CONCER T SERIES
NEW ORLEANS: THE BIG EASY
New Orleans! The birthplace of jazz! And so much else. When I was a young buck in Prince Edward Island I was the frontman for a swing band called the Jive Kings (terrible name, I know). It was in this band that I was introduced to the true power of a horn section. So when we decided to do this New Orleans show the thing that had me most excited was the chance to bring that energy into this concert series. I was lucky enough to secure the talents of one of the most innovative and exciting bands on the scene right now – The Heavyweights. Their creative spirit and innate sense of theatrics fit right in with the work we do at Soulpepper. Throw in Michael Dunston, Saidah Baba Talibah, and the one and only Jackie Richardson for good measure and we’ve got the makings of a pretty wild party. Enjoy! Mike Ross, Slaight Family Director of Music.
PERFORMERS & PRODUCTION FEATURED PERFORMERS
CREATIVE
TECHNICIANS
Michael Bridge Michael Dunston Bill King Paul Novotny Jackie Richardson Mike Ross Joe Sealy Saidah Baba Talibah Performers
Mike Ross & Joe Sealy Musical Directors, Arrangers
Andrew Hillman Technical Director
Chris Butcher Rebecca Hennessy Paul Metcalfe Rob Teehan Lowell Whitty The Heavyweights Brass Band Tom Allen Host/Writer
Frank Cox-O’Connell Director Raha Javanfar Lighting Designer
Jason Browning Megan Burns Melissa Grandover Robin Johnston Technicians
Jason Browning Sound Designer Anahita Dehbonehie Projection Designer Kelly Read Concert Coordinator Lisa Li Producer
Projections sourced from: Smithsonian online photo gallery. New orleans Online photo gallery, Mardi Gras Youtube channel, THOMAS NEFF’s ‘HOLDING OUT AND HANGING ON: SURVIVING HURRICANE KATRINA’ (book). 2015 lead sponsors