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FAMILY REUNION
February through December
See Schedule for Details (show approximately 2 hours runtime)
Call 252-536-5700
New Variety Show “Family Reunion” to Open February 8, 2008 at The Roanoke Rapids Theatre
Multi-media show to feature Jerusalem Ridge Band and showcase theatre’s production capabilities
A new variety show, “Family Reunion”, is scheduled to open February 8 at The Roanoke Rapids Theatre. The exciting new show, featuring the Jerusalem Ridge Band will dazzle audiences with its multi-media production of down home, southern tradition.
The Jerusalem Ridge Band is under the direction of Steve Dixon, who has been fortunate to share the stage
with such famous artists as, The Judds, Reba McEntire, Ronnie Milsap, Conway Twitty, Michael W. Smith, The
Statler Brothers, Ricky Skaggs, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn, Vince Gill, and many others. Most recently, Dixon
toured with a Broadway style show about the music of Ray Charles, called "I Can't Stop Lovin' You".
“Family Reunion" will contain exciting state-of-the-art lighting effects and video technology that will bring a
new dimension to an already high energy, feel-good show,” said Dixon, musical director and show writer.
“It’s really an inspiring production for the entire family which will feature a variety of music. We wanted to
build a show that not only features great music but also reached out to the emotions of our audience.”
The show’s theme song, “Family Reunion,” was written by Wyatt Staton, a longtime resident of the Rocky Mount, NC area who unexpectedly died of cancer last summer. His song is about the importance of family, growing up in the South, and how important it is to cherish every moment people have with their loved ones and friends. The show, “Family Reunion,” is based on that same foundation.
Barbara Hartwig, from the Outer Banks of North Carolina, is the director and choreographer for the show. Hartwig found her love for theatre at the young age of six when she started performing in the outdoor drama, The Lost Colony. Returning to her roots, two years ago, Hartwig has been choreographing The Lost Colony, for the past two seasons. She most recently completed a four-year stint performing and working as a staging specialist for Walt Disney World. Hartwig performed on Broadway with Chita Rivera, danced at the White House with Baryshnikov, toured nationally in the musical Me and My Girl, toured Europe as Ado Annie in Oklahoma!, and can be seen as an orphan in the movie Annie. Barbara has directed such popular shows as The Sound of Music, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and West Side Story.
“Family Reunion” opens Friday, February 8, 2008 and will run weekly through October 25. Opening night will feature a special guest appearance by North Carolina native and Grand Ole Opry performer George Hamilton, IV. Hamilton is known across the world for his hit singles "Before This Day Ends" and "Abilene”. A “Family Reunion” Christmas special runs November 1 through December 20.
“The 1500-seat theatre is a beautiful facility that will be the home of “Family Reunion” and many other wonderful performances throughout the year. Residents, tourists, and guests will be able to enjoy superb shows enhanced by the modern technology this facility possesses,” said Rick Reno, Roanoke Rapids Theater Manager. In addition to the feature show, the theatre will also host live musical performances by Percy Sledge, Lorrie Morgan, Ronnie Milsap, and several gospel and country legends.
- Les Atkins
Discography
I Will Not Surrender- EP (Release Date: April 2008)
Photos
Bio
Indy started singing at her father's church in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico at the age of four. At the age of nine, her family made the move to NYC where Indy would begin her professional career at 11 years old. As a teen she had the opportunity to perform in venues and events such as the UN Global Youth Forum, Roundabout Theatre, Earth Day NY, The Learning Channel, etc. She went on to do Off-Broadway, Theme Parks and Cruise Ships- an opportunity which allowed her to travel to many countries around the world.
She returned home to NYC in 1998 and began doing session work in the city and choir directing at Thessalonica Church in the South Bronx. Living, working, and volunteering in the South Bronx neighborhood of Mott Haven opened her eyes to the intense need and hunger for God's love in the world around her.
In 2001 she began to write songs, many of them based on the lives of the people she came across on a daily basis. This led her to form the Indira Ortiz Band, which won Best New Artist at the Judah International Music Conference in Orlando Florida in 2003. In 2006 she moved to Orlando Florida to begin recording with producer Kirk McKim (Pat Travers Band) and to help her pastor David Serrano plant a church ministry. That's when she met Steve Dixon...
Steve Dixon packed his bags and left his hometown of New Bern, NC when he was 18. He had been playing music at his dad's church since he was a kid, but now he was headed to Nashville to follow his dreams of making music. Of this time period Steve says, "God definitely blessed me because somehow I managed to make a living playing my guitar".
After a few years of playing with various groups, Steve was asked to join TG Sheppard, who was a major country artist at the time. He spent some great years with TG on the road. During that time he had the priviledge of sharing the stage with names like Reba, The Judds, Ronnie Milsap, Tammy Wynette, Vince Gill, The Gatlin Bro's, Oakridge Boys, George Jones, Ricky Skaggs, Lorrie Morgan, Michael W. Smith, Dolly Parton and many more.
In 1993, he moved to Gatlinburg TN and spent the next 11 years at Dollywood and various other production shows in the area. In 2005 he was offered an opportunity to go back on the road with the musical production called "I Can't Stop Loving You", which features the music of Ray Charles.
It was during this tour that Steve met Indy. They began to collaborate on music by mailing and emailing ideas back and forth. By the end of that tour Steve was feeling the need to be closer to his family, so he returned home to NC in 2006; where he joined the Roanoke Rapids Theatre (former Randy Parton Theatre) as musical director and band leader. He was asked to put together a band for the house show and so he convinced Indy to come audition, not knowing that God had a plan for both their lives.
On August 27, 2007 they were married on the beach in the Outer Banks of NC, smiling because they knew that a divine match-maker had been involved. If you ask them to sum up their story in one sentence they say, "God has indeed been good to us".
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