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Tuesday, October 27, 2009 Western Carolina Presents "Midsummer Night's Dream Set in 1930s Appalachia10:29 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - Care for a serving of Shakespeare, hold the Elizabethan English and add a dash of fiddle and a soft Southern drawl? The department of stage and screen at Western Carolina University will present “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – a commentary on the absurdity of love – at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 29-31, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Fine and Performing Arts Center on the WCU campus.
One of the most often performed of Shakespeare’s comedies, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” weaves multiple storylines: A royal wedding, a group of amateur actors planning the wedding entertainment, the confused affections of four young lovers, and a feuding fairy king and queen whose magical spells cause mayhem. The characters ultimately decide they must have dreamed the chaotic series of events, yet all find themselves changed by the experience. "Shakespeare has purposely made this all a jumble," said director Claire Eye, a faculty member in the department of stage and screen. "Shakespeare’s point is that you can’t put logic into who you fall in love with." Eye set the play in Depression-era Appalachia because it was a time when people craved laughter, and the play reminds her of qualities of this region. "There’s such a beauty to the music and the people here," Eye said. The play’s music, dance, costumes and set will evoke Appalachia, and while the language will be Shakespeare’s original, the pronunciation will be in a Southern dialect – a natural fit because "Shakespeare’s writing is very musical," Eye said. The cast includes: - Titania, queen of the fairies – senior Dayna Damron of Valdosta, Ga. - Oberon, king of the fairies – junior Jack Watson of Asheville - Demetrius – senior Jon Coward of Titusville, Fla. - Lysander – senior Nathanial Mason of Bryson City - Hermia – junior Christina DeSoto of Charlotte - Helena – senior Amanda Pisano of Candler Puck – freshman Peter O’Neal of Raleigh - Bottom the Weaver – Peter Savage of Asheville, a faculty member in the department of stage and screen The play is part of the College of Fine and Performing Arts’ Mainstage theater series and recommended for ages 12 and older. Sunday’s showing also is part of the 2009-10 Galaxy of Stars Series. Tickets cost $20 for the general public, $5 for students and $15 for WCU faculty and staff and people older than 60. To purchase tickets, visit the FAPAC box office or call the box office at (828) 227-2479 for Visa and MasterCard orders. Order tickets for Thursday through Saturday nights here, and Sunday afternoon here. online here. Labels: asheville, events, performing arts, western carolina Friday, October 23, 2009 Maura Michelle Garcia Comes to Diana Wortham Theatre11:09 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to present a performance of The Little People by MIXED BLOOD WOMAN at Diana Wortham Theatre at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 10, 2009
MIXED BLOOD WOMAN is a contemporary dance theater company founded by Maura Michelle Garcia. Garcia performs her original multi-media piece that explores the world of the ancient Cherokee fairies, the Yvwi Tsvsdi or “little people,” and the having, loosing and reclaiming of traditional Cherokee beliefs and a conscious Native identity. "We’re thrilled to host Maura Michelle Garcia in conjunction with the Museum’s exhibition of contemporary Cherokee carvers. Maura is a contemporary dancer and choreographer of Cherokee descent and this is a wonderful opportunity to connect two different art forms that both relate to the past and continue the dialogue of what it means to be Cherokee today," says Nancy Sokolove, Asheville Art Museum Adult Programs Manager. Garcia has recently been awarded a studio residency through the Charolotte Street Foundation’s Urban Culture Project in Kansas City, MO. Tickets are available at the Diana Wortham Theatre Box Office, by calling 828.257.4530 Labels: art, asheville, events, performing arts Wednesday, September 23, 2009 Occasional and Asheville Community Theatres Present 'Return of an Angel'10:19 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - Asheville’s award winning Occasional Theatre and Asheville Community Theatre will co-present Sandra Mason’s riveting hit drama, Return of an Angel, in recognition of the 80th anniversary of the publication of Thomas Wolfe’s seminal novel, Look Homeward, Angel. With special permission from the Thomas Wolfe estate, Mason’s powerful play uses Wolfe’s own words to bring to life the “love – hate” relationship that Asheville had with its most famous son, Thomas Wolfe. Chris Morton, Operations/Interpretation Manager for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial said, "We are very pleased Occasional Theatre and ACT are once again bringing this wonderful play to the community."
The world premiere of the play took place at ACT's Heston Auditorium, adjacent to the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, during the 2007 Thomas Wolfe Festival. Each of the three performances played to nearly full houses and brought audience members to their feet, including Wolfe Festival attendee, Jan Hensley from Greensboro who wrote: "I was just entranced with the play, with the actors, with the set, the lighting, the musicians… it was all professionally done. I can only hope that you will bring it back to Asheville again and again.” Producer Brenda Lunsford Lilly added, "After the performances last year many audience members, including City Council Member Robin Cape, left the theatre and immediately walked over to the Thomas Wolfe Memorial." In 1929, not everyone in Asheville was thrilled with the newfound fame brought to them by Wolfe's novel. Many in the town thought that Thomas Wolfe had exposed them to the world, warts and all. Of course now, Look Homeward, Angel is known for its compelling story of time lost, not the salacious gossip.The Occasional Theatre is dedicated to bringing professional, premiere productions of plays – in particular plays written by North Carolina playwrights – to audiences. Over the years it has produced theatre in both Los Angeles and New York and now is based in Asheville. It is delighted to be partnering again with Asheville Community Theatre and will be donating a portion the ticket sales to the Wolfe Memorial. Sponsors for this production include PLI, Wake Robin Farm Breads, and Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar. Return of an Angel will run October 2-11 with performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30pm. All performances will be held at Asheville Community Theatre at 35 East Walnut Street in downtown Asheville.. Tickets are $22.00 for adults, $19.00 for seniors and students. Tickets are available online, by phone at the ACT box office (828-254-1320), or in person at the ACT box office, which is located on site at the theatre and is open from 10am-4pm Tuesdays - Saturdays. Labels: asheville, events, performing arts Monday, July 27, 2009 Asheville Local Debuts Show at NC Stage Company10:16 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - Asheville resident Murphy Funkhouser shows off the junk in her trunk(s) in the autobiographical one-woman show Crazy Bag as part of North Carolina Stage Company's 2009-2010 Catalyst Series running August 6 - 15, 2009, Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm. Tickets are $12 for Thursdays, $15 for Fridays and Saturdays. The show was born when single-mom Funkhouser, "who knew a little something about (the show's theme) baggage and needed to do some unpacking", lived in Colorado. In its premiere at the 2007 Colorado Theatre Festival, Crazy Bag won Best Director (Denver Post Ovation winner Christopher Willard), and All State Actress (Denver Post Ovation nominee Funkhouser) honors. From there, Crazy Bag went on to play full houses in Breckenridge, Aspen, Denver, Albuquerque and Oklahoma City and was accepted into the 2008 San Francisco Fringe Festival. Last summer the show was listed as one the Denver Post's 10 Shows to See. Reviewed as "heart-wrenching" and "hilarious", the show was well received by critics and audiences alike. Says Funkhouser, "Everyone has some kind of baggage-something they are carrying through life." Now all "grown-up" (with a career and a daughter in kindergarten), Funkhouser was once a rebellious minister’s daughter who dropped out of Bible College, went wild, lived in her car and called 6 cities home in 10 years (this persona is represented in the show by a life-size cardboard cut-out in fishnets referred to as "The Heathen"). Funkhouser wakes one morning to find the baggage of her life has spilled out and she must sort and unpack to determine how to help her daughter avoid making the same mistakes. Funkhouser - happy she can now laugh about her past-is also a stand-up comedian who makes healthy use of humor while unloading her burdens. The show is a fast-paced revelation of a remarkable, frequently outrageous journey from barroom to motherhood, rebellion to redemption. Murphy Funkhouser "This is a funny show," she says. "But it also has the capacity to be life changing. The term 'baggage' is fraught with negative connotations. I want to reclaim the word. Baggage is the treasure of our travels... our souvenirs." Funkhouser used her life savings to produce and tour the show last summer because she believes so strongly in its message. "Claiming your baggage is liberating. I dream of a day people are lugging their baggage out into the yard and dancing in celebration of it. There should be no shame in the life well-traveled." Running tech for the show is Asheville resident Marlene Mechanic (a friend from Bible College) who left her job in Seattle last summer to tour with the show. Funkhouser warns that she will open not only her own "crazy bag" but the audience's as well. "There is something in this show that touches everyone no matter what road they took." For further information, visit www.crazybag.net. Labels: asheville, events, performing arts Tuesday, July 21, 2009 Whaledreamers Opens at the Fine Arts Theater on July 22nd10:54 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - Local artist and activist, Katie Kasben, will be traveling to Australia in August to begin researching the possibility of a cultural exchange program between Aboriginal Australians and Native Americans. While there she will attend the GARMA Festival in the Northern Territory of Australia, which is a festival of traditional Aboriginal culture. As a former instructor for the National Young Leaders Conference in DC and the VIP coordinator for the Asheville HATCH festival, Kasben has been invited to attend the "Key Forum" on Creative Industries at GARMA, which is the 2009 theme for the festival.
To raise local awareness of Aboriginal issues, as well as the future exchange program Kasben hopes to accomplish, the documentary WHALEDREAMERS, produced by Julian Lennon, will be shown at the Fine Arts Theatre on July 22, at 7 pm. To see the trailer, please go to the following link: TrailerLabels: asheville, movies, performing arts, theaters Monday, July 20, 2009 Spaces Still Available for August Session of Summer Theatre Camp at ACT8:15 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - A popular summer theatre camp returns for Summer 2009 at the Asheville Community Theatre. Younger students will have a chance to work with acting, music, movement, and improvisation through innovation and imagination. Along with developing other skills, older students will also explore courses that delve deeper into scene and monologue work and split their days between the two major producing theatres in downtown Asheville. Each two-week session culminates with a performance showcase, so that each child will have a chance to perform for an audience of family and friends.
Classes include: Acting and Improvisation And ... Cut! Movement & Choreography Musical Theatre Design Crew To receive a brochure, please contact Jenny Bunn at 254-2939 x21 or email her at jenny@ashevilletheatre.org. Or, click here to read the Frequently Asked Questions about Backstage Pass Summer Camp, http://www.ashevilletheatre.org/Classes/documents/FAQsonSummerCamp_000.doc Labels: asheville, camps, children, music, performing arts, theaters Friday, July 10, 2009 The Autumn Players Present The Playboy of the Western World4:00 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - Asheville Community Theatre's senior theatre group, The Autumn Players, and the University of North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement partner to present a Readers Theatre showcase of The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge. Performances will be held Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1 at 2:30 pm at 35below at Asheville Community Theatre and Sunday, August 2 at the Reuter Center on the UNCA campus. Tickets are $5.00 and may be purchased in advance at the Asheville Community Theatre Box Office, located at 35 East Walnut Street. The Box Office phone number is 828-254-1320 . Remaining tickets will be sold at the door. J.M. Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World is an Irish comedy set in a pub on the northwest coast of County Mayo in the early 1900s. The telling is dramatic and memorable. The New York Times calls The Playboy of the Western World, "A work of art.... Preserves the fresh music of country speech." The play will be directed by Hal Hogstrom. The Autumn Players performance of The Playboy of the Western World will be as Reader's Theatre where actors perform the script without memorization. The Autumn Players is a troupe of seasoned actors, directors, and writers dedicated to taking theatre into the community. They debuted in November 1992 with Ivan Menchell's The Cemetery Club. Since then, they have entertained thousands of students, seniors and in-betweens. While some performances have been at Asheville Community Theatre, most have been in area venues ranging from intimate parlors to open-air stages. Labels: asheville, events, performing arts Tuesday, March 31, 2009 Asheville Arts Center Presents "Annie"10:25 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC – The Asheville Arts Center will present “Annie” at 7 p.m. Friday and at 3 p.m. Saturday at Estes Elementary School at 275 Overlook Road in South Asheville, featuring 35 children from ages 5 to 13 who participate in the Asheville Arts Center's south location.
Tickets are $7 for ages 10 and younger and $10 for others. Call the center at 253-4000 for advance tickets. Labels: asheville, events, performing arts Thursday, March 19, 2009 The Asheville Art Museum to Screen Documentary Film, "Throwing Curves - Eva Zeisel"3:48 PM
ASHVEILLE, NC – The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to screen the documentary film
Throwing Curves ~ Eva Zeisel on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26 at 2:00
p.m. each day.
In this engaging film, documentary filmmaker Jyll Johnstone explores the amazing life of the centenarian industrial designer Eva Zeisel. The film follows Zeisel’s life from her birth in Hungary in 1906 through her career as she moved from Berlin to the Soviet Union (where she was imprisoned for a time) to New York City in the 1950s. This film is a look into Zeisel’s design work, fascinating life history and creative personality. Film critic, Sam Ball calls Zeisel’s personality “as daring and persuasive as her designs.” Throwing Curves ~ Eva Zeisel (2002) is a must-see for anyone interested in design, ceramics and the delicate balance of motherhood and having a career in the arts. Free with Museum Membership or admission. This film is held in conjunction with the exhibition Eva Zeisel: The Shape of Life on view through May 10, 2009 and is free with Museum Membership or admission. For additional images and information, please contact Communications Manager Kim Zdanowicz at 828.253.3227, ext. 116 or at kzdanowicz@ashevilleart.org. Labels: art, asheville, performing arts Wednesday, March 18, 2009 "HATCHfest- Asheville" Announces Dates1:32 PM
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - HATCHfest Asheville will launch its inaugural creative artists festival April 15-19, 2009, with events being held in prime downtown locations including Asheville Area Arts Council (front gallery), Echo Mountain Studios, Fine Arts Theatre, Pack Place and The Orange Peel. Film screenings, concerts and exhibits from groundbreaking artists from around the world will occupy these venues. HATCHfest’s mission is to encourage economic development through mentorship, educational panels and labs. All educational events will be free to the general public. "The participation of some of the best artistic venues in Asheville is an exciting step towards this uniquely innovative and creative event," said Alison Watson, co-chair of HATCHfest Asheville. "The festival dates are set and we're continuing to build our roster of emerging and established artists who will share their talents and mentoring abilities with aspiring artists from our community and beyond." Watson said that the founding festival in Bozeman was an inspiration to her when she visited last October. "The original HATCH is a great example of what creative minds can do when they collaborate. The founders are visionary and we really hope to develop a sister-city connection that nurtures artists and provides a platform for excellence." The event will showcase some of the world's best creative artists in film, music, architecture, technology, design, journalism, photography and fashion. Designed to develop and foster growth of creative minds through mentorship, HATCHfest has also become a catalyst for economic development. "We hope HATCHfest is an event that contributes positively to Asheville not only from a cultural perspective but also as an economic driver," said Neal Reed, manager of the Fine Arts Theatre. "The artistic community of Asheville is a main attraction for visitors. The festival will highlight our thriving arts scene, reinforcing Asheville’s reputation as a creative hotspot." The original HATCHfest was launched in Bozeman, Mont. and is held annually in the fall. For additional information on HATCHfest Asheville, visit www.HATCHasheville.org Labels: asheville, events, Pack Place, performing arts, the orange peel Monday, August 18, 2008 Asheville Ballet Holds Hip-Hop Class1:22 PMA free class will be offered by the Asheville Ballet, taught by hip-hop artist Brandi Hand for kids 9-through-12. The class will be offered on Saturday at nine in the morning at the Ballet's studio 4 located on Weaverville Highway in North Asheville. There will be no charge for the class. Brandi was a choreographer for the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Hornets. She was also lead dancer in the Super Bowl. A small donation to the Asheville Ballet will be accepted, but is not mandatory. To sign up for the class, call Ann Dunn at (828) 258-1028. Labels: asheville, performing arts Friday, April 11, 2008 Asheville is Number 2 Arts Destination in America1:37 PMAmerican Style magazine has named Asheville the “Number 2 Small City Arts Destination” behind Santa Fe, New Mexico. And though any resident who has been to Santa Fe might argue rightly for number one, it is still quite an honor for our town to be recognized— as well as a great leap from our number five ranking last year. The award was based on the magazine's Annual Poll of 100,000 American Style subscribers. The June issue of the magazine will be on newsstands in May and will profile top art destinations in three categories, small cities, mid-sized cities and large cities. Labels: asheville, performing arts, publicity Monday, March 31, 2008 Another Million for Performing Arts Center4:20 PMThe proposed Asheville Performing Arts Center has received another grant -- this time for $1 million from the Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation. The Center's estimated cost is between $65 million and $85 million, depending on the place of construction. This grant will more than likely be used for further planning. At this time, the Performing Arts Center has more than 200 contributors who have pledged up to three million dollars. The Center would replace the older Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, the current main venue for large concerts and events. Labels: asheville, grants, performing arts Tuesday, December 18, 2007 UNC Asheville Students to Perform at White House12:43 PMUNC Asheville's Chamber Singers will treat White House visitors to a choral concert on Wednesday, December 19, 2007. The University only formed the Chamber Singers a year ago, and already they are accepting invitations to prestigious concerts around the nation. The concert will take place during the White House's Annual Christmas VIP tours. Melodie Galloway, a teaching assistant in the music department of UNC Asheville, sent away the application to perform. “Because the Chamber Singers was formed just over a year ago, I knew it was a long shot. But I wanted to pursue the opportunity because I knew how valuable the experience was to me,” said Galloway said in a UNCA press release. While in Washington, the UNCA Chamber Singers will also perform for sick and injured veterans at Walter Reed Memorial Hospital. They also have concerts lined up at the Koshland Science Museum and the Annondale United Methodist Church. The Chamber Singers will be singing traditional Christmas carols such as Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Gloria, Coventry Carol and many more classic favorites. You can hear the UNC Asheville Chamber Singers perform And So It Goes by Billy Joel (click the hyperlink for a direct playing of the mp3 file). Labels: asheville, performing arts Monday, December 17, 2007 Henry Rollins coming to Asheville4:02 PM Former Black Flag front man and spoken word orator extraordinaire Henry Rollins is coming to Asheville's Orange Peel on February 22nd at 8pm. The show will be all spoken word and is entitled "Provoked". Tickets for the show in Asheville went on sale December 14 and can be obtained through Ticketmaster, Etix.com and Ticketweb. The show will surely incite and show insight, while also enraging and enlightening the crowd. "Not many people can hold a crowd of hundreds transfixed for three hours using only a microphone and a flat black backdrop, but Renaissance Man Henry Rollins is one of them," said a Reno Gazette reviewer. "Rollins' talks are so fluid, it's hard to tell how much is planned, how much is off the cuff." In the show, Rollins rants about current events like the war in Iraq and the media, all the while weaving in personal experiences in places like Syria and Australia. Rollins also hosts "The Henry Rollins Show" on the Independent Film Channel. His past guests have included Iggy Pop and actor Don Cheadle. Tickets for the Asheville show are available through Ticketweb.com. Labels: asheville, performing arts, the orange peel Wednesday, December 5, 2007 NC Stage Company Presents: It's a Wonderful Life, The Live Radio Play3:43 PMThe North Carolina Stage Company will present It's a Wonderful Life: The Live Radio Play December 18 - 23, 2007 here in Asheville. In a well thought-out adaptation of the James Stewart classic film, It's a Wonderful Life, playwright Joe Landry takes the film to another place, a 1940s radio station on Christmas Eve. The five characters in the production will play all of the movie characters and use old-fashioned sound effects. The play is a fresh look at the Christmas movie we all know and love. The play is being directed by Hans Meyer, who will also act the role of Clarence the Angel in the show. Other stars include Lauren Fortuna as Mary Bailey, Willie Repoley as George Bailey, Joe Sturgeon in multiples roles including Uncle Billy and Mr. Potter, and Kathryn Temple as several characters including bad girl Violet Bick. This show sold out last year, so make sure to get your tickets early. Showtimes are as follows: December 18 - 23, 2007 See the NC Stage Company web-site for more information, or to purchase tickets, visit Tix.com. Labels: asheville, performing arts Wednesday, October 17, 2007 Asheville Center for Performing Arts gets $500,000 Grant10:38 AMRecently, The Glass Foundation of Asheville donated $500,000 to The Asheville Area Center for the Performing Arts. Being used for new construction, the generous donation will go toward the contribution challenge made by the Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation. The challenge presented by the foundation is to contribute $1 million toward the construction of a new performance center if The Center for the Performing Arts can raise $3 million by the end of the year. This particular donation [from The Glass Foundation] puts the Center for the Performing arts over the $1.5 million mark, working well toward the goal of $3 million. Kenneth and Nancy Glass founded The Glass Foundation in the year 2000, and its goal is to help Western North Carolina's community thrive educationally, environmentally, economically, culturally, as well as to enhance quality of life in the region. Labels: asheville, grants, performing arts Previous Posts
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