Musician and Door County educator Paul Sowinski will lead a pre-show seminar at Peninsula Players Theatre on Thursday, August 8, at 6:30 p.m., in conjunction with the theater’s production of “Million Dollar Quartet,” an electrifying musical of rock ‘n’ roll history. The award-winning musical by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux is inspired by the early careers of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley at Sun Records.
General admission seating will begin prior to the seminar; no tickets are necessary. Tickets are available for the 8:00 p.m. performance following the seminar. Pre-show seminars at Peninsula Players Theatre are free events for the public as a commitment to educate and serve its community at large.
Sam Phillips’s Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, is considered the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll. No style of music was excluded from the label; Sun recorded gospel, blues, hillbilly, country, boogie and western swing. “Million Dollar Quartet” looks at the only time the five Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees were under the same roof at Sun Records.
Sowinski has been the bass player for Big Mouth & The Power Tool Horns, one of Door County’s most popular bands, for more than thirty years. His versatility in playing electric and upright bass, guitar, mandolin and violin has also led to sharing his musical talent with various styles of bands, including jazz, blues, county, bluegrass, Dixieland and rock. Sowinski has played in productions at Peninsula Players Theatre, including “Forever Plaid,” “Pump Boys and Dinettes,” “Always…Patsy Cline,” “The Taffetas” and “Nunsense.”
In addition to headlining in the Green Bay and Door County areas, Big Mouth has opened for national artists such as REO Speedwagon, John Mayall, Kansas and America. Sowinski attended the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and holds a communications degree and certification in music education.
Pre-show seminars will also be held on:
- Thursday, August 29– Mauricio Kilwein Guevara, poet, educator and more
- Friday, October 11 – Dr. Christopher Chan, Agatha Christie expert. This Autumn Pre-Show Seminar will begin at 5:30 p.m.
“Million Dollar Quartet” will conclude its run on August 18 at 2:00 p.m. Performances are Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 7:30 p.m., except for Sunday, August 18 at 2:00 p.m. In the autumn, curtain times change for the run of “The Stranger” by Agatha Christie to Tuesdays through Sundays at 7:00 p.m. except for Sundays, September 8 and October 20 at 2:00 p.m. The audience pavilion’s side panels, doors and vents will remain open throughout summer. Patrons should dress for the weather and be prepared for shifting temperatures and breezes off the bay.