…we’d like to apologize for the lack of activity here on The Buddha Den as of late. It’s been a busy summer and we’re just starting to get caught up on all the Dayton goodness that’s happening. At this time, we’d like to direct yr attention toward an excellent young band, Sleep Fleet. This high-octane trio will be celebrating the release of their debut EP, Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning tonight with a show at South Park Tavern. In case you haven’t heard of these youngsters as yet, take a moment and visit their BandCamp site where they are streaming the EP for free right now. You can (and should) either head out to the show this evening or purchase the digital version online. Have a listen now and be sure to check out the show tonight, which will also feature Jasper the Colossal and Joe Camerlengo [who also recorded the EP]. See you there…
Archives for August 2010
Laissez les bon temps roulez with Cowboy Mouth Singer/Songwriter
From CityFolk Press Release:
You may not know New Orleans musicians Paul Sanchez, Alex McMurray, Matt Perrine, andWashboard Chaz by name, but if you’ve been watching HBO’sTreme, then you definitely know their songs. The four will be at theTrolley Stop on August 18 with “Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show”. This New Orleans party starts at 8:30 pm.
HBO’s Treme–which (in their own words) “chronicles the rebuilding of a unique American culture after historic devastation”–just completed its first season to critical acclaim. David “The Wire” Simon’s show has helped to bolster the profiles of several working musicians who continued on in the post-Katrina days. For example Sanchez–well-known in the South as a member of the band Cowboy Mouth–was featured with singer John Boutté on their song “At the Foot of Canal Street” in one episode. The show has been widely recognized as finally being a movie or television production that “gets” what real life is like in New Orleans and the role that music plays in that day-to-day existence.
Sanchez (pictured here) talks about life in New Orleans since Katrina in 2005: “Ultimately what we lost is the same thing many around the world had lost before us and many more have lost since. We lost our illusions, the illusion that we had control over levees, politics, human nature, our careers, our futures, our past. What we have is the present, which is all any of us really have… I lost all that I had but have created so much since, and stripped of my illusions, my songs ring more true to me then ever before, one more step on the road to redemption.”
He continues, “I found out that being a ‘mid-level rock star struggling with the limitations of my own career’, (like the guys in the movie Almost Famous), was not what I had aspired to when I picked up the guitar. I wanted to play and write the best songs I could while I was still on the planet–rock, jazz, country, folk, theatrical, pop, whatever the muse delivers. I found out that I am New Orleans, I love New Orleans…”
The concept of the Rolling Road Show is to feature each of these front men individually and in group sets. Each gets his chance at center stage, and according to Sanchez “…then you basically have a stage full of frontmen who are pretty happy and inspired by what the other people are doing.”
The show in Dayton is being supported by sponsors including Cityfolk, CompuNet Clinical Laboratories, Rue Dumaine restaurant, and The Trolley Stop. Tickets are $10 and are available at The Trolley Stop, Cityfolk, and Rue Dumaine. Contact Tom Perlic at 910-0806 for more information.
Coco’s Cares- Dine For A Cause
Coco’s Bistro has partnered with the Victoria Theatre Association’s Physicians for Kids Discovery Series to help raise funds by committing to donate $1/meal served from August 16th – Sept 15th.
Through the Physicians for Kids Discovery Series, the stage becomes a classroom–a place where theatre professionals partner with educators and parents to ignite students’ quest to discover the world, each other, and most importantly, themselves.
Theatre naturally combines learning across disciplines. Where else do history, English, language arts, drama, music and fine art come together? Physicians for Kids Discovery Series performances are professionally produced theatre presentations designed to comply with the Ohio Department of Education Academic Standards and Benchmarks. Students and teachers can download detailed study guides to enhance their theatre experience. Workshops for students and teachers by theatre professionals, as well as scholarship and busing opportunities for schools with financial concerns, add to the extensive opportunities offered by the Physicians for Kids Discovery Series. More than 30,000 students annually attend the Physicians for Kids Discovery Series.
Coco’s Bistro
515 Wayne Ave
Dayton, OH 45410
937.228.Coco (2626)
Coco’s Hours:
Dinner: 5:00 am – 11:00 pm
Five Rivers MetroParks Charlie Shoemaker Retires
Press Release from Five Rivers MetroParks
DAYTON — Five Rivers MetroParks Executive Director Charlie Shoemaker will announce to the Five Rivers MetroParks Board of Commissioners today his decision to retire as of February 28, 2011. The Board meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., Friday, August 13, 2010, at Cox Arboretum MetroPark, 6733 Springboro Pike, Dayton.
“I have spent more than 33 wonderful years with Five Rivers MetroParks,” Shoemaker said in his address to the park system’s management team earlier in the day on Friday, August 13. “I will never truly be able to separate myself from what this agency stands for, or from the people who have made it the outstanding organization that it is today. I have seen tremendous growth over that time and know that the Board, along with MetroParks management, employees and supporters, will continue to honor the role of Five Rivers MetroParks,” Shoemaker said. “I also know that the tradition of community involvement will continue in new and creative ways that maintain and expand loyalty to this extraordinary asset.”
Alan Pippenger, president of the Five Rivers MetroParks Board of Commissioners, said, “Under Charlie Shoemaker’s leadership, MetroParks has accomplished a very significant feat: The park system has created new ways to serve the community while always adhering to its mission of protecting our land, connecting the community with nature and conservation, enhancing quality of life, and increasing awareness of our rivers as recreational assets. Equally important, with Charlie’s leadership, MetroParks has consistently acted as a responsible steward of Montgomery County taxpayers’ dollars.”
Pippenger cited the PNC 2nd Street Market, the enhancement of RiverScape MetroPark, the expansion of bikeways, the agency’s first mountain bike facility, and the re-designed Hills & Dales MetroPark as just the most recent accomplishments of MetroParks under Shoemaker’s leadership.
Pippenger also said the Board will undertake a national search for Shoemaker’s replacement. He said the three-member Board has discussed the process, reviewed prospective search firms, and plans to select a search firm with specific experience in finding and recommending senior leadership for park systems and land conservations organizations.
Two Big Hits at The Neon AND LGBT Film Festival Preview
It’s rare to have 2 films performing well. It’s even more rare for 2 films to perform well during the summer months (arthouse attendance traditionally does better in the winter months – read “award season”). That said, we have 2 films that are breaking summer records for THE NEON. If you haven’t seen WINTER’S BONE or THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, you need to make it down to THE NEON. We are going to hold both films for another week.
The Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Festival is swinging into action for its 5th year! Mark your calendars for September 24-26. In the coming days, all details will be available on the official website. For now, you can view trailers of the opening, centerpiece and closing films – each has been winning awards at festivals around the world:
I KILLED MY MOTHER (Sept. 24) – CLICK HERE
A MARINE STORY (Sept. 25) – CLICK HERE
UNDERTOW (Sept. 26) – CLICK HERE
And Living City is at it again! This year, the festival will be a celebration of the career of Jeff Bridges. Titles include THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW and THE BIG LEBOWSKI (each on 35mm)…a full line-up and dates (October/November) will be announced soon.
And now for FREE TICKET information.
Your odds are good to win. Only 3 people have posted reviews!!
If you see a movie at THE NEON, you can now comment on the film for everyone in town to see…right here on DaytonMostMetro.com.
During the month of August, write a review for a film that’s currently playing at THE NEON – by commenting on my posts.
At the end of the month, we’ll select two winners to win a pair of tickets to THE NEON. If the response is good, we’ll do it again in September. (You can only review a specific film one time…but if we have 5 films play in one month, you could possibly have 5 entries.) Good luck & Happy Reviewing! (Drop me a note if you have any questions.)
We hope to see you soon.
Take care,
Jonathan
SHOWTIMES for August 13 – August 19:
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (R) 104 Minutes
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:30, 2:50, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45
Monday – Thursday: 2:50, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45
WINTER’S BONE (R) 100 Minutes
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:20, 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40
Monday – Thursday: 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40
COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative.
Aug. 20 THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE
Aug. 20 COCO CHANEL AND IGOR STRAVINSKY
Aug. 27 JOAN RIVERS – A PIECE OF WORK
Aug. 27 GET LOW
Sept. 10 FAREWELL
Sept. 17 ANIMAL KINGDOM
Sept. 24 WILD GRASS
Oct. 8 LEBANON
Oct. 15 A WOMAN, A MAN & A NOODLE SHOP
The Shangrila Of Spirit
Mahalo To Festiki
Several years ago, when Bill Winger opened Daddy Katz in Moraine, I met up with him to try and understand the clientele that he was catering to: the tiki culture. His shop seemed to be a virtual catchall of kitsch, with black velvet Polynesian themed paintings, Surf Ohio clothing, old bicycles and skates, hot rod memorabilia and a variety of other items that seemed to have little or no relation, but at the same time, seemed to encompass a larger cultural statement, all set to a rockabilly/exotica soundtrack. When we first sat down, Bill said:
“It does go back to a much simpler lifestyle. I think people were much more interested in enjoying life. Maybe they weren’t as stressed out. I don’t know, because at that time, I hadn’t even born yet. Now, people who have lived through that time period might tell you something different. But, we look back at those times and thing, ‘God, life was easier back then.’ That’s part of the draw with what’s going on with this.” Bill went on to explain that, “There are large groups that are getting bigger out there that really enjoy the old tiki lounge/bars. They enjoy a properly mixed drink. You go to a lot of restaurants and ask for a Mai Tai and they slam it together and say, ‘Here!’ A real Mai Tai needs to be mixed with proper ingredients and care and served properly. The people who are into the tiki culture appreciate that. I mean, you can tell a properly mixed drink versus this crap that they give you at some bars. According to some of the tiki sites, there are some groups out there. One of the groups is the FOM, the Fraternal Order of the Moai (FOM) and they are an organization which cultivates the old tiki bars and restaurants and the things like the properly mixed drinks and some of the lifestyles that it represents.”
Fast forward years later to 2009 and I find myself reviewing an event that fully represented this culture: Festiki. Festiki is the brainchild of Ron Kaplan, a friend of Bill’s and the creator of the cult fashion statement known simply as Surf Ohio. Ron’s concept was that this sense of lifestyle was more of a state of mind rather than a place, which he so eloquently demonstrated with his ubiquitous surfer riding the crest of a mythical Midwestern wave. Last year’s festival kind of came out of nowhere and there were very few people (speaking strictly of those who weren’t already in the loop) who knew exactly what to expect. There was a feeling of trepidation on Ron Kaplan’s part as he sought out sponsors for Festiki’s first outing.
“This is only year two and I can certainly remember last year going to potential sponsors and having many of them cock an eyebrow, saying, ‘Surf Ohio, what?’ or ‘What’s Surf Ohio?’” Kaplan said dryly. “It’s kind of like a joke: if you have to explain the punchline, then it’s most probably a lost cause.”
Yet, against all the fears of failure, the 2009 Festiki, by all accounts, was a huge success. It offered the public a radically different experience from the usual fairway kiosks and funnel cake trailers. Under a vibrant caul of rockabilly/surf sounds, the crowds mingled in a relaxed atmosphere of a shared experience. In relating to the creation of Festiki and the issues he faced the first year, Kaplan explained that:
“Well, I really kind of created it intuitively…the event almost channeled itself through me. As I got the idea for it, like a lot of big ideas, it’s a lot of small ideas over time that come together. I was, though, pleasantly surprised. Given the number of meetings I had with potential sponsors, so many of them looked at me like I was kind of nuts, I thought, ‘Gee, is that going to the public’s perception too?’” Kaplan went on to say that, “I think people got it though, and that’s why they came out in droves. The other thing was just seeing it all unfolding and everybody just having a great time…that was really heartening and I knew then that I absolutely was going to do another one. Of course, I had and have a great group of volunteers and vendors and suppliers helping me.”
This year’s Festiki promises to be bigger and better, without falling into the the cavernous commercial abyss that other festivals seem to fall prey to. Festiki is more of an organically conceptualized event where leisure and relaxation are the key elements rather than a frantic headlong run in an attempt to have fun. At Festiki, one can wander about, checking out the enlightening displays, gaze in awe at the spectacularly detailed award winning sand sculptures created by Ted Siebert, partake in Polynesian inspired cuisine or just lie back and relax as the waves of rocakbilly/surf music wash over you. This is more a communal communion of cultures as opposed to the individual desperation of distraction that passes for entertainment nowadays. During our conversation, Kaplan describes it as “the ultimate staycation.”
“There are a lot of people that can’t take that trip. I mean, you can’t go to the Gulf Coast because it’s all covered in oil, and maybe you can’t afford the condo in Hilton Head this summer for the whole clan, so for ten bucks, at least for a day, you can feel like you went to the shore and kicked back under the rustling palms with your beverage of choice and listened to some great tunes.”
As for the “great tunes,” you can catch The Space Cossacks, a surf revival band out of Washington, D.C. Then there is Vegas 66 from Columbus whose style is given the all encompassing description of “swingin’ surfa-rocka-psycho-punka-jazza-you name it.” Other bands include Tyrd Fyrgysyn and the MasterXploders, the Maderia, Crazy Joe and the Mad River Outlaws and, rounding out the bill, Dayton’s own Nick Kizirnis Band, whose surf music has graced several television shows. Other entertainment included Surfabilly Freakout, a troupe of Djs serving up a distinctively eclectic portion of music ranging from exotica to psychobilly music. The beautifully expressive Leilani Duteil brings the traditional hula dance to Dayton, accompanied by vocals and guitar work of Francis Llacuna and the characteristic sound of the slack key guitar played by O’ahu native, Curtis Silva. The Soul Fyre Tribe lights up the night with their martial arts inspired fire dancing. One thing to keep an eye out for is the unparalleled artistically destructive display presented by Kevin Moore, the “hot rod tiki carver,” who will carve a giant tiki by hand, then set it on fire using the flame thrower dual exhausts of his blacked out rat rod.
Festiki will be held on August 14th from at the historic Old River Park, which is located on River Road, with access to it from behind 1611 S. Main St. Admission is $10 for those 18 and up, $5 for students 10 to 18 and those under 9 are admitted for free. The events start at noon and run until after 10 pm. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Surfrider Foundation, for not only education in surfing activities, but also to keep the coastal areas pristine. Festiki is a production created by Surf Ohio and the Fraternal Order of the Moai. For more information, go to the Festiki website at http://www.fraternalorderofmoai.org/festiki/ .
Where Am I? August 11, 2010
Hint: It takes a village
Last week’s Where Am I? August 4, 2010 was Winston Heat Treating. You’ve seen the sign, 711 East 2nd Street- right across the street from the 2nd Street Public Market. What do they do? They heat things up for food processing, medical tooling, aerospace industries to name a few. Kinda cool, er, I mean, hot, right?
Wednesday night: dreamy music from near and far
A break in routine can provide a refreshing look, or in this case listen. Forgoing the usual Rock and Roll Playdate, this Wednesday South Park Tavern will be welcoming The Delta Mirror from LA. This trio began as a hip-hop duo in the 90’s and now produces dreamy ambient rock with an electronic beat.
Take a listen to their track, And The Radio Played On:
The Delta Mirror will be joined onstage by local electronic-experimental artist Outside Residential and electro-acoustic singer-songwriter BJSR. The show gets started around 9pm and costs $5. The Rock and Roll Playdate will return to South Park Tavern next Wednesday.
The Glenn Miller Orchestra comes to Dayton
Although Glenn Miller disappeared on a plane flying over the English Channel in 1944, the orchestra that bares his name is still alive and well under the leadership of trombonist Larry O’Brien. The Glen Miller Orchestra will be performing at Gilly’s this Friday, August 13th beginning at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance from Half Price Books and Huber Music & Video. It’ll be an evening of big band music with a dance floor.
Here’s a little something to put you in the mood for Friday night’s show. It’s the original Glenn Miller Orchestra performing one of their signature songs from the movie Sun Valley Serenade.
Training Tuesday: Buying Running Shoes
Running can be very physically and emotionally demanding, and without the right shoes on your feet it can be very painful. With the right shoes you can expect to be less injury prone and will have faster times and more enjoyable and comfortable runs. The best way to find the perfect shoes for you is to go to a local running store where your feet can be looked at and you can count on expert opinion for recommendations. For a list of great stores you can check here. For a great local store, check out Up and Running, which is located on Far Hills Avenue. For those of you who don’t have a great local store or simply don’t have the time, there is a simple at-home test you can do to decide what kind of feet you have.
The water test is something that can easily be done at home, with only a few simple items. (This test is a rough estimate of what shoe it will determine you to buy, for the best results you should consult a specialty running store and have your foot examined) You will need a pan that is a few inches deep, a piece of colored construction paper or brown grocery bag works best. The pan should be filled with water enough to immerse the entire sole of your foot.
- Place your foot in the pan and immerse your bare foot with water
- In a quick motion, remove your foot from the pan and step immediately on the brown piece of paper and step firmly
- Remove your foot from the paper gently and you should see one of the three images below
Low/Flat Arch
You have overpronation which requires a motion control shoe. If your feet are on the more moderately flat side, stability shoes may work for you. Your shoes will wear quickly in the inside of the shoe, as your foot will roll inward. Shoes with good inside support and cushion work best here. These shoes can prevent injuries that are common with this type of arch, and help to hold the foot in place correctly.
Medium/Normal Arch
You have neutral pronation, which means that the weight from each strike is distributed evenly and is the most desirable for running. Almost any shoe will work, but I would recommend a stability shoe for extra cushioning. This foot type is the most common. Stability shoes generally have more cushion in the mid sole. You should see equal wear on each side of the shoe with this type of arch.
High Arch
You have underpronation (supination) This is the least common type of arch and will shoe wear on the outside of the shoe towards the back. It is best to look for shoes with a lot of cushion in the middle of the shoe and have good shock absorption. These shoes tend to be more flexible than others, and make sure to stray from stability shoes, as they may worsen the problem of supination.
Runner’s World has a great database of reviews and ratings an almost every running shoe imaginable. Just follow the link, and check the box for which shoe type you want and it will spit out a ton of information to decide what shoe you want to test out. Runner’s World has also just come out with a Fall Shoe Guide, which depicts the best shoes in each category, along with video reviews.
Whichever way you decide to buy your running shoes, it is extremely important to try them out onsite. Most places will let you do this, so just ask! It also helps to put a different type of shoe on each foot, as this helps with comparison. I hope this short guide has helped you decide what kind of shoes to consider buying or maybe even gave you an idea or two if you were totally clueless about it.
How Do You Get YOUR News These Days?
Sitting around the pool last week, my friends and I were discussing the Dayton region news media options. We all agreed that since we have young children, watching the evening news introduces too much violence and complex subject material. Most of us had canceled our newspaper subscriptions long ago and use the web as our primary news source. The conversation went something like this.
“Do you find yourself getting your news from your Facebook newsfeed more than DDN?”
Practically in unison, my 3 friends replied “yes.” One said “The news covered in DDN isn’t really news for me… it is like reading the police blotter. And a house fire on the other side of town just isn’t news.” Another said “I connect with the Facebook pages for news sources that I like – NPR, DMM, and Huffington Post. Then I read the stories that are of interest to me.” My other friend said “You don’t get neighborhood specific news anymore from a newspaper… but you don’t really need it because you have your neighbors as your Facebook friends and they tell you the news… or you have the city of Dayton as your Facebook friend and they give you the news. With so little in-depth investigative reporting, the traditional media just doesn’t have much more to offer.”
While I live in something of a bubble devoid of news sometimes, I hear about the important things… Proposition 8, toxic fires causing air pollution where I live, LeBron James going to Miami (ok, not important but keeps me from “living under a rock” status)… etc. all from Facebook first… then I go to another source to get more details.
Here are some interesting statistics…
- Facebook is considered the 4th largest source of traffic for news and media sites after Google, Yahoo! And MSN.
- 44% of news readers say they share news and information via social networks (usually Facebook and Twitter)
- Traffic to news sites directed from Facebook has grown to over 3.5% from .5% in the last year. Google News has not seen significant growth in the same time period (only 1.39%.)
What about you? Do you still rely on traditional media sources, or do you find yourself using social networks to get local and national news? Do you now Google or Facebook more?
Accidentally Coming of Age
Next Thing You Know
ENCORE THEATER COMPANY
Encore Theater Company in association with Sinclair Community College will present a developmental production of the new musical NEXT THING YOU KNOW written by Drama Desk Nominees JOSHUA SALZMAN & RYAN CUNNINGHAM August 12-14, 2010 at Sinclair’s Blair Hall Theatre. (Note…there is an opportunity for you to win tickets to this show. Details are found at the end of this post!)
Joshua Salzman (music) and Ryan Cunningham (book and lyrics) met at the NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Their thesis musical, I Love You Because went on to be professionally produced Off-Broadway, earned a Drama Desk nomination for the team, spawned a cast album on PS Classics and garnered a licensing deal with Theatrical Rights Worldwide, resulting in productions both nationally and internationally including Encore Theater Company’s own regional production several seasons ago.
“The opportunity to see our show developed outside of NY, under a dedicated and enthusiastic team of actors and directors, is invaluable”, says composer Joshua Salzman, “The nurturing and safe environment ETC provides for musical theater writers to hone their craft is essential to the creative process of developing a new musical”.
Salzman & Cunningham spent several days in Dayton developing the show which the creators describe this way:
“Real life comes real fast. One day you wake up, and instead of a hangover, you have a job. Instead of a fling, you have a live-in girlfriend. And instead of naïve dreams, you have reality. For four artists in New York City, discovering yourself can take a lot longer than you think. The little joys and compromises that bring us into adulthood are brought to life in this all-new musical”.
The cast for the Dayton engagement of NEXT THING YOU KNOW includes: Amy Leigh (Waverly), Matthew D. Curry (Luke), BethAnn Wipprecht (Lisa) and JJ Parkey (Darren). Production staff include David Brush (Director), Shawn Storms (Assistant Director), Jackson Gallagher (Lighting Design), Nathan Dean (Sound Design), and Ally Wetz (Stage Manager).
The cast and staff of NEXT THING YOU KNOW shared some thoughts with me about working directly with the writing team, and what it means to originate a character in a brand new piece of musical theater. Excerpts are below, but you can read more of their thoughts on the production blog at NextThingYouKnowDayton.wordpress.com and listen to an interview with the cast and writing team at MusicalWorld.us .
As the weekend with the writer’s approached in July, what did you feel most anxious about?
Amy Leigh: “I was nervous that Josh and Ryan were seeing us do the entire show just after we’d blocked it, before we had time to settle into the scenes. I wanted to prove to them that, although we might stumble on lines, lyrics, or notes here and there, that we honor the original intent of their show. But they were anything but judgmental. They seemed to truly appreciate seeing the show on its feet, and having their input really completed the experience for me.”
JJ Parkey: “I was afraid that their presence in the room would be really intimidating, but as it turns out, Ryan and Josh are absolutely WONDERFUL to work with. They were so very supportive of what we were all doing, and the entire weekend was a very positive experience. Ryan and Josh brought about a sense of grounding to the project for me.
Describe the experience of working directly with the creators of a new piece of theater.
Matthew D. Curry: “Having Josh there to guide us through deeper meaning of our music, and Ryan giving us hints and clues to where our character’s thoughts lie, weather we thought we had it or not, gave me personally a truer look into Luke. And that’s an experience you never get with just a script and our own analysis of the writer’s words.”
What has it been like, leading a team of actors through the discovery of new characters that have never before been seen on stage?
Shawn Storms, assistant director: “I have found this process easier than the work I have done with new plays. I feel that it has much to do with the extremely talented cast of this show. They have been open and eager to try new things; go with the flow. I feel that without that beautiful collaborative spirit, this show would never have evolved in the many ways it has.
It has been a pleasure to witness each character’s evolution. To see the script change, new moments discovered, and songs soar. I hope that our audiences see what a gem this show is!”
Why did ETC choose a new musical, one that nobody in Dayton has even heard of before, as the finale for it’s summer theatrical season?
David Brush, director: “This kind of development is what new shows need – a long term commitment to walk a show from one step to the next and allow creators to make changes, additions and deletions along the way. This gets at the very heart of ETC’s mission and we are thrilled to kick off the program with two amazing young, fresh talents like Ryan and Josh.”
NEXT THING YOU KNOW is part of Encore Theater Company’s New Musicals In Development program which includes a focus on developing new work through podcasts, readings, and development productions.
For more Information & Tickets, visit:
NEXT THING YOU KNOW (August 12-14) Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 on the day of the performance. Please note: this show contains adult language and situations. Visit http://www.EncoreTheaterCompany.com for tickets.
WIN TICKETS TO Next Thing You Know!
Encore Theater Company & DaytonMostMetro.com are giving away a pair of tickets to NEXT THING YOU KNOW. It’s really easy to enter. The deadline to enter is Noon on Wednesday, August 11th.
1. In the comment section below, answer this question…WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE OMELET INGREDIENTS? (Yeah, we know…it doesn’t make sense, but if you come see NTYK it will!)
2. Share this DMM post on Facebook! At the bottom of this post there are buttons to like, tweet & share this…Please share it! For every 10 FACEBOOK SHARES of this post, we’ll add a pair of tickets (up to 6 pairs!). The more people who share this, the more chances there are to win!
Dayton Area Casting Calls:
Grey Gardens: The Musical
THE SEED THEATRE PROJECT Open Auditions
Continuing the 2010-2011 theatrical season with the SEED theatre project will be the area premier of Scott Frankel, Michael Korie & Doug Wright’s musical Grey Gardens. Grey Gardens: The Musical will be directed by Adam J. Leigh. In addition, Judy Mansky serves as music director while Shayne Thomas Petty serves as assistant director.
Fresh from Broadway where it was nominated for ten Tony Awards in 2007, this new musical was inspired by the 1975 Maysles brothers documentary of the same name. Grey Gardens tells the entertaining and poignant story of two unconquerable women, Edith Bouvier Beale and her adult daughter Edie, the eccentric aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Once known as two of the brightest stars in the social register, these two women became East Hampton’s most infamous “reclusive inhabitants”, sharing their rundown 28-room mansion with 52 stray cats and rabid raccoons. From the glittering high society of 1940s New York to the tabloid headlines that rocked the Kennedy clan in 1970s, Grey Gardens hurls you into American royalty and poses the questions: When do private lives become public fascinations? How much is too much? And where does it stop?
Open Auditions for this show will be held on Tuesday, August 10th and Wednesday, August 11th. They will begin at 7pm each night. Auditions will be held at The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center – 1000 N. Keowee Street – Dayton, OH 45420. Performers will only need to attend one night of auditions for consideration.
Performance dates are Friday, November 5th and Saturday, November 6th, 2010.
For more information please contact Adam Leigh via phone at (937)219-7835 or via email at [email protected] or visit SEED’s website for casting requirements and additional audition details: www.SEEDtheatreproject.org
The Sugar Witch
THE DAYTON THEATRE GUILD Open Auditions
The Dayton Theatre Guild announces open auditions for it’s upcoming production of THE SUGAR WITCH by Nathan Sanders.
Auditions will take place August 23rd & 24th, 2010 at 7 pm in The Dayton Theatre Guild’s Caryl D. Philips TheatreScape at 430 Wayne Ave., Dayton, OH 45410. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script
The show, directed by Doug Lloyd and produced by Debra Kent is set in the Florida swamp country of the Watchalahoochee River unfolding an at times eerie, weird and often very funny story of what’s left of the Bean family, Moses and Sisser, along with Annabelle, the Sugar Witch. And yes, there may be flying cats, casting of spells, country music, not to mention a few possible surprises.
Performance Dates: October 22nd – November 7th, 2010
Casting Requirements:
Sisser – Female – Late 20’s to late 30’s – Southern, Obese, and somewhat mad. A wheel chair bound lover of little Debbie Snack cakes. She is capable of anything – even murder.
Ruth Ann Meeks – Female – Late 20’s to Mid 30’s – Southern, Racist, and half insane. A “church-goer”, plain, not necessarily pretty, most likely the product of incest.
Annabelle – African-American Female – Mid 40’s to 50’s – Southern swamp mystic and conjure woman. She brews magical potions from sugar cane molasses. Annabelle is the last in a long line of powerful “Sugar-Witches”.
Moses Bean – Male – mid 20’s – Southern, Handsome and boyish. He is a mechanic at the local Texaco station. Innocent and virginal; a gender reversed “Sleeping Beauty”.
Hank Hartley – Male – 30’s – Southern, handsome and strong. He is the play’s “gentleman caller”. He has recently returned to Sugar Bean to take over his family funeral home business. Hank is madly “in-love” but yet hiding a dark secret.
Granddaddy Meeks – Male – 60’s to 70’s – Southern, redneck, racist, abusiveand mean. He is Ruth Ann’s Grandfather.
Additional information about The Dayton Theatre Guild can be found online at www.DaytonTheatreGuild.org
Shane Anderson & David Brush work with locally based Encore Theater Company. ETC recently moved into the new arts collective space in the Oregon District, along with Zoot Theatre Co. & Rhythm in Shoes. Anderson, Brush & ETC are currently in the midst of their summer season of new musicals in downtown Dayton, which featured Johnathan Larson’s RENT, [title of show] & the upcoming new musical in development Next Thing You Know.
Would you like to submit theater news for DaytonMostMetro.com’s onStageDayton features? Email Shane & Dave at [email protected]
http://musicalworldpodshow.mevio.com/
Introducing Music Video Mondays
I won’t even bother with all those jokes about “having a case of the Mondays.” All I know is that after a weekend of enjoying the arts and music in the Dayton region, the first day back to work often needs a little extra kick. So starting today (okay, technically starting unofficially last week), the Dayton Music section of DaytonMostMetro will be presenting Music Video Mondays.
Every Monday we’ll post a video that has something to do with music in our area. If you shot some footage from a recent show, are in a band that just produced your first music video or just have a favorite you’d like to see featured on the site, send us a link in the comments, on DaytonMostMetro’s Facebook page or email it to [email protected]
Now, onto this week’s video, which comes to us from The Music Scene. Astro Fang‘s been getting a lot of buzz recently as one of two local bands on the Midpoint Music Fest bill (Me & Mountains is the other band). Another cool piece of Astro Fang news came last week when Semi Precious Weapons (who’s currently on tour with Lady GaGa) named them as one of two bands that they would like to sign.
So here’s Astro Fang performing their song Mr. Bloodsuck in Dayton earlier this year.
The Brunch Club- NOT Just For Breakfast Anymore!
Once known as The Breakfast Club, it changed ownership and was renamed The Brunch Club in November of 2007. Tomorrow will be another major change for this longtime Dayton restaurant.
As of Monday, August 9th The Brunch Club will begin serving dinner! From 4pm t0 8pm Monday – Friday and until 7pm on Saturday, the new dinner menu has 8 choices, all quite affordable with the highest priced coming in at just $9.50.
Check out the Dinner Choices:
Grilled Chicken Breast: plain, BBQ or blackened .. $7.95
Chicken Fried Steak: deep fried and smothered with gravy .. $7.95
Chop Steak Dinner: 10oz. chopped sirloin topped with brown gravy ..$7.95
(add sauteed onions and cheese .. $8.95)
Smothered Chicken Breast: grilled breast topped with mushrooms, onions and provolone .. $8.95
Calves Liver and Onions: two 4oz. portions, grilled to perfection .. $8.95
Fried Fish Dinner: tasty Whiting served with tartar sauce .. $8.95
Fried Shrimp Dinner: large beer battered shrimp ..$8.95
Grilled Boneless Pork Chops: two 5oz. chops ..$9.50
Each dinner will be served with a house salad, home fries and garlic toast. The Brunch Club was voted best breakfast spot in 2008 & 2009 in the Dayton Daily News pole, wonder how their dinners will stack up?
If you stop in for dinner comment below and let us know how it is!
The Brunch Club Cafe
601 S. Main St.,
222-7411
- Mon – Fri: 7:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Sat: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
- Sun: 7:00 am – 3:00 pm
DIY, Riverscape-style
A century ago, Orville and Wilbur Wright looked at their bicycles and said, “I think we might be able to fly these things.”
Today, some hearty fellow Daytonians followed in their footsteps, sort of. They looked at piles of debris and said, “I think I can row this.”
And then they tried.
At Riverscape, in the shadow of the Engineers Club and a statue of the Wright Brothers taking flight, we watched do-it-youselfers take part in Dayton’s Outrageous River Derby. If I heard emcee Commodore Jim Bucher of WDTN Channel 2 correctly, this was the 14th one.
But it was my first, and it turned out to be a beautiful day to hang out by the river for some silly fun. The gist of the event is this: Make a raft, any kind of raft, get it in the river, and race it down the river a hundred yards or so. Try not to sink.
Themes included a Lady Gaga boudoir and an Abe Lincoln who looked suspiciously like a plastic Jesus with an electrical tape beard. A last-minute entry was made of a pipe frame, cardboard, saran wrap and duct tape.
Was there lots of duct tape, you ask?
Did Wilbur wear a funny hat?
The paddle prizes didn’t go only to the swift. The judging panel included an engineer, some student artists from Stivers and K-12 gallery, who gave out prizes in categories like creativity and most-likely-to-sink before the race even started. I can’t tell you who won the superlatives because we’d taken a pause from the sun to get snacks for our boys.
But then again, I can tell you who won: Everyone there because it was just goofy fun, a gorgeous blue sky, a soft breeze and a great time at Riverscape.
After we downed our snacks, we sat at the river’s edge and watched the race. Honest Abe got a little dishonest help from someone pushing, and Lady Gaga was surprisingly strong. What I mean by that is that I still have no idea how she stayed afloat.
But they finished second and third. The race went to Poor Man’s Kayak, which turned out to be a fine kayak indeed, held aloft by rows and rows of one-liter soda bottles on its underside and sped along by a very able rower with a great sense of balance.
I’m not sure we’d have made Orville and Wilbur proud, but I have no doubt our hometown ingenuity would’ve made them laugh.
Calling all Crafty Dudes and Divas of Montgomery County
And guess what! You don’t have to be a farmer to participate in the fair and even earn some blue ribbons.
The Montgomery County Fair is currently accepting entries for everything from cakes and pies to giant pumpkins; antique collections to photography; crocheting to quilts. Entries are a bargain at $1 each (although, if you get ambitious like me, the one-dollar entries start to add up) and pay out premiums for first through fourth place (this varies by category).
So even if you don’t have three barrows (boy pigs), two gilts (girl pigs) and two dairy heifers (girl cows) to enter, you can still take on the Michael family with a scarecrow, decorated cupcakes or photos.
Visit the Montgomery County Fair website to download the fair book PDF. Mail-in entries are due by August 16. Walk-in entries are accepted August 12, 13, 16, &17, 9 am – 5 pm. NOTE: you don’t actually take your goods to the fairgrounds until fair time—see the book for details.
If you are a regular fair-goer or have never checked it out, try making an entry this year. The fair is an important part of downtown Dayton and nothing beats the thrill of seeing your chocolate cake take the top prize (trust me, I’ve done it!)