PPAC and Macy’s Send HS Students to “In The Heights”

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

GoLocalProv Arts Team

It's a great gift, after the holidays have subsided.

Macy's Providence Place has provided a grant for 350 students from Providence and other Rhode Island high schools to attend evening performances of In the Heights, which plays at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) Tuesday, January 11 through Sunday, January 16, 2011. PPAC will match this grant from its Annual Fund proceeds.

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras will make a pre-curtain speech on Tuesday, January 11 to welcome the show to Providence.

First opportunity for many students

J.L. "Lynn" Singleton, President of PPAC, said, "We want to thank Macy's Providence Place for generously working with us to make it possible for high school students to have the chance to see In the Heights. For many of these students, this may be the first opportunity that they will have to attend a Broadway show. We hope that the show's positive and inspiring message will have an impact on them."

"Macy's is proud to be a part of the Providence community, not only as a shopping destination but as an avid supporter of local theatre arts and education programs in the community," said Craig Robbins, Vice President and Store Manager for Macy's Providence Place. "We are thrilled to partner with PPAC, and through this terrific program, bring the theater experience to underserved school children. Sending 350 local high school students to see In the Heights is a great way to start the New Year and give back to the community."

Tony and Grammy winner

Winner of four 2008 Tony Awards® and the 2008 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Show Album, In the Heights tells the story of a vibrant community in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood - a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind. Timely themes in any urban area, including Providence.

Tickets are available now at the PPAC Box Office, 220 Weybosset St, Providence. Patrons can purchase tickets in person at the PPAC Box Office, online at www.ppacri.org or by calling 421 - ARTS (2787). Tickets are $68 - $41; all ticket prices include a $3 per ticket restoration charge and are subject to change without notice.