Includes exclusive Ann Wilson concert and more
Ana Gasteyer will perform at The Kate this season on November 24.
HARTFORD, Conn. (September 9, 2015) – Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) is originating a new national music series, The Kate, with a dynamic lineup featuring bold performers with something to say, just like series’ namesake, Katharine Hepburn. First season performers include Ann Wilson (of Heart), Rickie Lee Jones, and former Saturday Night Live star Ana Gasteyer. The series will be recorded this fall and will air nationally in 2016. Viewers can be part of the live audience; tickets are on sale online at thekate.tv.
Shot at Old Saybrook’s Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, The Kate offers smart, gutsy performances. This national music series steps away from the traditional music series format to create a true connection between the performer and the audience.
The first season is headliner heavy with artists The Kate’s namesake would be proud of: Rickie Lee Jones, Barb Jungr, The Ann Wilson Thing, Ana Gasteyer, and Broadway star Jarrod Spector.
Grammy-winner Rickie Lee Jones will tape her episode of The Kate on September 10th. Rickie blends bravado and vulnerability with rock, blues, and pop. Playing her hits “Chuck E.’s in Love” and “Young Blood,” she takes her last decade of truth and experience and tosses it up with life in New Orleans and her confessional songwriting style to wow The Kate audience.
The Kate is thrilled to welcome one of the world’s premiere song stylists and the international cabaret-award winner Barb Jungr to the stage on September 30th. Barb uses her quirky style and radical approach to arrangements to take on the music of Stephen Sondheim, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and more. “As much as you may think you know the songs of these musical patriarchs, Jungr interprets their work with a ferocity and truthfulness that demolishes every cover version you’ve ever heard,” said New York Times’s Stephen Holden.
Ann Wilson takes that rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame voice made famous with her sister in the group, Heart, and performs songs outside of that box. In The Ann Wilson Thing, Ann vows to push her creative and vocal boundaries with unusual songs on The Kate’s intimate stage, performing on October 6th.
Ana Gasteyer has a flair for irony that made her a stand out on Saturday Night Live. Now, when Ana steps up to the mic on The Kate stage on November 24th , she will evoke the swagger of an era when a lady ruled a nightclub and an audience knew they were in for good time. From songs like “One Mint Julep” to a surprisingly smooth rendition of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”, Gasteyer’s saucy selections tell stories with humor, and heartbreak.
Taped earlier this year, Broadway star Jarrod Spector rocked The Kate stage in style. Having played Frankie Valli in Broadway’s Jersey Boys for over 1,500 performances, Spector’s show “A Little Help From My Friends” traces the sound that Frankie had, and features popular songs by such artists as Enrico Caruso, the Beach Boys, Bruno Mars, and more.
The Kate upcoming tapings schedule (broadcast episode airdates TBA):
Rickie Lee Jones | Thursday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Barb Jungr | Wednesday, September 30 at 7:30 p.m.
The Ann Wilson Thing | Tuesday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Ana Gasteyer | Tuesday, November 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are on sale now to experience a live taping of a national public television series right here in Connecticut. For more information about the live performances, television series, or to purchase tickets, visit thekate.tv.
About Connecticut Public Broadcasting
The Connecticut Public is home to CPTV, WNPR and the Learning Lab. CPTV is a locally and nationally recognized producer and presenter of quality public television programming, including original documentaries, public affairs and educational programming. WNPR is an affiliate of National Public Radio, Public Radio International and American Public Media. The Learning Lab serves high school seniors through a partnership with Hartford Public Schools and the Journalism and Media Academy Magnet School. It is also home to the Institute for Advanced Media, a program that provides the men and women of our armed forces and adult learners an opportunity to learn skills necessary for the 21st century digital media workplace. For more information, visit cpbn.org.
About the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center
The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center is a non-profit performing arts organization located in an historic theatre/town hall on Main Street in Old Saybrook. Originally opened in 1911 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Center has been renovated with public funds from the Town of Old Saybrook and donations raised by the Trustees of the Center. It includes a 250-seat theatre and a small museum honoring Katharine Hepburn, Old Saybrook’s most celebrated resident. As befits an organization born of such a public/private partnership, programming is eclectic, offering something for all ages and income levels on the Connecticut shore and in the lower river valley.