Capitol Steps to Dish Out Post-Election Laughs

(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) – Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will present the wildly funny political comedy troupe Capitol Steps on Nov. 18-23. The performances are part of the Satirical Edge Series sponsored in laughing memory of Steve Simon by his family.

Single tickets are available for $47 from the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ Web site at http://www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org/ or the box office at (480) 994-ARTS (2787).

Famous for putting the “mock” in democracy, the Capitol Steps have become an annual tradition at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. The irreverent group charms audiences on both sides of the aisle with its unique brand of political humor set to popular music. While the Steps are renowned for poking fun at occupants of the White House, no one is safe from their satirical zingers, from Democrats to Republicans and from Congress to the Supreme Court. Depending on the scandal of the day, the Steps will perform selections from their up-to-the-minute repertoire, including songs from their latest CD, Campaign and Suffering. These performances mark the Steps’ first visit to Scottsdale in eight years with a NEW PRESIDENT-ELECT! (Providing things go smoothly in Florida, Michigan and Ohio, of course . )

The Capitol Steps began in 1981 at a Christmas party in the office of former Senator Charles Percy when several staffers performed some parodies and skits based on the headlines of the day. Many members of the Steps have worked on Capitol Hill, some for Republicans, some for Democrats and some for members who have since been placed under investigation. In fact, the Steps’ current members have worked in a total of 18 Congressional offices and represent more than 60 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.

The Capitol Steps have performed for five U.S. Presidents and recorded 28 albums. They have been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS and can be heard four times a year on public radio stations nationwide during their Politics Takes a Holiday specials. The Steps were nominated for a 2007 Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Lyrics.”

LOCATION AND PARKING
Theater 4301 is located in the Galleria Corporate Centre at 4301 Scottsdale Road on the corner of Drinkwater Boulevard and Fifth Avenue in downtown Scottsdale, one block east of Scottsdale Road. Free parking is available in the Galleria Corporate Centre parking garage.

ACCESSIBILITY
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers performance accommodations to enhance audience members’ experience, including: American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation or live audio description with two weeks advance notice. Assisted listening devices and wheelchair seating are always available. Visit the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ Web site at http://www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org/ or contact the box office at (480) 994-ARTS [TDD: (480) 874-4694] for further details. Please inquire about services when ordering tickets.

GROUP DISCOUNTS
A $3 discount per ticket is available for groups of 15 or more (subject to restriction and limitation). Call (480) 874-4690 for more information.

STUDENT DISCOUNTS
Students with valid student identification may purchase half-price tickets (subject to availability; limit one per student) 72 hours before any performance at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts box office. Tickets must be purchased in-person; phone orders are not accepted.

SCOTTSDALE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Opened in 1975, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts presents a dynamic, culturally diverse season of dance, jazz, classical and world music, theater and satire. Approximately 1,000 performances, educational programs, festivals and other events are showcased annually serving more than 300,000 people and contributing substantially to Scottsdale’s high quality of life and vibrant arts scene. Performances take place in the Center’s 838-seat Virginia G. Piper Theater (closed for renovation during the 2008-09 season) and 136-seat Stage 2 as well as the 2,200-seat amphitheater on the grounds of the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall and the 326-seat Theater 4301 in the Galleria Corporate Centre. The Center’s youth education and outreach programs reach more than 40,000 school children each year, and its free programs are available to the entire public. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts also produces the popular Scottsdale Arts Festival every March; Sunday A’Fair, a series of free outdoor music festivals held on Sunday afternoons from January to April; and Native Trails, a collaboration with the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau that features free demonstrations of Native American arts and culture from January to April. Open daily and during performances, The Store @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers hand-crafted jewelry, accessories for the home, toys for imaginative young minds, recordings, books, greeting cards and more.

The Scottsdale Cultural Council, a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is contracted by the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, to administer certain City arts and cultural projects and to manage the City-owned Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and Scottsdale Public Art Program. The programs of the Scottsdale Cultural Council are made possible, in part, by the support of members and donors and grants received from the Arizona Commission on the Arts through appropriations from the Arizona State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

HOW TO REACH US
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
7380 East Second Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Box Office: (480) 994-ARTS (2787)
TDD: (480) 874-4694
Web: http://www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org/
E-mail: info@sccarts.org
Fax: (480) 874-4699

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