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November 2009
Bombeck workshop speakers named
Keynote speakers including New York Times columnist Gail Collins, “Late Night With David Letterman” writer Bill Scheft, PBS humorist Loretta LaRoche, best-selling author W. Bruce Cameron and Fox TV co-anchor Steve Doocy have been announced for the 2010 Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop at the University of Dayton.
Online registration begins Tuesday, Dec. 1, for the April 15-17 seminar. More than 300 writers are expected to attend.
To sign up, go to www.humorwriters.org. Fee is $375. Some scholarships are available for UD students.
Other workshop speakers will include: Craig Wilson, USA Today columnist and author; Suzette Martinez-Standring, author of “The Art of Column Writing: Insider Secrets from Art Buchwald”; Christian Lander, who pens the “Stuff White People Like” blog; Sophronia Scott, writing coach; Tracy Beckerman, columnist and author of “Rebel Without a Minivan”; Wade Rouse, memoirist; Karen Walrond, creator of the “Chookooloonks” website; Dayton novelist Katrina Kittle, author Donna Gephart, humorist Danny Gallagher, digital strategist Nettie Hartsock and TNT Publications co-owner Terri Nighswonger.
The event is co-sponsored by the UD National Alumni Association, the University of Dayton’s College of Arts and Sciences, National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Dayton Daily News, Dayton Marriott and the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop Endowment.
Workshop sessions will take place on campus, with dinners at the Dayton Marriott Hotel, 1414 S. Patterson Blvd. Call (937) 229-1404 for more information.
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Shorts sought for film fest
The Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs is seeking submissions for a Yellow Springs Short Film Festival to be held Feb. 21 and 27, 2010.
The event will include finished shorts by local filmmakers from students to professionals and works in progress. Awards will include audience choice honors.
Entry fee is $5 by the early deadline of Jan. 8, 2010, and $10 for the final deadline of Jan. 22, determined by postmark.
The majority of each film must have been shot in Greene and/or Montgomery, Clark, Madison, Fayette, Clinton, Warren County. Exceptions will be considered if a resident of one of those counties has made a film elsewhere. Limit is 15 minutes, with a one- to two-minute leeway.
To submit a film, go to http://www.littleart.com/site.php/shortsfest, which contains the entry form and other submission guidelines. You can also join the festival’s Facebook page for more information and updates: http://www.facebook.com/ysshortfilmfest.
For more information, contact festival director Vanessa Query at: Little Art Theatre, 247 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs, OH 45387; (937) 767-7671 orvanessaquery@gmail.com.
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County gives $1 million in arts grants
Montgomery County will renew a more than decade-long commitment to supporting the arts in the Miami Valley when it awards nearly $1 million in 2009-10 grants to artists and organizations Monday, Nov. 30, at the Dayton Cultural and RTA Center.
One of the few counties in the United States to set aside a portion of income tax receipts for culture, it will distribute $600,000 to 18 major groups with annual budgets of more than $500,000; $140,000 in special project support to 30 mid-sized and emerging groups, and $55,000 in individual fellowships to nine visual artists and one performer.
The focus of individual grants alternates between visual, literary and performing artists from year to year. This year’s category is visual arts.
Following is a list of 2009-10 grant recipients and categories from the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District.
Operating Support: Aullwood Audubon Center, Dayton Art Institute, Dayton Ballet, CityFolk, Dayton History, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Dayton Opera, Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Greater Dayton Public Television, the Human Race Theatre Company, K-12 Gallery for Young People, the Muse Machine, Rhythm in Shoes, Victoria Theatre Association, WDPR (Dayton Public Radio) and We Care Arts. The Schuster Performing Arts Center will also receive support.
Special Project Grants: Bach Society of Dayton, Catholic Education Collaborative, City of Vandalia, City of West Carrollton, Culture Works, Dayton Carvers Guild, Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus, Dayton International Festival, Dayton Jazz Orchestra, Downtown Dayton Partnership, East End Community Services, Gem City Ballet, Gem City Chorus (Sweet Adelines), Home Based Arts, Hope Community Arts Center, Involvement Advocacy (the Blue Sky Project), Jazz Advocate, Kettering Children’s Choir, Learning Tree Farm, Miami Valley Council for Native American Indians, Miami Valley Dance Company, Miami Valley Firefighters, Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra, Oregon District Business Association, Residence in Praise, St. Margaret’s Church, Town Hall Theatre, United Irish (Dayton Celtic Festival), Wright Dunbar Inc., and YWCA’s One Monday Morning Concert Series.
Artist Fellowships: Tim Borgert, Susan Byrnes, Stefan Chinov, Christine Klinger, Carrie Longley, Mark Lyons, Penny Park, Shon Walters and Joel Whitaker.
Dayton actress, teacher and director Sheila Ramsey will receive a lifetime achievement award.
The ceremony will be at 10:30 a.m. The center is located at 40 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd. For more information about the MCACD, go to www.mcohio.org/services/ced/art_cultural.html
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Cartwright to do WYSO drama
Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart on television’s “The Simpsons,” will be featured in Thanksgiving Day broadcasts of the radio drama “If I Were You” on public station WYSO-FM (91.3). Times will be 1 and 8 p.m.
The two-hour show was recorded in September during a performance for a live audience at Kettering Fairmont High School. Cartwright is a Kettering native and Fairmont grad.
The cast also included Pete Scalia, morning news co-anchor on Dayton’s Channels 22 and 45, and several Kettering students. Proceeds from the production were donated to Project READ.
More information is available at www.wyso.org.
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OAC leader gets national post
Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Julie S. Henahan has been elected to the board of directors of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.
She is one of five new members appointed for three-year terms beginning in 2010. The NASAA is the national service organization for state arts councils.
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Young actor to be on ‘Private Practice’
Joey Luthman, 12, who got his start in Dayton area theater and has racked up roles in more than two dozen independent films, will appear in the Thursday, Nov. 19, episode of the television series “Private Practice” (10 p.m. ABC).
He plays Evan Dawson, the same character he played in a previous episode, which earned him a 2009 Young Artist Award.
“Evan is a diabetic and formerly homeless boy who was kidnapped by his dad from an abusive boyfriend of his mother,” said Joey. He’s a sixth-grader at a school in Studio City, Calif., “which is really cool because it’s for actors and athletes who need to be dismissed early for rehearsals and auditions. The school day is from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” he said.
He said it was “great” to get the chance to do another episode on “Private Practice,” adding that a recurring role may be a possibility. “It’s a lot of fun working with everyone on the set.”
The son of Tess and Rick Luthman will also be seen as Dave in the Nickelodeon movie “I Quit iCarly” at 8 p.m. Dec. 5.
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New Lebanon actor stars on Broadway
New Lebanon native Todd Gearhart, who made his Broadway in October as a cast member of the revival of the musical “Bye Bye Birdie,” played the show’s leading male role during performances on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 17 and 18.
He went on for John Stamos, who was in Hollywood for dedication of his star on the Walk of Fame.
Gearhart, a graduate of Dixie High School and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, made his professional stage debut with Dayton’s Human Race Theatre Company.
He is a member of the off-Broadway Actors Theatre Company and has done considerable work on television, from the soaps “All My Children” and “As the World Turns” to “Law and Order,” and “Lipstick Jungle.”
He plays several ensemble roles in “Bye Bye Birdie.” Stamos’s part is Albert Peterson, the manager of Conrad Birdie, an Elvis-like rock ‘n’ roll heartthrob.
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Bio series to feature Zapp and Roger
The 1980s Dayton soul/’funk band Zapp and Roger will be featured at 8 p.m. Nov. 22 in the biographical series “Unsung” on the cable/satellite television network TV One (TMC channel 217).
The series about musicians, singers and groups that fell just short of greatness due to circumstance recently featured Cincinnati’s Bootsy Collins.
Roger Troutman, the leader and singer of Zapp, died in 1999 when he was shot in Dayton by his brother and fellow band member, Larry Troutman, who then turned the gun on himself.
Narrated by Gary Anthony Williams, the hour-long program includes interviews with family members Loretta Troutman, Lester Troutman and Terry Troutman and footage shot in Dayton.
Credited as inspiration for West Coast hip hop and G funk, Zapp was known for popularizing the “talk box” and for hits including “More Bounce to the Ounce,” “Dance Floor,” “I Wanna Be Your Man,” “So Ruff So Tuff” and “Computer Love.”
The Troutmans operated a recording studio in West Dayton for many years and financed the construction of homes for low-income residents in the city.
For more information about “Unsung,” go to www.tvoneonline.com.
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Dayton scores state arts honors
Two male-female duos from the Dayton area have been chosen winners of Ohio’s 2010 Governor’s Awards for the Arts.
Human Race Theatre Company leaders Kevin Moore and Marsha Hanna of Dayton were named in the arts administrator category. Jim and Enid Goubeaux of Greenville were chosen as arts patrons.
The honors will be presented April, 21, 2010, in Columbus.
Hanna, who is artistic director of The Human Race, said the award “came as a total surprise” for her and Moore, the company’s executive director. “Kevin has been nominated several times before, so I think we just figured someone else would win. It’s an even bigger honor for me personally to be named with Kevin.”
The Goubeauxs are longtime supporters and contributors to Dayton arts organizations, primarily The Human Race and WDPR-FM.
“They are sweet and wonderful people with no agenda other than supporting the arts,” Hanna said.
Moore, who has a national reputation for developing new musicals, has gotten out from behind his desk to star as Don Quixote in The Human Race’s current production of the musical “Man of La Mancha” at The Loft Theatre.
Ohio Arts Council board member and awards panelist Sharon Howard of Dayton said it’s the second year in a row the Miami Valley has captured multiple arts awards.
Other 2010 winners, chosen from among 79 nominees across the state, are: Sylvia Easley of Cleveland Heights for arts education, American Electric Power for business support of the arts, Donna Sue Groves of Manchester for community development and participation, and Columbus poet Andrew Hudgins as individual artist.
There were 20 other nominees from the region.
Dayton: Mike Elsass , arts patron; Michael Ervin, community development and participation; Freund, Freeze and Arnold, business support; Michael K. Lippert, arts education; Ohio Art Education Association, arts education; Rhythm in Shoes co-directors Sharon Leahy and Rick Good, individual artists; Benjamin Schuster, arts patron; Stivers School for the Arts, arts education, and the University of Dayton, community development and participation.
Fairborn: Morris Home Furnishings, business support.
Greenville: Nancy Fourman, arts education.
Kettering: Michael Bashaw, individual artist.
Piqua: Piqua Arts Council, arts education.
Springfield: Eric A. Bess, arts education; Clark State Performing Arts Center, community development and participation, and D. Scot Davidge, arts education.
Hamilton: City of Hamilton, “Ohio City of Sculpture,” community development and participation; and Harry T. Wilks, arts patron.
Oxford: James D. McWilliams, arts education.
More information is available at www.oac.state.oh,us/events/govawards.
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Play depicts Jesus, apostles as gay
“Hair” with nude hippies is one thing. Jesus and the disciples as homosexuals is another.
That’s the next attraction at the Dayton Playhouse, where the Terrence McNally play “Corpus Christi” opens Friday, Nov. 13.
The drama depicts Jesus (named Joshua) and the apostles as gay men in 1950s Corpus Christi, Texas, McNally’s hometown. Translated from Latin, the words Corpus Christi mean the body of Christ.
The play has stirred controversy since its 1998 premiere in New York. McNally, who is openly gay, received death threats. The 2000 premiere in England attracted a death fatwa for the playwright.
Dayton Playhouse officials said they anticipate no protests.
“We are fortunate to reside in such an artistic and accepting community,” executive director Wade Hamilton said. “Patrons often praise our smaller and more thought-provoking plays. This is exactly that. Although it puts a highly controversial spin on an old and familiar story, the message is still clear. It’s a story of love, acceptance and forgiveness.”
Dayton Playhouse board chairman Brian Sharp said patrons are being encouraged “to come with an open mind and prepare to leave challenged and changed.”
“Corpus Christi” mixes the mid-20th century (television) with the historic (Roman occupation). One plot twist has Judas betraying Jesus because of jealousy. It has been praised for exploring gay themes in Christianity and condemned as blasphemy or sacrilege.
Dayton actor Michael Boyd, who is directing, provided this synopsis. “It traces the birth, early life, ministry and death of a prophet who is born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. He brings a message of love and acceptance — that all people are equal under God. His teachings fall on deaf ears and lead to his persecution and murder.”
Sean Frost will play Joshua. Apostles will be portrayed by: Chuck Larkowski, James Roselli, Max Monnig, Ian Manuel, Franklin Johnson, Matt Turner, Matthew Smith, Greg Nichols, Robb Willoughby, Daniel Bayes, Mike Stockstill and Mark Diffenderfer.
“Corpus Christi” is intended for mature audiences, Boyd said. It includes strong language and “unvarnished situations.”
“Corpus Christi” will be presented at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 13-22, at the Dayton Playhouse, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave. Tickets are $10-$15 at (937) 424-8477 or www.daytonplayhouse.org.
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‘New Moon’ ticket sales in orbit
Shane Wright was a concession stand clerk the last time a midnight showing sold out at Showcase Huber Heights.
“It was Star Wars II” (2002), Wright said.
Now the theater’s manager, he reported on Tuesday, Nov. 11, that the 12:01 a.m. Nov. 19 premiere of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” was already sold out.
“Our second showing is still 82 percent available, but I think that may go, too. We will keep adding showings until we run out of prints,” he said. “Start times will each be five minutes later than the previous one.”
Based on a best-selling novel in Stephenie Meyer’s series, “New Moon” is the sequel to “Twilight,” which raked in almost $384 million worldwide in 2008.
Online merchant movietickets.com told CNN on Wednesday, Nov. 11, that 74 percent of its sales this week had been for “New Moon.” The sequel had sold more than four times as many seats as “Twilight” had at this point. Nationally, more than 1,300 showings were sold out.
Dayton area ticket buyers have also been ravenous at Regal Hollywood 20 in Fairfield Commons, where the premiere was posted as sold out on line as of Tuesday, Nov. 10. Seats were still available for future screenings.
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Win tickets to The Nutcracker
Children can win free tickets to the Dayton Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’ by entering a coloring contest.
Dayton Ballet and WHIO-TV are sponsoring the Sugar Plum Fairy Coloring Contest in conjunction with Dayton Ballet’s The Nutcracker which returns to the Benjamin and Marion Schuster Performing Arts Center December 11-20.
Children ages 4-10 may apply by downloading the coloring page available by clicking the link in the upper right corner on the ballet’s website www.daytonballet.org or by submitting their original artwork representing The Nutcracker theme.
The deadline is Saturday, Nov. 28 at 5 p.m.
The dancers will select the winners.
Winners will receive four tickets to The Nutcracker, four tickets to the Behind the Magic Backstage Tour and an autographed keepsake from the Sugarplum Fairy and the Dayton Ballet Dancers.
Each submission must include the child’s name, age, address, city, state, zip code and parent or guardian phone number or email on the reverse side.
Entries should be sent or delivered to Sugar Plum Fairy Coloring Contest c/o Dayton Ballet, 140 N. Main Street, Dayton, OH 45402 or by email to diane.schoeffler-warren@daytonballet.org.
Only one entry per child will be accepted. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
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Air Force Band to honor vets
The U.S. Air Force Band of Flight will present a “War in Remembrance” concert Nov. 6 and 7 in honor of Veterans Day.
The performances will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Modern Flight Gallery of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located on Springfield Street, six miles northeast of downtown Dayton.
The program will include war-themed music from Biblical times to today, including the Revolutionary War march “Chester Overture for Band,” “the Vietnam memorial “Heroes, Lost and Fallen” and the Tuskeegee Airmen tribute “Let Me Fly,” sung by Staff Sgt. Felita Rowe.
Admission and parking are free, but seating is limited to 1,200. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Call (937) 255-5924 for more information.
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Kids sought for ‘Oz’ musical
Youth tryouts for roles as munchkins and flying monkeys in local performances of a touring production of “Oz: The Musical” will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, and 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 33 E. Fifth St.
Kids ages 6 to 16 are eligible. There is no fee. Up to 200 will be cast.
The show was written and directed by Todrick D. Hall, who performed on Broadway in the musical “A Color Purple.” “Theater has consumed my life since my childhood. I want to give other kids a chance to try it,” he said.
The production will include six featured performers in the main roles: Aundrea Fimbres of Danity Kane as Dorothy, Nathaniel Flatt of V-Factory as Tinman, Orlando Brown of the Disney Channel’s “That’s So Raven” as the Lion, Ryne Sanborn of “High School Musical 1, 2 and 3” as the Wizard, Vonzell “Baby Z” Solomon as Glinda/Aunt Em, and Thayne Jasperson of “So You think You Can Dance” and “HSM 1 and 2” as Scarecrow.
Hall said the show is a contemporary version. “Everyone has a cell phone. Glinda is a news reporter who comes to cover the landing of the Witch of the East Side. There are three doo-wop girls and 14 original songs in styles from country and r&b to Latin and musical theater.”
The show will open in Dayton and move on to six other cities. One of the sponsors here is the Jeanette Popp School of Dance, where rehearsals will take place.
Performances will be Dec. 4-6 at the Dayton Convention Center Theatre. Tickets are $20 and will go on sale Nov. 9 through Ticketmaster.
More information about the show and audition requirements is available at www.ozthemusical.com.
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Cedar Point seeks talent at WSU
Talent scouts from Cedar Point amusement park will seek entertainers and technicians during auditions from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Wright State University. Location is Room T251 in the Creative Arts Center.
Singers, dancers, musicians, stage managers, sound and light technicians, stage crew members, costume personnel, people to play “Peanuts” characters, karaoke hosts, DJs and ushers will be hired for th 2010 season.
Applicants must be at least 18 by May 2010. Audition pieces will be limited to between 16 and 32 bars of music. A CD player and piano will be available.
Those who can’t attend tryouts can can send audio and/or videotape with a resume to: Cedar Point Live Entertainment, One Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky, OH 44870-5259. For more information, contact the Live Entertainment Division at (419) 627-2388, by e-mail at liveshows@cedarpoint.com or online at cedarpoint.com.
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Kings Island wants entertainers
You won’t have to ride a roller coaster to land a job at Kings Island next season.
You will have to audition.
Tryouts and interviews for prospective singers, dancers, entertainers, costumed Peanuts characters, costumers, sound operators, lighting operators and stage crew members will be Nov. 13-15 at the park.
Here’s the schedule:
Nov. 13: 5 to 7:30 p.m. — singers, atmosphere entertainers, Peanuts characters, technicians and costumers; 7:30 p.m. — dancers.
Nov. 14: 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — singers, atmosphere acts, Peanuts characters, technicians, costumers; 2 p.m. — dancers.
Nov. 15: 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — singers, atmosphere acts, Peanuts characters, technicians, costumers; 2 p.m. — dancers.
Times listed are for registration. Auditions will be limited to two minutes and take place in order of arrival within the talent category, but the process may take a long time. Be prepared to wait. Applicants must be at least 15.
Kings Island is located at 6300 Kings Island Drive, Kings Island 54034, just off I-71 between Cincinnati and Dayton.
For more information about what to prepare and bring, call the Kings Island’s Entertainment Department at (513) 754-5740 or visit www.visitkingsisland.com.
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Keith Urban coming to Country Concert
Keith Urban is the first artist to commit to perform at Country Concert at Hickory Hill Lakes in July 2010.
Urban will play in a Saturday night slot, designated for the headliners of the concert.
The rest of the lineup will be determined over the next several months for the event which has gone on for more than 30 years at Fort Loramie.
Also, the concert will now be a three-day event instead of the traditional four-day concert. At the end of each concert, attendees are given a survey and according to Country Concert organizers, the was “overwhelming popular demand” that the concert take place over three days.
So, Country Concert will be held, Thursday, July 8, Friday, July 9 and Saturday, July 10.
The new three-day tickets are priced the same as last year’s three-day tickets. There are a lot more ticket packages, so go to CountryConcert.com for more information.
Tickets go on sale November 23.
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