NEWS RELEASE
Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
http://www.nsula.edu/news
6/18/2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES – “Quilters” is not a “typical musical,” but Blaire Pourciau, who will play the lead role of Sarah in the Northwestern Summer Theatre production, thinks the play is one that audiences will enjoy. “Quilters” will run June 20-23 and 27-30 in Theatre West. Dessert will be served at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets for “Quilters” are $15, which includes the show and dessert. The play may not be appropriate for young children.
“It’s not all candy canes and gum drops, but it is a play I think the people of the Natchitoches area will love,” said Pourciau, a general studies major from Pride. “This is an empowering story, a survival story. It is amazing all the women in the play went through and all they did. The women had to make a lot of tough choices, but they had faith in God.”
“Quilters” was written by Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek. It uses a legacy quilt to illustrate the lives of American pioneers, focusing on a woman making a quilt to pass on to her daughters. Each pattern and scrap of fabric contains a piece of history.
Music, dance and drama are used in “Quilters” to illustrate the life of women on the frontier. In the end, the various patches are assembled into one brilliantly colorful quilt.
“The quilt is the thing that brings it all together. Each patch of the quilt tells a story such as the patch called ‘Crosses and Losses,’’’ said Pourciau. “This play is a musical, so I didn’t expect it to be so deep. I read it myself and at first I didn’t understand it but after a read through with the girls in the cast, I realized how amazing it was. Things began to come to light.”
Pourciau has been a member of the NSU Chamber Choir, NSU Women’s Chorus and Northwestern Opera Theatre. She has also performed with the Shreveport Opera and NSU Jazz Orchestra.
“Quilters” was set in the 19th century, but some of the issues in the play are still discussed today.
“They dealt with some of the same difficult issues we face today such as abortion,” she said. “It was a concern then which was surprising to me.”
Pourciau said Sarah is a person who had no choice but to remain strong.
“Sarah is a person who stands firm the whole time. She is like a rock,” said Pourciau. “Sarah is a symbol of pioneer women who went through everything. She is a woman who probably took etiquette classes, but her hands are not delicate. They are working hands. Sarah is very serious, but does show a bit of humor.
“She is the matriarch, who tells the story of the women’s lives. It’s her story and others. Anyone who has had struggles can relate to her. She relied on her faith and became stronger.”
For ticket information on the Northwestern Summer Theatre, call (318) 357-4483.
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