Way Off Broadway, Iowa's only professional musical theatre company and the residential company at the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts is delighted to announce their Iowa premiere production, the newest version of Cabaret which won the Tony for Best Revival. Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions including a major "re-think" revival in 1998, which WOB will present.

Cabaret is based on John Van Druten's 1951 play, I Am a Camera, which in turn was adapted from the 1939 short novel Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood. Set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power, it focuses on nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around the 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw.  A sub-plot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is the Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub which serves as a constant metaphor for the tenuous and threatening state of late Weimar Germany throughout the show.

The 1967 original production won 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the Bob Fosse movie won 8 Oscars including Best Director. The 1998 version, which is what WOB is producing in its Iowa premiere, won 4 Tony's, including Best Revival Nationally known pop music singer Lyric Benson will make her WOB debut as Sally Bowles and Jonathan Christopher will return after performing in WOB's successful tour of "Plaid Tidings' this past fall. Other WOB favorites include Robert Kemp as Cliff, Margaret Clair as Frau Schneider, Brendan Thomas as Herr Schultz, George Kelley as Ernst,  Natalie Saunders as Frau Kost, The Kit Kat Girls are played by Madeline Sloat, Noel Wotherspoon, Pricilla Marlar, Rebecca Frasier,  Sara Hawthorne, and Nina Benjamin.  Shawn David Walker and Brian Graziani as German Sailors, Mitchel Price plays Max and Gareth West is the Nazi youth.

Cabaret is produced by Paul Praither, will be directed and choreographed by Artistic Director Randal K West and musically directed by Shari Rhoads who will also conduct the live orchestra.

Cabaret will open at the Stephen Sondheim Center in Fairfield, Iowa on March 29 and also play on Saturday the 30th, both at 7:30pm. Another 4 shows run the following weekend Thursday-Saturday April 4-6 at 7:30pm and will close its Fairfield run at 2:00pm on Sunday April 7^th. Following the Fairfield dates Cabaret will travel to the new Coralville Performing Arts Center for another two shows on April 12&13 both at 7:30pm. The Sondheim Tickets can be reserved by calling the box office M-F 12-6pm at 641-472-ARTS or going to FairfieldACC.com. The Coralville tickets can be reserved by calling 319.248.9370 or going to coralvillearts.org

Premier Buick & GMC High School Challenge Adds to Annual Race Events

BETTENDORF, IA - At 39, the Quad-City Times Bix 7 has a new way to stay young with the addition of the Premier Buick & GMC High School Challenge. It was announced in a media event at Isle of Capri Casino Hotel.

Participants toe the line for Bix 39 on Saturday, July 27^th, 2013. Registrations are being mailed now in addition to availability at locations throughout the Quad City Area. Online entry is open at www.bix7.com with a valid Visa or MasterCard. Advance entries are only handled through the website, via mailed printed applications or those brought to the Quad-City Times building, 500 E. Third Street, Davenport. You can stay connected with news and training tips at www.facebook.com - Search Quad-City Times Bix 7 or www.twitter.com/@BixSeven.

The Premier Buick & GMC Dealers, in their second year as Official Automotive Sponsor of the Bix 7, now offer a $1,000 prize to athletic funds to each high school of the first boy and girl athletes to cross the finish line in the full race. The Premier Buick & GMC High School Challenge continues a Bix tradition of offering the same prize money for men and women. A space for these athletes to indicate their high school affiliation has now been added to the application.

"Our involvement with the Bix 7 has everything to do with inspiring, celebrating and enabling human achievement," said Greg Piehl, president of the Premier Buick & GMC Dealers Association. "This race reflects our dedication to students, leaders and achievers in our community. As Official Automotive Sponsor of the Bix 7, we wanted to show students that their ambition, whether in the classroom or on the race course, is worth striving for. The Premier Buick & GMC High School Challenge is our way to reward the future leaders of our community one stride at a time."

The Premier Buick & GMC Dealers offer a large selection of new and pre-owned vehicles. The group features Eriksen Buick (Milan, IL), Green Buick & GMC (Davenport, IA), Key Auto Mall Buick & GMC (Moline, IL), Piehl Buick & GMC (Geneseo, IL), Piehl Motors Buick (Princeton, IL), Shottenkirk Buick & GMC (Mount Pleasant, IA), and Yemm Buick & GMC (Galesburg, IL). Look for Buick on the lead lap as Official Pace Car of the Bix 7, at www.PremierBuickDealers.com and www.PremierGMCDealers.com.

The event joins the Quad City Bank & Trust Battle Up Brady, Alcoa Jr. Bix 7, Swiss Valley Farms Quick Bix, VictoryStore.com Gregg Newell and Eloise Caldwell awards for top local male and female area finishers, Rhythm City Casino Race for the Jackpot and Scott County Regional Authority All City Challenge.

Featuring an elite international field, race director Ed Froehlich knows the Bix 7 again has something for everyone while showcasing the Quad Cities' legendary hometown participation and support.

"The Bix 7 brings excitement and pride to our community," said Froehlich, entering his 34^th year guiding the race. "What better way to build on that than to recognize young area athletes this way. I know our sponsors, volunteers and participants will show the international running community again why Davenport, Iowa and the Quad Cities is the only place to be the last full weekend of July."

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From April 11 to May 23, the halls of local libraries and non-profits will resound with the beat of uniquely American musical genres, thanks to the grant-funded "America's Music" project.

Bettendorf, Davenport, Moline and Rock Island Public Libraries, in collaboration with River Music Experience and Western Illinois University-Quad Cities, will host the six-week series, which features documentary film screenings, scholar-led discussions of twentieth-century American popular music and live performances.

"America's Music: A Film History of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway" covers a wide span of musical interests, including blues and gospel, Broadway, jazz, bluegrass and country, rock n' roll, mambo, and hip hop. Featuring 19 presentations in the Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities, the local effort is one of just 50 sites nationwide selected to host this program series, which is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.

Starting with blues and gospel and ending with swing jazz, the general audience programs will explore the connections between six uniquely American genres of 20^th century music and the influence of music on the history, culture and geography of the United States. Each screening and discussion session will examine an important American musical genre in the context of key social and historical developments, giving attendees of all ages an opportunity to recognize the influence of these popular music forms on the cultural landscape.

A full list of performances and locations is available at www.americasmusicqc.com, but the basic line-up is as follows:

Program partners and sponsors will kick off the series with a live performance by Iowa Blues Challenge winners The Candymakers from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm at the River Music Experience. Blues and gospel fill the week of April 15, with film/discussion events of "Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues" and "Say Amen Somebody" at the Rock Island Main Library and Davenport Public Library, Eastern Avenue Branch. Broadway and Tin Pan Alley fill the week of April 22 with film/discussion events of "Broadway: The American Musical" at Moline Public Library and River Music Experience, along with a Broadway performance by The District Theatre and Tristan Layne Tapscott at the Moline Public Library.

Bluegrass and county music are the focus of the week of April 29, with film/discussion events of "High Lonesome: The Story of Bluegrass Music" at Western Illinois University-QC and the Bettendorf Public Library. Bettendorf Library will also host a bluegrass performance by River Town, a four-piece ensemble performing traditional bluegrass and folk favorites.

Classic rock and roll takes the stage during the week of May 6, with film/discussion events of "The History of Rock 'n Roll: Plugging In," at the Bettendorf Public Library and Rock Island Main Library. The Rock Island Library will also host a performance by Meet the Press, a dynamic three-piece band performing 80s and 90s originals.

Mambo and Hip Hop music will fill the week of May 13, with film/discussion events of "Latin Music U.S.A. and "From Mambo to Hip Hope: A South Bronx Tale," at Davenport Public Library Eastern Avenue Branch and Western Illinois University- Quad Cities. The Davenport Public Library will also present a Hip Hop dance performance and instruction event with Midwest Academy of Dance.

Swing Jazz events fill the week of May 19, starting with a jazz performance at the Polyrhythms Third Sunday jazz at the River Music Experience. The event, featuring the Bill Bell trio, is the only ticketed event in the series. Cost is $10 general admission or $15 for reserved seating. Tickets will be available at the door, or by calling 309-373-0790. Free swing jazz film and discussion events with excerpts from "Ken Burns Jazz" and the "International Sweethearts of Rhythm" take place during the week at River Music Experience and Moline Public Library.

Discussions, along with a call for stories about memories of the Quad City musical landscape, will be led by program scholar Dr. Daniel S. Malachuk, associate professor of English at Western Illinois University - Quad Cities, and several faculty colleagues, including Dr. Everett Hammer (English), Dr. Nancy Schaefer and Dr. Tammy Werner (Sociology), and two students in the English Masters program, Chelsea Clearman and Jill King.

With help from his students, Dr. Malachuk will present some of the local stories collected at the final event in the series, "Celebrating America's Music in the Quad Cities, " from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Thursday, May 23, at the Western Illinois University - Quad Cities Riverfront Atrium. Attendees are encouraged to bring their stories about the great variety of music heard in the Quad Cities over the past 50 years. Musicians are encouraged to bring instruments, as the event will close with an open mic event of local performers.

For details, please visit www.americasmusicqc.com or contact americasmusicqc@gmail.com or 309-524-2470.

"America's Music" is a project by the Tribeca Film Institute in collaboration with the American Library Association, Tribeca Flashpoint, and the Society for American Music. "America's Music" has been made possible by a major $2,500 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.

Additional funding for the Quad City effort was received from the Riverboat Development Authority, Sedona Technologies, UAW Local 2282, Friends of the Moline Public Library and Friends of the Rock Island Public Library, along with in-kind sponsorships from River Cities Reader, WQAD-TV Newschannel 8, STAR 93.5, WQPT Quad Cities PBS and WVIK Augustana Public Radio.

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