WORLD PREMIER to take place September 25th & 26th, 2009, at the Hillman Center for Performing Arts

[ gravity + grace ] is a contemporary opera written by Frank Ferraro with musical score by Stephen Pellegrino. The opera reveals the struggles that people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) face daily. This degenerative neurological disease affects the motor skills necessary to function in a normal capacity. Loss of balance, coordination and dexterity, along with difficulty in speaking, rigidity and a constant state of anxiety are some of the PD symptoms.Project Creator, Frank Ferraro, has battled Parkinson’s since 2000 (Click on About). As an artist of the last 15 years, Frank found himself unable to work in his traditional media of sculpture and painting. As a result, he was forced to shut down his art studio and experiment with other forms of artistic expression. “I began to keep a journal of how this disease has affected my ability to live, work and create. I began to shape these journal entries into short, one-act performance plays.” said Frank. The result of the journal entries is the work in progress, [ gravity + grace ]. This project would not be possible if it were not for the generous assistance of the Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, friends and family.

[ gravity + grace ] performance is funded in part by The Heinz EndowmentsSpecial thanks to: Gail Tucker, Stephen Pellegrino, John Vento (and The Nied’s Hotel Band), Jimmy Nied, Maggie Schmidt, Boxheart Gallery, Jay Del Greco, Jim McCullough, David Von HofenDedicated to: