ECC Arts Center presents a night of rock n' roll theater May 6
On Saturday, May 6, the Elgin Community College Arts Center will present Nashville songstress Sarah Potenza and the new play, "The Fire and the Rose" by Chris Snock, all in one evening at an event titled "Rock 'n Roll Theatre." The evening will open with a performance of Snock's stirring play and close with a rousing set by Potenza. The performance will take place at 7 p.m. in the ECC Arts Center's SecondSpace Theatre, Building H, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
Sarah Potenza is known for her enormous voice that seamlessly blends rock, roots, soul, and blues. Rolling Stone dubbed her a "rock and soul powerhouse" and compared her sound to "a Janis Joplin-Aretha Franklin hybrid with a mic … but a Lucinda Williams-Bonnie Raitt hybrid with a pen." Potenza spent years touring with her band Sarah & The Tall Boys before heading to Nashville where she quickly integrated into the local music scene.
Since the move, she has become a staple at the world renowned Bluebird Café and the globally broadcast "Music City Roots" program. In 2015, Potenza appeared on season eight of NBC's "The Voice" where she received a four chair turn and finished in the Top 20. Potenza released her latest album "Monster" in 2016 and its title track was featured on NPR's "Songs We Love."
New York playwright Chris Snock's one-act play "The Fire and the Rose" centers on a tough guy from Philly who heads out for a fight but instead finds himself facing a very different and even harder kind of match with a girl in a bar. Snock has been visiting Elgin for the past eight years as a teaching artist for Young Audiences New York's Literature to Life series, most recently with a stage presentation of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Trained as an actor by revered director, acting teacher, and American Place Theatre co-founder Wynn Handman, Snock has had readings of his plays at both Esper and Shetler Studios in New York, received a full scholarship to attend the esteemed Labyrinth Theater Company master class, and is currently mentored by playwright William Mastrosimone.
"The Fire and the Rose" is directed by Annie McGreevey and features actors Rich Orlow and Quinn Cassavale. McGreevey is a veteran Broadway stage actor, an alumni of AFI's Directing Workshop for Women, and director of Roger Grunwald's critically acclaimed play "The Mitzvah" which is currently touring internationally. Rich Orlow is an Emmy-nominated actor who has voiced countless commercials, narration, animation, video games, and recorded books as well as appeared off-Broadway, regionally, on television, and in film. Orlow performed the Literature Life® stage presentation of Fahrenheit 451 at the ECC Arts Center this past January. Quinn Cassavale is a professional actress with numerous theater, TV, and national commercial credits. Her teaching resume includes over seven years on the faculty of The New York Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts.
Tickets for "Rock 'n Roll Theatre featuring The Fire and the Rose and Sarah Potenza" are $29. Tickets are available online at tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC Arts Center box office. Box office hours are noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call (847) 622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted. The ECC Arts Center can be found at www.facebook.com/eccartscenter and on Twitter @eccartscenter.