Piedmont Players to Present A THOUSAND CRANES, 2/28-3/8

Piedmont Players Theatre (PPT) along with Metcalf Chiropractic Center & A Friend of the Theatre present A THOUSAND CRANES by Kathryn Schultz Miller, running: Feb 28 & Mar 7 at 7:30pm Mar 1 & 8 at 2:30pm & 7:30pm.

Tickets go on sale Mon. Feb 24. The Norvell Box Office opens to Seat Namers & Season Ticket Holders Feb 21. Adults $10 Seniors/Students $8. School Show Dates: Mar 4-7 (A Thousand Cranes will be performed for all 4th & 5th grade classes in Rowan County).

Featured in 'Twenty Great Plays for Children'.

A Thousand Cranes presents the true and poignant story of Sadako Saski, who was 2 years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on the small city of Hiroshima, where she lived. One day, after getting dizzy and falling during a run, she is hospitalized and diagnosed with "radiation sickness," or leukemia-an effect of the bombing that happened 10 years before. Her friend, Kenji, visits her in the hospital and reminds her of the old story about the crane. If a sick person folds a thousand origami cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again. Sadako happily begins folding hundreds of beautiful, colorful paper cranes but before she can finish, Sadako dies. Her friends and classmates finished folding the cranes and begin to dream of building a monument to her and all the children who were killed by the atom bomb. In 1958 the statue was unveiled in Hiroshima Peace Park. Each year on August 6, the anniversary of the bombing, thousands of people bring paper cranes to adorn the statue and to honor her life and her dream of peace. Her wish is engraved on the base of the statue: "This is our cry, this is our prayer, peace in the world."

In honor of this amazing story of one little girl who helped change the world, PPT is encouraging all the students attending the school shows to fold an origami crane to be hung in the Norvell Theater throughout the run of the show. PPT would also like to encourage anyone and everyone in the community who shares Sadako's goal of peace in the world also fold a crane and bring it to the Norvell Theater to be displayed throughout the run of the show. Local business, charitable organizations, arts organizations, schools, etc, are encouraged to participate in this wonderful display.

Performances will run in The Norvell Theater, 135 E. Fisher Street, Salisbury, NC 28144. Call 704.633.5471 for more information, or visit www.piedmontplayers.com.

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