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Arts & Entertainment

Dayton at Work and Play: Cornell Studio Supply

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Before I met Stephanie Beiser Ceramics I had no idea that Cornell Studio Supply  was such a cool place. They have hosted workshops by some of the country’s top ceramic artists.

To get a feel for the quality of the artists who have come to Cornell you just need to look through its “boneyard.” It’s filled with items that have been made by the artists in their workshops and then bisque fired. But they haven’t been glazed and had a final firing. They are stuck in-between.
The boneyard item on the left is about three feet high. It was made by Seattle artist George Rodriguez, known for his large scale ceramic sculptures. A group of his pieces has just been installed at the Kansas City Airport. Stephanie showed her piece on the right where she is using some ideas she picked up from watching Geirge Rodriguez.
If you’re interested in ceramic art, this is a good time to visit Cornell. They’re exhibiting work by 30 past workshop instructors this month.

Cornell Studio Supply

8290 N Dixie Dr, Dayton
(937) 454-0357
Tuesday 9am – 4:30pm 
Wednesday  9am – 7pm 
Thursday. 9am – 4:30pm 
Friday 9am – 4:30pm 
Saturday 9am – 4:30pm

Workshops, Firing Services, Kiln Repair

Springboro Community Theater Presents RENT

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Springboro Community Theatre is proud to present our upcoming production of “RENT”, running March 3rd-5th and 10th-12th, 2023.
This production is sponsored by Carrie Robbins at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Professional Realty! Thank you so much for your support of the theatre!
Please be advised, “RENT” contains strong adult themes and content.
Tickets for the show are available at: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/63372
Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Rent has become a pop cultural phenomenon. with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.
Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

Neal Gittleman Returns to Conduct Dayton Philharmonic!

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Dayton Performing Arts Alliance continues its 2022-2023 Masterworks Series with a concert featuring three composers’ musical reactions to war and their hopes for peace in Perspectives: War and Peace. Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s Artistic Director and Conductor, Neal Gittleman, returns to the podium after a brief medical leave for an evening including Lili Boulanger’s For a Soldiers Funeral, featuring Kenneth Shaw (baritone) and the Dayton Philharmonic Chorus; the premiere of DPAA’s commission of Michael Schelle’sResilience, showcasing DPO’s violist Sheridan Currie and cellist Johnathan Lee; and, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Pastoral” Symphony No. 3 with soprano and Dayton Opera Artist-in-Resident, Kayla Oderah. Friday, March 10, and Saturday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center. Tickets are on sale now and start at $5. For tickets, call 937-228-3630 or visit daytonperformingarts.org/tickets.

Back from a brief leave from his duties as Artistic Director and Conductor, Neal Gittleman has been eager to program Perspectives for the Dayton audience. “The tale of this program begins about a dozen years ago when I heard a performance of the Vaughan Williams Pastoral Symphony which is a response to the devastations of World War I—at a summer festival,” said Gittleman. “I didn’t know the piece and was blown away by its beauty and the emotional wallop it packed—despite being mostly quiet, well, pastoral piece.”

“Then when Mike Schelle wrote Resilience for us,” Gittleman continues, “we had a perfect companion piece—connected to World War II and more energetic in character. I’d known about Lili Boulanger’s For a Soldier’s Funeral since my student days in Paris, and it made the perfect opener for a concert that’s not, strictly speaking, about war, but instead, about people thinking about war.”

Jointly commissioned by Dayton Philharmonic and the Fort Smith (AR) Symphony, Schelle based the composition on the powerful emotions of suffering and human resilience he experienced while visiting significant sites from World War II’s European and Japanese theaters. Resilience was premiered in 2015 by the Fort Smith (AR) Symphony. Dayton Philharmonic’s premiere had several delays, most recently because of COVID.

“The background (and buildup) to the story of this piece stretches over many years, “says Resilience composer, Michael Schelle. “I’m an avid ‘student’ of all things WWII. Resilience is a unique characteristic of ‘The Greatest Generation’ in general and honors the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. My dad was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, Pacific Theatre from 1941-1945. Also, my mom was a WWII nurse in Philadelphia.”

“The Dayton Philharmonic and the Fort Smith (AR) Symphony partnered to commission a piece from me a few years after my dad’s passing at age 89, which led me to compose Resilience.” continues Schelle. “It quickly became my most deeply personal creation. The piece is inspired by WWII, but in the eight years since the premiere — and subsequent performances across the U.S. —Resilience has grown to embrace for me a much larger dramatic landscape of suffering and resilience, including some situations that have affected me personally, including the Ukraine invasion and the catastrophic Japanese tsunami of 2011 (my wife is Japanese pianist, composer Miho Sasaki).”

Gittleman and Schelle will host a “Take Note Talk,” live in the Mead Theater of the Schuster Center from 6:30 – 7:00 p.m. before each evening’s concert. Take Note Talks provide an in-depth perspective of the evening’s programming. After the concert, Sheridan Currie and Jonathan Lee will join Gittleman and Schelle for a “Talk Back” to answer questions from the audience once most of the crowd leaves the theater.

For additional information on the concert and to hear why Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman chose this repertoire and read the digital program, visit Perspectives: War and Peace. 

Tickets start at $5 and are on sale now by phone at 937.228.3630, online at Perspectives: War and Peace tickets in person at the Box Office in the Wintergarden of the Schuster Center downtown Dayton

“Sing Out Loud” community choral event kicks off the Campaign for the Arts!

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Culture Works invite you to join them as they launch their 2023 Campaign for the Arts this Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at the Victoria Theatre for a special “Sing Out Loud” event. During this special performance you’ll hear from the Culture Works team and Dr. Sue Edwards, President of Wright State University and this year’s Campaign Chair, about the importance of supporting our local creative community.

The stars of the program are our friends and neighbors! Sing Out Loud will feature more than 100 local arts champions coming together as one choir singing familiar songs from the stage and the screen. You’ll be certain to spot a familiar face or two on stage, and you’ll leave with a smile on your face and a song in your heart!

HOW TO GO?
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
at the Victoria Theatre
Doors open by 7pm
Program begins promptly at 7:30pm
Tickets available at this link: https://www.daytonlive.org/events/sing-out-loud/

SING OUT LOUD SPONSORS:
Dayton Live
Agape Media
The Dayton Foundation

McCoy on Movies: Creed III

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Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut has flash but lacks true punch to be a true title contender

“This is my Wakan, er, ring!” Titular character Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) raises his fists in a scene from Jordan’s directorial debut CREED III. Credit: Eli Ade © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. All rights reserved.
 WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
DIRECTOR: Michael B. Jordan

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Mila Kent, Wood Harris, Thaddeus J. Mixon, Spence Moore II, Florian Munteanu and Phylicia Rashad

 

THE BACK STORY: The third installment in the Rocky spin-off franchise, Creed III finds titular character Adonis “Donnie” Creed enjoying the good life. He’s retired, his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) has become a gold record earning music producer and their daughter Amira (Mila Kent), save for one would-be bully at school, is seemingly happy.
But it wasn’t always this way.
You see, back in his troubled youth (portrayed by Thaddeus J. Mixon), Adonis had issues at a group home where he was living with his best friend Damian “Diamond Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors, played as a youth by Spence Moore II). Dame was an aspiring Golden Gloves champion … And then came the fateful night where everything changed. Fast-forward 18 years later and Dame, thanks in part to a decision made that aforementioned night and one later made by Adonis’ mother (Phylicia Rashad), isn’t remembered at all.
He will be, however – which is why he’s ready to show Adonis that while he may be the champ, there’s no nemesis like an old friend …

 

THE REVIEW:
As Jordan’s directorial debut, the positives about Creed III are that the film looks good visually, there are some  … interesting sequences (one in particular) and the action sequences are fine by the previous films’ standards.
Then there’s the actual movie itself as a story … And that’s when things seem to feel a bit punch-drunk.
Look, Rocky and Creed films are never going to be great with certain logic points, but there is one plot point that – if you think about it – derails the storyline and plot points for the latter half of the film. (The logic the characters exercise or, more often, don’t, makes turning your brain off necessary to get through it.) Likewise, there hasn’t been good defense by a boxer in a Rocky movie since, well, ever and the referees make the ones in the WWE (or, depending on your favorite football team, a certain spots league) look competent by comparison.
Those complaints aside, the main problem with Creed III is that despite some opportunities to maybe explore some topics that could have made the film feel unique or even poignant – the idea of black rage, misguided youth, the impact of parents on children among them. Unfortunately, Creed III instead comes across as another so-so Rocky movie (think Rocky V). This wouldn’t be the case, of course, if the characters’ had better logic. Seriously, the decisions the characters make often seem ludicrous at best with reasoning that feels just as silly as the choices themselves. That makes it hard to buy into much of the film itself, which, given the nature of the average Rocky/Creed film, is essential.
Let me put it another way. As a four decade (and counting) fan of “sports entertainment,” a.k.a. professional wrestling, the key to the enjoyment is (1) appreciating the athleticism of the performers that (2) makes it able for you to suspend your disbelief that the outcomes aren’t pre-determined. These are live action movies unfolding before your eyes. With Creed III, the film never reaches a point where you are able to do the latter. Sure, Jordan, Majors and co. are in phenomenal shape and look the part, but the film lacks an element that makes you go “all in” and buy completely into the story. On a positive note, Mila Kent is precocious as Amira and does a great job throughout the film all the way to setting up her own movie one day(?).
With Creed III, Michael B. Jordan shows he knows what a movie should look like, how a first, second and third act are supposed to work and how to add visual style to the final product. Unfortunately, the story is so … familiar and logically flawed that it’s just hard to want to go the distance with it. Again, there are points raised that could have developed into something more than the standard boxing fare. The film looks good stylistically, Jordan shows he has potential to deliver a good product … But the film just lacks the punch – pun intended – to deliver the knockout blow you would hope it would.
Creed III comes in with all the hype of a title contender … But in the end, the franchise’s championship days – however short they may have been – are behind it.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
 

 

 

 

Artist of the Week: Cydnie Deed-King

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ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Cydnie Deed-King working in her home studio.
I first looked at Cydnie King‘s art when I heard that the African American Visual Artists Guild was hosting an exhibition of her work at Central State University Dayton (840 Germantown Street). The reception is Sunday, March 5 from 2-4pm and is open to the public. The exhibit can be viewed Monday thru Friday 9am to 5pm March 1 to April 28.
Cydnie is exhibiting her “Digital Blossoms,” which blends her paintings of plants with images of circuit boards and other technical components. Very Cool. You can see part of one of those pieces on the right. Love the way the veins on the flower change into parts of printed circuits.
In addition to making art, Cydnie also works with artists in her role as Curatorial Assistant at the Contemporary Dayton. I asked how that came about.
“I grew up in a family of artists and then studied art at Webster University” she told me. “I moved to Dayton when my husband got a job here. I knew I wanted to be part of the area’s art community so I started volunteering at The Contemporary Dayton. Eventually they made me an intern and then a year later I was hired on part-time. Now I’m a full time employee and the curatorial assistant. The Co is a great organization. I’ve learned a lot there.”

The ARTery Gallery March Openings

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The ARTery is a large Co-Op Gallery located in the Frontstreet Building #100 in downtown Dayton. They are excited to announce Bonnie Kuntz is their Highlighted Member Artist of the Month for March.  Kuntz is a painter at the ARTery Gallery who uses a variety of mediums to capture her images including watercolor, acrylics, mixed media, and occasionally pastels. 

The Gallery’s Visiting Artist of the Month is Sarah Wrona who is no stranger to Front Street having her own studio located in building 200 called the Glass Station. Wrona is not only a multi-talented artist who works in glass and alcohol inks, but she also creates jewelry, welded metal sculptures, found object sculptures and crocheted items. Sarah will have a selection of her fused glass dishes, jewelry, and crocheted scarves on display and for sale at the gallery this month.  Come meet both artists and see their finely executed body of work 1st Friday, March 3rd from 5-9pm, or 3rd Sunday, March 19th from 12-4pm.

Bonnie Kuntz is an accomplished artist who also enjoys teaching painting classes at both the Rosewood Arts Center and the Miamisburg Community Center – in conjunction with Sinclair Community College.  Kuntz’ work is not only on display at The Artery Gallery, but her work is accepted into a variety of local juried shows throughout the year.  The artist is very active in the Miami Valley’s art community, The Contemporary, the Women’s Tri Art Society, and others who help promote art and artists in the area.

Years of raising horses have provided Kuntz with a common subject in many of her works, and her deep love for all animals, flowers and landscapes become the subject of most of her paintings.  The artist has enjoyed a successful artistic career over the years having won many awards in juried art shows. And, when not painting, the artist keeps herself strong and healthy pursuing her interest in eastern practices such as teaching Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Lel Qigong. She has a brown belt in Astarte Kempo Karate and is also a Healing Touch Practitioner and has completed a 30-month Shaman apprenticeship program. 

The Co-Op ARTery Gallery currently has 16 Artists and Artisans with work on display including Watercolor, Acrylic, and Oil Painting, Encaustic, Fine Art Photography, Photography, Mixed Media, Printmaking, Ceramics, Custom Jewelry, Hand Made Textiles and Sculpture with styles ranging from traditional to Contemporary. 

Article written by:  Melanie Morrett 

The ARTery at Front Street

Bldg. 100, Door B/C, 3rd Floor, Studio #3480

Hours:

First Friday, 5 pm – 9 pm
Third Sunday, 11 am – 4 pm

And Daily by Appointment.

*Current ARTery Artists include:  Fabienne Bee, Alison Bour, Rosalie Campbell, Samantha Farkas, Bob Farley, Charlene Fox, Jim Hayes, Mikee Huber, Bonnie Kuntz, Sarah Maxwell, Melanie Morrett, Ashley Simons, Ryan Taylor, Jo Anne Vincent, Leonard Williams, and David Zawisa.

COnversations: Hanif Abdurraqib

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Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. His poetry has been published in Muzzle, Vinyl, PEN American, and various other journals. His essays and music criticism have been published in The FADER, Pitchfork, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. His first full length poetry collection, The Crown Ain’t Worth Much, was released in June 2016 from Button Poetry. It was named a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize, and was nominated for a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award.

His first collection of essays, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, was released in winter 2017 by Two Dollar Radio and was named a book of the year by Buzzfeed, Esquire, NPR, Oprah Magazine, Paste, CBC, The Los Angeles Review, Pitchfork, and The Chicago Tribune, among others. He released Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest with University of Texas press in February 2019. The book became a New York Times Bestseller, was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, and was longlisted for the National Book Award. His second collection of poems, A Fortune For Your Disaster, was released in 2019 by Tin House, and won the 2020 Lenore Marshall Prize. His newest release, A Little Devil In America(Random House, 2021) was a winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal and the Gordon Burn Prize, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pen/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award . In 2021, Abdurraqib was named a MacArthur Fellow. He is a graduate of Beechcroft High School.

The conversation will take place inside The Tank at the Dayton Arcade (35 W 4th St, downtown Dayton). Metered street parking is free after 6 pm, or guests may park in the Reibold Garage.

Spoken Word At W. Social

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Join us at W. Social Tap & Table this Sunday, February 26th, for our very first Spoken Word event.
As we pay homage to the end of Black History Month, we will be featuring some of Lawrence Dunbar’s most esteemed poetry to set the tone for a truly remarkable afternoon. This is an opportunity to honor and celebrate the richness and diversity of our culture.
Moreover, we are thrilled to open up the stage to all local poets, singers, and songwriters, who will have the chance to share their own artistic expressions. Come and be a part of this unique and inspiring experience, and connect with a community that values creative freedom and the richness of the human spirit.
Hosted by DJ Joe, DJ JOE CRACK, this event promises to be a celebration of creativity, passion, and respect for one another.

McCoy on Movies: Cocaine Bear

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Elizabeth Banks’ horror/dark comedy delivers exactly what it promises to uproarious, unadulterated fun

“This is what happens when you party in the woods in the 1980s!” The titular character lets loose with a little bit of snowfall in a scene from Elizabeth Banks’ inspired by true events dark comedy/horror COCAINE BEAR. Credit: © 2023 Universal Pictures. All rights reserved.
 WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
DIRECTOR: Elizabeth Banks

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Kristofer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra, Leo Hanna, J.B. Moore, Aaron Holliday, Ayoola Smart, Kahyun Kim, Margo Martindale and the late Ray Liotta

 
THE BACK STORY: Inspired by true events – but definitely taking them to previously unforeseen highs (pun intended) – Cocaine Bear takes place in 1985 in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Why? Because that’s where a drug dealer (and millions of dollars of pure, uncut cocaine) crash landed. That’s a problem for Daveed (O’Shea Jackson, Jr.) and Syd (Ray Liotta), a pair of southern drug dealers who cannot afford to upset their Latin American connections by letting all those drugs go missing. That prompts Syd to order Daveed to find Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) – a.k.a. Daveed’s trying to-go-straight partner and Syd’s son – to leave St. Louis and head towards Chattachoochee.
Syd, Eddie and Daveed won’t be alone in their hunt, however, for the forest happens to be roaming with colorful characters on this particular day. There’s Olaf (Kristopher Hivju) and Elsa (Hannah Hoekstra), an engaged couple hiking their way through the forest, animal specialist Peter (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Liz (Margo Martindale) the park ranger who fancies him and the teenage gang of the ponytail (Leo Hanna), the guy in the vest (J.B. Moore) and their leader (Aaron Holiday).
Also in the woods are thirteen year-old duo Dee Dee (Brooklyn Prince) and Henry (Christian Convery), who are about to learn that skipping school was the worst decision they could have made that day. Why? Not just because Dee Dee’s mom Sari (Keri Russell) is going to be very upset with them, but because a black bear has just found massive amounts of cocaine.
If you can’t imagine what’s going to happen next, you should probably look at the title of this movie again and get prepared for a journey unlike anything else you may see in 2023 … Or ever again.

THE REVIEW: In an era full of sequels, re-treads, dystopian futures and superheroes, Cocaine Bear carves out a niche for itself by delivering EXACTLY what its title promises: A 500-pound apex predator coked out of its mind running crazy in the middle of a forest causing hilarious – and at times, gory – chaos.

The bear is obviously the star attraction; what makes director Elizabeth Banks’ film entertaining and not an erratic mess, however, is the work of all the humans around it. The story is easy to follow, the actors deliver solid performances by playing things straight and Banks’ pacing keeps things snapping along so that nothing drags except the victims once the star sinks her claws in them. The laughs happen naturally, the shock moments are effective and not gory for the sake of being gory and the characters are likable enough and more developed than one would expect going in to the film.
Make no mistake, however: Cocaine Bear isn’t trying to be an Academy Award-winning film by any stretch of the imagination. However, it takes a wild concept and makes it an entertaining one from start to finish. Prince and Convery are great young stars to carry the film, Russell is completely believable and Martindale is a hoot as the park ranger. (If only Whitlock, Jr. had found a to work in his trademark catchphrase from The Wire, everything would be complete.)
While the world doesn’t need a sequel, it definitely can have a great time partying down with Cocaine Bear – just make sure the only snorting you’re doing is from laughing and everything should work out just fine.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
 

 

 

 

 

 

Rezash brings ‘Carnage’ and love of Directing to DPH!

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     Dayton Playhouse Presents ‘God of Carnage!’

For Tim Rezash, there is no place like home….and that means Dayton and its fabulous Playhouse! His next big directing project is ‘God of Carnage’ which will take the stage in March! I was lucky enough to gather info from the Daytonian about his love of theater, desire to direct and connection to DPH.

JS: So Tim, let’s hear a little about you….and your connection to the Dayton Playhouse.

TR: I have been affiliated with DPH for over 30 years, though in two separate periods of time.  I first moved to Dayton in 1984, following graduate school, and auditioned for Company at the former DPH building on Third Street.  I was cast, and stayed with DPH until moving from the area in 1992, mostly acting but a couple directing things thrown in.  I returned about eight years ago and was able to “rehome” myself with the group, serving on the board, various committees, acting, and directing what will soon be five plays since coming back.

JS: And your return to DPH has been celebrated! I know in talking with a few of the cast members for your upcoming ‘God of Carnage’ they are thrilled to be working with you….and they speak highly of your directing style. Why did you choose ‘God of Carnage?’

TR:  I have been in love with this play since I first saw it in New York.  It was with the first replacement cast and they, and the play, were riveting.  It’s one of those plays where you know that things are “going to end badly,” as one of the characters says toward the end of the play, but the ride is so fun that you can just strap yourself in and enjoy!  Each character takes their own journey, the stakes are high, and the dialogue is fast paced and exciting.

                                                                        Cast of ‘Carnage’ preparing for the show!

JS: Ok, so now my interest is piqued! What can I, actually the audience in general….what can they expect from this revered play?

TR:  A lot of laughs, the ability to empathize with each character (at least for a while, until they say something to ruin it for you), and some interesting thoughts about how people view the world and the masks they put on.  The play’s slug line is “A comedy of manners. . .without the manners.”  Sort of says it all. . .

JS: Who doesn’t need to laugh? So you have had quite a lot of theater experience. What are some of the highlights in your background?

TR:  I have bachelor’s degrees in both acting and directing, as well as a few advanced degrees in the social sciences.  For about eight years, beginning in my mid-thirties, I was a professional actor and director in the Chicago area, including an almost two year stint in “Shear Madness,” one of the longest running plays in many cities across the country.  While performing in the Charlotte, NC area, I was twice the recipient of the Metrolina Theatre Association’s Best Actor Award for performances in Glengarry Glen Ross and Doubt.  Since returning to Dayton, I have been a four-time recipient of the DPH Blackburn Award for Excellence in Directing, as well as a two-time recipient of Blackburn Awards for Excellence in Acting for performances in 1776 and The Man of LaMancha.

                                        Rezash’s Strong performance in ‘Man of La Mancha!’

JS: To have a director in any theater with that kind of talent and experience is just a huge WOW! With that in mind and knowing your great love of acting…what pulls you toward directing ‘Carnage’?

TR: I find it fascinating to have the opportunity to read a play and to later have the chance to help breathe life into it on the stage.  I’m sure there’s a little bit of control freak in me, but I do enjoy the collaborative process of working with so many people to make a performance happen. I love directing ‘God of Carnage.’ and I would say what I would love to direct is whatever is next!

JS: Thank you Tim! Don’t miss this Dayton!

You can catch ‘God of Carnage’ weekends from March 10-19.

Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00; Sundays at 2:00.

Tickets: Adults $20
Seniors/Students/Active Military $18
Dayton Playhouse
1301 E. Siebenthaler
Dayton OH

 

 

 

Newly Announced: Dayton Battle of the Bands Finale line-up is set!

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The 3rd annual Dayton Battle of the Bands Finale is happening on March 11, 2023 at The Brightside, and the line-up is now set. After 6 weeks of competition at The Brightside, the top 6 bands will compete in one amazing show!

The finalists include the following bands (alphabetical order – not performance order of the night)

– Crabswithoutlegs
– Josh Webb & The Home Sown Band
– The Luv Locz Experiment
– R3G
– Sam King & The Suspects
– Wreck League

Not familiar with any of the bands participating? That’s the fun! This entire series is a fun way to check out new, local, original music!

How does it work? Each ticket buyer gets one vote (in person). You’ll be asked to rank your top 3 bands in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. Unlike the rounds, which were a combination of judge and audience votes, the finale is decided by the audience only.

The grand prize is an EP session at Dayton Sound Studios, the title sponsor of this series. The grand prize winner also gets to perform at Levitt Pavilion Dayton during the summer 2023 concert season, a merch package from Little Monster Printing, pizza for rehearsals from Dayton Pizza Factory & $1000 cash prize.

HOW TO GO?
March 11, 2023
Doors 6pm. Show 7pm.
Music starts at 7pm – we highly recommend you get there by 7 to see all the bands perform.
The Brightside (905 E 3rd St, Dayton)
Tickets are $15 advance
$20 at the door. 
Note: Advance tickets are recommended (this event has sold out!)
Ticket link – https://www.venuepilot.co/events/70559/orders/new

The Co’s New Lecture Series

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The Contemporary Dayton (The Co) continues to expand its programming with the establishment of a new lecture series featuring some of the most incisive people and perspectives for our time. CONVERSATIONS will take place in The Tank at the Dayton Arcade.

The 2023 Season will feature three diverse programs from literary and performance thought-leaders from across the country and within the Miami Valley. 

March 2, 2023  I  HANIF ABDURRAQIB

In conversation with Cameron Granger, Columbus-based filmmaker

Limited copies of A Little Devil in America will be available at the event for purchase for $20 + tax (credit cards only). Opportunities for the speaker to sign purchased books will take place immediately after the talk. 

Hanif Abdurraqib is an award-winning poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. His newest release, A Little Devil In America (Random House, 2021) was a winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal and the Gordon Burn Prize. His essays and music criticism have been published in The FADER, Pitchfork, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. His first full length poetry collection, The Crown Ain’t Worth Much, was released in June 2016 from Button Poetry. It was named a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize, and was nominated for a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award.

His first collection of essays, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, was released in winter 2017 by Two Dollar Radio and was named a book of the year by Buzzfeed, Esquire, NPR, Oprah Magazine, Paste, CBC, The Los Angeles Review, Pitchfork, and The Chicago Tribune, among others. He released Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest with University of Texas press in February 2019. The book became a New York Times Bestseller, was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, and was longlisted for the National Book Award. His second collection of poems, A Fortune for Your Disaster, was released in 2019 by Tin House, and won the 2020 Lenore Marshall Prize. In 2021, Abdurraqib was named a MacArthur Fellow. 

Books by Hanif Abdurraqib for purchase in the CoSHOP: A Little Devil in America, (Random House, 2021) $20 + tax; Go Ahead in The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest, (University of Texas Press, 2019) $15 + tax; and A Fortune for Your Disaster (W.W. Norton, 2019) $18 + tax.

April 13, 2023  I  SAEED JONES

In conversation with Dionne Custer Edwards, Director of Learning & Public Practice, Wexner Center for the Arts

Limited copies of Alive at The End of the World will be available at the event for purchase for $20 + tax (credit cards only). Opportunities for the speaker to sign purchased books will take place immediately after the talk. 

Saeed Jones was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in Lewisville, Texas. His debut poetry collection, Prelude to Bruise, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and was awarded the 2015 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry. The collection also received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, which described the book as, “a fever dream, something akin to magic.” NPR described Prelude as a “book seamed in smoke; it is a dance that invites you to admire the supple twist of its narrative spine; it is hard and glaring and brilliant.” 

In 2019, Saeed released his highly anticipated memoir, How We Fight for Our Lives. As the New Yorker observed “his title carries an edge of social critique. To be black, gay, an American, the book suggests, is to fight for one’s life.” NPR raved “Jones’s voice and sensibility are so distinct that he turns one of the oldest of literary genres inside out and upside down.” The memoir won the 2019 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, a 2020 Lambda Literary Award, as well as a 2020 Stonewall Book Award. 

Books by Saeed Jones available for purchase in the CoSHOP: Alive at The End of the World (Coffee House Press, 2022) $20 + tax. 

May 11, 2023  I  DEBBIE BLUNDEN-DIGGS with COUNTESS WINFREY AND KEVIN WARD OF DAYTON CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY (DCDC)

DEBBIE BLUNDEN-DIGGS became Artistic Director for Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) in 2007. In 2019, she was named Chief Artistic & Producing Director. For over 20 years she performed with the company, appearing in most of the company’s repertoire. Before becoming Artistic Director, she served as the company’s Associate Artistic Director, Deputy Director for Arts and Operations, and Resident Choreographer. In addition to her choreographic and artistic leadership, Blunden-Diggs is the Executive Director of Jeraldyne’s School of the Dance, the cornerstone to Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and she works closely with DCDC’s pre-professional company, DCDC2. She has created works for the company, which have become part of the company’s artistic blueprint. Her notable works include Configurations, Kaleidoscope, Fragments, In My Father’s House, and Traffic. Her first piece, Variations in Blue, composed when she was 17, was submitted as an entry in the Young Choreographers Showcase and selected for inclusion in the National Choreographic Plan. She has contributed an impressive body of work, including No Room, No Place, No Where, for which she received a Monticello Award in 1982.”

Countess Winfrey

joined the company in 2014. She began her dance training at Dance with Stacy Dance Studio, attended Wharton Arts Magnet School where she majored in dance and art, and continued her training at Nashville School of the Arts. Attending college at the University of Memphis, Countess graduated magna cum laude with a BS degree in health and human performance and with a minor in dance in 2011.

Countess joined DCDC2 in 2012, where she danced for two years while having the opportunity to perform with the first company in her second year. She has performed works by Paul Taylor, David Dorfman, Rodney A. Brown, Rob Priore, William B. McClellan Jr., and many other choreographers.

KEVIN WARD joined DCDC in 1980 as a teacher, dancer and choreographer, following work with the Cincinnati Ballet Company and Dance Theatre of Harlem. In 1990 Mr. Ward began to serve as DCDC Associate Artistic Director, and from 1999 to his retirement in 2007 as Artistic Director. Mr. Ward is the recipient of three Ohio Arts Council Fellowships, 1983, 1984, 1997, and three Arts Project Grants, including his work with video artist Jud Yalkut, a Master Artist Fellowship from the Montgomery County Cultural Arts District, the Ohio Dance Award, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Masters of African American Choreography Medal. He currently serves as the manager of DCDC’s Dance Affinity Group.

Events are free with prior registration at https://codayton.org/conversations. Doors open at 6 pm. Reception with cash bar will take place from 6-7 p.m. CONVERSATIONS will begin at 7 pm. Book-signings and gatherings in the Co’s galleries will take place after each lecture.

Conversations will take place inside The Tank at the Dayton Arcade (35 W 4th St, downtown Dayton). Metered street parking is free after 6 pm, or guests may park in the Reibold Garage. Use the subway entrance on 4th street to enter The Tank. The Co galleries and CoSHOP will remain open til 9 pm.

A Soldier’s Play

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A SOLDIER’S PLAY, the 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning thriller by Charles Fuller, has rocketed back into the spotlight, thanks to this 2020 Tony Award®-winning Best Revival from Roundabout Theatre Company. “This is a play that deserves to be staged regularly all over America—though it’s hard to imagine that it will ever be done better than this. It keeps you guessing all the way to the final curtain” (The Wall Street Journal).

In 1944, on a Louisiana Army base, two shots ring out. A Black sergeant is murdered. And a series of interrogations triggers a gripping barrage of questions about sacrifice, service, and identity in America. Broadway’s Norm Lewis leads a powerhouse cast in the show Variety calls “a knock-your-socks-off-drama,” directed by two-time Tony® winner Kenny Leon.

The Human Race Theatre Company and Dayton Live are proud to bring the national tour of this award-winning production to the Victoria Theatre.

Indie Filmmaker Johnny Catalano’s Film Festival Tonight

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Indie filmmaker Johnny Catalano

The inaugural Catalano Film Festival founded by indie filmmaker Johnny Catalano starts at 4pm today at The Plaza Theatre in downtown Miamisburg.  It will feature 8 films from some of Ohio’s best filmmakers.

With genre’s including drama, thriller, dark comedy, and experimental; films from J.W Cox, Evan Maines, Ahmad Ghanim, Jackson C. Clark, Casey McCallister, Max Kaplan, Vaslav J. Rice and Darrin J. Friedman will be shown. The festival is scheduled for 6 hours, beginning at 4 p.m. A Q & A with the filmmakers will occur at 6:35 p.m. providing a rare opportunity to meet the people behind the movie that was just seen. The evening will conclude with an awards ceremony.

Catalano, who attended Bowling Green State University to study film production, shares that this festival is more than just showing movies. Its a night whose sole purpose is to celebrate and venerate the great auteur filmmakers living and working in the state of Ohio.

The schedule for the festival:

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Doors Open/Opening Remarks

4:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Film Screenings

With intermission included.

6:35 PM – 8:00 PM

Q&A Panels with filmmakers

8:00 PM – 9:15 PM

Award Ceremony

9:15 PM – 10:00 PM

Final Remarks/Networking

Get tickets here

Tickets prices begin at $10, and an Inaugural Commemorative Ticket sells for $20.

This Must Be the Party returns to The Brightside this April

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The Brightside is excited to announce This Must Be the Party – the fantastic local tribute to the Talking Heads is back in their Ballroom on Friday, April 14, 2023.  It’s a complete recreation of the classic album & film “Stop Making Sense.”

Due to the covid pandemic, it’s been 4 years since the beloved local tribute show has been seen by Dayton audiences. This time around it’s serving as a fundraiser for The Seedling Foundation, which supports Stivers School for the Arts.

What’s even better? We have some very special guest joining the band! Sammi Garrett is flying in from Brooklyn to perform exclusively for this fundraiser. She’s well known for being in the bands Turquaz, Cool Cool Cool, & The Bump Assembly fame).

A “Solo Grooves” After Party with Freekbass is also planned. So if you’re still ready to keep dancing after the Talking Heads set, stick around for a fun after party with surprise guests.

Additionally – here are more performers to be announced! 


HOW TO GO?
When: April 14, 2023
Where: The Brightside Music & Event Venue, 905 E 3rd St, Dayton, OH
Tickets / Time: https://www.venuepilot.co/events/69946/orders/new
– $25 Early Bird General Admission tickets (available 2/10 – 2/12 only!)
– $30 Advance General Admission tickets (highly recommend purchasing advance to guarantee spot)
– $35 Day of show (if available)
– $100 VIP TICKETS (very limited quantity available) – includes early entry to event & parking, 1 hour cocktail hour with exclusive entertainment, drink ticket & appetizers. Entry time at 7pm.


This is Venus Child Productions event!