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A Lame Attempt at Car-Free Living

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The Great White Rattletrap

The aptly named Rattletrap has sat idle on McPherson Street for two weeks now as part of my car-less adventure as I hoofed it around downtown ― and I have to admit my life has been pretty much unchanged. Well, except for the fact that the act of walking has been a serious struggle.

See, I took a tumble ― ka-chump! ― square on my left knee at the time when I perhaps needed that knee the most.  Banged it up to the point where I really should have gone (on foot, of course) to the hospital for stitches. (My doctor later confirmed this to be true.)

What I actually did, however, was declare, as blood dripped down my calf and puddled in my shoe, that it simply was a scrape a little peroxide and a Band-Aid could cure. Shortly thereafter, I rode my bike three miles in sizzling heat, squated into a kayak and paddled across Eastwood Lake, and then biked the three miles home, my ad hoc gauze-and-medical tape bandage loosened in the fresh water and flapping in the wind as if I was an unraveling mummy. I was too excited about being back on my bike, which I had barely ridden since my now 19-year-old son was small enough to be in a seat on the back, feeling the wind brush my cheeks, delirious in the bluster of speeding by graduation cookouts and the Mad River.

Of course, this happened on Day Four. So I haven’t really walked many places. More like gimped, lumbering about town. Very. Slowly. Barely able to bend my left knee.

And that, my friends, is what caused me to cheat.

It was my honest intention to take the bus to get groceries for a dinnertime game of Mah Jongg I was hosting. I figured my first bus adventure might as well be XTREME: A trip to the grocery store. But on Sunday morning when a friend asked if I wanted to run errands, including a stop at Trader Joe’s, and offered to drive, I simply replied, my voice taut with pain, “Yes.”

And so it was: convenience trumped principle. Justification? It wasn’t my car. I wasn’t driving. I admit that wasn’t the only day friends picked up my gimpy self and gave me a ride. I never asked to be carted hither and yon, but it happened.

I also haven’t stepped foot in a bus. After reading Megan Cooper’s awesome series of articles chronicling her adventures riding the bus, it’s clear I need to be able to bring my bike along. (I mean, why not learn from someone else’s mishaps?) And this knee ain’t biking nowhere for a minute.

So my adventure will have to be continued at another time. Not to say I didn’t encounter some interesting things limping around the past couple of weeks: A drag queen on roller blades. Some dude rockin’ out with an ’80s-style boom box on his shoulder. Another dude riding a bicycle with a seat that appeared made from the seat of a rocking chair.

Walking forces you to be patient, slow your mind. Notice things. It leads to unexpected adventures.

At least I discovered a free boot camp at RiverScape I plan to attend -- once I'm able to walk.

For example, one evening (pre-fall), as I’m walking home from Drake’s Downtown Gym and jabbering on the phone with my BFF, I realize I’m walking right by her condo building.

“Girl, are you home?” I ask. “Scoot downstairs and join me for a soft-serve cone at RiverScape.” She does. We hang, chitter-chatter and get covered in melting ice cream. While there, we notice a big group of people doing jumping jacks under the pavilion. Come to discover it’s a free boot camp. (Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m.)

I wanted to live the month of June as if I have no car ― which, considering the condition of The Rattletrap, could very well become the case. But in these two weeks it really hit me that if, like so many people, I did not own a car, the freedom of mobility to which I’ve become so accustomed would cease to exist.

Which brings me to this: In a country ― a society, a culture ― sprung from the idea that to be fully human is to be free, does that freedom include the ability to move about from place to place as and when one desires? Because if that’s part of the USA freedom equation, one thing now is clear to me: freedom of mobility = owning a car.

Or does it? Readers, share your thoughts while I sign off to bandage my knee …

Behind the Masks – The Lion King

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Disney’s The Lion King ~ presented by The Victoria Theatre Association, Dayton, OH ~ June 14 - July 10, 2011

Nick Cordileone & Ben Lipitz

Disney’s THE LION KING

The Victoria Theatre Association

I have a confession to make:  I, Shane Anderson, admittedly know very little about The Lion King.  In fact, I know very little about most of the Disney films and musical adaptations.  I’ve certainly seen some, but I have no children of my own, therefore I typically don’t choose to spend my entertainment budget on a movie ticket to a film marketed to kids.  I get it…I get it… I hear that they are terrific for anybody at any age, but I don’t have that added motivation of a really excited 5 year old persuading me to go catch the latest Disney princess or talking/singing animal movie.

Characters from Disney's Lion King, as interpreted by Noah, age 5

The Lion King mask illustration by Noah, age 5

So, since I am not the Disney aficionado that many Americans are, I had to do a little research about Disney’s THE LION KING, which just rolled into town and opened at the Schuster Center this evening.  So what else was I to do?  I called up my favorite nephew, 5 year old Noah.

First bit of information I needed, was what is the plot of this show? Noah replied with a knowing smile (did I sense the slightest amount of a smirk at his silly Uncle Shane?) that THE LION KING is all about this baby lion named Simba, who’s daddy Mufasa dies because of a bad lion named Scarrrr (grrrRR..!), then the Pumbaa and Timon (not sure which is which, but one is a warthog with big horns) come in and sing Hakuna Matata and then Simba gets big and the girl lion tells Simba to come back and be king.  Oh, and be careful of the 3 Hyenas, they laugh.

Ok, stay clear of the laughing Hyenas.  Of course I already knew a little bit about this classic musical adaptation, it is a legendary production that very successfully melded together a very cool artistic vision with the business sense of a major corporate producer.  I know that it was directed by the very talented Julie Taymor.  I realize that even though the musical premiered on Broadway nearly fourteen years ago,  it is still selling tickets both on the “Great White Way” and in multiple touring companies.  This collaboration between a truly gifted artist and a major corporate entity has been highly successful, with no signs of slowing down.  I knew all of that, but this is one highly acclaimed Broadway spectacle that I have yet to experience, and I am thrilled that the show will be spending four weeks right here in Dayton, Ohio!

Disney's The Lion King ~ presented by The Victoria Theatre Association, Dayton, OH ~ June 14 - July 10, 2011

Ben Roseberry

I got the opportunity to spend some time chatting with three cast members of the show on the phone last week.  The cast was in Toronto, Canada, where they had an extended stay.  I spoke with vocal ensemble member and “Sarabi” understudy Electra Weston, Ben Roseberry who portrays “Ed” the laughing hyena, and the ever-popular Ben Lipitz who livens up the stage as “Pumbaa”  the optimistic warthog.

I asked the group of actors about touring with Disney Theatricals, working with Taymor and what the experience is like in a production that thrills audiences of all ages.

The first thing of note is the appreciation the actors express for the company itself.  “It is the best contract I’ve ever worked for,” Roseberry declares, “we are in each city for four weeks or more.” All three of the actors pointed out the fact that through Disney’s intention to keep the company in a city for an extended run of at least four weeks, allows the actors time to settle in and actually experience each city. Most other touring shows will have shorter runs, some as little as a day in each city, which leave the actors living out of their suitcase.  Roseberry, an aviation enthusiast, says that he is very excited to have time in Dayton to explore the Aviation Trail, Hall of Fame and Wright Brother sites.

Disney's The Lion King ~ presented by The Victoria Theatre Association, Dayton, OH ~ June 14 - July 10, 2011

Electra Weston

A surprise to me was the fact that the touring company has the opportunity to make their own housing arrangements, some choosing extended stay hotels, others are able to find short-term furnished apartments.  Electra Wilson indicated that in her four years on the tour, she’d never stayed in a hotel.  She ships her bicycle and typically manages to find an apartment within biking distance to the venue.  This gives her the opportunity to become a member of the community, if only for a short time.

I was curious to know more about the experience of being onstage for these actors, what it was like to be on the other side of the curtain.  The technical aspects of performing the show utilizing these puppets and intricate scenic elements must certainly be an incredible thing to watch not only from the audience perspective, but also from backstage.

All three actors found their roles very taxing, but for very different reasons.  Weston says that her most difficult transition into the role was the English language. She had previously been a part of the German company of the show, so even though she is American, she found it difficult to sing her parts in English.  She had to relearn the show in her native tongue, and had a tough time doing so!

“I can’t say it’s a bigger thrill than what the audience is experiences, but it certainly is comparable.” says Ben Lipitz, ” Performing in The Lion King is a rare experience in theatre, it is a landmark event for the audience, as a performer I have to take the storytelling very seriously.  We have a responsibility to live up to the expectations [of the audience].  It is a privilege to tell this story”

“It took a good eight weeks of performing for the role to get in my body.” Roseberry said he was very nervous performing in his “Ed” the hyena puppet for the first several weeks he was on tour.  He pointed out that he had to learn to harness that nervous energy, translating it into a good energy.  Additionally he spent hours in front of a mirror learning how to operate the hyena puppet in as many expressive ways as possible, since the character does not speak, but simply communicates through laughter.  (btw…”Ed” is not “stupid”, but rather he is “verbally challenged”)

Ben Lipitz has been with the show for nine years, both on Broadway as well as the touring company.  He recounted that while his very first entrance on stage in this show was very exciting, that the thrill continues to this day.  Ben’s experience as an actor (on stage, film & television, including a role on The Sopranos) didn’t really prepare him for operating the puppet, especially Pumbaa which weighs in heaviest at 46 pounds.  Creating the physical articulation with the puppet is his biggest challenge, but also the biggest reward.

Disney's The Lion King ~ presented by The Victoria Theatre Association, Dayton, OH ~ June 14 - July 10, 2011

Ben Lipitz

The beauty of Julie Taymor’s design is the duality of the character on stage.  You see the actor manipulating the puppet, but you also see the humanity within the animal character.  The actors praise the brilliance of Taymor’s vision and her famous “hands-on” approach to direction an upkeep of her vision.  They report that there is a touring director and staff that continually monitor the show, maintaining the quality of the performance.  This team works with the cast so that what we see in Dayton is precisely the same as the original intent of every step, word and note performed when Julie Taymor’s vision became reality in 1997.  Taymor will even  stop in to check on the show herself occasionally to be sure that her vision is never compromised (though this hasn’t happened recently due to her involvement in another theatrical project).

“I have been truly touched by how inspiring working with Julie is,” claims Lipitz, “[it is] her spirit and her energy.  She is a gifted, visionary artist.”

While THE LION KING is a very complex machine of a show, with many moving parts and people manipulating every aspect of it, it is also child’s play.  Experiencing this show on our side of the curtain will certainly be exciting, but imagine how thrilling it must be to make it all happen behind the scenes.  These actors spoke as if it was truly an honor to tell this story, and be a part of the magic daily.

Before I got off the phone with Pumbaa, I had one more question I was required to ask.  Noah wanted to know “what do you do with your horns?” Pumbaa claimed that his daily regimen included trying not to stay up too late, staying out of the sunlight and plenty of moisturizer.  Pretty good advice for all you warthogs reading this.

We encourage local theatre companies to submit calendar items HERE, and official press releases to [email protected].

Tickets & Performance Information:

Disney's THE LION KING - Victoria Theatre Association, Dayton, OhioDisney’s THE LION KING

Wednesday, June 15 through Sunday, July 10, 2011

at The Schuster Center’s Mead Theatre – Performance Times Vary

Tickets range from $27 – $141

Tickets are ONLY available through Ticket Center Stage.

Visit the  Schuster Center box office in downtown Dayton or order by phone, at (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630. Ticket Center Stage hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, noon – 4 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance.

Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

For more information about Victoria Theatre Association visit www.victoriatheatre.com.

Downtown Dayton Partnership and the Victoria Theatre Association have teamed up to provide roaring deals and promotions for the The Lion King patrons.  Read more about these exiting offers HERE.

The Lion King - ROARING DEALS - Dayton, Ohio

Click for details.

Sing it Strong, Sing it Loud

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Altar Boyz

ENCORE THEATER COMPANY

The quintessential Boy Bands: upbeat (and often emotional) music… slick choreography… the perfect individual and group images… slightly-too-perfect rhymes… the Soul Sensor DX-12? Well, maybe not for any other boy band, but for the Altar Boyz, it’s key! During the final concert of their “Raise the Praise” tour, the Boyz seek to reduce the number of burdened souls in the audience (indicated by the number on the Sensor) to zero.

“Jesus called me on my cell phone / No roaming charges were incurred / He told me that I should go out in the world / And spread His glorious word”

Altar Boyz, presented in real time as that concert, is a satirical, “foot-stomping, rafter-raising musical comedy,” and the fictitious Christian boy band includes five Ohio members: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan, and Abraham (who, actually, is Jewish). Some of the Boyz’ signature hits include “Rhythm in Me,” “The Calling,” and “I Believe.” Directed and choreographed by Lauren Morgan and musically directed by Mark Barnhill, this Dayton premiere kicks off Encore Theater Company’s summer season, and runs for one weekend only, June 16 – 18.

“We think that church is super fine / We are the Altar Boyz / We love the wafers and the wine / We are the Altar Boyz / And I think / You’ll find….. We’re gonna altar your mind!”

This show is unique in that each cast member must be a triple-strength performer, because everyone is acting, singing, and dancing for nearly the entire show! Therefore, learning the show has been hard work, but the actors I spoke with were excited about the challenges they’ve faced and the strides they’ve taken as performers. The cast includes students and/or Dayton residents Drew Bown, Andrew Koslow, Korey Harlow, Zack Steele, and Zach King, with a special appearance by local Muse Machine alumnus and Broadway performer Tyler Maynard as “the Voice of God.”

“When I hold your body next to mine / it feels so good / and feels so right / and it also makes my Levis feel real tight… / and I know that there is something about you, baby…/ Girl, you make me want to wait.”

Not only does the cast play a great team onstage, but everyone has an excellent collaboration as well. Each of the cast members are or have studied some type of theatre at the collegiate level, and most are new to Encore Theater Company’s mainstage; however, they’ve all contributed unique talents and abilities to make this show strong and fluid, to refine timing of the show’s extensive humor and rehearse even the most difficult 5-part harmonies. Koslow, who plays Mark, explained in an interview with onStageDayton,

Andrew Koslow, "Mark"

“The most rewarding thing for me about this show is how much we’ve truly banded together (pardon the pun) to make this show happen. We’ve run into a thousand road blocks, from losing cast members to sometimes only having two Boyz available for certain rehearsals due to commitments to other shows. Despite all that, we’ve put together an incredible and entertaining show… I truly couldn’t be prouder of our entire cast and production team.”

That commitment and collaboration have paid off: Zack Steele, who plays Juan, praises,

Zach Steele, "Juan"

“[Altar Boyz] will have [audience members] crying from laughing so hard. The script is bulletproof and the Boyz’ chemistry on stage will carry you on a journey all the way through curtain call. The singing is great and the satire is ever-present.”

Koslow added,

“I truly believe there is something for everyone in this show, and no one can prove me wrong unless they come and see for themselves.”

“You know The Bible tells you God’s the one that made you / So get out on the dance floor And shake what He gave you!”

So, whether you’re holding onto music of the early ‘90s or just love to make fun of boy bands, Altar Boyz is the perfect show for you. Don’t miss it!

Tickets & Performance Information

Altar Boyz – June 16 – 18, 8:00 pm

Encore Theater Company

Performances will be held at Sinclair Community College’s Blair Hall Theatre. Tickets are $15 and can be reserved through http://brushfire.e-vent.info/Events/Sinclair/Default.aspx, by contacting (937) 512-2808 (be sure to leave a message) or [email protected]

For more information, check out the Altar Boyz blog or Encore Theater Company.

~KN

Hoofing It: One Girl’s Guide to Walking the Streets of Dayton

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Things I remember seeing during my 20-minute commute: Tree limbs swirling in a rain-swollen Great Miami River. Aged buildings with elaborate cornices rubbing shoulders with their modern-day glass and steel counterparts. Phil staggering down the sidewalk asking for spare change to buy a muffin.

Things I remember hearing during my 20-minute commute: The splash and giggle of kids jumping into a puddle. A glee club of birds overhead. The distressed screech of an ambulance .

I live in a historic neighborhood downtown, and since I live, work, hang out and work out downtown, I can walk pretty much anywhere I need to go.

Key words: Pretty much.

Places I drive: Kroger. DeWeese Park. Village Thrift Store. Taqueria Mixteca. Cookouts at friends’ back yards. And, I admit it, sometimes places as close as Drake’s Downtown Gym and the Dublin Pub.

One of my favorite shots taken during a walk home, shot from the Main Street Bridge looking east toward the Dayton Art Institute and Masonic Temple.

I’m about to find out exactly what “pretty much” means as I join Megan Cooper in an experiment in using alternative transportation to get from here to there. We’re both ditching our gas-powered rides for at least one week starting June 1. Megan will be trekking across town primarily via bicycle and the bus. Be sure to read her columns leading up to and during this adventure, in which she gives a frank and funny account of going car-less.

I will continue to get around primarily on foot, but I’m also going to figure out how to ride the RTA and rediscover my inner cyclist. The last time I rode the bus, I ended up at Children’s Medical Center while trying to get to Five Oaks, which is closer to Grandview Hospital. The last time I rode my bike any significant distance, my now- 19-year-old son was in a kid seat on the back.

But, like Megan, I’m determined to give this a whirl. Unlike Megan, my research and preparation for this adventure is a total zilch. Well, I did grab a fresh journal in which to chronicle the sights and sounds of this voyage. When I finish writing this, I’m going to try to figure out how to work a pedometer a friend gave me two years ago. I made a solemn vow to look at RTA’s web site tomorrow night. And cross-my-heart-hope-to-die, I plan to check my bike’s tires really soon.

I’m rolling ad hoc because I figure I can hoof it most places. I mean, perhaps my favorite thing about living downtown is the ability to walk so many cool places. I like having to step around Canadian Geese and their goslings on the gravel pathway atop the levee. I feel lucky I can stop at the RiverScape Metro Park concession and grab a cone of soft serve to enjoy on my way home. I even like the pitter-patter on my umbrella on rainy days and getting away with wearing rubber boots to the office.

Daffodils in full bloom at RiverScape MetroPark, taken during a recent springtime walk home.

Really, though, I am in denial.

I may live in a handy little city where I can walk from one end to the other in less than 30 minutes, but getting around is about to get a lot more complicated without a car. While visiting my sister in Piqua on Memorial Day, I realized I’d have no way to get up there to play cowboy and Play-Doh with my nephews without a car. Mulching some new plants tonight, I realized I’d have to travel toughman style if I needed to grab another bag of this heavy, goopy stuff and lug it on a bus.

View during my 20-minute commute on a recent May morning.

I also realize I am lucky to have a car, even an 11-year-old contraption missing the passenger-side window and in bad need of a new catalytic converter I lovingly call The Rattletrap. I feel like Barbara Ehrenreich as she recounted her experiences working as a maid and other minimum-wage occupations in Nickel and Dimed, a book I found so horribly patronizing I couldn’t finish the first chapter. I hope to be able to give you, dear reader, an authentic and entertaining account of this adventure with respect to those who have no choice but public transportation to reach such destinations as their workplace, school and kids’ day care. I hope to be able to examine the impacts of our auto-adoring culture on our health and environment with a fresh perspective. I hope to better understand the myriad ways transportation affects our daily lives.

And I hope you will help us: Do you get where you need to go without a car? If so, tell us your stories and (please!) give us some tips. Do you rev an engine to make it where you need to be? If so, tell us how you think your life would change if driving were no longer an option. Please share in the comments below.

And we’re off: One foot in front of the other!

Local rocker returns to play First Friday show

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Although she has performed live shows in cities such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Alicia Grodecki says her favorite city to play is her hometown – Dayton.

Lucky for her, with two upcoming shows – First Friday @ 5 on June 3 and a slot at Canal Street Tavern June 18 – her band, Vanity Theft, will get to perform in the city she says is a great place for music.

This week, I talked to Grodecki about Vanity Theft’s new album, touring and the unbelievable experience she had in the recording studio.

“People call us a more badass version of The Killers, except girls,” she says of the band’s sound. “[When asked to describe it] I usually tell people to go listen to it.”

“Get What You Came For,” the latest from Vanity Theft, is a hybrid of dance and pop, with a little electronic feel and attitude. The songs cover a variety of topics ranging from relationships to growing up to just having a good time.

Earlier this year, the band piled in a van and played shows across the United States and Canada, promoting the new album.

“There are an infinite number of ‘best’ things about touring,” says Grodecki. “We see so many people and travel. The bottom line is we get to do what we love every night.”

She does admit being on the road has its downside. “It’s hard being away from home. You miss your family. Our longest van ride was 48 hours straight, but it’s always worth it when you get there.”

Vanity Theft will continue to tour during the summer, including a spot at the Summerfest music celebration in Milwaukee. Grodecki just found out the girls will be opening for Taking Back Sunday, one of their favorite bands.

“I freaked out,” she says. “It’s crazy.”

Playing alongside Taking Back Sunday is not Vanity Theft’s only brush with fame. Elton John was in the studio below them while they recorded their most recent album. The girls were not able to meet him because of his high level of security. But, Grodecki says, he cracked the door and they were permitted to sit outside the studio and listen to him sing.

Even after traveling the country, Grodecki says there is nothing like playing in Dayton. She notes the strong sense of community the city exudes. “It feels good to come home and show everybody what we’ve been doing.”

Dayton natives kick off First Friday concert series

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I hesitate to discuss the “edginess” of all-girl bands because I find myself stumbling along the fine line of making clichéd gender comments and completely disregarding the abnormality of an all-female group in the music industry.

After listening to Vanity Theft, however, I am convinced to make an exception. Want to hear it for yourself? Check out Vanity Theft when they return to Dayton to perform at the RiverScape MetroPark Pavilion as the first band in the First Friday @ 5 concert series.

According to their website, the Dayton natives spent five years booking their own tours and propelling themselves into the Midwestern music scene. Their loyal fan base reflects their hard work; in 2009, a grassroots effort won them the local-band slot in Cincinnati’s Warped Tour lineup.

Vanity Theft’s sound is a descendent of The Donnas’ legacy — assertive, sassy, girl rock. While the band was the only all-female outfit of the 227 selected to play in Cincinnati’s 2009 MidPoint Music Festival, they held their own and ended up filling the room. The girls haven’t relented yet — the New York Post described its live shows as being “eardrum-slobbering.” Yes, that’s a compliment.

While recording its October 2010 EP, “Anatomy,” the trio met former Disney child star Lalaine. (You might remember her from her the tween show “Lizzie McGuire.”) When the band needed a new bassist, members auditioned Lalaine and the four instantly clicked.

This February, Vanity Theft released their new album, “Get What You Came For.” The songs I sampled from the album (you can stream a few tracks here) definitely lived up to the band’s no-holds-barred reputation. With lyrics like, “Maybe I don’t want you for your mind; Can’t decide,” Vanity Theft makes it clear they are in control. And maybe, based upon its success already, that’s how it should be.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOPQS_EbHqQ’]

The concerts are part of the First Friday events and will feature additional bands on August 5 and September 2. The concession will be open and beer will be sold from 5-7 p.m. The concerts will wrap up in plenty of time to head to the galleries and other arts venues taking part in the First Friday art hop. The First Friday @ 5 summer concert series is presented with additional support from Heidelberg Distributing, the Oregon District Business Association, Clear Channel Dayton Radio and Culture Works.

…Go In Peace – Bernstein’s Mass Graces the Schuster Stage

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Leonard Bernstein's MASS: a Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers - Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra & Wright State University Music, Theatre & Dance Departments, 2011Leonard Bernstein’s MASS:  A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers

Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra

Wright State University Departments of Music, Theatre, and Dance

A famous reclusive American novelist once mused that “art and controversy seem to be joined at birth”.  Indeed every generation has its authors, songwriters, painters, sculptors, dancers, and creators exploring the darker side of human nature and in so doing, challenging the moral center of American life.  Whether its a ‘Catcher In The Rye’ – style uproar or a team of protestors on a mission to take down a certain boy wizard, controversy has been at the center of some of the greatest artistic achievements of our time.  Why? Well, often its because the best art challenges us to look at ourselves differently and with a critical eye – and let’s face it, Americans don’t like that! This weekend, a once deeply controversial work opens in Dayton in a new, glorious production sure to inspire a new following of fans (and protestors) alike.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Leonard Bernstein entering the Kennedy Center Opera House for a performance of Mass in 1972 (photo from the Library of Congress)

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis & Leonard Bernstein at Kennedy Center, Sept. 8, 1971

Forty years ago, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis selected the famed Leonard Bernstein to compose a monumental work to memorialize her late husband and 35th President of the United States,  John F. Kennedy.   The piece was to premiere on September 8, 1971 at the official opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.  The piece  follows the structure of a Roman Catholic Mass, but includes elements of many styles typical of the contemporary American musical landscape of the period:  Blues, Rock, Showtunes and Opera.  While the liturgical text of Mass is in Latin, Bernstein and collaborators Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Children of Eden) and Paul Simon (as in Simon & Garfunkel) contributed additional English texts.

The piece examines faith, specifically crisis in faith.  Considering the political landscape, Vietnam war, and the assassinations of the 1960’s, including that of JFK, the concept of addressing a personal crisis of faith through art was not necessarily anomalous, yet Bernstein’s Mass was not without controversy.  With it’s  anti-war themes,  it is no wonder this piece was received with both joyful acclaim and turbulent disdain in the fall of 1971.

This collaborative production between the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and Wright State’s Music, Theatre and Dance departments is likely to be awe-inspiring.  The piece itself is complex.  It is symphonic & theatrical.  The musical elements will surely be accompanied by the most amazing visual imagery possible- breathtaking choreography, costuming and scenery.  The creative forces behind this production will surely give you something thrilling to discuss over coffee after the performance, and in the days to follow.

Bernstein's Mass - Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra & Wright State Music, Theatre & Dance - May 13-14, 2011

Bernstein's Mass - in rehearsal on the Schuster Center's Mead Theatre Stage

Official Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Press Release: Dayton Philharmonic Logo

The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2010-2011 Miami Valley & Good Samaritan Hospitals Classical Series will conclude in spectacular fashion with performances of Leonard Bernstein’s MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers on Friday and Saturday, May 13 & 14, 2011, both performances at 8 p.m. at the Schuster Center.

Bernstein's MASS - Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and Wright State University Music, Theatre & Dance - May 13-14, 2011

This production will fuse the talents of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra with faculty and students from Wright State University in an unprecedented way.  Neal Gittleman, Music Director of the DPO, will conduct.  Greg Hellems of the WSU Department of Theatre is stage director and Gina Walther, of WSU’s Dance Department, is choreographer.  Staging has been designed by WSU’s Pam Knauert Lavarnway and choral forces are being prepared by WSU’s Hank Dahlman.  The production is under the overall artistic supervision of WSU’s W. Stuart McDowell, chair of the WSU Department of Theatre, Dance, and Motion Pictures.

All instrumental musicians – on stage and in the pit, and including rock and blues bands as well as traditional orchestral configurations – will come from the ranks of the DPO, while all actors, singers, and dancers – more than 100 in total – will be WSU students.  The production will also include the Kettering Children’s Choir under the direction of Natalie DeHorn and noted tenor John Wesley Wright in the crucial role of The Celebrant.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts - Washington, D.C.Leonard Bernstein’s MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers was commissioned by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy for the opening of the national arts center named in honor of her late husband, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.  The work premiered as part of the Kennedy Center’s opening festivities on September 8, 1971.

Bernstein’s MASS is based on the Tridentine Mass of the Roman Catholic Church, but is not at all a traditional concert setting.  Although there are liturgical passages that are sung in Latin, MASS also includes additional texts in English written by Bernstein, Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz (of Wicked fame), and pop/folk singer Paul Simon. Leonard Bernstein

According to the composer’s daughter, Nina Bernstein: “The piece follows the liturgy exactly, but it is juxtaposed against frequent interruptions and commentaries by the Celebrant and the congregation, much like a running debate. There is stylistic juxtaposition as well, with the Latin text heard electronically through speakers or sung by the chorus, and the interruptions sung in various popular styles including blues and rock-and-roll. On the narrative level, the piece relates the drama of a Celebrant whose faith is simple and pure at first, but gradually becomes unsustainable under the weight of human misery, corruption, and the trappings of his own power.”

“MASS is an enormous piece. It calls for a large pit orchestra, two choruses plus a children’s choir, a Broadway-sized cast (with ballet company), and a rock band. It may seem ironic that such multitudes are marshaled for a work that celebrates a man’s “Simple Song”: his love and faith in God. But in the end, that simplicity is shown to be all the more powerful because of it.”

Bernstein's MASS - Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and Wright State University Music, Theatre & Dance - May 13-14, 2011

Bernstein's Mass - in rehearsal at Wright State University

Two years after its premiere, MASS was first performed in Europe (Vienna) by the Yale Symphony Orchestra. In the orchestra pit was young violinist and Yale student, Neal Gittleman.

This groundbreaking collaboration between the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and Wright State University promises to be the regional performance event of the season, if not the decade.

-SA/DB/DPO Press Release

We encourage local theatre companies to submit calendar items HERE, and official press releases to [email protected].

Tickets & Performance Information:

Dayton Philharmonic LogoLeonard Bernstein’s MASS – May 13-14 – (8pm)

Location:  The Mead Theatre inside The Schuster Center

WSU TheatreTickets Prices: Range from $9 to $59

Tickets are on sale now through TicketCenterStage.com, or via phone at (888) 228-3630

For more information visit www.DaytonPhilharmonic.com

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Free Program Promotes Pedal Power Downtown

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Volunteers ride the Yellow Bikes downtown.

Volunteers give some of the first yellow bikes off the assembly line a spin downtown during the May 6 First Friday.

Cycling culture in downtown Dayton is about to burn rubber with the roll out of the Yellow Bike program.

This free bike sharing program is the brainchild of Jeff Sorrell, vice president and executive director of the Life Enrichment Center, a faith-based nonprofit organization serving Dayton. The center’s new Yellow Bike program will provide brightly painted yellow bikes available free of charge for anyone to ride between downtown destinations. People simply grab a yellow bike, ride it to their destination and park it in a bike rack for the next person to use.

“The Yellow Bike program provides a free means of transportation and gives anyone access to bicycles to use at any time,” Sorrell said. “This program also promotes a healthy lifestyle and encourges people to get outside and be active.”

The Yellow Bike program will be officially launched during the Friday, May 13, Urban Nights, held from 5 to 10 p.m. throughout downtown. Riders can pick up one of 50 yellow bikes at Courthouse Square or whereever they see one parked throughout downtown. The Life Enrichment Center is seeking donations of helmets in all sizes, which can be dropped off at Courthouse Square during Urban Nights or at the center, 425 N. Findlay St.

The Yellow Bike program is part of a larger effort to enhance cycling culture in the City of Dayton, the only Ohio city to be selected as a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists in its spring 2010 rankings. Dayton was awarded a bronze-level status for its efforts to help make the city more bicycle and pedestrian friendly through such efforts as the addition of bike lanes to downtown streets and the opening of the bike hub at RiverScape MetroPark.

“Enhancing downtown Dayton as a bike-friendly city is about more than recreation ― it’s about regional economic development,” said Dr. Michael Ervin, co-chair of the Downtown Dayton Partnership and the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan. “That’s because cities where it’s easy to have the kind of active lifestyle that’s integral to cycling culture are more attractive to residents, visitors and businesses. Strategies that make it even more convenient to have an active lifestyle downtown, such as the Yellow Bike program, increase urban vibrancy, improve quality of life and, in the long term, attract new jobs and investment.”

Andy Williamson of Five Rivers Outdoors shows off the first yellow bike at the April 15 Young Creatives Summit.

Andy Williamson of Five Rivers Outdoors shows off the first yellow bike at the April 15 Young Creatives Summit.

The Yellow Bike program also is supported by the City of Dayton’s Bike/Walk Committee, which is overseeing the work of the City of Dayton 2025 Bicycle Action Plan. The City is seeking public input on the plan through this summer.

“A simple, accessible, inexpensive and environmentally friendly form of transportation, the bicycle continues to be a pivotal part of the City of Dayton’s vision for an active citizenry, vibrant economy and engaging street life,” said Dayton City Commissioner Nan Whaley. “Individuals and businesses are choosing to locate in areas where alternative transportation options are both abundant and convenient. The Yellow Bike program does much to help achieve this.”

The Yellow Bike program is one of several at the Life Enrichment Center’s new Bike Shoppe, renovated by volunteers and made possible by a grant from the UPS Foundation and private donations. The yellow bikes are refurbished by Life Enrichment Center clients, teaching them new skills while providing a service to the community.

To help keep the bikes in the downtown area, the Life Enrichment Center has worked with the Dayton Police Department, scrap yards and pawn shops. Anyone who finds a yellow bike that needs repaired or is outside the downtown area is asked to call the Bike Shoppe at 937-252-7780 so it can be picked up, returned to the center, repaired if necessary and put back into circulation. All the yellow bikes also will have stickers with the center’s phone number. Riders are reminded to always wear a helmet and obey traffic laws.

Urban Nights: Proving Downtown Dayton Is Alive and Kicking

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It’s no marketing scheme: Urban Nights really is one of the best nights to be downtown.

Downtown Dayton’s biggest street party returns from 5 to 10 p.m. this Friday, May 13. More than 100 venues in downtown Dayton, the Oregon Arts District and Wright-Dunbar Business Village will host special events, offer discounts and open their doors for an insider’s look. A variety of performers will entertain crowds on stages throughout downtown, and roaming performers also will liven up the event.

Below are some highlights of the May 13 Urban Nights, but there’s more going on than can ever be featured in one article ― and nearly everything is free. Click here to download a map of participating venues and a complete performance schedule, including a listing of all participating locations’ events and specials, a schedule for all the stages, and parking deals. Follow Urban Nights on Facebook for regular updates and more information.

Urban Nights gives people a chance to get artsy. Second Street will become a huge canvas when students from Stivers School for the Arts’ painting department create a paint-by-numbers style template on the street. The public then will be able to help Stivers students complete the mural, located in front of the Schuster Performing Arts Center between Main and Ludlow streets. The Paint the Street mural is sponsored by KeyBank and will be created with environmentally friendly liquid chalk that washes away with rainfall.

Juggling duo The Dropbacks will toss and catch with the crowd during Urban Nights.

Juggling duo The Dropbacks will toss and catch with the crowd during Urban Nights.

Also on Second Street, visitors also can create a piece of whimsical public art using jelly beans and have their pictures taken in a free photo booth. At the popular Community Stage, located at the corner of Third and Jefferson streets, an eclectic mix of 10-minute performances will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., then anyone can take the mic for open karaoke from 7 to 10 p.m. The Dropbacks, a comedic juggling duo, will toss and catch with the crowd throughout Urban Nights locations. Other hands-on activities will be available at participating venues. For example, the Dayton Metro Library will offer arts-and-crafts activities for children and adults.

Art is the heart of Urban Nights, and all of downtown’s numerous galleries will host exhibit openings and an array of more unusual offerings, such as a 7 to 8:30 p.m. performance by the Dayton Mandolin Orchestra at the Dayton Visual Arts Center. Some Urban Nights newbies are the Dayton Art Institute, which will offer a mixed bag of activities ranging from guided tours of its current exhibition to eye makeovers; Real Art Design Group, featuring jousting with shopping carts as part of “Urban Knights at Urban Nights;” and Atta Girl Art and Gardens Complex, where artists will open their studios for the public to have a look-see. At K12 Gallery for Young People’s new TEJAS studio, art by Rebecca Sargent will be featured.

Vote for your fave Activated Spaces window display during Urban Nights.

Vote for your fave Activated Spaces window display during Urban Nights.

Art also happens in unusual places during Urban Nights. Activated Spaces has worked with local artists to display their work in previously vacant storefronts throughout downtown, and the public can vote for a People’s Choice award during Urban Nights. Practice Yoga will host live music by BJSR, the Dayton International Peace Museum will host an opening reception for an exhibit of Chinese brush painting, and artists will take over the Southern Belle’s second floor, where local crafters will sell their handmade wares. And the Blue Sky Project is hosting an exhibition of Mequitta Ahuja’s works on paper in the lobby of the KeyBank Tower and an exhibit of photography by Sa Schloff, as well as work by Blue Sky participants, in the former Roly Poly space on Courthouse Square. Several downtown housing options will be open for tours, and many of them will feature artists’ work, too.

Downtown retailers also get into the Urban Nights spirit. At Derailed: A Hair Salon, co-owner Austin Burkhart will try to break his record for giving free Mohawks, and Omega Music will host live music throughout the night. Pantorium Cleaners will host a party with special entertainment, and Valeria’s Beauty Center and Day Spa will offer special discounts to celebrate the launch of its new retail store, Bonito.

Scan this QR code with your smart phone to start the SCANvenger Hunt.

Scan this QR code with your smart phone to start the SCANvenger Hunt.

A fun way to get around Urban Nights is by playing Comtactics’ SCANvenger Hunt. Smart phone users are encouraged to visit participating businesses and search for two-dimensional QR codes. Players scan the codes, answer a trivia question about that business and are entered into drawings for giveaways.

A weekend-long event also will open during Urban Nights. The Dayton Circus Creative Collective will host its sixth annual multimedia arts event, Sideshow VI, at Garden Station, 509 E. Fourth St., and in the nearby Yellow Cab building, 700 E. Fourth St. This two-block arts experience will feature work by more than 32 artists and performances by 25 musical groups.

Urban Nights guests also will get a sneak peek of another weekend-long event, the FilmDayton Festival, held downtown May 20-22. Multidisciplinary artist and Springfield native Rod Hatfield has mixed a montage of silent films starring Lillian Gish, also a Springfield native. The Show will provide a live soundtrack to the projection on the east side of the Convention Center, which can be viewed from the Jefferson and Fifth street area.

In addition to the arts, cycling has become an important part of Urban Nights. The Life Enrichment Center will roll out its new Yellow Bike program, a free bike sharing program downtown, during Urban Nights. The center is providing brightly painted yellow bikes available free of charge for anyone to ride between downtown destinations. People simply grab a yellow bike, ride it to their

Urban Bikes @ Urban Nights meets at 5:30 p.m. in front of Fifth Third Field for a ride through the action.

Urban Bikes @ Urban Nights meets at 5:30 p.m. in front of Fifth Third Field for a ride through the action.

destination and park it in a bike rack for the next person to use. The center also is asking for donations of helmets in all sizes, which can be dropped off at Courthouse Square. In addition, Urban Bikes @ Urban Nights returns: Cyclists should bring their own bike and meet at Don Crawford Plaza in front of Fifth Third Field at 5:30 p.m. for this ride through the Urban Nights action.

The best way to see as much as possible during Urban Nights is to walk, and many of the destinations are just a short distance from each other. Greater Dayton RTA also will provide free event trolleys to help visitors get around.

Urban Nights takes place rain or shine. The event is presented by the Downtown Dayton Partnership, Culture Works, Montgomery County and the City of Dayton, with additional support from WDTN-TV2, DP&L, Greater Dayton RTA, Budweiser Select, the Downtown Priority Board, Sinclair Community College, Clear Channel and Mix 107.7-FM, KeyBank, and the Ohio Arts Council.

Call 937-224-1518 or visit www.downtowndayton.org for more information.

Blackbird

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Blackbird by David Harrower - Dayton Theatre Guild - April 22-24, 2011Blackbird

Dayton Theatre Guild

The Dayton Theatre Guild is set to present Blackbird by Scottish playwright David Harrower as a season extra offering, opening Friday evening.  The only opportunity to catch this intense psychological drama will be this weekend, April 22 – 24 at the Caryl D. Philips TheatreScape, 430 Wayne Avenue, in Dayton’s historic Oregon Arts District.

Blackbird by David Harrower - Dayton Theatre Guild - April 22-24, 2011

David Harrower

The bold award-winning play promises to be a thought-provoking, though potentially uncomfortable, evening for theatregoers.  The play was commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival, where it received its world premiere in 2005.  In the years to follow, Blackbird was honored with a “Best New Play” award from both The Critics’ Award for Theatre in Scotland and The Lawrence Olivier Award.

Dramatists Play Service synopsizes the play as follows:

Two people who once had a passionate affair meet again fifteen years later. Ray is confronted with his past when Una arrives unannounced at his office. Guilt, rage and raw emotions run high as they recollect their relationship when she was twelve and he was forty. Without any moral judgments, the play never shies away from the brutal shattering truth of the abandoned and unconventional love. Ray, fifty-six, after years in prison and subsequent hardships, has a new identity and has made a new life for himself, thinking that he could no longer be found. Una, twenty-seven, has thought of nothing else, and on finding a photo of him, sets out to find Ray. She is looking for answers not vengeance. Nevertheless, the consequences are shattering.

While the sexual themes of the show, particularly the ages of the two involved, may be difficult for many to handle for a holiday weekend’s entertainment, the play’s history, reviews and the fervor with which the cast worked to bring it to a Dayton stage indicate that the provocative 70-minute drama is well worth an evening of your time.

“The gifted David Harrower’s intense BLACKBIRD promises to be the most powerful drama of the season…masterly, mesmerizing…extraordinary…a miracle.” ~NY Times

“…an intense psychodrama that won’t let your mind wander even though there are times this story makes you wish you could switch channels.” ~Curtain Up

The play, which unfolds in real-time, ruthlessly examines the complicated history and bond between a man and a woman as they struggle through a deep exploration into what happened and why it happened, and what it all means now.

Blackbird by David Harrower - Dayton Theatre Guild - April 22-24, 2011

Heather Atkinson (L) and K.L. Storer (R) in Blackbird

The cast includes Heather Atkinson, last seen at the Guild in The Cashier and K.L. Storer, who appeared in last season’s A Case of Libel.  The play is directed by Natasha Randall.

This play contains harshly explicit sexual language, mature themes and subject matter.

-SA/DTG Press Release

We encourage local theatre companies to submit calendar items HERE, and official press releases to [email protected].

Tickets & Performance Information:

Dayton Theatre GuildDavid Harrower’s BLACKBIRD – April 22-24 – (8pm on Friday & Saturday / 3pm on Sunday)

Tickets Prices: $10 student / $15 senior / $17 adult

Location:  Dayton Theatre Guild at The Caryl D. Philip’s TheatreScape – 430 Wayne Ave. Dayton, Ohio  45410 (MAP)

Contains adult situations and language.

Tickets are on sale now through DTG’s Online Box Office, or via phone at (937) 278-5993 (due to a volunteer staff, phones are not monitored continually).

For more information about Dayton Theatre Guild’s entire 2010-2011 season, visit www.DaytonTheatreGuild.org

Dayton Theatre Guild at the Caryl D. Philips TheatreScape

Dayton Theatre Guild at the Caryl D. Philips TheatreScape

Permanent Collection

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Permanent Collection by Thomas Gibbons - Human Race Theatre Co. - April 15 - May 1 - Dayton, OH

Alan Bomar Jones and Scott McGowan

Permanent Collection

The Human Race Theatre Co.

An art museum may not be the first place you’d think of when it comes to workplaces with intense conflict, but in Thomas Gibbons’ Permanent Collection the Morris Foundation has as much head-butting as an NFL game. And unlike in an NFL game, the production by The Human Race Theatre, Dayton’s own professional theatre company, doesn’t provide the players with helmets and pads.

Eccentric collector Alfred Morris pretty much guarantees the collisions when his will stipulates both that his museum go to an historically black college and that the displays be kept precisely as they are – leading to an inevitable battle over African artworks that have been kept in basement storage.

Permanent Collection by Thomas Gibbons - Human Race Theatre Co. - April 15-May 1 - Dayton, OH

Alan Bomar Jones

The Morris Foundation is loosely based on the Barnes Foundation of Philadelphia, a real-life private museum with a real-life eccentric owner, Barnes is the subject of the film documentary The Art of the Steal, though the film and Permanent Collection cover entirely different aspects of the aftermath of the collector’s death.

Permanent Collection is directed by Dayton native and current New Yorker Schele Williams, who did a masterful job at the helm of Ethel Waters: His Eye Is On The Sparrow two years ago. It is part of the 2010-2011 Eichelberger Loft Season of The Human Race, which will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of its incorporation during the run.

An Evening at the Museum with More Drama Than Night at the Museum

The college which inherits the collection hires African-American businessman Sterling North as director. North is played by Human Race Resident Artist Alan Bomar Jones, most recently seen at The Loft in A Christmas Carol, who recently garnered rave reviews for the Columbus one-man-play as folk artist Ezra Pierce, Pierce to the Soul.

Permanent Collection by Thomas Gibbons - Human Race Theatre Co. - April 15-May 1 - Dayton, OH

Melissa Joyner and Scott McGowan

North’s discoveries lead to the battles with the museum #2, Paul Barrow, played by New York-based Scott McGowan, who has won awards for performances in Miss Saigon and Evita, so he knows about culture clashes. The two men draw in the office staff, played by New Yorkers Sharon Hope (who has done numerous Law & Order episodes, so she knows verbal fracases) and Melissa Joyner (whose many credits include a turn as a student in Carrie II, so she know about the results of anger), into the fray.

A reporter who gets interested in the story is played by Christine Brunner of Middletown, who was in Human Race productions of A Christmas Carol and has appeared in many other shows in the region, and who has been a hand model in commercials for both Charmin and Bounty, so she knows when people have made a mess of things.

The imaginative set – you have to be imaginative when depicting a few billion dollars’ worth of art – is by Tamara L. Honesty. Costumes are by Janet Powell, lighting by HRTC Resident Artist John Rensel, sound by Matthew P. Benjamin, with Heather Jackson as Production Stage Manager.

Among the participants in the While We’re On The Subject talkback after the April 24 matinee, to which audience members are invited, will be Dayton Art Institute Chief Curator Will South.

Production sponsors are Rob and Leesa Comparin, Richard and Marni Flagel, Tyree L. Fields, Larry S. Glickler – Bradford-Connelly and Glickler Funeral Homes, Jon and Diana Sebaly, Maryann and Jack Bernstein, Alan and Marsha Pippenger, and John and Tamara Clough.

-Human Race Theatre Co. Press Release

We encourage local theatre companies to submit calendar items HERE, and official press releases to [email protected].

Tickets & Performance Information:

http://www.humanracetheatre.org/PERMANENT COLLECTION by Thomas Gibbons

April 15 – May 1 – various performance times (note…there will be an additional “preview night” performance on April 14)

at the LOFT THEATRE – map

More information and tickets are available through www.humanracetheatre.org, by calling Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630.  Tickets can be purchased in person at the Schuster Center box office, or at the box office at The Loft two hours before curtain.

Las Americas Extends Hours, Hosts Live Music

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Las Americas signLas Americas Caribbean Cuisine has extended its hours, and the restaurant now is offering entertainment and a special menu during First Fridays.

The historic Oregon Arts District restaurant, 524H E. Fifth St., now is open until 10pm on Friday and Saturday evenings. Las Americas specializes in authentic cuisine that features the aromatic spices and flavors of Puerto Rico, home country of owner Dolores Quinones, as well as Cuban and Spanish dishes.

On First Friday, Las Americas has started offering special menu items, as well as live music. During the next First Friday on April 1, Armando Garcia will perform.

“Featured is a very special troubadour performer, Armando Garcia, a most talented singer, guitarist and performer ― what a combination,” Quinones said. “Armando delights in bringing guests a serenade right to their table that will be one of the highlights of their visit to Las Americas Caribbean Cuisine.”

April First Friday special menu items will include off-the-grill pork chops with pineapple mojo, tilapia tacos topped with Las Americas’ own un poco picosita white sauce, colossal shrimp with green peas over white rice, and a beef empanada platter with arroz con gandules and yucca salad, along with special appetizers and desserts.

Regular menu items, which range from $4 to $10, also will be available. Those include soups, salads, wraps, quesadillas, mofongos and nachos ― many of them vegetarian. Desserts include flan and tres leches, and the restaurant offers a variety of non-alcoholic drinks, such as nectar juices and Puerto Rican coffee, pocillo.

Las Americas is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10 am to 5 pm, Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 10 p, and Sunday it offers a special brunch menu from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 937-266-3086 and follow Las Americas Caribbean Cuisine on Facebook for more information.

Las Americas Caribbean Cuisine started as a popular vendor at the PNC Second Street Market. Quinones expanded and moved to the Oregon Arts District in 2010, adding new menu items to customer favorites from the Market.

It’s No Joke: April 1 First Friday Packed with Art, Entertainment

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Comedic juggling duo The Dropbacks will return to First Friday in April to wow crowds with their feats of daring-do.

Comedic juggling duo The Dropbacks will return to First Friday in April to wow crowds with their feats of daring-do.

The next First Friday, downtown Dayton’s free monthly art hop, will be held from 5 to 10 p.m. April 1. As the weather warms, First Friday also heats up with the return of outdoor entertainment.

The popular street performers will return to First Friday (weather permitting) with roaming entertainers including breakdance crew Circle Nerdz, the comedic juggling troupe The Dropbacks and saxophonist Tyrone Martin. The street performance is supported by grant funding from the Ohio Arts Council.

Also returning to First Friday will be two historical walking tours by Gem City Circle Walks. Longtime local history buffs Leon Bey, Nancy Roach and Curt Dalton will lead an Oregon Arts District walk beginning at 5 p.m., and the “Ghosts, Cemeteries and Murders Walk of Downtown Dayton” will begin at 7 p.m. Each walk is $10 and advance reservations are required by contacting Leon Bey at 937-274-4749 or [email protected].

Another outdoor event in April will be presented by The Broken Dayton Art Machine, a group of local artists who will present a single-piece digital exhibit titled “I Have No Rival.” The artists will create a three-story video projection in the floors above The Southern Belle, 134 N. Patterson, which can be viewed from Patterson Boulevard from 8 p.m. to midnight. Artists Nicholaus Arnold, Ian Breidenbach, Frank Travers, Phillip Evans and Ren Cummings will at The Southern Belle to discuss their work.

As always, there will be plenty of action in downtown’s galleries and other establishments during First Friday, including in some nontraditional spaces. As part of the 510 Project, visitors can watch two local artists set up art installations in two spaces located right off Courthouse Square. In the former Roly Poly space (33 N. Main), Landon Crowell will install a video piece that examines the workers’ rights issues facing Ohio and Wisconsin’s public employees. In the lobby of the KeyBank Tower (10 W. Second) from noon to 6 p.m., Leesa Haapapuro will create a sculptural installation created in conjunction with her “Canal Man” project, which will feature cast human figures installed in the granite pools along Patterson Avenue. The sculptures will represent the men who labored to dig the Miami Erie Canal.

The Cannery Art and Design Center will host live music during First Friday.

The Cannery Art and Design Center will host live music during First Friday.

In its newest space, TEJAS, K12 Gallery for Young People, 510 E. Third St., will feature the exhibit “Dirt and Matter,” paintings by Rebecca Sargent, from 6 to 9 p.m. K12 also will display artwork by the HAALO (Helping Adolescents Achieve Learning Objectives) program of the Montgomery County Juvenile Courts and works from St. Luke School. The Cannery Art and Design Center, 434 E. Third St., will feature paintings by Clifford Darrett, whose jazz/salsa five-piece band will perform from 7 to 10 p.m. Nearby Garden Station, 509 E. Fourth St., will host live music, including Shade of Red at 8 p.m.

Open from 5 to 8 p.m., the Dayton Visual Arts Center, 118 N. Jefferson St., will host a preview party to launch the countdown to its 18th Annual Art Auction, which will be held April 29 at Sinclair Community College. At 7:30 p.m., DVAC will announce the live auction line up.

The Wine Gallery, 5 W. Monument St., will host the photography of local artist Josh Mayes in his exhibit “A Taste of Spring,” which emphasizes flowers and celebrates the change in seasons.

In the Oregon Arts District, Press, an espresso bar and arts space at 257 Wayne Ave. will feature the exhibit “April Fools,” a group art show and live performance by John Gassett, Eric Dunn and Wes Tirey from 7 to 11 p.m. Elaine Balsley Fine Art, 523 E. Fifth St., will host an open house featuring a variety of contemporary art from 3 to 10 p.m. ReCreate, 438 E. Fifth St., will feature original art, instruments and other music-related items.

At the Color of Energy, 16 Brown St., gallery owner Mike Elsass will show a preview of his work that will be featured in Laguna Beach, Calif., next fall. Elsass’ second gallery, Color 2, 519 E. Fifth St., will host an exhibit of new works by Jennifer Rosengarten, Bob Rhoades, Ann Kim, Ben Norton, Amanda Baker and Darren Haper.

Jazz saxophonist and music aficionado Tyrone Martin will perform at First Friday. This photo was taken by Josh Mayes, who will exhibit his work at The Wine Gallery during the event.

Jazz saxophonist and music aficionado Tyrone Martin will perform at First Friday. This photo was taken by Josh Mayes, who will exhibit his work at The Wine Gallery during the event.

Gallery 510 Fine Art, 510 E. Fifth St., will show Christina Pereyma’s “Yellow Box,” an interactive artwork constructed of yellow satin. Visitors will be able to enter the enclosed space and be photographed as part of the exhibit. Gallery 510 also will introduce the wood turnings of Maryland artist Michael Batista. 5th street clayworx, 521 E. Fifth St., will highlight the “Tree of Life” sculptures by Paula Vasquez. Nancy Snyder also will offer functional pottery for the Easter holiday, as well as gifts for weddings and special occasions.

Omega Music, 318 E. Fifth St., will host live music from 6 to 9 p.m. Patrons who present a receipt from another Oregon Arts District business will receive 10 percent off new CDs and LPs, as well as 15 percent off used music.

Other entertainment options abound during First Friday. For example, the monthly Courteous Mass Ride will meet at Don Crawford Plaza in front of Fifth Third Field, on the corner of Patterson Boulevard and Monument Avenue, at 5:15 p.m. for a ride through the city. The Dayton Theatre Guild, 430 Wayne Avenue, presents The Boys Next Door at 8 p.m. and the urban arts showcase “The Signature: A Poetic Medley Show” will take place at  The Loft Theatre, 126 N. Main St., from 9 to 11 p.m.

Jay’s Seafood Restaurant, 225 E. Sixth St., will host Puzzle of Light at 9 p.m. with no cover charge. Las Americas Caribbean Cuisine, 524H E. Fifth St., will offer a special menu and musical entertainment by Armando Garcia. Canal Street Tavern, 308 E. First St., will host the Lab Partners at 9:30 p.m.

Click here for a complete list of events taking place downtown.

In addition, all the restaurants, retail shops, bars and clubs, theaters, The Neon, Wiley’s Comedy Niteclub, Urban Krag Climbing Center, and other establishments throughout downtown will be open during First Friday. For regular updates about this event, follow First Friday on Facebook. The Downtown Dayton Partnership’s website has a complete list of downtown’s arts and cultural amenities, as well as a dining guide, parking map and much more.

Showdown Visual to Open Downtown Location

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Showdown Visual will join a growing community of creative services firms when it opens a downtown office in April.

The Showdown Visual team is comprised of PJ Perretta, Kenny Mosher, Rachel Mosher and Chip James.

Visual media production company Showdown Visual, which recently won 11 prestigious Hermes Awards, will join a growing community of creative services firms located in downtown Dayton when it opens an office in a renovated space at 124 E. Third St. in mid-April.

“We are excited to move downtown to be around so many of our clients, as well as other design firms,” said Kenny Mosher, co-founder of Showdown Visual. “Also, our new space provides the exact creative environment we need.”

Indeed, the move will put Showdown Visual in the company of a dozen creative services firms located in the center city, including Jon Morton Photography, which also will open this spring in the same building. Showdown Visual’s new space will be approximately 2,000 square feet, and it will share a 500-square-foot video and photography studio with Jon Morton Photography.

“The concentration of creative services firms, such as Showdown Visual, in downtown Dayton creates an environment where these firms, located within a walkable distance of each other, can easily network and collaborate,” said Sandy Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership. “Downtown also continues to attract these firms because it offers a variety of nontraditional, architecturally interesting office space that’s well suited ― and even inspiring ― to creative services firms.”

Showdown Visual, founded in spring 2009 by Kenny and Rachel Mosher, won a coveted gold Hermes Award in cinematography as an element of advertising on Feb. 26. The company also won eight silver awards and two bronze. The Hermes Awards, conducted by the American Advertising Federation, recognizes and rewards creative excellence in the art of advertising. Showdown Visual now will advance to one of 14 district competitions and, if it wins at this level, will go on to compete in the national ADDY Awards.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVBTUeRmfqE’]

In addition, Showdown Visual created a video for the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan that has been widely distributed among the dozens of public and private sector partners involved in the Plan, a strategic blueprint for the future of downtown Dayton. Thousands of people have viewed the video, which continues to receive lots of glowing feedback.

“In an era when visual media is impacting every area of our lives, Showdown Visual produces videos that combine creativity, storytelling, cinematography and top-notch editing techniques to separate our clients from their competition,” Kenny Mosher said. “Visual media is the fastest growing and most effective form of marketing in the world today. We believe our locally owned company is changing the game for clients on the local and national levels.”

[yframe url=’http://vimeo.com/groups/beyondthestill/videos/9188506′]

Showdown Visual already has garnered national attention. The company created a music video shot entirely on an iPhone 3GS titled “Play” that has more than 200,000 online views to date. In addition, Showdown Visual and Real Art Design Group, a Dayton-based firm with a client list that includes Fortune 500 companies, have partnered on several projects. They were a national Top 5 finalist in The Story Beyond the Still for a webisode chapter titled Alderwood, a mystery-thriller short film for a national Lexis Nexis marketing campaign. The two companies also partnered on a documentary for Mead introducing its new Builder Research Paper Software.

Showdown Visual already has compiled an impressive client list. Clients include Lexis Nexis, the University of Dayton, Wright State University, Sinclair Community College, Antioch Midwest, Five Rivers MetroParks, Mead, CIN Legal Data, Atomic Interactive, Health Partners Clinic, Miami Valley Research Park, Productive Parenting, Children’s Medical Center Dayton, the Dayton Development Coalition and more.

Also making up Showdown Visual’s creative team are Rachel Mosher, creative director; PJ Perretta, who records audio, writes and produces music, and works with post-production sound design and web programming; and Chip James, who manages project production and client relations.

Poetic Medley with Poetri at The Loft Theatre

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Tony Award winner Poetri will headline the April 1 production of The Signature: A Poetic Medley Show at the Loft Theatre.

Tony Award winner Poetri will headline the April 1 production of The Signature: A Poetic Medley Show at the Loft Theatre.

Oral Funk Poetry Productions is launching its fourth season of “The Signature: A Poetic Medley Show” in a new venue, The Loft Theatre, 126 N. Main St.

“We’re so excited to be producing our fourth season at The Loft Theatre,” said Sierra Leone of Oral Funk Poetry Productions. “Our new home has more seating for our shows, which often sell out, and allows us to kicks up the performance a notch thanks to access to more professional production equipment and capabilities in the theater. It also allows us to learn from the professionals at The Human Race Theatre Company.”

The season opening performance will be held from 9 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 1, at The Loft Theater. Tickets cost $15 in advance and are available at www.ticketcenterstage.com or by calling 937-228-3830. Tickets at the door cost $20. A cocktail reception will be held in the theater lobby from 8:30 to 9 p.m.

“We are pleased to co-present The Signature at The Loft Theatre,” said Human Race Producing Artistic Director Kevin Moore. “It’s a wonderful way to expand both of our audiences and to make good use of downtown’s most intimate and comfortable entertainment space ― The Loft Theatre.”

Poetri, Tony Award-winner and HBO Def Jam poet, will headline the show with a presentation of original material in which he infuses comedy and spoken word to discuss universal issues, such as relationships and money. Known as “the poet rock star,” Poetri has worked with such legends as Curtis Mayfield, Bootsy Collins and Nona Hendrix, as well as such contemporary stars as Tyler Perry , LL Cool J,  Rosario Dawson, Jessie Dylan and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. He was one of the first poets to win a Tony Award for his own material on Broadway for Def Poetry Jam, and recently, President Barack Obama invited Poetri to attend the first spoken word event at the White House.

Poetri’s TV appearances include The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tyler Perry’s House of Pain and Bones, and he also has appeared in popular movies, such as Blades of Glory and Yes Man. Poetri has written and appeared in more than 150 commercials for such clients as Subway, Gatorade, Nike, NFL Films, BET and Arby’s, and he worked with the Black Eyed Peas on a series of award-winning online digisodes for Snickers called “InstantDef.” In addition, Poetri is one of the founders of one of the largest weekly poetry venues in the nation, which attracts more than 350 people every Tuesday.

Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. also will be a featured performer during The Signature.

The evening’s other featured performer will be vocalist and spoken word artists Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D., who blends spoken word, hip-hop, blues and jazz into her work, which makes light of heartache and encourages people to grow from life’s pains and challenges. A Chicago native who now lives in Atlanta, her performance is a mix of Southern sass and Windy City wit.

Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. has performed in cities throughout the United States, released several spoken word albums, and written and appeared in two independent films. She is a cast member of The Coochie Chronicles, a spoken-word AIDS awareness stage play based in Cincinnati, and currently is touring with Georgia Me Presents Adam’s Rib, sharing the stage with Tony- and Emmy award-winning poet Georgia Me, as well as nationally known poets Tasha Jones and M’Reld Green. In addition, Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. has coached acting and public speaking to young people for the past seven years, and her students have won several awards and hold three Illinois state championships. She also volunteers with Ayudagente, which helps feed Atlanta’s homeless community, and she sponsors charitable showcases to benefit Aniz Inc., which works to combat AIDS/HIV in the African American community.

Also during the event, El Coats and the Funk Point will perform a melting pot of rhythm and blues with a neo-soul twist, and Columbus Slam poet Will Evans will be the guest emcee.

The theme for the fourth season of The Signature is “What Does It Mean to Be a Poet?” Other performance dates include June 17 and Aug. 15. The season will culminate with the third annual Regional Academic and Cultural Collaborative (RACC), which spotlights urban arts and entertainment while giving Dayton-area students an opportunity to connect with some of the industry’s top names. The first two RACC events brought in hip-hop heavyweights Common and Lupe to discuss their work.

During its first three seasons, “The Signature: A Poetic Medley Show” featured local and national poets, musicians, actors, vocalists, dancers and visual artists presenting numerous forms of self-expression ― often to sold-out crowds. In late 2010, Oral Funk Poetry Productions took its show on the road as part of a planned expansion to produce The Signature in other Ohio cities. Its first venture outside of Dayton was a mid-November show and related events in Toledo. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/thesignatureofpp.

YPs Lead Effort to Enliven Downtown Storefronts With Art, New Businesses

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The Activated Spaces project team leaders met for lunch at Carmen's Deli downtown to discuss their strategies for enlivening the city's street-level spaces.

The Activated Spaces project team leaders met for lunch at Carmen's Deli downtown to discuss their strategies for enlivening the city's storefronts.

When it comes to revitalizing downtown, Dayton-area young professionals are stepping up to the plate glass window.

Members of Generation Dayton and updayton, organizations that empower and engage young professionals, are leading a new project called Activated Spaces. This project is part of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan, a strategic blueprint for the future of downtown.

“We are so excited these young professionals have developed and are leading this important effort,” said Dr. Michael Ervin, co-chair of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan. “Creating a center city that attracts young professionals is an important goal of the Plan, so having Generation Dayton and updayton members implement the Activated Spaces project certainly helps meet that goal.”

Activated Spaces is aimed at giving new life to vacant street-level commercial space, particularly for arts and cultural purposes. Already, project leaders are seeking proposals from artists who would like to display their work in storefront windows.

“Updayton got involved with Activated Spaces because we’ve heard over and over from young people that a bustling downtown is extremely important to them,” said Scott Murphy, chair of updayton. “We see making downtown more beautiful and vibrant as a critical effort to attracting and retaining talented young people in the Dayton region.”

Activated Spaces has three main goals:

•          reactivate and beautify vacant storefronts with creative displays
•          encourage entrepreneurs, artists and community groups to occupy space for short- and long-term use
•          showcase downtown properties and increase interest and investment in available downtown space

“In the short term, we want to turn ‘vacant’ to ‘vibrant’ as now-empty storefronts begin to fill with interesting things to see and do along the corridors that connect downtown’s assets,” said Shanon Potts, immediate past chair of Generation Dayton. “In the long term, we would like to see the overall vacancy rate for downtown office space be on par with its current residential vacancy rate, for which demand nearly always exceeds supply.”

Activated Spaces been organized into three teams, all intended to improve the overall look and feel of downtown while reactivating vacant spaces in the short and long terms. They are:

Generation Dayton and updayton members are working to enliven windows such as these with local art that celebrates Dayton.

Generation Dayton and updayton members are working to enliven windows such as these with local art that celebrates Dayton.

Street Level Team

This team will fill vacant storefronts with visual displays that promote downtown assets. The themed displays will be refreshed approximately every six months. The first installation theme is “Celebrating Dayton,” in which artists are asked to create pieces that visually demonstrate Dayton’s heritage and diversity. Interested artists should apply by 5 p.m. Friday, March 25, and art will be installed prior to the next Urban Nights on May 13. Click here for more information or contact Sherri Wierzba at [email protected] or 937-224-1518, ext. 226. The Celebrating Dayton art installation is funded by updatyon and the Downtown Dayton Partnership.

Activate Spaces Team

This team will develop a program for short-term stores to open in now-vacant spaces. The temporary stores could be pop-up retail shops, seasonal shops or testing grounds for entrepreneurs. In the long term, this team hopes to fill space with permanent tenants and retailers.

Open for Business Team

This team will focus on short- and long-term business strategies and other initiatives that will fill now-vacant space with new businesses activity downtown. To do so, this team will partner with local colleges and universities to create an engaging learning exercise for students in business programs. The team also will partner with emerging business owners and entrepreneurs who would like to open downtown.

Volunteers now are developing detailed short- and long-term goals and estimated project budgets. Those interested in getting involved should e-mail [email protected].

“We’ve also heard walkability is extremely important to young, creative professionals, and we believe filling downtown storefronts will strengthen walking connections, as people are more likely to walk when the paths look inviting and friendly,” Murphy said. “The Activated Spaces project also will be a great vehicle for showcasing local artists and a chance for creative people and emerging leaders to step forward to help the Dayton region.”


Activated Spaces is part of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan, a strategic blueprint for creating a more vibrant center city.

Similar initiatives in other cities successfully have met the goals of Activated Spaces and are being used as models for the efforts in downtown Dayton. However, Dayton’s project is distinct in at least two regards: It’s being led by young professionals and is comprised of three teams working in a coordinated fashion toward the same overall goal of improving their city’s urban core.

“Our organization is full of next-generation leaders who are civic-minded and want to make a difference for the better in our community,” Potts said. “Activated Spaces enables them to combine their desire to make a difference with their interest in the development of downtown.”