Nazareth College Arts Center carries on popular New Year's Eve tradition with two shows by The Capitol Steps

ROCHESTER, NY (11/24/2014)(readMedia)-- Nazareth College Arts Center is proud to present The Capitol Steps, on Wednesday, December 31, 2014, at 6:30 and 10 p.m. in the Callahan Theater. This is the troupe's 20th annual performance at the Arts Center.

Musical entertainment by local jazz ensemble The Steve Greene Trio featuring vocalist Maggie Mullen will be provided prior to the performances and during each intermission in the Arts Center Garth Fagan Fireside Lounge, located outside Callahan Theater.

Patrons attending the 10 p.m. performance will ring in the New Year in the theater. Champagne will be available for purchase.

Visit http://artscenter.naz.edu/newsroom/media-resources for photos. The troupe is available for advance phone interviews.

THE PERFORMANCE

The Capitol Steps was founded in 1981 by a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the people and places that employed them by setting beltway politics and scandals to popular music. They have since been featured numerous times on prime-time TV; can be heard nationwide four times each year on their National Public Radio specials, "Politics Takes a Holiday;" and have recorded more than 33 albums.

The troupe's formula is simple: take current events and the foibles of politicians – both national and international – and set them to recognizable pop, rock, folk, and show tunes to generate a laugh. Says founding member Elaina Newport, "Typically the Republicans goof up, and the Democrats party. Then the Democrats goof up and the Republicans party. That's what we call the two-party system."

Audience members at this year's Arts Center performance can expect material drawn from The Capitol Steps' 2014 album, How to Succeed in Congress Without Really Lying. With 19 tracks on the album, patrons can expect to hear songs about the Pope, drones, the I.R.S, Duck Dynasty, the mid-term elections, Ebola, ISIS, and more.

Just as 30 years ago, most current troupe members have worked on Capitol Hill – collectively, the performers have worked in a total of 18 Congressional offices and represent 62 years of combined House and Senate staff experience – and, although the troupe remains based in Washington, D.C., most shows are out-of-town or for out-of-town audiences visiting the Capitol.

The Capitol Steps have performed for the last five Presidents, won four awards for Best Cabaret/Musical Theatre from the Washington Area Music Association, been named Best Live Theater by the Washington Post Readers' Choice Awards, won a WUSA-TV A-List Award for Best Comedy Club, and been named "Best Place to Take an Out of Towner" in the Washington City Paper 2013 and 2014 Reader Polls. The troupe has also been nominated from a prestigious Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics.

TICKETS

The Capitol Steps often sell-out; advance ticket purchase is strongly suggested. Tickets to The Capitol Steps are $45-$75. For tickets, call – or visit – the Box Office: 585-389-2170 or order online: artscenter.naz.edu.

Subscriptions to the Nazareth College Arts Center 2014-2015 Season are still available through the Box Office; subscribers receive a 20% discount off single ticket prices and additional benefits when purchasing tickets to five or more different shows.

The Nazareth College Arts Center Box Office is located on campus at 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, New York, 14618. Regular box office hours are Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm and 11am until curtain time on performance days.

SPONSOR INFORMATION

The Nazareth College Arts Center's 2014-2015 subscription series is sponsored by M&T Bank; Wendy's Restaurants of Rochester; and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The performances by The Capitol Steps are sponsored by Margaret R. Colacino.

ABOUT THE NAZARETH COLLEGE ARTS CENTER

Since 1967, the Nazareth College Arts Center has served as a venue and educational resource for students, educators, artists, and audiences of all ages to create, study, and experience the visual and performing arts. These cultural programs support the College's curriculum in music, art, and theatre arts, and provide area residents with opportunities to experience exceptional dance, international entertainment, family programming, music, musical theatre, and special events.

The Nazareth College Arts Center:

• is a nonprofit institution.
• is the premier presenter of world-class dance, children's theatre, and international entertainment in Rochester.
• attracts approximately 70,000 adults and children annually.
• houses the Nazareth College departments of art, music, and theatre arts, which present exceptional theatre productions, musicals, recitals, and art exhibitions each year (events are open to the public), while preparing students for successful careers in fields such as art, music, and drama education; visual communication design; studio art; film; creative arts therapy; acting; musical theatre; dance; technical theatre and design; music performance; and music business.
• serves as a venue for auditions, art classes, music lessons, recitals, fundraisers, lectures, community theater productions, camps, workshops, and graduations.
• offers a School Performance Series, which serves thousands of area K-12 students/teachers each year.
• is the performance home of Rochester City Ballet and world-renowned Garth Fagan Dance, as well as the home of the Bach Children's Chorus.
• is a state-of-the-art performing arts center located on a college campus.

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