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Reduced Shakespeare Company presents The Complete History of Comedy (abridged)

The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) answers the fundamental questions:
  • Which is the least funny nationality? Which is the funniest? Why did the former try to exterminate the latter?
  • How do critics describe everything in a way to make it sound unfunny? (“First of all, the premise is weak. No one would ever believe that a baseball team would actually have a first baseman named “Who.”)
  • Why, in fact, did the chicken cross the road?
Tickets to The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) are far more affordable than tickets to an amusement park, but you’ll come away with the same feeling of nausea and motion sickness. From cavemen telling “Rock Rock” jokes to Will Smith upset at Chris Rock’s jokes and everything in-between, the “bad boys of abridgement” leave no joke untold as they deconstruct the entire history of comedy in 90 rollicking minutes.
They’ve skewered history, the Bible and the world’s most celebrated playwright. Now, The Reduced Shakespeare Company tackles the subject it was born to reduce. From the high-brow to the low, The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) covers comedy through the ages, from Shakespeare and Moliere (Is Moliere funny? Why not?) to Napoleon (Dynamite) and Vaudeville and Charlie Chaplin to The Simpsons and Ted Lasso. From cavemen telling “Rock Rock” jokes to Will Smith upset at Chris Rock’s jokes and everything in-between, the bad boys of abridgment leave no joke untold as they deconstruct the entire history of comedy in 90 rollicking minutes.
CONTENT ADVISORY: In the spirit of Shakespeare’s comedies, RSC shows contain comic depictions of violence, mild innuendo, bawdy language, and the occasional rude word. All children (and parents) are different, so we’ve chosen to rate our shows PG-13: Pretty Good If You’re Thirteen.
​

LOCATION: Valborg Theatre, 480 Howard St., Boone, NC 28608

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact the Box Office at theschaefercenter@appstate.edu or call 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046.

ACCOMMODATION STATEMENT: Appalachian is committed to providing an inclusive experience for individuals with disabilities. If accommodations are needed in order to fully participate on the basis of a disability, contact the Office of Disability Resources (828.262.3056). It is recommended that accommodation requests be made two weeks prior to the event.

TICKETS:

Standard: $25
Students: $15

SHOWTIMES:
Sunday, July 16, 2023 | 2pm and 7pm
Doors open at 1:30pm and 6:30pm

2PM -- BUY TICKETS
7PM -- BUY TICKETS

ABOUT RSC

Called a “trio of modern Marx Brothers” by The Boston Herald and “intellectual vaudeville” by The New York Times, The Reduced Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a touring American comedy troupe that performs fast-paced, seemingly improvisational condensations of huge topics. They hold the record for the longest running comedies in the history of London’s West End, as three of its shows ran in repertory at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus for almost 10 years. Known as the “Bad Boys of Abridgment,” the RSC has performed at the White House, Lincoln Center, Off-Broadway, the Kennedy Center, and Montreal’s famed Just for Laughs Festival, as well as touring the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Singapore, Barbados, Bermuda, Israel, Qatar, and Ireland. The Reduced Shakespeare Company is heard frequently on both NPR and the BBC.

Since its pass-the-hat origins in 1981, the RSC has created 10 world-renowned stage shows, two television specials, several failed TV pilots, and numerous radio pieces, all of which have been performed, seen, and heard the world over. The company’s itinerary has included stops off-Broadway, at the White House, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, London’s West End, Seattle Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre and Montreal’s famed Just for Laughs Festival, as well as performances in Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Malta, Singapore and Bermuda, plus countless civic and university venues throughout the USA, the UK, and Europe.

The company’s first three shows — The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), The Complete History of America (abridged) and The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) — ran for over nine years at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus. They were London’s longest-running comedies, and the RSC had more shows running in the West End than Andrew Lloyd Webber. They were also funnier.

The company’s 11th and brand-new stage show — Hamlet’s Big Adventure! (a prequel) — had its international premiere at the London in Tel Aviv Festival in 2019 and its American premiere in 2022. In 2016, in honor of the company’s 35th anniversary and the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, the RSC premiered its 10th stage show, William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged), at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. In 2013, the “Bad Boys of Abridgment” unveiled The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) to critical and commercial acclaim at both Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Merrimack Repertory Theatre, as well as on national tours of the USA and UK. The Complete World of Sports (abridged) opened in 2010 at Merrimack Rep and, after touring the USA and UK, ran at the Arts Theatre in London during the 2012 London Olympics. In 2011 came the world premiere of The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged), which became Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s best-selling holiday show ever and the third-best-selling show in MRT’s history. It also enjoyed a successful run at San Diego Repertory Theatre as well as multiple tours across the USA.

The RSC applied its fast, funny and physical approach to world history in Western Civilization: The Complete Musical (abridged), which toured simultaneously in the US, UK and Australia, and condensed literature into a 90-minute roller-coaster ride in All the Great Books (abridged), which has played to great acclaim at the Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Seattle’s ACT Theatre, and Alabama Shakespeare Festival, as well as Great Britain, Holland, Ireland, and Sweden (in Swedish!). They skewered the 186 greatest movies of all time in Completely Hollywood (abridged), which has received critical kudos across the US and UK, as well as Belgium, Holland, Hong Kong, and Barbados.

For TV, the RSC compressed the first five seasons of Lost into a 10-minute film called Lost Reduced and was a Jeopardy! category in the 2005 and 2006 Tournaments of Champions. They wrote and starred in The Ring Reduced, a half-hour version of Wagner’s Ring Cycle for Channel 4 (UK), and reduced the Edinburgh Festival for BBC and the soap opera Glenroe for RTE Ireland. Shakespeare (abridged) aired on PBS and is available on DVD, as is America (abridged). For National Public Radio, the RSC has been heard on All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Talk of the Nation, Day to Day, West Coast Live, and To the Best of Our Knowledge. The BBC World Service commissioned the six-part Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show. The Reduced Shakespeare Company Christmas was heard on Public Radio International.

The RSC won the prestigious Shorty Award in New York City and the Delft Audience Award in Holland. They’ve also been nominated for an Olivier Award in London, two Helen Hayes Awards in Washington, DC, the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, and several podcast awards.

RSC scripts are published in the US and UK, and translated into over a dozen languages. The RSC Radio Show, RSC Christmas, and Bible (abridged) are all available on CD or iTunes. On April 23, 2014, the company set a Guinness World Record™ for the Highest Theatrical Performance at 37,000 feet aboard an EasyJet flight from London to Verona. The RSC also creates unique entertainments for corporate events, working with such companies as Sky-TV, Time magazine, Motorola, and Rotary International.

Pop-Up Shakespeare (illustrated by Jennie Maizels) was published in 2017 by Candlewick Press in the US and Walker Books in the UK and Australia. Hyperion published their irreverent reference book Reduced Shakespeare: The Complete Guide for the Attention-Impaired (abridged). The company established its own imprint, Reduced Books, to publish the comic memoir How the Bible Changed Our Lives (Mostly for The Better) in all e-book formats. And the RSC Podcast, a free 20-minute audio glimpse of life backstage and on the road, and the world’s longest-running theatre podcast, is available every week at reducedshakespeare.com and wherever you get your podcasts.

HOT OFF THE PRESS

WARNING! Side-effects may include uncontrollable milking and painful running gags.

“Critic’s Pick! Fast and furious…fresh and funny…a great piece of political satire.” —Cincinnati City Beat

“I don’t want to get too philosophical here. Just know that you’ll laugh. Not at everything, mind you. Some of the material may make you uncomfortable. It’s supposed to. Mostly, though, you will laugh. Really hard. And smile so hard that — yes, it’s a cliché, but it’s true — your cheeks will hurt. When was the last time you went to the theater and had that sensation?” —Cincinnati Enquirer

“Easily one of the troupe’s funniest, most inspired shows in years!” —Pacific Sun

“It’s a show about wit. About quick minds. About what makes us laugh. And what’s fair game for laughter.” —Cincinnati Enquirer

“Spectacular! (A) terrific rapid-fire, laugh-out-loud performance! A laugh-riot!” —Nashua Telegraph

“These guys are truly adept jokesters, physical shtick, wordplay, music, improv — they can do it all.” —Cincinnati City Beat

“The Bad Boys of Abridgment are back and better than ever! A non-stop, two-hour laugh fest!” —Lowell Sun

“A wild, wild ride! It’s funny. Really, really funny…And most of all, it’s really, really smart.” —Cincinnati Enquirer

“A dizzying night’s entertainment…the work of some serious minds exploring the art of comedy.” —Cincinnati City Beat

“You knew they’d get this one right. The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) is a madcap, breakneck-speed two hours. Audacious, often outrageous and bawdy, the frantic pacing of Comedy reminds you of an old-time burlesque or vaudeville revue.” —Boston Stages

“The Reduced Shakespeare Company are exhaustingly hilarious. And the scope of their humor knows no bounds.” —Cincinnati Enquirer

“My cheeks still hurt from laughing so much. Way too funny.” —Napa Valley Register

“The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) is a master class in the artform.“ —Broadway World

“Wonderful, whimsical. The wit, verve and creativity they manage to squeeze into (the show) are a winning formula that is anything but formulaic.” —Fairfield Daily Republic

“It’s always laugh out-loud funny.” —Napa Valley Register

Read the full Cincinnati Enquirer review here

Read the full Cincinnati City Beat review here

Reduced Shakespeare Company presents The Complete History of Comedy (abridged)

The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) answers the fundamental questions:
  • Which is the least funny nationality? Which is the funniest? Why did the former try to exterminate the latter?
  • How do critics describe everything in a way to make it sound unfunny? (“First of all, the premise is weak. No one would ever believe that a baseball team would actually have a first baseman named “Who.”)
  • Why, in fact, did the chicken cross the road?
Tickets to The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) are far more affordable than tickets to an amusement park, but you’ll come away with the same feeling of nausea and motion sickness. From cavemen telling “Rock Rock” jokes to Will Smith upset at Chris Rock’s jokes and everything in-between, the “bad boys of abridgement” leave no joke untold as they deconstruct the entire history of comedy in 90 rollicking minutes.
They’ve skewered history, the Bible and the world’s most celebrated playwright. Now, The Reduced Shakespeare Company tackles the subject it was born to reduce. From the high-brow to the low, The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) covers comedy through the ages, from Shakespeare and Moliere (Is Moliere funny? Why not?) to Napoleon (Dynamite) and Vaudeville and Charlie Chaplin to The Simpsons and Ted Lasso. From cavemen telling “Rock Rock” jokes to Will Smith upset at Chris Rock’s jokes and everything in-between, the bad boys of abridgment leave no joke untold as they deconstruct the entire history of comedy in 90 rollicking minutes.
CONTENT ADVISORY: In the spirit of Shakespeare’s comedies, RSC shows contain comic depictions of violence, mild innuendo, bawdy language, and the occasional rude word. All children (and parents) are different, so we’ve chosen to rate our shows PG-13: Pretty Good If You’re Thirteen.

LOCATION: Valborg Theatre, 480 Howard St., Boone, NC 28608

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact the Box Office at theschaefercenter@appstate.edu or call 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046.

ACCOMMODATION STATEMENT: Appalachian is committed to providing an inclusive experience for individuals with disabilities. If accommodations are needed in order to fully participate on the basis of a disability, contact the Office of Disability Resources (828.262.3056). It is recommended that accommodation requests be made two weeks prior to the event.

TICKETS:

Standard: $25
Students: $15

SHOWTIMES:
Sunday, July 16, 2023 | 2pm and 7pm
Doors open at 1:30pm and 6:30pm

2PM -- BUY TICKETS
7PM -- BUY TICKETS

ABOUT RSC

Called a “trio of modern Marx Brothers” by The Boston Herald and “intellectual vaudeville” by The New York Times, The Reduced Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a touring American comedy troupe that performs fast-paced, seemingly improvisational condensations of huge topics. They hold the record for the longest running comedies in the history of London’s West End, as three of its shows ran in repertory at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus for almost 10 years. Known as the “Bad Boys of Abridgment,” the RSC has performed at the White House, Lincoln Center, Off-Broadway, the Kennedy Center, and Montreal’s famed Just for Laughs Festival, as well as touring the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Singapore, Barbados, Bermuda, Israel, Qatar, and Ireland. The Reduced Shakespeare Company is heard frequently on both NPR and the BBC.

Since its pass-the-hat origins in 1981, the RSC has created 10 world-renowned stage shows, two television specials, several failed TV pilots, and numerous radio pieces, all of which have been performed, seen, and heard the world over. The company’s itinerary has included stops off-Broadway, at the White House, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, London’s West End, Seattle Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre and Montreal’s famed Just for Laughs Festival, as well as performances in Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Malta, Singapore and Bermuda, plus countless civic and university venues throughout the USA, the UK, and Europe.

The company’s first three shows — The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), The Complete History of America (abridged) and The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) — ran for over nine years at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus. They were London’s longest-running comedies, and the RSC had more shows running in the West End than Andrew Lloyd Webber. They were also funnier.

The company’s 11th and brand-new stage show — Hamlet’s Big Adventure! (a prequel) — had its international premiere at the London in Tel Aviv Festival in 2019 and its American premiere in 2022. In 2016, in honor of the company’s 35th anniversary and the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, the RSC premiered its 10th stage show, William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged), at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. In 2013, the “Bad Boys of Abridgment” unveiled The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) to critical and commercial acclaim at both Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Merrimack Repertory Theatre, as well as on national tours of the USA and UK. The Complete World of Sports (abridged) opened in 2010 at Merrimack Rep and, after touring the USA and UK, ran at the Arts Theatre in London during the 2012 London Olympics. In 2011 came the world premiere of The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged), which became Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s best-selling holiday show ever and the third-best-selling show in MRT’s history. It also enjoyed a successful run at San Diego Repertory Theatre as well as multiple tours across the USA.

The RSC applied its fast, funny and physical approach to world history in Western Civilization: The Complete Musical (abridged), which toured simultaneously in the US, UK and Australia, and condensed literature into a 90-minute roller-coaster ride in All the Great Books (abridged), which has played to great acclaim at the Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Seattle’s ACT Theatre, and Alabama Shakespeare Festival, as well as Great Britain, Holland, Ireland, and Sweden (in Swedish!). They skewered the 186 greatest movies of all time in Completely Hollywood (abridged), which has received critical kudos across the US and UK, as well as Belgium, Holland, Hong Kong, and Barbados.

For TV, the RSC compressed the first five seasons of Lost into a 10-minute film called Lost Reduced and was a Jeopardy! category in the 2005 and 2006 Tournaments of Champions. They wrote and starred in The Ring Reduced, a half-hour version of Wagner’s Ring Cycle for Channel 4 (UK), and reduced the Edinburgh Festival for BBC and the soap opera Glenroe for RTE Ireland. Shakespeare (abridged) aired on PBS and is available on DVD, as is America (abridged). For National Public Radio, the RSC has been heard on All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Talk of the Nation, Day to Day, West Coast Live, and To the Best of Our Knowledge. The BBC World Service commissioned the six-part Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show. The Reduced Shakespeare Company Christmas was heard on Public Radio International.

The RSC won the prestigious Shorty Award in New York City and the Delft Audience Award in Holland. They’ve also been nominated for an Olivier Award in London, two Helen Hayes Awards in Washington, DC, the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, and several podcast awards.

RSC scripts are published in the US and UK, and translated into over a dozen languages. The RSC Radio Show, RSC Christmas, and Bible (abridged) are all available on CD or iTunes. On April 23, 2014, the company set a Guinness World Record™ for the Highest Theatrical Performance at 37,000 feet aboard an EasyJet flight from London to Verona. The RSC also creates unique entertainments for corporate events, working with such companies as Sky-TV, Time magazine, Motorola, and Rotary International.

Pop-Up Shakespeare (illustrated by Jennie Maizels) was published in 2017 by Candlewick Press in the US and Walker Books in the UK and Australia. Hyperion published their irreverent reference book Reduced Shakespeare: The Complete Guide for the Attention-Impaired (abridged). The company established its own imprint, Reduced Books, to publish the comic memoir How the Bible Changed Our Lives (Mostly for The Better) in all e-book formats. And the RSC Podcast, a free 20-minute audio glimpse of life backstage and on the road, and the world’s longest-running theatre podcast, is available every week at reducedshakespeare.com and wherever you get your podcasts.

HOT OFF THE PRESS

WARNING! Side-effects may include uncontrollable milking and painful running gags.

“Critic’s Pick! Fast and furious…fresh and funny…a great piece of political satire.” —Cincinnati City Beat

“I don’t want to get too philosophical here. Just know that you’ll laugh. Not at everything, mind you. Some of the material may make you uncomfortable. It’s supposed to. Mostly, though, you will laugh. Really hard. And smile so hard that — yes, it’s a cliché, but it’s true — your cheeks will hurt. When was the last time you went to the theater and had that sensation?” —Cincinnati Enquirer

“Easily one of the troupe’s funniest, most inspired shows in years!” —Pacific Sun

“It’s a show about wit. About quick minds. About what makes us laugh. And what’s fair game for laughter.” —Cincinnati Enquirer

“Spectacular! (A) terrific rapid-fire, laugh-out-loud performance! A laugh-riot!” —Nashua Telegraph

“These guys are truly adept jokesters, physical shtick, wordplay, music, improv — they can do it all.” —Cincinnati City Beat

“The Bad Boys of Abridgment are back and better than ever! A non-stop, two-hour laugh fest!” —Lowell Sun

“A wild, wild ride! It’s funny. Really, really funny…And most of all, it’s really, really smart.” —Cincinnati Enquirer

“A dizzying night’s entertainment…the work of some serious minds exploring the art of comedy.” —Cincinnati City Beat

“You knew they’d get this one right. The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) is a madcap, breakneck-speed two hours. Audacious, often outrageous and bawdy, the frantic pacing of Comedy reminds you of an old-time burlesque or vaudeville revue.” —Boston Stages

“The Reduced Shakespeare Company are exhaustingly hilarious. And the scope of their humor knows no bounds.” —Cincinnati Enquirer

“My cheeks still hurt from laughing so much. Way too funny.” —Napa Valley Register

“The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) is a master class in the artform.“ —Broadway World

“Wonderful, whimsical. The wit, verve and creativity they manage to squeeze into (the show) are a winning formula that is anything but formulaic.” —Fairfield Daily Republic

“It’s always laugh out-loud funny.” —Napa Valley Register

Read the full Cincinnati Enquirer review here

Read the full Cincinnati City Beat review here

Girl Picture

Photo by: Ilkka Saastamoinen
Copyright: Citizen Jane Productions
Pictured (from l-r): Eleonoora Kauhanen, Aamu Milonoff, Linnea Leino

The Nancy Tafeen Global Film Series

The theme of this year’s series is “Through a Female Lens”

“Throughout the world, the male-dominated field of film directing is slowly changing. Women are writing, directing and producing more films than ever before. Our series will highlight four outstanding examples of a feminine perspective being brought to cinematic storytelling.” — Dale Pollock
All films in the series feature an introduction and a post-film Q&A with curator Dale Pollock.


Girl Picture

  • In Finnish/French with English subtitles

  • Finland, unrated, directed by Alli Haapasalo, 2022, romance, 100 minutes

  • Best friends Mimmi and Rönkkö have each other’s backs, always. They want to live adventurous lives, loaded with experiences and passion. Emma, on the contrary, has given her whole life to figure skating. Nothing gets between her and success. But when the girls meet, life opens new paths, and they all rocket in new directions. While Mimmi and Emma experience the earth moving effects of first love, Rönkkö is on a quest to find pleasure.

Canadian Brass

Director’s Note — Alli Haapasalo

Girl Picture is a film about the need to be seen.

17–18-year-old Mimmi, Emma and Rönkkö are girls at what I call a liminal age: right at the cusp of womanhood, fluctuating between childhood and adulthood. At this age, the gaze of another person feels like a superpower — it can define, strengthen or change one’s self image in an instant. Closeness with the other is very inviting; it hooks us. And then suddenly, an overwhelming realization takes over: how to be close to another person, if you’re only just drawing your own contours?

Our story follows the girls on three consecutive Fridays, during which Mimmi and Emma experience the earth-moving impact of falling in love, while Rönkkögoes on a quest for something she hasn’t yet experienced: pleasure. The condensed timeframe means it’s a fragment of their lives. But because teenagers’ lives are so amplified, and every moment counts for everything, a fragment may very well encapsulate a whole universe.

And there, in center of the universe emerges the picture of “me”.

Of the film’s many themes, the one that became the most important for me is the safe freedom of the girls. Mimmi, Emma and Rönkkö get to concentrate on exploring their identities without any threats. They catapult at full speed toward emotions, situations and sexuality, on their own terms — and they never end up in danger. They are not punished for desiring. They don’t get warned, belittled, shamed or patronized.

In that sense, this is perhaps more a film about the world we aspire for, than the world we live in. And that’s why Girl Picture invites us not only to look at girls, but to really see them.

LOCATION: Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, 733 Rivers St., Boone, NC 28608

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact the Box Office at theschaefercenter@appstate.edu or call 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046.

ACCOMMODATION STATEMENT: Appalachian is committed to providing an inclusive experience for individuals with disabilities. If accommodations are needed in order to fully participate on the basis of a disability, contact the Office of Disability Resources (828.262.3056). It is recommended that accommodation requests be made two weeks prior to the event.

TICKETS:
$10

SHOWTIME:
Tuesday, July 25, 2023 | 7pm (with pre-film introduction)

BUY TICKETS

Meet the Curator — Dale Pollock

Dale M. Pollock, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, received a BA in Anthropology from Brandeis University in 1972 and a MS in Communications from San Jose State University. In 1977, he became the head film critic for Daily Variety until he was hired by the Los Angeles Times to be their chief entertainment correspondent. He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in the early 1980s and wrote Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas in 1983, which has sold more than 150,000 copies and remains in print. In 1985, Pollock joined David Geffen’s company as a development executive, where he discovered the scripts for Beetlejuice, The Burbs and Universal Soldier.  He joined A&M Films as vice president in charge of production, and was named president in 1990, producing such films as The Beast, The Mighty Quinn, A Midnight Clear and Mrs. Winterbourne. Pollock ran his own film company, Peak Productions, for 10 years, producing the box office hit Set It Off. He co-founded the producing program at the American Film Institute in 1995. In 1999, he became Dean of the School of Filmmaking at the (then) North Carolina School of the Arts, stepping down in 2006 to become Professor of Cinema Studies. He was awarded Emeritus status in 2019 and served as Interim Dean for nine months in 2021. Pollock was awarded an Endowed Professorship in Film in his name at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking in 2014 and is the 2016 recipient of the UNC Board of Governors Award for Teaching Excellence. He also received the 2020 Arts Council of Winston Salem’s Annual Award, its highest honor. Pollock’s first work of fiction, Chopped: A Novel, was published in March 2023, and is available on Amazon and at bookstores everywhere.

Rosen-Schaffel Competition for Young and Emerging Artists

The festival proudly presents the 13th annual Rosen-Schaffel Concerto Competition for Young & Emerging Artists, known for the pivotal role it has played in launching the careers of some of our region’s most promising young artists. This year’s competition, in partnership with the Hayes School of Music, extends eligibility to undergraduate and graduate collegiate musicians (up to age 26) to 10 states across the southeast: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida! In the final live round of the competition, presented during An Appalachian Summer Festival on the campus of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, a panel of distinguished conductors will choose a First, Second, and Third Place winner from a group of finalists selected via a blind adjudication process by esteemed musicians and collegiate educators during the spring. The competition’s audience will also select an Audience Choice Award winner.

IN PERSON: Rosen Concert Hall, Broyhill Music Center, 813 Rivers St., Boone
LIVESTREAM: Available on the App Summer YouTube channel

DATE/TIME: Saturday, July 6, 2024
2pm-5pm

Event is FREE

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact the Box Office at theschaefercenter@appstate.edu or 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046.

LIVESTREAM THE COMPETITION HERE!

ACCOMMODATION STATEMENT: Appalachian is committed to providing an inclusive experience for individuals with disabilities. If accommodations are needed in order to fully participate on the basis of a disability, contact the Office of Disability Resources (828.262.3056). It is recommended that accommodation requests be made two weeks prior to the event.

PRIZES

First Place: $2,500*
Second Place: $2,000
Third Place: $1,500
Audience Choice: $1,000

*In addition to a cash prize, the First Place Winner will also receive an invitation to perform during An Appalachian Summer Festival’s 2025 season.

2024 WINNERS to be announced July 6, 2024

Darius Rucker

Photo credit: Keith Griner

A Schaefer Popular Series Event

Series Sponsorship provided by Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer.
Performance Sponsorship provided by Explore Boone, Mast General Store, Goodnight Brothers,
SkyBest Communications, Inc., University Bookstore, and Appalachian Home Care LLC.

EVENT UPDATE:

GATES WILL OPEN AT 7:45PM. CONCERT BEGINS AT 8:30PM. 

An Appalachian Summer Festival and App State Athletics

present

Grammy Award winner and Grand Ole Opry member Darius Rucker, live at Kidd Brewer Stadium, for one night only!

with opening act Lindsay Ell

LOCATION: Kidd Brewer Stadium, 270 Stadium Dr., Boone, NC 28608

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact the Box Office at theschaefercenter@appstate.edu or call 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046.

DAY OF SHOW BOX OFFICE HOURS
Schaefer Center Box Office: 9AM-3PM
Kidd Brewer Stadium Ticketing Window: Opens at 4PM

 

IMPORTANT DAY-OF SHOW INFORMATION

  • Kidd Brewer Stadium and this concert employ a Clear Bag Policy.
  • No outside food or drink is permitted into the stadium.
  • 5-10:30pm: FREE handicap-accessible shuttle service available to and from the stadium from the Hill Street lot.
  • Download your e-tickets before you arrive
  • Have your printed tickets ready to present at the gate

  • WARNING: Other sites may sell tickets to App Summer shows, but they are not authorized by us! These tickets are often sold for far more than face value, and may not even be legitimate. Individual scammers may also attempt to sell tickets that don’t exist. Do your research, and most importantly, only buy tickets at AppSummer.org, our official website! When in doubt, just reach out – our Box Office is always here to help.

 

EMERGENCY TEXT REGISTRATION for day-of-show alerts

  • CAN ENROLL STARTING JULY 28
  • Text AppSummer to 67283
  • All registrations will expire on July 30

 

TICKETS:

Club Seats: $100 (not available)
Floor (General Admission, standing room with limited seating): $95
Center Tier: $75
Middle Tier: $55
Outer Tier: $35

SHOWTIME:
Saturday, July 29, 2023 | 7:30pm
Doors open at 6pm

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ABOUT DARIUS RUCKER

Rucker first achieved multi-platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish, who have sold more than 25 million albums worldwide including their double diamond-certified (21x platinum) debut Cracked Rear View, which remains among the top 10 best-selling studio albums of all time. Since releasing his first country album in 2008, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard country chart, including RIAA platinum-certified Learn to Live and True Believers, plus 10 No. 1 singles at country radio and 11 gold, platinum or multi-platinum certified hits. Rucker was inducted as a Grand Ole Opry member in 2012 and in 2014 he won his third career Grammy Award for Best Solo Country Performance with his diamond-certified (11x Platinum) version of “Wagon Wheel,” one of the top five best-selling country songs of all time. He co-hosted the 54th annual CMA Awards in 2020 and topped the charts at country radio once again with “Beers and Sunshine” in 2021. New songs “Same Beer Different Problem” and “Ol’ Church Hymn” (featuring Chapel Hart) are available everywhere now as Rucker puts the finishing touches on his forthcoming album, Carolyn’s Boy.

As a lifelong philanthropist, Rucker co-chaired the capital campaign that generated $150 million to help build the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, SC, and has raised over $3 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through his annual Darius & Friends benefit concert and golf tournament. In addition, Rucker has advocated for over 200 charitable causes supporting public education and junior golf programs in South Carolina through the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation and serves as a National Chair for the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tenn. Rucker is also an avid sports fan, with his NFL x Darius Rucker Collection by Fanatics apparel line available at NFLshop.com, and he is part of the Music City Baseball investment group working to bring an MLB team to Tennessee in addition to serving as a partner at the MGC Sports & Entertainment agency.  

For more information, visit www.dariusrucker.com and follow on social media @DariusRucker.

ABOUT LINDSAY ELL

Named “one of the most exciting and talented young artists in country music” (Forbes), Lindsay Ell is a triple threat: accomplished musician, unique vocalist and awe-inspiring songwriter. A 2023 Canadian Screen Award nominee (Best Host or Presenter, Factual or Reality/Competition), Ell is GOLD-certified with two #1 Canadian singles, a U.S. #1, and has shared the stage with Shania Twain, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban, among many others. About to head out on tour with Shania Twain (May/June 2023), the award-winning performer will spend 2023 travelling to the US, UK and Germany and touring across North America, all while releasing new music.

photo credit: Robby Klein

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