Marquee
Hosts Online Easter Concert
Marquee Performing Arts Center will present a
special online Easter Concert this weekend featuring local praise group GASS
and well-known western singer Barry Ward. The concert will be streamed beginning
at 4pm Central on March 28, and will remain up on the website and accessible
for streaming through April 4. There is no fee to watch the concert, but
donations are certainly appreciated.
GASS is a praise and worship band based in Arkansas
City, consisting of Greg Smyer, Andy Colcasure, Stan Boggs, and Suzie Knickerbocker.
The band is often seen performing at area churches and functions, and they have
been featured for many years at Walnut Valley Festival’s gospel concert early
on Sunday, the last day of the annual music festival. While the performance was
pre-recorded and there was no audience, GASS’s Easter concert marks the first
appearance of a band in the auditorium of the Marquee in many years.
Barry Ward has also played at the Walnut Valley
Festival, and has also been welcomed to many churches and places of worship in
the area. A native of Southwest Kansas, Ward has been recognized as Male
Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists, Male Performer of the
Year by the Western Music Association, and has garnered many other awards for
his brand of western music with an emphasis on faith and service to God. He has
shared his music and ministry in 31 states and 4 countries.
The online show is the latest in a series of musical
performances organized by the Marquee, in an effort to reach those who may be
homebound or otherwise unable to attend live concerts and events. The Marquee
took part in Winfield Main Street’s Virtual Music Crawl in 2020, and also
organized an online concert of holiday music in December. In a nod to fostering
community spirit, these online events have been free to watch, but have still
received donations from generous viewers.
The mission of the Marquee Performing Arts Center is
to create a dynamic cultural hub in the heart of downtown Winfield for social,
artistic, educational, and business gatherings by restoring and transforming
the historic Winfield Fox Theater into a state-of-the-art facility that connects
and serves the people of Winfield and South-Central Kansas.
