April 1, 2013

Press Release #1512

For more information contact:

Seena Hodges 612-225-6142

seenah@guthrietheater.org

Quinton Skinner 612-225-6140

quintons@guthrietheater.org

GUTHRIE 50^TH SEASON CELEBRATION DANCE PARTY TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR $25

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT FEATURES SONNY KNIGHT & THE LAKERS, AND DJS ESPADA AND BOOKA B OF WANTS VS. NEEDS

Dance Party June 22, 2013 in Dowling Studio

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) The Guthrie Theater today announced the live entertainment lineup for the Dance Party during its 50^th anniversary weekend celebration, with tickets available now for $25. The event will transform the Dowling Studio into the location for one of the most dynamic parties of the summer; R&B performers Sonny Knight and the Lakers will provide their brand of soul music and showmanship, with Espada and Booka B of the Twin Cities DJ collective Wants Vs. Needs rounding out the bill. The Dance Party takes place from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. on June 22, 2013.

Single $25 tickets to the Dance Party are available immediately. Attendance to the Dance Party is also included with the Fête 50 and Golden Soirée dinners on June 22. Information about and tickets for the Dance Party are available through the Guthries Anniversary Line at 612.225.6350 or at www.guthrietheater.org/50th_anniversary/dance_party

Espada and Booka B of Wants Vs. Needs, a Twin Cities-based collective including DJs, producers, promoters and visual artists, will perform at the Dance Party. Espada has been a mainstay in the Twin Cities DJ community for more than a decade, coming of age along with some of the Twin Cities most notable hip-hop artists including Atmosphere, Brother Ali, and Eyedea & Abilities. Booka B, a native to the Twin Cities, has been DJing and producing since the mid-1990s. In 2005 he released his mostly instrumental album Basementality and in 2007, with MC and beat box artist Carnage, released the album Sense Of Sound. As a producer, Booka B has worked with a host of artists including Slug, Eyedea & Abilities, P.O.S., Toki Wright, Desdamona, and Heiruspecs.

The Minneapolis-based Sonny Knight released his first record, Tears on My Pillow, in the mid-1960s, and in the decade to follow sang with the cult-classic R&B band Haze. In 2012, Secret Stash Records released Twin Cities Funk & Soul, a collection of music from the 1960s and 70s recorded in Minnesota; this compilation led to a live soul revue called the Twin Cities Funk & Soul All-Stars that was composed of music and musicians from the record and featured Sonny Knight. The sold-out debut of the revue was named the Best Concert in the Twin Cities for 2012 by City Pages, and since then Knight has gone solo with his backing band, the Lakers, and continues to deliver his powerful brand of soul music with a high level of showmanship.

The Dance Party is sponsored in part by Summit Brewery. Corporate sponsors for the Guthries 50^th anniversary weekend celebration include Target, RBC Wealth Management, 3M, Best Buy, General Mills, United Health Group and Star Tribune.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org