February 11, 2025
Story and photos by Joe Vinduska
The Barton Community College Theatre Department will present an emotional yet uplifting musical, “Sing Sing Blues,” written by Barton Psychology Instructor Eric Smith, with multiple showings Feb. 20-23 with general admission tickets available for $10 at the door, and the production is suitable for ages 10 and up.
The show’s director Barton Communications Instructor Denise Williams said the story centers around a group of men housed in Sing Sing Prison in the 50s.
“Barton Community College Theatre is committed to providing a comprehensive theatre education experience,” she said. “To that end, we will encourage the writing and performing of new works whenever possible. When our colleague, Eric Smith, showed us a copy of the script last year, we loved it. It was exactly the kind of new material we were looking for and something we felt we could produce.”
The cast consists of Barton students and community members, and Williams said audience members can expect a well-rounded experience that engages a broad spectrum of emotions. At the same time, the plot navigates around deep and interesting characters and situations, all told with the musical stylings of an acapella group.
“The characters are exciting, and the story is gripping,” she said. “The fact that it was written by one of our own really sealed the deal. As a musician myself, the prospect of directing an acapella musical production featuring the gospel songs I had known my entire life was truly a compelling reason to move forward. It has been a great experience to work with the playwright in developing the story and the characters as part of the rehearsal process.”
Smith, who is also performing as the character “Captain” in the play, said it’s been a dream come true to have his story presented on an actual stage.
“Working on this has been a very surreal experience,” he said. “I wrote this musical back in 2022 and only dreamed of the day it would come to life. Working with this amazing cast and watching these characters develop has been awesome and humbling. This show will hit every emotion as it has stories of brotherhood, sisterhood, redemption, comedy, and tragedy. There are many messages throughout the musical that the audience can resonate with.”
For more information, contact Williams, at williamsde@bartonccc.edu or (620) 792-9333. For showtimes, visit shows.bartonccc.edu.