Amy Grant to headline Henderson Area Arts Alliance's 28th season

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The Henderson Area Arts Alliance will bring its trademark diverse lineup of stage performances — including an appearance by Christian/pop music legend Amy Grant — to the Preston Arts Center on the Henderson Community College campus for its 2022-23 season.

The 28th season lineup includes Christian pop and country music, improvisational musical comedy, a high-energy holiday show, dramatic theater and a high-production magic show, with an emphasis on family friendliness, according to Natalie Singer, executive director of HAAA.

Tickets go on sale this Monday, Aug. 1, and can be purchased online at haaa.org; by calling HAAA at 270-826-5916, or in person at the Preston Arts Center box office.

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Season tickets for all six shows are $212 for a seat on the main floor or $185 for a balcony seat.

Prices for individual shows are shown below. A service fee and mailing or will-call charge will also apply.

The HAAA office is also moving back to the Preston by the first of August.

Here is this season’s lineup:

Sunday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.: Amy Grant

Six Grammy Awards. More than 20 Dove Awards. More than 30 million albums sold worldwide. More than 1 billion song streams across all digital platforms. Yep, Amy Grant is a big star.

“I have been obsessed with Amy Grant since about 1992,” Singer said, recalling her childhood days.

“Amy Grant interests a lot of people,” she said. “She was contemporary Christian first, then she moved into pop music. She has a lot of fans, a lot of hits. I just love Amy Grant.

“As far the reaction we’ve gotten, everybody’s gasping that Amy Grant’s coming,” Singer said. “I believe I’ll be a little flustered meeting Amy Grant.”

Single-show tickets are $45 for a floor seat or $40 for a balcony seat.

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m.: Sara Evans

Country singer-songwriter Sara Evans boasts five No. 1 Billboard country songs (including “Suds in the Bucket” and “Born to Fly”) and more than six million albums sold. In 2005, she was named the Academy of Country Music Awards’ Top Female Vocalist.

“Sara Evans is a super popular female country singer,” Singer said. But she said Evans appeals to people outside that genre as well.

“A couple of our committee members have seen her in concert,” she said. “It will be more of an acoustic show, a more intimate setting (with) storytelling. It will be a really unique way of seeing her.”

Tickets: $45 floor, $40 balcony.

Saturday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m.: “Broadway's Next Hit Musical”

Do you love the Tony Awards? Well, wait until you see the “Phony” Awards, an improvisational musical comedy in which cast members create songs on the spot from suggestions from the audience, and the audience gets to vote for its favorite song (but not before a variety of plot twists take place on stage).

“It’s a fully improv show,” Singer said. “… It’s a big audience participation show. The audience decides everything they do, like at a typical improv show. As people are arriving, people can put in a word (on a slip of paper) in a bowl and they’ll pull them out on stage. From what I’ve seen, it’s a really fun show.”

This will be an encore performance; “Broadway’s Next Hit Musical” was presented here by HAAA in 2012.

Tickets: $30 floor, $25 balcony.

Wednesday, Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m.: “Drumline Live! Holiday Spectacular”

One of the grand traditions of Historically Black Colleges and University is the drumline, the high-energy percussion section of a school’s marching band. “Drumline Live! Holiday Spectacular” will blend musical, acrobatic and dance performances with some holiday favorites.

“It is based off of the movie ‘Drumline,’” Singer said. “It’s going to be a huge show. There will be an entire drumline. Dancers, singers, they’re going to fill up the entire stage if not the entire theater. That’s definitely our biggest show of the season” in terms of the number of performers.

“There will be familiar songs in there,” Singer said. “They’ve combined gospel and jazz and soul and Motown and ‘The Nutcracker Suite’ mixed with a hip-hop show. Being at the beginning of December, it will get everybody into the holiday season, getting them amped up.”

It will also represent the return of HAAA presenting a show that includes a holiday theme. After a planned Christmas show had to be cancelled because of Covid concerns in 2021, “It will be nice to have a holiday show again and add some more family friendly shows that you can take your family to,” Singer said. “We were mindful of that with these shows” this season.

Tickets: $45 floor, $40 balcony.

Monday, Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.: Aquila Theatre “Pride and Prejudice”

This dramatic theatrical presentation is based on Jane Austen’s coming-of-age novel of the same name and one of the most popular novels in English literature.

In the story, Austen skewers the hypocrisies and absurdities of the English class system as the Bennet sisters try to navigate their way toward love and marriage. At its core is the uncertain but evolving relationship between young Elizabeth Bennet and her wealthy neighbor, Mr. Darcy.

“I believe is a very recognizable show, book, movie,” Singer said.

“Aquila Theatre is famous for really scaling down their set and putting on some really high-quality theater,” she noted.

Tickets: $40 floor, $35 balcony.

Saturday, April 15, 7:30 p.m. “Mike Super: Magic & Illusion”

You might have seen magician Mike Super on TV. He’s performed on “America’s Got Talent,” “Ellen,” “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” and more.

“He’s been on a lot of shows,” Singer said. “He won NBC’s ‘Phenomenon’ and was a finalist on ‘America’s Got Talent’ as well.”

But expect audience members to become part of his show.

“With the magic, specifically, they (his agents) have asked to make sure audience members can get on stage from both sides,” which the Preston Arts Center can certainly accommodate, Singer said. “Not only will it be magic/illusion, but a lot of audience participation.”

“We’re going to have the full version with all the tech,” meaning lots of lights and music, she said. “That one is going to be, ‘Bring your family.’ There’s going to be something for everyone: The big magic like you’d see on television.”

Tickets: $30 floor, $25 balcony.

This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: Amy Grant, others coming to Henderson for HAAA performances