Aretha Franklin, Hairspray among headline acts for 2007-08 season at Centre's Norton Center for the Arts

RELEASED: August 2, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—The 2007-2008 schedule for Centre College's Norton Center for the Arts will be full of dance, song, performance and spectacle.

Celebration of the Broadway musical season kicks off with a performance of Hairspray, the Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon set in 1962 Baltimore, as 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad sets out to dance her way onto TV's most popular show. The Norton Center has been often been referred to as "Kentucky's home for the stars" and this year's offerings won't disappoint.

This season the Norton Center offers a rare opportunity to spend the evening with the undisputed reigning "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin. A uniquely inventive performer of unmatched artistry, Franklin's timeless hits such as "Respect," "A Natural Woman" and "Chain of Fools" have established her as a true cultural icon. To add to her 17 Grammy Awards and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Aretha was the recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom (America's highest honor) in 2005. In addition to these special performances, audiences will be able to see such favorites as Amy Grant; Yo-Yo Ma; Broadway musicals Chicago and The Producers; Moscow Classical Ballet; the Boston Pops; and the Coasters, Drifters, and The Platters and many more.

View the 2007-08 season Special Events.

View the 2007-08 season Newlin Hall Series.

View the 2007-08 season Show Biz Series.

View the 2007-08 Celebrity Series.

View the 2007-08 Musica Da Camera (chamber music series).

The College’s Norton Center for the Arts, in its 34th season, is an internationally acclaimed performing arts center that annually brings to Centre a series of outstanding Broadway shows, individual performances and other works from the performing arts. A complete series schedule and subscription information can be found at http://www.centre.edu/nc/. For more information, call the Norton Center box office at (859) 236-4692 or toll free 1-877- HIT-SHOW (448-7469). Box Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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