Theatre--Performance

IPAL’s Christmas show this year will be If it’s Monday, This Must Be Christmas! – a comedy written by Pat Cook and directed by Mac Stearns. In order to produce the show during the Christmas season without conflicting with Christmas itself, there will be eight performances during the first two weeks of December. Performance dates and times are: Thursdays (December 4th and 11th), Fridays (December 5th and 12th) and Saturdays (December 6th and 13th) at 7:30 PM and Sundays (December 7th and 14th) at 3 PM. The cast is led by Mike Berry reprising his role as Harry, and includes Kristin Anderson, Michael Boroto, Blythe Bull, Michael Durand, Isabell Gilfoil, Martha Gilfoil, Travis Guillory, Matthew Lasseighe, Sarah Leonard, Carmen Nicholson, Erin Segura and Donald Voorhies. Matthew Dugan is the stage manager.

The play takes place just before Christmas in Harrigan’s Department store. When it is discovered that both the employees’ Christmas bonus money and the store Santa Claus are missing, a private detective named Harry Monday is employed to sort things out. Harry is a combination of all of the movie “private eyes” of the past and his handling of the case and the characters involved makes for a delightful evening.

All who saw IPAL’s production of Murder Is Bad But Monday Can Kill You! will remember the hilarious antics of Harry Monday and his rival, Lieutenant Brogan. They are back in an equally funny romp celebrating the Christmas season in the center of commercial Christmas activity – a department store.

Performances take place at IPAL’s Essanee Theater (126 Iberia Street in New Iberia). Tickets are $10 and may be purchased in New Iberia at Accentrics, Delaune’s Pharmacy, or Paul’s Flower Shop. Regular tickets, as well as $5 student tickets, may also be secured at the door. Additional information may be obtained by calling the theater at 364-6114.

Theatre--Auditions

Omni Artiste is holding auditions for the upcoming production of Talking Bones by Shay Youngblood. The show is about three women who can hear inner voices of their Ancestors and the way that each of the women chooses to respond to the voices.

The cast will consist of:
Eila--Female in her early 20s
BayBay--Female in her early 40s
Ruth--Female in her early 60s
Oz--Male in his late 20s
Mr. Fine--Male in his 40s

The auditions will be held on Saturday, December 13th (from 2 to 4 pm), Sunday, December 14th (from 4 to 6 pm) and Monday, December 15th (from 6 to 8 pm) at Cite Des Arts on Vine Street in Lafayette.

Theatre--Review

Spirit North, written by Leslie Lee and produced by Omni Artiste at Cite Des Arts deserves better audiences than it has been getting. The play concerns the responsibilities Black Americans owe to their communities and to individual members of those communities. Paul Massey (John Bess) is a defense attorney whose brother was framed and convicted by White American police. Paul has taken on the defense of a Black teen accused of murdering a Jewish student. There is some doubt as to which of three Black teens actually committed the murder but Maliki is a gang member and routinely victimizes his neighborhood. Nonetheless, Paul makes Maliki into a civil rights icon in order to intimidate the jury into exonerating him.

Paul's wife, Leila (Bria Hobgood), is a high school teacher confronted almost daily by the consequences of Black crime. She has, herself, been victimized by Maliki--a fact she has concealed from everyone, including Paul. Leila feels strongly that Paul should not be responsible for returning Maliki to the neighborhood. She wants Black criminals to be confronted with consequences for their actions and she wants them off the streets. Her best friend, Shelby (Brandi Sonnier), finds herself sympathetic to both sides of the debate. Shelby is the audience representative and her task is to try to find a way to reconcile both points of view--if that's even possible.

Finally, there is Ben (Nicholas Marchan), Paul's grandfather who slips in and out of senility. Ben constantly relives his showbiz past but occasionally becomes lucid enough to make some pointed comments on the situation. Complicating things further is the fact that Leila is pregnant and increasingly ambivalent about raising a baby with Paul.

This script is nicely balanced. It's not completely clear where the author stands although the ending somewhat weights the argument to the wife. Paul argues convincingly for the right of the accused to legal representation although Paul's real motivations are racial solidarity coupled with an all too human desire for vengeance. He doesn't care if Maliki is guilty or not. Leila's argument is that inner city neighborhoods need to be protected from predators of whatever race and that social progress requires social order. The two viewpoints are difficult to reconcile and the tensions that split the Black community also split the Massey family.

Although the setting is a disadvantaged neighborhood, the characters are well-educated professionals. Paul is a lawyer, Leila is a teacher and Shelby is a social worker. This is a play which works on the intellect as much as the emotions. The writing is literate, the characters are not victims and each of them argues his or her own point of view with eloquence and conviction.

John Bess is a well-known performer and activist who brings a solid presence and an inflexible passion to his role as Paul. Paul's sense of responsibility is more political than personal, a point dramatized by Paul's decision to put off the burden of caring for his own grandfather onto the shoulders of strangers in a nursing home.

Bria Hobgood brings a tremendous warmth and sympathy to the role of Leila. Her sense of responsibility is personal and maternal. She wants to keep Ben at home despite the difficulties of caring for him. She is a surrogate mother to her students and is about to be a mother in actuality.

John Bess and Bria Hobgood make obvious in their performances what draws this couple together and what pulls them apart.

Brandi Sonnier brings a nicely sassy quality to the role of Shelby.

Nicholas Marchan is 50 years younger than his character but his physical commitment to the role is amazing. He makes an equally strong emotional commitment. Watching and listening to him one sees the elderly Ben and not the young Nicholas. He makes Ben by turns dignified, defiant, funny and touching.

Director Alex Marshall and his Stage Manager/Assistant Director Andrew Hunter have presented a thoughtful, emotionally stirring show on a good looking set with a very appealing cast. Shows like this--entertaining and substantive and presented with artistic excellence--need our support.

This could easily be a movie on Lifetime. It is easy to see how this would play successfully on the small screen with this cast and director. But live theatre has a magic that film and television cannot match. Something electric happens when one is actually in the room with the performers that no camera can ever capture. Live theatre is moving and exciting in a way that can become addictive. But it can't happen in a vacuum. Performers need an audience. Companies need ticket revenue. Theatre operators need to pay overhead. This is an art form that can vanish without our support.

You can still catch Spirit North Saturday, November 29 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, November 30 at 3 PM. You won't regret it.

---Walter Brown

Theatre--Article

There is an article by Cody Daigle in the November 28th edition of the Daily Advertiser about Acting Up (in Acadiana)'s latest project, Play. Music. Heal.

Editor's Note

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Theatre--Performance/Workshop

Acting Up in Acadiana and the Dana Foundation presents The One Woman/Girl/Lady/Beotch Show featuring Lian Cheramie. With audience interaction and video skits, these characters will be under one roof on the same night for the first time. In coordination with this performance and the Dana Foundation, Cheramie will conduct a workshop for teachers called “Characters Alive”. In this workshop designed for teachers, Cheramie will share how she creates and develops a character and how students can do the same when working with poetry.

The One Woman/Girl/Lady/Beotch Show will take place at the Acadiana Center for the Arts on Friday, December 5th and Saturday, December 6th at 8pm; a talk back will follow the performance on both nights. Tickets are $10 and available at the door. For more information call (337) 309- 4964 or (337) 739-4273.

“Characters Alive” is an Arts in Education workshop is geared toward 6th-12th grade educators. It will take place on Thursday, January 15th from 4:30-6:00pm at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. For more information or to register, call (337) 233-7060.

Opera--Performance

The UL Opera Theatre has completed the audition process and announced the cast for the spring 2009 production of The Marriage of Figaro. The cast is:

Susanna - Stacy Broussard
Figaro - Brian Sanford
Countess - Sasha Massey
Count - Nathan Abbott
Cherubino - Jessica Wiltz
Basilio/Don Curzio - Kevin Credeur
Bartolo - Ben Sellers
Marcellina - Lindy Waldmeier/Carolyn Broussard
Antonio - Nicholas Manzo/Jonah Slason
Barbarina - Angela Prejean/Jenee Luquette
Conductor - Mariusz Smolij
Director - Shawn Roy
accompanied by the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra

The opera will be performed at Angelle Hall on the UL-Lafayette campus on Thursday (April 30th), Saturday (May 2nd) and Sunday (May 3rd).

Dance--Article (UL-Lafayette Department of Performing Arts)

The Daily Advertiser's Judy Bastien has written an article about the UL-Lafayette's Department of Performing Art production of State of La Danse in the November 20 issue of the paper. State of La Danse opens tonight at Angelle Hall at 7:30 pm.

Editor's Note

As you all may have noticed, lately there haven't been many reviews. I am having trouble finding reviewers. If any of you are interested in reviewing for "publication" here, just leave a comment to this post. All comments are moderated, so no one will see these comments. Please leave me your e-mail address so that I can contact you.

I think that the reviews add a lot to the blog, and I am hoping that you all think so too.

Dance--Performance

The UL-Lafayette Department of Performing Arts will present State of La Danse, opening Thursday, November 20th at 7:30 pm at Angelle Hall. This year's dance concert involves UL dance majors as well as returning graduates of the UL dance department. The choreographers this year are:
Kenneth Jenkins
Kristi Carr
Marie Broussard
Lacey LeBlanc (Graduate)
Anthony Whitehurst (Graduate)

Performances will be held Thursday, November 20th through Saturday, November 22nd at 7:30 pm and on Sunday, November 23rd at 2:00pm.

Theatre--Performance

The Omni Artiste presentation of Spirit North opens Friday, November 21st at Cite Des Arts. Written by Leslie Lee and directed by Dr. Alex Marshall, this is a story of a black defense attorney who brilliantly wins successful acquittals for his clients that place him in profound conflict with his wife and family

WHEN: Friday (November 21 and 28) and Saturday, (November 22 and 29) at 7:30 pm and Sundays (November 23 and 30) at 3:00 pm.
WHERE: Cité des Arts, 109 Vine St., Downtown Lafayette between Jefferson. St. and Third St.
COST: $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for senior citizens and students

For reservations or additional information, please contact Cité at 337-291-1122.

Theatre--Workshop

Acting Up (in Acadiana) invites you to take part in a rare chance to observe the creative process of developing a collaborative new work. Most often, our community only experiences final, polished performances on stage. We don’t often have the opportunity to observe the rehearsal process--to see how work is developed--to witness the art of collaboration between different disciplines. Acting Up (in Acadiana) opens our process to the public as we develop PLAY. MUSIC. HEAL. The project brings together actors, musicians, and writers to create a contemporary story about the potential for music to heal. We invite you to join us on Monday November 17th when Henry Gray will be our guest musician . On Monday November 24th Bernard Pearce will create music and Kaili Hollister and Justin Zsebe from Tim Robbins’ The Actor’s Gang based in Los Angeles will join the creative process. The sessions will round up with Chris Courville on December 1st and Chris Stafford on December 8th as music contributors. All sessions are free and open to the public and take place at the Acadiana Center for the Arts (AcA) 101 W. Vermilion St. in downtown Lafayette from 6-7:45 PM. For more information please contact Paige Krause at (337) 309-4964 or actingupinacadiana@gmail.com. This project is funded in part by the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the Acadiana Arts Council.

100 Years of Broadway

PASA presents 100 Years of Broadway on Thursday, November 13th at 7:30 pm at the Heymann Center. The winner of the Lafayette contest, 17 year old Courtney Svendson, will be featured in the show's finale.

Performing Arts--Scholarships

Guidelines for the L. Hill Bonin, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Award, administered by Performing Arts Society of Acadiana (PASA), are available for high school and college students pursuing short-time educational and training opportunities in performing arts or arts administration and non-profit organizations or groups that propose performing arts productions or activities which involve and benefit high school or college students.

Completed forms and all attachments must be submitted to the PASA office by March 1, 2009 to qualify for the 2008/2009 scholarships. Scholarship eligibility requirements and application can be found online at www.pasaonline.org. Applicants with questions about the application process and requirements can call the PASA office (337)237-2787.

The L. Hill Bonin, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund was created to award talented and deserving performing arts students with funds to support their pursuit of advanced study or training, beyond their present studies and training. The scholarship has been extended to include groups that provide opportunities to students for enhancing their performing arts talents through professional training.

To be considered for an award, students must be enrolled in any high school or college in the parishes served by PASA, be planning to pursue a career or professional training in performing arts or arts administration, be a citizen of the United States and a Louisiana resident, and have an overall grade point average of B or higher on their high school or college transcript. For a non-profit organization or group to be eligible it must propose a production, performance, or activity that involves high school or college students and ensure that the funds will be used for the enhancement of the talents of the students in the performance.

"The Bonin Scholarship allows recipients a chance to learn from some of the world's best performing arts instructors," says PASA Executive Director Jacqueline Lyle. "As a performing arts presenter, we support the growth and development of young talent and with this scholarship can assist students with the opportunity to develop into the top artists they will become."

Recipients are chosen by the PASA Bonin Scholarship committee, composed of PASA board members and a representative of the Bonin family. Recipients, after meeting eligibility criteria, are chosen on the basis of the artistic merit of the proposed training or project, planning and design of the proposal, and appropriate request and plans for the use of the funds.

Last year the Bonin scholarship awarded four recipients, including one ULL student and two high school students.

Flutist Roldon Brown, a senior at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette was invited by Robert Langevin, Principal Flutist in NY Philharmonic and faculty member at Julliard School, to study in Oxford, England. He attended the Oxford International Music Academy and the Nice International Music Academy.

Philip McPeek, a senior at Lafayette High School, and Sarah White, a graduate of Catholic High School of New Iberia, were the two outstanding high school students selected by the committee. McPeek, a member of the Lafayette High School band, used his scholarship to attend summer music programs at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp Ensemble Program, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Summer Percussion Academy, and Blue Lake Fine Arts camp. White used her scholarship to attend the New York Conservatory School for Dramatic Arts in New York City.

For the first time in the scholarship's history, funds were awarded to a local acting company to conduct a summer theater camp for area youth.

The Summer Youth Shakespeare Ensemble was the first-ever organizational recipient of the Bonin scholarship. This company hosted a summer theater camp for area youth. Students in the ensemble came from public and private schools in Acadiana, local homeschool programs and ULL. The ensemble presented Shakespeare's The Tempest in July 2008 as its end of session production.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the L. Hill Bonin Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund, you may mail a check to P.O. Box 52979, Lafayette, LA 70505.

Theatre--Performance

The Opelousas Little Theatre will present its second and final weekend of Of Mice and Men beginning on Thursday, November 13th.

The Opelousas Daily World ran an article about the show back in October.

Theatre--Article (Evangeline Players)

The Daily Iberian ran a feature article about It's a Wonderful Life, the Evangeline Players' new production, which opens tonight in St. Martinville.

Dance--Performance

The University of Louisiana-Lafayette Department of Performing Arts will present the fall dance concert, State of La Danse, beginning November 20th, 2008. This year's dance concert features current UL dance majors as well as returning graduates of the UL dance department.

The choreographers for this dance concert are Kenneth Jenkins, Kristi Carr, Marie Broussard, Lacey LeBlanc (graduate of the UL-Lafayette program) and Anthony Whitehurst (graduate of the UL-Lafayette program).

The dance conert is held at Angelle Hall on the UL-Lafayette campus on Thursday, November 20th, Friday, November 21st and Saturday, November 22nd at 7:30 pm. There will also be a matinee performance on Sunday, November 23rd at 2 pm.

For more information, please call the UL-Lafayette Department of Performing Arts at
(337) 482-6357.

Theatre--Contest/Performance

The Performing Arts Society of Acadiana (PASA) and Cox Communications are thrilled to announce 17-year-old Lafayette native, Courtney Svendson, as the winner of the "Singing with the Broadway Stars" contest.

The contest is a companion to the upcoming performance of Neil Berg's widely acclaimed 100 Years of Broadway, a musical revue of Broadway's most celebrated shows, which features a dazzling cast of five Broadway stars accompanied by an all-star New York band.

A panel of judges made up of industry professionals selected Svendson to sing a solo onstage as part of the finale of the Lafayette show. The panel also chose Connie Ledet, Brittany Morvant , Kelly Rowland and Brooklyn Woods as runners-up, all of whom will perform with the entire 100 Years of Broadway cast.

According to San Francisco's KABC radio theater critic, Jerry Friedman, "This revue features some of the best songs from the best Broadway shows, all sung by some of the most talented performers working today, singing many of the hit songs that they have sung on Broadway."

100 Years of Broadway recreates the greatest moments from the finest shows of the century featuring the actual stars of shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, CATS, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Jekyll & Hyde. These amazing performers light up the stage with songs from the hit shows in which they starred. Neil Berg presents brilliantly revived arrangements of Broadway classics as well as thrilling numbers from Broadway's newest hit shows.

Past productions of this popular show have featured Betty Buckley, Liz Callaway, Ben Vereen, and Alex Santoriello among others. Along with musical director and pianist Neil Berg, the Heymann Center production will feature Rita Harvey (Christine Daee, Phantom of the Opera), Ray McLeod (Wreck, Wonderful Town), Carter Calvert (Grizabella,Cats), Danny Zolli (Jesus, Jesus Christ Superstar), and Erick Buckley (Jean Valjean, Les Miserables).

100 Years of Broadway will be at the Heymann Center on Thursday November 13 at 7:30 p.m. for one night only. Tickets are on sale at all TicketMaster outlets, online at www.pasa-online.org or by calling the TicketMaster office at (337) 262-8686.

The auditions for the contest ended Friday October 31, at 5 p.m. and was open to anyone ages 15 years or older. Interested applicants submitted video through social networking sites Myspace, Facebook and Youtube or if they did not have access to a video camera, Acadiana Open Channel (AOC) filmed auditions at no charge and, assisted applicants with uploading their video to the competition website. All entrants received an automatic 15% discount on tickets to the show.

Tickets for Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway performance are on sale at all TicketMaster outlets, online at www.pasa-online.org or by calling the TicketMaster office at (337) 262-8686.

For more information about the Performing Arts Society of Acadiana please visit us online at www.pasa-online.org or contact PASA at (337) 237-2787.

Theatre--Audition

IPAL is holding the final day of auditions for its spring production of Oklahoma! at the Essanee Theater in New Iberia on Monday, November 3rd from 5:30-7 p.m. The production will be directed by Don Voorhies. Auditions for all parts are open, and those wishing to obtain materials in advance may call Don Voorhies (364-1975), IPAL (364-6114), or e-mail the production team at ipaloklahoma@cox.net.

Theatre--Performance

On November 14th, 15th, and 16th, Firelight Children’s Theatre will present a pair of one-act plays at Cité des Arts in downtown Lafayette. The younger troupe will perform A Thousand Paper Cranes, the true story of a young survivor of the Hiroshima bombing during WWI. The older thespians will present Mmmmbeth, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s MacBeth with a focus on “Is that laughter I hear before me, the punchline toward my funnybone?”

The shows, directed by Laura Blum, are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. curtain openings on the 14t and 15th, and matinee presentations on the 15th and 16th at 3:00 p.m. For reservations or information, call 291-1122