Class Acts 2023 slate announced

Mar. 14—Nearly 8,200 students from across Sampson County will again experience the magic of the performing arts, a live theater-going excursions afforded to them right here at home as part of the Class Acts-Sampson CenterStage Performing Arts Series that is marking its 22nd year.

Live performing arts events will take place at the Sampson County Exposition Center during the week of April 25-28, with students in grades 1-8 traveling from their respective schools across Sampson to experience a variety of performances specifically selected to align with their curriculum. Through the years, Class Acts has gained statewide recognition for quality programming that has introduced many Sampson students to the performing arts for their very first time.

"Performances are not only entertaining," stated Ray Jordan, executive director of the Sampson County Exposition Center, "but they also provide opportunity for students to learn in a creative atmosphere that adds to and enhances each student's total educational experience."

Annually, Class Acts provides 8,000 students from Grades 1-8 and teachers from Sampson County Schools, Clinton City Schools, Harrells Christian Academy, and Mintz Christian Academy with the opportunity to attend a live performance here and home in Sampson County. Shows are presented at the Sampson Exposition Center in partnership with the local school systems and provided free of charge through the contributions of many individuals, businesses and corporate sponsors from across Sampson.

To ensure that educational standards are being met while students step outside the classroom and into the theater, teachers and students who will attend each performance are provided comprehensive study guides. Those study guides are designed to educate students in advance of each performance and provide teachers with a variety of topics to share with students. They are designed to foster conversation and dialogue between students and teachers and the students' families.

"Each study guide is a great tool to prepare and enhance the theater-going experience of each student," said Jordan.

Four performances are scheduled for the 2022-2023 academic year.

The season will kick off on Tuesday, April 25, with performances for students in the 3rd and 4th grades by the Billy Jonas Trio, which performs parent-friendly children's music. Using homemade and recyclable "re-percussion" instruments, songs that celebrate community, as well as personal and planetary ecology, Jonas has brought performances to schools, colleges, universities and libraries around the country. His goal is to plant musical seeds, that will help grow creative, open-minded, engaged and open-hearted citizens of the world.

Jonas and his band perform using voice, guitar, and industrial re-percussion — homemade creations consisting of buckets and barrels, keys and cans, bells and body percussion. He has received numerous honors and awards, including an American Federation of Independent Musicians 1st place/Gold, multiple Parents' Choice Golds, and a New York Times "Best" listing. Jonas has shared stages with many renowned artists, including Alison Krauss, Peter Yarrow, Keb' Mo', Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Mattea, Paul Winter, Michele Shocked, Justin Bieber, Ani DiFranco, David Wilcox, Richard Thompson, and Pete Seeger.

On Wednesday April 26. students in grades 1 and 2 will attend a performance featuring the Zak Morgan Trio, led by Zak Morgan, whose wit has been compared to Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss. Morgan is a children's musician with a focus on the curriculum areas of literature and music. A Grammy nominee, Morgan delivers songs and poems that are interactive and full of wordplay, centering on the themes of reading, imagination, kindness and perseverance.

Morgan encourages children to read, imagine and believe in themselves and his concerts allow students to use their voices, creativity and body movements to join in the fun.The concert will focus on confidence building, reading, listening, imagination, and teach basic music lessons including simple rhythmic, melodic and chordal patterns.

On April 27, The Beast, a hip hop and jazz ensemble, will perform for both 7th and 8th grade students. The Beast was founded by professor, community organizer, and emcee Pierce Freelon, a professor of African American Studies at UNC Chapel Hill and NC Central University, The Beast has performed workshops and concerts that have reached multi-generational audiences from New York to New Delhi.

The Beast is a home-grown artistic force, mixing tap-dancers, puppeteers, and spoken word artists into its repertoire. It is comprised of Freelon, keyboardist Eric Hirsh, drummer Stephen Coffman, and bassist Pete Kimosh, who together will present "SANKOFA: African American Music from Spirituals to Hip Hop." Students will learn about the oral tradition through the West African storyteller/poet known as the Griot; explore coded language in Spirituals; join musicians on stage to discover improvisation in Jazz; learn call and response in Reggae; and party with their teachers to some classic Hip Hop.

On April 28, the Transit Vocal Band will present the final performance of the season and will entertain and educate students in the 5th and 6th grades. The Transit Vocal Band is an a cappella group based in North Carolina that has educated and entertained over 1,000 school audiences since the group was formed in 2005. The program will trace the historical development of the contemporary a cappella genre, and the ways science and technology enhance the a cappella sound.

In this program, students will compare and contrast the characteristic sounds of various popular musical genres, from Motown to country, jazz to rock & roll, rap to pop, beach music to EDM or Electronic Dance Music. Students will become familiar with the historical and cultural context imperative to their development; observe and differentiate between performance styles unique to each; and hear the improvisational techniques used to vocally imitate complex sounds, both instrumental and inorganic, unique to each.

"Class Acts performances are presented in partnership with local school systems and are provided free of charge to all students thanks to the support of our community," said Jordan. "Performances are made possible through the generous financial support of corporate, business, and individual sponsors from across our county."

Chris Fann, Sampson County Exposition Center Board member, said it is an incredible experience that is able to be afforded to local students who may not otherwise be exposed to live arts in such a way.

"Many of the students from across Sampson County would not have the opportunity to attend these type performances if it were not for this series," Fann stated. "These types events are often not possible due to funding restrictions for the arts in our school systems. The series adds an additional opportunity for our children ... tomorrow's leaders."

One of those fundraising events, the Winter Dance Party, will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the Expo Center and will feature Band of Oz. The dance party event will aid students and teachers from all over Sampson County, as the Class Acts Endowment Fund helps fund the Class Acts-Sampson CenterStage for Students Performing Arts Series.

"Our Annual Fundraising Campaign is currently underway, and we are currently soliciting support from across our County and we invite the community to support our students by becoming a Class Acts Sponsor today," said Jordan, adding, "In an effort to make it simpler for individuals and companies to support Class Acts, we are now able to accept donations online at www.sampsoncenterstage.com."

For more information about the Class Acts Series or to become a sponsor, contact Ray Jordan, executive director, or Kaitlin Adkins, Event Services manager, at 910-592-6451 or via email at info@sampsonexpocenter.com or visit www.sampsoncenterstage.com.