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A powerful story set in the Deep South during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement will unfold as a musical performance in the Dowd Fine Arts Center Theatre at SUNY Cortland March 23 to 25 and March 30 to April 1.

“Violet,” the tale of a bitter young woman’s cross-country journey in search of healing for a disfiguring scar, will be presented by the SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Department. The curtain rises at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays on the play dates.

Tickets are $16 for the general public, $14 for senior citizens and SUNY staff, and $7 for all students and children. Tickets are on sale at Jodi’s Hallmark Shop on Main Street in Cortland and at the door prior to each performance.

“Violet, A Talk Back with the Actors” will be presented on Sunday, April 1, following the 2 p.m. performance.

“Violet” tells the story of a horribly scarred girl who ventures out in search of a popular televangelist she believes can cure her disfigurement. During the journey, she finds healing for her soul as she and the audience experience different types of beauty, love, courage and faith and explore what it means to see beyond appearances.

Inspired by Doris Betts’ short story, “The Ugliest Pilgrim,” the play was created by composer Jeanine Tesori and playwright and screenwriter Brian Crawley. The show opened on March 12, 1997, at Playwrights Horizons in New York City, and became one of the most acclaimed off-Broadway productions of the 1990s. 

The music in “Violet” ranges in genre from blues to bluegrass, country and western, Southern rock and gospel, with each song and its supporting choreography propelling Violet along on her personal odyssey.

For more information, visit the Performing Arts Department website or call (607) 753-2811.