Music on the Rock Continues with MOTOWN!

The Flat Rock Playhouse Music on the Rock Series continues with the sounds of the 60s and 70s straight from Motor City! Fulfill all of your musical Temptations with the top tunes from Motown artists including The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye and more! Running August 3rd - 13th at the Playhouse Downtown on Main Street in Hendersonville, NC, Music on the Rock: Motown Summer Nights promises an evening that will make you want sing along and leave you dancing in the street!

Originating in Detroit "Motor City" Michigan, the music of motown took the airwaves by storm in the 1960s and 70s. What started as a record label with artists such as Mable John, Eddie Holland and Mary Wells, turned into a musical phenomenon that shaped many generations to come. In 1961, the first national chart-topping motown hit, "Please, Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes entered the air waves. The Motor Town tunes took the U.S. by storm with its upbeat rhythms and undeniably catchy melodies. Music on the Rock: Motown Summer Nights is sure to reign Supreme.

Music on the Rock: Motown Summer Nights features Flat Rock favorites, Dustin Brayley, AlFred Jackson, Martina Sykes and newcomer, Sha'Leah Stubblefield , tapping into the soulful sounds of the genre that defined a generation. Get ready to hear all your favorites like, "Where Did Our Love Go?" "I Want You Back," "Stop In The Name of Love," and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine."

Joining this captivating quartet on stage will be Will Moss on keyboard, Ryan Guerra on guitar, Daniel Iannucci on bass, Andrew Rogleberg on keyboard and Phil Bronson on drums. Will Moss will also serve as Music Director.

TICKETS AND SCHEDULE

Presented by Rug and Home, Music on the Rock: Motown Summer Nights will run August 3rd through the 13th at The Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown. Performances Thursday evenings at 7:30PM, Friday and Saturday evenings 8:00PM, matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM. Tickets are $15-30 and can be purchased by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732-8008 or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

The Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown is located at 125 South Main Street in Hendersonville, NC.

Flat Rock Playhouse 2017 Sponsors include: Playhouse Downtown Sponsor, Rug & Home; Opening Night Sponsor, BMW of Asheville; Transportation Sponsor, Hunter Automotive Group; Main Stage Series Sponsor, Henderson County Tourism Development Authority.

In 1937, a group of struggling performers, led by Robroy Farquhar, organized themselves as the Vagabond Players. The Vagabonds worked in a variety of places over the course of three years, and in 1940 found themselves in the Blue Ridge region of Western North Carolina. The local and tourist community welcomed them with open arms when they presented their first summer season of plays in a 150-year-old grist mill they converted into The Old Mill Playhouse at Highland Lake. So successful was that summer, they returned in 1941. After WWII, the Vagabond Players reorganized, came back to the region and opened a playhouse in nearby Lake Summit. The Lake Summit Playhouse thrived during the post war years and soon the Vagabond Players were looking for a larger and permanent home. In 1952, the troupe of performers, and a newly formed board of directors, made an offer to buy an 8-acre lot in the Village of Flat Rock. This new home made the Vagabonds "locals" and a rented big top gave birth to Flat Rock Playhouse. As the beautiful Western Carolina region continued to grow, so did the Playhouse and in 1961, by Act of the North Carolina General Assembly, Flat Rock Playhouse was officially designated The State Theatre of North Carolina. What began as a few weeks of summer performances in 1940 is now a nine-month season of plays including Broadway musicals, comedy, drama, and theatre for young audiences. The Playhouse's dual mission of producing the performing arts and providing education in the performing arts includes a professional series; a summer and fall college apprentice and intern program; and Studio 52, family focused programming that provides immersive, hands-on theatrical experiences for children in kindergarten through adults. Flat Rock Playhouse now hosts over 98,000 patrons annually and is a significant contributor to the local economy and the Arts in North Carolina.