The show, titled “C’mon In: The Story of Bessie and Jessie Pickens,” will be a fundraiser for Pickens Hall, with donations collected at the door.

Playwright and actress Elaine Kuracina is starring as Jessie. Soprano Samantha Stinson will portray Bessie. Stinson’s twin daughters, Amalia and Abigail will be featured in the show. Other cast and crew members include Lianna Pront as the Nanny and Jarrett Larson will be the pianist.

The Picken’s twins were well known vaudeville singers of mid 1800s and Bessie was a noted prima donna at the Metropolitan Opera. Pickens Hall Opera House was constructed in 1858 by John Pickens, in part, as vaudeville performance space for the girls on the third floor.

Originally, the hall also contained the original Pickens General Store, the Heuvelton Bee newspaper, the post office, a meeting hall on the second floor, and cheese aging operation in the basement. Many other local businesses resided in the building over the years.

The building has undergone a more than $2.5 million restoration in the last 15 years and now houses the general store, and opera house on the third floor, in addition to gallery, workshop and meeting spaces. The work was paid for by a massive grassroots fundraising effort, coupled with grant funding and state historical restoration money.

The hall is currently listed on the New York State Historical restoration registry.

Learn more about the hall at http://www.pickenshall.com.

Contact the hall at 315-344-7950 for more information.