For Immediate Release
Friday, September 30, 2016
Contact: Brian Flath, Assistant Corporate Support Manager, WSIU, (618) 453-4286, brian.flath@wsiu.org; Greg Petrowich, Executive Director, WSIU, (618) 453-4344, greg.petrowich@wsiu.org
WSIU & Local Partners to Present Preview Screenings of PBS Special “Hamilton’s America”
Carbondale, Ill. – WSIU Public Broadcasting, a public media service of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, in partnership with Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, Carterville High School, and Carbondale Community High School, will present three preview screenings of Hamilton’s America, a Great Performances and PBS Fall Arts Festival special that takes viewers behind the scenes of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway phenomenon Hamilton, winner of 11 Tony Awards® and the Pulitzer Prize.
The first screening event will be held on Thursday, October 6 at 7:30pm at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, 2600 Richview Road in Mt. Vernon. Screening two will take place on Tuesday, October 11 at 7pm at the Carterville High School Auditorium, 1415 West Grand in Carterville. The final screening event will be held on Wednesday, October 12 at 7pm at the Carbondale Community High School auditorium, 1301 East Walnut in Carbondale. All three screenings are free and open to the public.
Thomas Kidd, department chair and associate professor of directing and acting in the SIU Department of Theater, will offer insights into the Hamilton Broadway show and share information about SIU Theater’s academic program and public events. WSIU Executive Director, Greg Petrowich, and WSIU Assistant Corporate Support Manager, Brian Flath, will host a prize drawing and introduce both a short preview of an upcoming PBS special and the 40-minute Hamilton’s America screener.
The full Hamilton’s America broadcast from Great Performances will air on WSIU-TV on Friday, October 21 at 8pm. The program includes footage of the New York production with its original cast, trips to historic locations, and interviews with special guests, including President Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Questlove, Black Thought, and Stephen Sondheim. Of special note: southern Illinois has an exciting local connection to the Broadway production, as the character of George Washington is performed by Christopher Jackson, a native of Cairo, Illinois.
About WSIU Public Broadcasting
WSIU Public Broadcasting is licensed to the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University and is an integral part of the College of Mass Communication & Media Arts on the Carbondale campus. The WSIU stations reach more than three million people across five states and beyond through three digital public television channels, three public radio stations, a radio information service, a website, and an education and community outreach department.
WSIU's mission is to improve the quality of life of the people they serve. The WSIU stations partner with other community organizations to promote positive change and to support the academic and public service missions of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Learn more and get the latest station news online at wsiu.org and on WSIU's Facebook and Twitter pages.
WSIU's programs and services are partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
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