Culturally Speaking for Jan. 6

Group of artists will exhibit at Kress Gallery; concert at Southern

Photo by JOHN BARRIOSKatie Cotoya, from left, Jamie Heck and Ashley Rose Butler star in the musical The Class of '70 Something at the Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts in Kenner. The show continues this weekend. For more information, go to http://www.rivertowntheaters.com or call [phone].

The Kress Gallery, 447 Third St., Suite 200, will open the group exhibition History and Innovation on Monday, Jan. 14. The show features new work by Louisiana African-American artists Randell Henry, Christopher Turner, Eric J. Brown and Taufeeq Muhammad and will run through Saturday, March 16, with a reception from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18. The exhibition is curated by Turner, curator and artist in residence of the Kress Gallery. Many of the works are spiritual and musical inspired pieces that explore unconventional painting techniques. The installation by Eric J. Brown titled “Holy Ground” highlights Brown’s interest in the decorative arts. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and by appointment. For more information, email [e-mail].

Concert set

Mezzo soprano Stephanie McGuire and pianist Noby Ishida will perform the concert “Candor and Bel Canto: A Concert Exploring Black Presence in and Reaction to Western Classical Music,” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13, in the DeBose Recital Hall on the Southern University campus.

McGuire has performed at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall with New York City Opera, and at Boston’s Symphony Hall with the Boston POPS Orchestra. Ishida has performed as accompanist in numerous halls in New York City including Merkin Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Bechstein Center, Steinway Hall, and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. For more information, call [phone].

In West Baton Rouge

The West Baton Rouge Museum, 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen, has scheduled several events in January:

• Through Sunday, Feb. 3, the exhibit, From Morning to Night: Domestic Service in the Gilded Age.
• Saturday, Jan. 19, through Sunday, March 24, the exhibit, Color in Freedom: Journey along the Underground Railroad.
• Monday, Jan. 21, the museum will be open for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The documentary, Citizen King, will be shown at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Noon Thursday, Jan. 24, Lunchtime Lecture featuring Lee Smith speaking on “History of Mulatto Bend in West Baton Rouge.” Admission is free.

For more information, call [phone].

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.westbatonrougemuseum.org

Star Awards set

Tickets are on sale for UpStage Theatre’s Star Awards, set for 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at The Belle of Baton Rouge, 103 France St.

Tickets are $25. For tickets or more information, call [phone].

New Venture auditions

Auditions for New Venture Theatre’s production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6, at Independence Park Theater, 7800 Independence Blvd. The play will be directed by Stephanie Chavis and will run Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 21-24, at the Baton Rouge Community College Magnolia Performing Arts Pavilion. Those auditioning are asked to prepare a 90-second monologue. For more information, call [phone] or email [e-mail].

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.newventuretheatre.com

Amadeus auditions

Auditions for Ascension Community Theatre’s production of the musical Amadeus will be 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6, and 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7, at the Pasqua Theatre, 823 Felicity St., Gonzales. The production is set to run March 7-10 and 14-17, and will be directed by Lorna Culmone Bourgeois. There are speaking roles for seven men and one woman. Servants and townspeople can be either gender and will have limited lines. Only mature actors are encouraged to attend; no children or persons under 16 should audition for this show. No monologues or other prepared speeches are needed. Come dressed in comfortable clothing as the “venticelli,” chorus will be required to learn and perform stylized movement. For more information, email [e-mail].

Call for entries

The deadline is Friday, Feb. 15, for early period entries to the 2013 Fear Fete Horror Festival. The festival will run for three nights in October in Baton Rouge. For an entry form and rules, visit the website.

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.fearfete.com/film-entry.html

Course at SLU

Southeastern Louisiana University’s Division of Extended Studies invites members of the community to an open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, at the St. Tammany Center, 21454 Koop Drive, Mandeville, to present information on two new non-credit offerings for the film industry. “Introduction to Videography” and “Basic Video Editing: An Introduction to Post-Production Film” will be available next spring for high school students and adults. “Introduction to Videography” be taught 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, Feb. 25-March 6.

“Basic Video Editing” will be taught 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, March 12-March 21. Both courses will take place at the St. Tammany Center. The fee is $150 for each class. To register or for more information, call [phone] or [phone] or visit the website.

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.southeastern.edu/es

At NuNu’s

NuNu Arts and Culture Collective, 1510 Bayou Courtableau Highway, Arnaudville, has scheduled several events in January:

• 1:30 p.m. Thursdays, Les Coudre Points, quilting en français. For more information call [phone].
• 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, pot luck social. Meet artists, make friends. Cost of admission, a dish for contribution to communal dinner. Music provided by members of Artists as One Voice collective.
• 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25, big band dance. Art and Steve Deiorio Duo. Suggested donation $10.
• 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Jan. 26, La Table Française Francophone gathering.

For more information, call [phone] or email [e-mail].

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.nunucollective.org

Tritt tickets

Tickets are on sale for the All Stars Series with Travis Tritt at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27, in the James Moncus Theater in the Acadiana Center for the Arts, 101 W. Vermilion St., Lafayette. Also on sale are tickets for the Fugro Chance Family Performance of Rock the Presidents at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 17-18; the All Star Series with Los Lobos Acoustic: En Vivo at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22; Jazz @ the Center with the Claudia Acuna Quintet at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25; and Louisiana Crossroads presents Joel Savoy’s Honky Tonk Merry-Go Round with special appearance by Jimmy C. Newman at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1.

For tickets or more information, call [phone].

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.acadianacenterforthearts.org

At Golden Gallery

The exhibit Recent Works — Encore will open with a reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at Rolland Golden Gallery, 419 Main St., Natchez, Miss.

For more information, call [phone] or email [e-mail].

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.rollandgoldengallery.com

At Ohr-O’Keefe

The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, 386 Beach Blvd. Biloxi, Miss., is showing several exhibits through May: Dusti Bongé: Revisiting the Legacy; Lydia Thompson: Roots, Connections and Pathways; and Terry Tjader: Ingrained in Wood.

Also showing is the ongoing exhibition George E. Ohr: Selections from Gulf Coast Collections. For more information, call [phone].

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.georgeohr.org

At the Mint

The Friends of the Cabildo and Louisiana State Museum will host the program “The Glorious Eighth of January: How We Celebrated Anniversaries of the Battle of New Orleans” by Shelene Roumillat at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Old U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans.

Admission is free and refreshments will be served. For more information, call [phone].

Candide at Loyola

Tickets are on sale for the Loyola Opera Theatre’s production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, in the Louis J. Roussel Performance Hall in the Communications Music Complex on the Loyola University campus in New Orleans.

Tickets are $40, preferred seating; $25, reserved seating; and $15, Loyola students, faculty and staff. For tickets or more information, call [phone] or visit the website.

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.montage.loyno.edu

Opera on Bourbon

Two operatic performances are scheduled in January at the Puccini Bar, 541 Bourbon St., New Orleans, at the Five Points by Sheraton French Quarter: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9, “A Few of My Favorite Songs:” Bon Operatit! Sings Rodgers and Hammerstein; and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, “Opera on Tap” with the New Orleans Opera Association.

Also, jazz is featured from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. For more information, call [phone].

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/frenchquarter

At The Front

The site-specific earthwork, assemblage and photography installation, The Defense Complex, by Jonathan Taube and Imen Djouini will open with a reception from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at The Front, 4100 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans.

The show runs through Sunday, Feb. 3. Also showing is Morgana King and Friends’ diorama and Judy Natal’s installation focusing on the future of humanity via land use.

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.nolafront.org

At Rivertown Theaters

Tickets are on sale for Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts’ production of The Class of ’70 Something Fridays through Sundays, Jan. 11-27, on its Main Stage, 325 Minor St., Kenner.

Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets are $35 with discounts for seniors, students and military. For tickets or more information, call [phone] or visit the website.

ä ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.RivertownTheaters.com

Art in Motion

The Spun Crossroads “Art In Motion,” Saint Claude Art Walk will be 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at the New Orleans Healing Center, 2372 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans. The indoor artists market features fine art, crafts, fashion and live demonstrations by local and regional artists, For more information, email [e-mail].