terri Miller Robert E. Milward Fund at Blue Grass Community Foundation Mr. William Mitchell Jack & Marilyn Monohan Ms. Biljana N. Monsky Mrs. Terri Montgomery Mr. Don & Mrs. Lisa Moore Jim & Chambers Moore Mrs. Pat Moremen Mountjoy Chilton Medley LLP Ms. Eleanor Bingham Miller Mr. & Mrs. R. Charles Moyer Marti & Hubert Mountz Mr. Glen E. Mowbray & Ms. Colette Crown Shivaram Muddappa Mrs. Patricia Muench Dr. Sean Muldoon Cynthia Murphy Martha Miracle Murphy Gloria Jean Murray Mr. Scott Murray Mr. Alan Nakamura National Conference of Governor’s Schools

Robert & Sharon Nesmith Mr. & Mrs. Theodore H. Nixon Esther Nnassanga Ms. Susan H. Norris The Norton Foundation, Inc. Nu-Yale Cleaners** Mr. & Mrs. Dan O’Brien Ms. Ann Ogden Mrs. Judith Olliges Mr. Kevin Olusola Doug & Shari Owen Mr. & Mrs. Gord Pageau Erin Palmer & Tyler Kinney Ms. Meredith Parente & Ms. Carol Mollman Annabelle Park Ms. Tara Parker Mr. & Mrs. Don E. Parkinson Adrian S. Partridge Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Payne Mr. Bryan Peck Ms. Lynn Pereira Mr. Tom Person & Mrs. Melissa Richards-Person Duane Peterson Tony Petrelli Ms. Judith N. Petty Mr. & Mrs. Michael Phelps PNC Bank PNC Broadway in Louisville/ Louisville Theatrical Society Mr. Stuart Pollard Henry & Sharon Potter Ms. Joy Potts Shane Powers Stephen D. Prather Mr. Mark Preischel Gordon & Patty Rademaker Dr. & Mrs. Julio Ramirez Mr. and Mrs. Teddy H. Redmon Tracy Redmon Rick & Becky Reed Ms. Linda Remington Kathleen Reno & Tom Payette Republic Bank Will & Becky Richards Bobby & Caroline Riede Ms. Tammy Rigney Mr. Thaddeus Riley Riverbend Financial Group RJE Business Interiors Mrs. Barbara Roberts Jonathan & Julie Roberts Mr. Stinson Robinson Laura Rogers Alan & Beatrice Rosenberg Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Rounsavall, III Mark & Kay Rountree Loy Rush Michael Schissler & Kristan Milam Ms. Stephanie Schaefer Chuck & Mary Ellen Schmidt Curtis & Ashley Rose Schneider Dr. Marilyn Schorin Mr. Terry Schwartz Mr. Mason Scisco David C. Scott Foundation Fund Ellen & Max Shapira Brett & Andrea Shepherd The Sherwin-Williams Company

Mrs. Cindi Shrader Dr. & Mrs. Saleem Seyal Holly Sibrary & Stephen Belcher Lesa & Gregg Siebert Dr. Nicholas Silvestros Ms. Ruth Simons Danny & Amy Singleton Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Sireci Mr. & Mrs. Edward Skarbek Mr. & Mrs. Ted Sloan Drs. Kyle & Laura Slone Mr. & Mrs. Darin Smith Mr. Darrell Smith Irvin & Connie Smith Jill Smith Ms. Laura Smith Mollie Smith Snowy Owl Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Kenney M. Snell Tom & Cara Solley George & Karin Sonnier David & Rebecca Sourwine South Arts Dr. Charles Sowder Laura Spaulding Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Sprau Mr. Mitchell Stallsmith Mr. Robert Steinmetz & Mrs. Barbara Elliott Anna Stephens Ms. Sharon Stetter Dr. Don Stevens Stites & Harbison, PLLC Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. Matthew Stone Drs. Catherine Newton & Gordon Strauss Mr. Jeff Stream Lindy Street Hunter & Audrey Strickler Dr. & Mrs. Gerald F. Sturgeon Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Sturgeon Scott Swalls Barbara & Richard Sweet Anne Swope Keith and Jennifer Tarter Bob Taylor & Linda Shapiro Mr. John Tederstrom & Mr. Mark Cannon The 10th Planet** Tessitura Network** Ms. Brenda Thompson Mac & Jessica Thompson Mr. & Mrs. Steve Thompson Mr. Christopher M. Todoroff Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky Trace3** Ruth Wimsatt Trautwein Fernando Trevino Ms. Karen Troutman Dr. Mureena Turnquest & Dr. Kevin Wells Mrs. Melanie Twyman Bob & Vicky Ullrich University of Kentucky College of Design**

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University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts** University of Kentucky Office of the Provost** USI Insurance Services, LLC Mr. Randall Vaughn David & Susan Vislisel Mr. & Mrs. David Vogel Mrs. Kellie Vogt Mr. & Mrs. Mark Vogt The Voice-Tribune Volunteers of the Kentucky Center* Jim and Libby Voyles Ms. Jeanne D. Vuturo Brian Wallace & Nelda Lewis Wallace Karyn Walters, M.D. Charles & Nina Wardrip Rev. Dr. Valerie Washington Water Energizers** Ann Waterman & Niles Welch Karyn Watters, M.D. Ms. Jennifer Love Webb Ms. Kristen Webb-Hill Nathan & Olivia Webb Mr. & Mrs. Greg Weishar Dr. & Mrs. Robert Weiss Welch Printing** Mr. James & Ms. Catherine Werner John & Marilyn Werst Melany Wessels Ms. Rebecca West WHAS 11** Mr. & Mrs. Stephen F. Wheeler Rick & Denise Whelan Mary Jo White & Tim Shull Lorraine Whitney Antonio Wickliffe P.J. Williams Patty & Jim Williamson Dr. Floyd T. Wilkerson Wilmes & Associates/Architects, PSC Wimsatt Family Fund Mr. Benjamin Wiseman Eric & Elizabeth Witherspoon Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan Wolff Mark Wood & Barbara Dejean Phoebe Wood Rev. Joan Wooden Ms. Grace Wooding Michael & Jeanne Wright David F. Young and Cheryl Cahill Yum! Brands, Inc. The Zamiska Family Dominic & Lisa Zangari Dr. Kenneth & Shelly Zegart Mr. Brian Zehnder & Ms. Melissa Rolf Dr. and Mrs. Nathan Zimmerman Ms. Susan G. Zepeda & Dr. Fred P. Seifer *Kentucky Performing Arts Volunteers’ value of donated time is more than $100,000 annually **In-Kind Donation

KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Marianne Butler, Chair • Mary R. Nixon, Secretary Laura Melillo Barnum Eileen Cooke Brown Gregory J. Bubalo Hannah L. Drake JP Davis Paula Harshaw

William H. Jones Robert M. Klein Kate Latts Joseph Leavell Patricia A. Mathison

Bruce C. Merrick James K. Murphy Stephen T. Owen Lindy Street Rev. Dr. Valerie Washington Sarah Yarmuth

DIRECTORS EMERITI Madeline Abramson Owsley Brown II (1942–2011) Wendell Cherry (1935–1991)

Gordon B. Davidson (1926–2015) C. Edward Glasscock

Robert W. Rounsavall, III Rose Lenihan Rubel (1922–2002)

KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATION, INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Phil Lynch, Chair Kim Baker, Vice-Chair • Leah Huddleston, Secretary • R.K. Guillaume, Treasurer Phillip Allen J. Tim Galbraith Ankur N. Gopal Leah Huddleston

Lillian Hunt Chris Kipper Todd Lowe R. Charles Moyer

Melissa Richards-Person Eileen Saunders Felicia Cumings Smith Diane Tobin

Ruth Wimsatt Trautwein Ray Wallace Lisa Zangari Cindy Zipperle

KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS EXECUTIVE STAFF Kim Baker President and CEO

Chris Kaelin Vice President, Operations

Heather Weston Bell Senior Vice President, Programming, Events & Education

Will Richards Vice President, Facilities & Production

Dawn Driskell Vice President, Finance

Julie Roberts Vice President, Development & Advocacy

Rob Schmidlapp Vice President, Information Systems Christian Adelberg Vice President, Marketing & Communications

KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS ENCORE SOCIETY The Encore Society recognizes individuals who have demonstrated support for the long-term well-being of Kentucky Performing Arts with an estate gift or notification of their bequest intention or other planned gift.

The Honorable & Mrs. Jerry E. Abramson Anonymous Mr. and Mrs. Tom & Robbie Bell Ms. Jennifer L. Bobbitt Janet R. Dakan 32

Mrs. William Habich

Ms. Terry H. Sales

Mrs. Ada Lee Kane

Ms. Helen Stockton

Mrs. Helen Lang

Mrs. Murrel Straley

Kathy Monin

Jeanne D. Vuturo

Mr. and Mrs. Don E. Parkinson

Jennifer Love Webb

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CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION SUPPORT We salute the following organizations for their support of Kentucky Performing Arts:

B. J. KILLIAN FOUNDATION

THE GHEENS FOUNDATION

Welch Printing

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KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS SERVICES TICKETS For complete event information and to order tickets by phone, call Kentucky Performing Arts Ticket Service at (502) 584-7777 or order tickets online at KentuckyPerformingArts.org. Kentucky Performing Arts Ticket Service’s hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Drive-thru ticket service is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets purchased by phone and online are subject to service charges. On performance dates, the ticket office is open one-half hour past curtain time. Gift certificates are available in any dollar amount at the Box Office and are not redeemable for cash. MAIN PHONE NUMBER (502) 562-0100 PARKING More than 2,000 parking spaces offer direct access to The Kentucky Center from Sixth St. The elevators located in the garage will take you to the main lobby. You may also enter the Riverfront Garage from Fourth or Sixth Sts. Level C of the garage also will give you direct access to the main lobby. At the Brown Theatre, parking is available in the lot across from the theatre, and parking garage entrances are located on Third St., north of Broadway or on Fourth St., north of Broadway. At Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, parking is available in the neighboring Swan Street and Vine Street lots. FACILITIES RENTAL From a wedding reception to a convention, Kentucky Performing Arts’ venues, The Kentucky Center, the Brown Theatre and Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, are the perfect place to “stage” your event. For more information, contact Stacey Hallahan, shallahan@kentuckyperformingarts.org. KPA DONORS Kentucky Performing Arts donors receive a variety of benefits, including buying tickets before the public, priority seating, and no handling fees. For more information, contact (502) 566-5144 or visit SUPPORT KPA on our website. For Corporate Membership benefits, contact Julie Roberts at (502) 562-0100, Ext. 105, or jroberts@kentuckyperformingarts.org. VOLUNTEERS The Volunteer Program offers the public a chance to be a part of the great events at The Kentucky Center, the Brown Theatre and Old Forester’s Paristown Hall. To volunteer, contact the Volunteer Hotline at (502) 566-5141. 34

COURTESY • As a courtesy to the performers and other audience members, please turn off all audible message systems. • The emergency phone number to leave with babysitters or message centers are (502) 566-5128 (The Kentucky Center) and (502) 566-5188 (The Brown Theatre). • Be sure to leave your theater and seat number for easy location. • Cameras and recording devices are not allowed in the theaters. • Latecomers will be seated at appropriate breaks in the program, as established by each performing group. Please be considerate of your fellow audience members during performances. Please remain seated after the performance until the lights are brought up. • Children should be able to sit in a seat quietly throughout the performance. • To properly enforce fire codes, everyone attending an event, regardless of age, must have a ticket. ACCESSIBILITY Wheelchair accessible seating at Kentucky Performing Arts venues is available on every seating and parking level, as well as ticket counters and personal conveniences at appropriate heights. FM and infrared hearing devices are available to provide hearing amplification for patrons with hearing disabilities in all spaces of The Kentucky Center, the Brown Theatre, and Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, including meeting spaces. Audio Description is available for selected performances for patrons who are blind or have low vision. Caption Theater is available for selected performances as a service for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Program materials are available in large-print from your usher. Please make reservations for services at the time you purchase your ticket through the Box Office to ensure the best seating location for the service requested. Call (502) 566-5111 (V), 711 (TRS), or email access@kentuckycenter.org for more information about the range of accessibility options we offer, or to receive this information in an alternate format.

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Horse-Drawn Trolley Tours

Our gates are open and our horses are waiting! Plan your visit at kyhorsepark.com.

Kentucky Derby Winner, Go For Gin

International Museum of the Horse

The Rare Marwari Horseback Trial Riding