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Most theatrical performances inspire some sort of emotional reaction, but most times once the play is over the emotion fades into the darkness of the empty theater. In the spring of 2006, Andrew Vaught and Andrew Kingsley founded Cripple Creek Theatre Company in an effort to compel audiences to use that emotion to exact social change. Continue reading →
“Crime against nature” is an old legal term, loosely defined as any sexual act or behavior that is not considered “natural” and has, in the past, been punishable by law. Now imagine that the two people engaging in such a “crime” are first cousins and, although they don’t know it, also clowns: the taboo factor is over the … Continue reading →
It isn’t your typical fundraiser, at least as far as the entertainment is concerned. Rather than spend thousands of dollars on top-name talent, the NOCCA Institute would rather show off the talent it has within its own walls. So when guests gather at the annual Art & Soul gala May 19 at the … Continue reading →
In its earliest years, chamber music was played privately for royalty and the elite. Even when it moved into concert halls, access was limited to those who could afford the luxury. A New Orleans-based organization is seeking to make chamber music accessible to the average person. In keeping with that mission, the Birdfoot Chamber Music … Continue reading →
5:30-9 p.m.: “A Musical Feast” at Madewood Plantation, Napoleonville. Chamber ensemble performances and dinner prepared by James Beard Award-winning Chef Stephen Stryjewski, of Cochon restaurant. $90 per person. 7:30 p.m.: “Birdfoot Backstage” with WWNO 89.9 FM. Participating musicians will perform and be interviewed by Gwen Thompkins, host of “Music … Continue reading →
“THE ADVENTURES OF BUTT BOY AND TIGGER”: 8 p.m., The Elm Theatre, 220 Julia St., New Orleans. $15. (504) 218-0055 or http://www.elmtheatre.org. “NEXT TO NORMAL”: 7:30 p.m., Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m., Sunday, Freeport-McMoRan Theater, The Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St., New Orleans. Performance by Southern Rep. Thursday is Bloggers Night. … Continue reading →
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT NOMA: 5 p.m., New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, City Park, New Orleans. Lecture by Lisa Dennison and a screening of “Beasts of the Southern Wild” in the garden. (504) 658-4100 or http://noma.org. BENEITO’S ART: 3618 Magazine St., New Orleans. Jazz, … Continue reading →
As part of an upcoming exhibit at the LSU Museum of Art focusing on the photography of famed jazz photographer Herman Leonard and works by LSU professor emeritus and painter Ed Pramuk, Louisiana Public Broadcasting will screen a half-hour documentary on the life and work of Leonard. The filmmakers will discuss the film afterward. Continue reading →
Her movie producer friend knows she’s never been to Baton Rouge, yet he keeps seeing her throughout the city. And so does anyone else who passes one of the city’s many digital billboards. “Audra McDonald,” they blare. And then there’s her photograph, followed by the why, where and when — the why being the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra’s Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation Great Performers in Concert Series. Continue reading →
One can’t help wondering if Nick LaRocca would have believed it if someone had told him exactly how much influence his song would have over a stadium of 90,000-plus. Make that more than 100,000 when the addition to Tiger Stadium is complete, when more voices are added to the crowd’s roar when the LSU Tiger Marching Band … Continue reading →
A compilation of arts events for the week ahead. SUNDAY IN THE PARK: noon-3 p.m., Galvez Plaza Stage, North Boulevard. Outdoor concert featuring Route 90. (225) 344-8558. MOVE OVER MRS. MARKHAM: 2 p.m., Theatre Baton Rouge, 7155 Florida Blvd. The final production in Theatre Baton Rouge’s 2012-13 Season of … Continue reading →
Tickets are on sale for the St. James Center for Spiritual Formation’s fourth annual Summer Sounds at St. James series of musical concerts. This year, programs are scheduled at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in July at St. James Episcopal Church, 205 N. Fourth St.. The series opens on July 3 with a performance by the National … Continue reading →
The year is 1948. The place is the Deep South. At 72, Daisy Werthan, a wealthy but crotchety widowed Jewish schoolteacher, has just demolished a car, and her son Boolie takes her keys away and hires a chauffeur to drive her around. The driver is proud and soft-spoken. He is also black. Thus begins the Pulitzer Prize-winning … Continue reading →
With mental health and the downsizing of mental health facilities in Louisiana so much in the news lately, was it by design that the upcoming Southern Repertory Theater musical production of “Next to Normal” deals with this sensitive subject? According to Aimee Hayes, producing artistic director for Southern Rep, the timing of the play dealing with mental … Continue reading →
AWARDS RECEPTION: 2 p.m.-4 p.m., Garden District Gallery, 1332 Washington Ave., New Orleans. Awards reception for Louisiana Watercolor Society International Exhibition, on display through May 25. Gallery hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. (504) 891-3032. OPENING RECEPTION FOR JOEL PICKFORD-PHOTOGRAPHS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA: 6 p.m.-8 p.m., Octavia Art Gallery, 4532 Magazine … Continue reading →
“DREAMGIRLS” FEATURING SPECIAL GUEST JENNIFER HOLLIDAY: 8 p.m., Lawless Memorial Chapel, Dillard University, New Orleans. All proceeds will go toward student scholarships. $25. http://dillard.edu. “THE ADVENTURES OF BUTT BOY AND TIGGER”: 8 p.m., The Elm Theatre, 220 Julia St., New Orleans. $15. (504) 218-0055 or http://www.elmtheatre.org.
Hot Art, Cool Nights, the Mid City Merchant’s spring art hop, is set for 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday, May 10, in the Mid City Art and Design District. This is the 10th year for the event, which features local artists and their work at many midcity locations. There also will be live music and refreshments along the way. Continue reading →
Summer camp isn’t just for kids anymore. At least not at Theatre Baton Rouge. “We have a summer camp for adults that is popular,” Jack Lampert said. “They take it seriously, but they have a lot of fun. And in the end, we do a production, and everyone really gets into it.” Lampert is … Continue reading →
Southern Repertory Theatre in New Orleans has announced its new Mainstage season full of passion, politics, spirit, sex and satire. Four productions will investigate the voices and histories of an eclectic cast of characters as they grapple with universal issues of love, truth, salvation and self. The Mainstage season will feature a Broadway play, an unforgettable … Continue reading →
There was no police tape, no officers blocking onlookers from the crime scene. It was a different time, a time before DNA tests and digital technology. A time when veteran Chicago photojournalist and author Steve Schapiro could show up with his film-loaded camera in hand and no one would question his presence. Martin Luther King’s associate Hosea Williams simply let him into room 306, where the television was still blaring and cold coffee was stagnant in plastic foam cups. Continue reading →
This is the story of the Sankofa child, whose Nia, or purpose, is to provide balance for the world of ImBalynce. Those who live in this world have heard the story, but many dismiss it as a myth. Stories of good and evil, a savior’s battle with a destructor, have been floating around since before The Shattering nearly 3,000 years ago. Continue reading →
The upcoming musical production of “Wicked,” the final offering of the 2012-13 Broadway in New Orleans series, is an attempt to soften the centuries-old image of witches, even if the title might imply otherwise. “The show is really about misunderstanding and discrimination, and how good deeds can be misunderstood and abused, and how … Continue reading →
Garrett Prejean, founder and artistic director of Elm Theatre, likes to produce plays that scare him — edgy, challenging shows that break the proverbial rules. That’s exactly what Elm Theatre is doing with its production of “The Adventures of Buttboy and Tigger,” which opens Friday. “At first, I had no reservations about doing … Continue reading →
DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS “ROCKIN’ EVER AFTER”: UNO Lakefront Arena, 6801 Franklin Ave., New Orleans. Check website or call for showtimes. $18-$65. (800) 745-3000 or http://www.Ticketmaster.com or http://arena.uno.edu. “THE ADVENTURES OF BUTT BOY AND TIGGER”: 8 p.m., The Elm Theatre, 220 Julia St., New Orleans. $15. (504) 218-0055 or http://www.elmtheatre.org.
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DISNEY ON ICE AT LAKEFRONT ARENA Disney on Ice presents “Rockin’ Ever After,” nine performances at the UNO Lakefront Arena featuring ice skating, musical scenes from Disney and Pixar movies such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Brave” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Thursday-Sunday, $20-$65; tickets available at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Continue reading →
MICHALOPOULOS GALLERY JAZZ FEST RECEPTION: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., 617 Bienville St., New Orleans. Artist James Michalopoulos will be present and new paintings and sculptures will be on exhibit. (504) 558-0505. http://www.michalopooulos.com. ARTIST RECEPTION: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., LeMieux Galleries, 332 Julia St., New Orleans. Reception for Emily Wilson “Water Garden” and … Continue reading →
Each character has a story, and those stories play out in Jitney, August Wilson’s gypsy cab station that serves Pittsburgh’s Hill District when others won’t. The district was Wilson’s boyhood home, the setting of the 10 plays in his Pittsburgh Cycle. Jitney is number eight in that series and second in UpStage Theatre’s plan to perform … Continue reading →
Alistair is Philip, Philip is Philips the Butler, Linda is Sylvie, Walter is the father-in-law and Mrs. Markham is, well, Mrs. Markham. And Mrs. Markham is not only the one who creates this scenario to fool Olive Harriet Smythe, she’s also the one who keeps up with who’s who. Otherwise, Miss Smythe might take her … Continue reading →
The Concert Choir will be there. The Wind Ensemble will, too. In fact, all of the Southern University Music Department’s concert ensembles will be performing on Friday, May 3, at Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church . Throw in a few solos by the department’s vocal and piano professors, and you have the music department’s Potpourri: The … Continue reading →
Joe Moore wants people to know that his students can do more than bang on drums. The percussion doctoral candidate and director of the Louisiana Youth Orchestra’s Percussion Ensemble will showcase the range of the four member group at LYO’s upcoming concert Sunday, May 5. “I chose a melodic keyboard piece and then one with … Continue reading →
Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond will pay homage to jazz legend and alumnus Bill Evans with a festival in his honor. The 12th annual Bill Evans Jazz Festival honors the deceased seven-time Grammy Award winner and 1950 Southeastern graduate, considered the most influential jazz pianist of his generation. Sponsored by Southeastern’s Arts and Lectures … Continue reading →
Tickets are on sale for “Singo de Mayo,” a musical revue, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, in the LSU Union Theater, Raphael Semmes Drive on campus. A play on words makes this grand finale performance by the LSU musical theatre troupe. This year, “Singo de Mayo’s” program will comprise a medley of Broadway tunes, classics … Continue reading →
The Manship Student Advisory Board’s presentation of Singin’ in the Rain,” will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, at the Manship Theatre in the Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. The board is made up of two students each from several local high schools chosen by their own schools’ administrations, which have been targeted … Continue reading →
A compilation of arts events for the week ahead. SUNDAY, APRIL 28 SUNDAY IN THE PARK: noon-2 p.m., Galvez Plaza Stage, North Boulevard. Performance by the Phunky Monkeys. Free. ASCENSION COMMUNITY THEATRE AUDITIONS: noon-4 p.m., Pasqua Theatre, 823 N. Felicity Ave., Gonzales. General auditions for Damn Yankees. There will be a cold reading at the … Continue reading →
LSU Theatre will present its annual Outworks Festival, an evening of six new, previously unproduced one-act plays with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer themes at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, April 30-May 5, in the LSU Music & Dramatic Arts Studio Theatre, Dalrymple Drive on campus. There will be an additional performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, … Continue reading →
When artist James Michalopoulos learned that Aaron Neville was to be his subject for the 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival poster, it was hardly unfamiliar territory. “He has actually sat for me on many occasions over the years, and I have photographed him at least 25 times,” Michalopoulos said. With Jazz Fest starting Friday and continuing next weekend, Michalopoulos’ vividly representational poster of Neville is on sale in local galleries, including Michalopoulos’ in the French Quarter, and at the festival itself Continue reading →
For fabric collage artist Linc Bennett, of Atlanta, demonstrating his work in front of a live audience in the Louisiana Jazz & Heritage Festival’s Congo Square area provides an opportunity to share an intricate process that usually goes on behind closed doors. “You kind of have to see the process to appreciate how it works,” … Continue reading →
INSTRUMENTHEAD GRAND OPENING: 7 p.m., InstrumentHead Art Gallery, 2121 Chartres St., New Orleans, Jackprints presents InstrumentHead, a surrealist portrait series by photographer Michael Weintrob that captures iconic musicians without showing their faces. Live music. Twenty percent of proceeds benefit the Tipitina’s Foundation and New Orleans Musicians Assistance Foundation. Free. http://www.michaelweintrob.com/instrumenthead. Continue reading →
LOYOLA BALLET: 8 p.m., Louis J. Roussel Performance Hall, Loyola University, New Orleans. Featuring excerpts from “Ruslan and Lyudmila,” “La Vivandiere,” and contemporary works choreographed by Loyola business major Brandon Garza and forensic chemistry major Hilary Landry. $12. http://montage.loyno.edu or (504) 865-2074 “THE BACHELOR IN NEW ORLEANS”: 10 p.m., doors open for cocktails; … Continue reading →
As a part of the Jindal family’s initiative to feature young artists, Louisiana’s first lady Supriya Jindal has announced the artwork selected for display in the Louisiana Governor’s Mansion for April. Continue reading →
Most people know it simply as “Ode to Joy.” And they’re right. Ludwig van Beethoven included the words of Friedrich Schiller’s 1785 poem An die Freude in his “Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125.” Of course, Beethoven fans shorten this title to “Symphony No. 9,” which is exactly how it’s billed for the … Continue reading →
This could be a Pygmalion moment. Forget about the legendary myth of how the Cypriot goldsmith fell in love with his sculpture of a beautiful woman and concentrate on how the goddess Venus magically zapped life into her. Not many sculptors — if any — can say they’ve witnessed this in their own work. Continue reading →
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. But the Baton Rouge Concert Band doesn’t stop there. Make a trip to BREC’s Independence Park Theatre on Sunday, April 21, and you’ll also find yourself mingling with wolves, turkeys, roosters, elephants and even an old sorehead. Musically speaking, of course. Continue reading →
Tickets are on sale for the LSU Theatre’s Dance Concert 2013, set for 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 28, in the Claude L. Shaver Theatre in the LSU Music & Dramatic Arts Building, Dalrymple Drive on campus. The concert, directed by Susan Perlis, will feature a blend of various … Continue reading →
The Robert A. Bogan Fire Museum Board of Directors will host a Beer Tasting/Crawfish Boil fundraising event from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the Fire Museum in the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge building, 427 Laurel St. This is the second time for the event, which raises funds to restore and … Continue reading →