For Immediate Release: March 28, 2006
Media Contact: Amy Watson Bish, Delaware Theatre Company, 302.594.1104 x228

Delaware Theatre Company's series of audience enrichment events, Connections: A Community Conversation, concludes on Saturday, May 6, 2006 with "Bluegrass: A Rediscovered American Treasure?" This event is presented in conjunction with the theatre's world premiere production of A Murder, A Mystery & A Marriage: A Mark Twain Musical Melodrama by renowned Philadelphia theatre artists Aaron Posner and James Sugg. Bluegrass music is the core musical genre of Posner and Sugg's adaptation and the forum will explore why this was a fitting choice for bringing Twain's story to the stage. The Connections forum will follow the 2 p.m. matinee at approximately 4:15 p.m. and run about 90 minutes. The event is free and open to the public and is partly funded by a grant from the Delaware Humanities Forum, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information call 302.594.1100.

Led by Jeff Place (Archivist of the Ralph Rinzler Collection at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Culture), this Connections is a rollicking lecture/demonstration tracking the history of bluegrass and its recent surge in popularity. It will feature performances by Dan Paisley and the Southern Grass, Delaware residents and one of the country's top traditional bluegrass bands.

Jeff Place has been the archivist for the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at the Center since coming to the Smithsonian from the Library of Congress American Folklife Center in 1988. He also oversees the cataloging of the Center's extensive and famed collections of irreplaceable music performances. Mr. Place has a master's in library science from the University of Maryland and specializes in sound archives. He is currently on the Preservation and Technology Committee for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the advisory board for the Woody Guthrie Archives. In addition, he has been nominated for four Grammy Awards and ten Indie Awards, has been awarded two Grammys and five Indies, and was one of the producers and writers of the acclaimed 1997 edition of the Anthology of American Folk Music and the Best of Broadside, 1962-1988 (2000). Mr. Place has also overseen the recording of a number of regional folk festivals, in addition to the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival held each year on the Mall in Washington DC.

Dan Paisley and the Southern Grass carries on the fine tradition of one of America's premier traditional bluegrass bands, Bob Paisley and The Southern Grass, which became known around the world for their musicianship and dedication to the traditional style. Bob's son Dan Paisley, a similarly gifted guitarist and brilliant vocalist, joined the band in 1974 at age 15, and has developed into one of the most distinctive and expressive vocal stylists in bluegrass music today. He plans to carry on in his father's tradition with the help of his brother, bassist Michael Paisley, and bandmates Bob Lundy (banjo), T.J. Lundy (fiddle), and Don Eldreth Jr. (mandolin) - all excellent musicians with rich family histories in bluegrass and old-time music. The ensemble has become known for its unwavering sense of timing, its relaxed, often self-deprecating joviality on stage, and its dynamic repertoire. From lilting ballad to fiery hoedown, Paisley's music encompasses the entire spectrum within the definitive bluegrass tradition. Strong vocal duos and trios also have become a hallmark of the band's sound.

"Bluegrass: A Rediscovered American Treasure?" will take place at Delaware Theatre Company, 200 Water Street in Wilmington. The event will follow the 2 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, May 6, 2006, beginning at approximately 4:00 p.m. Admission to all Connections events are free. For more information, please call 302.594.1100.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the DTC Box Office at (302) 594-1100 or visit our website: www.delawaretheatre.org.

DTC's 2005 - 2006 Season. Some things you just gotta see! Connections: A Community Conversation is partially funded by a grant from the Delaware Humanities Forum, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Delaware Theatre Company's 2005-2006 season is sponsored by JPMorgan Chase. Corporate Co-Producer for A Murder, A Mystery & A Marriage is Wilmington Trust. Artist transportation provided by Amtrak. This program is made possible, in part, by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency committed to promoting and supporting the arts in Delaware. The Delaware Division of the Arts provides technical and financial assistance to artists and arts programs and serves as a clearinghouse for information on the arts.

Delaware Theatre Company, Delaware's premier professional theatre, is located at 200 Water Street, on Wilmington's exciting Riverfront. Delaware Theatre Company is a member of the League of Resident Theatres, Theatre Communications Group, the Arts Consortium of Delaware, the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, and the Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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