Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc. of Oklahoma City, OK recently announced headliners for the upcoming 2010-11 season of performing arts and a new venue for ongoing performances. “Beginning this year, most of BLAC Inc.’s performances will be held at Frederick A. Douglass High School auditorium, said Anita Arnold, BLAC Inc. executive director. “However, the Soul Food Dinner Theater performances will continue to be held at the downtown Petroleum Club. The beautiful 1,200-seat auditorium fits our needs, as well as any other venue in the city, and it is conveniently located. In our 40th anniversary year, it is appropriate that we celebrate it by launching our 2010-11 season at Douglass.” The African Children’s Choir will open the season at Fredrick A. Douglass High School auditorium on Nov. 7, 2010, and Ailey II Dance Company of New York will perform at the auditorium on March 26, 2011. Grammy Award -winning jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum will headline the Soul Food Dinner series in a show, “Kirk Whalum Plays Donnie Hathaway” on Jan. 15, 2010, at the Petroleum Club in Oklahoma City.
Kirk Whalum
“We are excited about our partnership at Douglass High School that includes professional development programs, performances and so much more,” Arnold said. “This is part of how we intend to continue our service to the community. BLAC, Inc. is offering a special Early Bird subscription to the 2010-11 season. It is our way of offering savings on advanced ticket purchases.” The performances are partially funded through the Oklahoma Arts Council. For more information, call BLAC Inc. at (405) 524-3800.
According to a recent news release, recording artist Gerald Wilson will be included in two upcoming documentaries — the first about Cab Calloway, produced by ARTE France and expected to air in America on PBS, and the other about Los Angeles’ storied Million Dollar Theater. Wilson is best known in the music community as a premier composer, trumpeter, arranger, bandleader and educator. His work has supported some of the greatest names in jazz including Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Carter, Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughn and Ray Charles, as well as a scorer for motion pictures and television shows such as Otto Preminger’s “Anatomy of a Murder” and ABC’s variety program “The Red Foxx Show.” Wilson also scored a top-40 pop hit with El Chicano’s version of his song “Viva Torado” in 1971. Recently, Wilson was in the studio recording new material for his sixth release for the Mack Avenue Records label (which is yet to be titled), a follow up to 2009’sDetroit. Wilson has earned seven Grammy nominations, a recent NAACP Image Award nomination, a NARAS President’s Merit Award, top Big Band and Composer/Arranger honors in the Downbeat International Critics Poll, the NEA American Jazz Masters Fellowship, two American Jazz Awards for Best Arranger and Best Big Band, and currently his masterpieces are ensconced in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. His love for jazz and his 30 year educational career in teaching music also earned him the Teacher of the Year award at UCLA in 2008. Most recently, The Gerald Wilson Orchestra’sDetroit(Mack Avenue, 2009) won Record of the Year at the 2010 JazzWeek Awards. Despite earning such various accolades throughout his career, his road to success hasn’t always been easy. At 91 years old, Wilson has struggled through more than nine decades of opposition to contribute to the fight for civil rights and to share his passion for music with the world. Born in 1918 into a hotbed of racial tension in Shelby, Miss., Wilson was sent by his mother to live with family in Detroit, where his musical talents afforded him the opportunity to attend the performing arts school, Cass Tech High School, a school that was second only to Juilliard at the time. As Wilson will tell you, this is where his musical career truly began. Wilson’s passion to incorporate his art into his selfless crusade for civil rights has remained paramount in his life and has touched the lives in countless cultures and countries around the world. When asking this humble legend about his great successes, Wilson, who will be 92 years old this September, responds with sincere humility, “I just try to be a person worthy of being a part of this great art form.”
Tulsa music legend David Teegarden (known to fans as David T.) and his quartet returns to the Jazz Depot, 111 E. First St. (Upper Level) in Tulsa, OK, at 5 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010.
The Grammy award-winning artist (in 1981 for “Against the Wind” with Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band) has worked with superstars J.J. Cale, Eric Clapton and Joe Walsh. Sunday’s show will feature Kenny Quinn on piano, Mike Moore on trumpet, Bucky Young on bass, and David T on drums, along with special guest vocalist Chuck Cissel.
General admission tickets are $15 or $10 for seniors and students. Front-row seating is available for $20 per person. For more information, call the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame at (918) 281-8600. Tickets can be purchased online at MyTicketOffice.com or at the door the night of the event. Doors will open at 4 p.m.
David T will be selling his “Live at the Jazz Depot” CD from last summer’s concert for $15 each. Attendees can pick them up in the Gallery at the Depot during and after the concert.
Open auditions for Heller Theatre’s “And the Winner Is” by Mitch Albom will convene from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, July 26, 2010 at Henthorne Performing Arts Center, 4825 S. Quaker in Tulsa, OK. If needed, callbacks will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 29, 2010. “And the Winner Is” tells the comic story of Tyler Johnes, a self-obsessed movie star, who is finally nominated for an Oscar, only to die the night before the awards. Outraged at his bad luck and determined to know if he wins, he bargains with a heavenly gatekeeper to return to earth for the big night. Along the way, he drags his agent, his acting rival, his bombshell girlfriend and his ex-wife into the journey, in a wildly twisting tale of Hollywood, the afterlife, and how we are judged. Written by Mitch Albom, the writer of “Tuesdays with Morrie” and “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” this is a quirky, heartfelt and slightly wicked tale of life, death and sacrifice. Characters needed are: One woman – age 20s-30s; one woman – age 30s-40s; two men – age 30s-40s; and two men – age 30s-60s, one with an Irish accent. Performances are Sept. 24-25, 28, 2010, and at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1-2, 2010, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. For more information, call (918) 746-5065 or visitwww.hellertheatre.com.
Sand Springs Community Theatre will have callbacks for the six women’s roles for the production “Steel Magnolias” at 7 p.m. Thurs., July 29, 2010, at Charles Page High School Auditorium, 500 N. Adams Road, Sand Springs, OK. The auditions were July 23-24, 2010. The rehearsals will begin early August. Production dates are at 8 p.m. Sept. 9-11, 2010. and 2 p.m. matinee on Sept 12, 2010. Sidney Hunt will be directing the show, and she chaired the auditions. Her e-mail address issnhunt1@cox.net. The play all takes place in the home beauty shop of Truvy. Characters include Truvy Jones – owner of the beauty shop; Annelle Dupuy-Desoto – Beauty shop assistant. Late teens / early 20s; Clairee Belcher – Widow of former mayor. Grande dame.; Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie – ( 25ish) Pretty and popular young lady; central character of the story, daughter of M’Lynn; M’Lynn Eatenton – Mother of Shelby, socially prominent career woman; and Ouiser (pronounced “Weezer”) Boudreaux – Wealthy curmudgeon. Acerbic but loveable. The production is set in Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin, La., where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle (who is not sure whether or not she is still married), the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town’s rich older curmudgeon, Ouiser, (“I’m not crazy, I’ve just been in a bad mood for forty years”); an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, M’Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town), is about to marry a “good ole boy.” Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions, the play moves toward tragedy when, in the second act, the spunky Shelby (who is a diabetic) risks pregnancy and forfeits her life. The sudden realization of their mortality affects the others, but also draws on the underlying strength — and love — which give the play, and its characters, the special quality to make them truly touching, funny and marvelously amiable company in good times and bad. For more information, call (918) 246-2196.
Sapulpa Community Theatre continues the presentation of children’s musical “Toy Camp” on July 15, July 16 and July 17. Evening performances are at 8 p.m. and matinee performance is at 2 p.m. “Toy Camp” is a fun, colorful and upbeat story for the whole family to enjoy. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Group rate is available. For more information, call (918) 227-2169 or e-mail stheatre@sbcglobal.net for reservations.
Dr. Tommy Poole, professor of Jazz Studies at Northeastern State University, popular saxophonist and bandleader, makes his debut at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 27, 2010, at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame‘s Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street (Upper Level) in Tulsa, OK. Accompanying Poole will be Tulsa’s Scott McQuade on piano, Bill Crosby on bass and Tony Yohe on drums, guest vocalist Chuck Cissel and new jazz singer Missy Allen. Poole has performed or recorded with such luminaries as Rosemary Clooney, Maynard Ferguson, The Woody Herman Orchestra, Diane Schuur, Joe Willams, Mercer Ellington, and Dianne Reeves. General admission is $15 or $10 for seniors and students. Table seating is available for $20 per person. For more information, call (918) 281-8600 or go to http://www.okjazz.org/index.cfm?id=1. Attendees can also buy tickets at the door the night of the event. Doors will open at 2 p.m.
Barron Ryan, a Tulsa native, an OU music grad and half of the exquisite Ryan and Ryan piano duo (with his father, Oklahoma Jazz Hall inductee Donald Ryan), will take center stage to showcase his amazing piano talent at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 20, 2010, at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, 111 E. First St. in Tulsa, OK. General admission is $15 or $10 for seniors and students. Table seating is available for $20 per person. For more information, call (918) 281-8600 or go to http://www.okjazz.org/.
Click here for tickets or call us at 918-281-8600. You can also buy tickets at the door the night of the event. Doors will open at 2pm.
Open auditions will be held for Heller Shorts – Off, Off Brookside Short Play Festival at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 19, 2010, in the Henthorne Performing Arts Center, 4825 S. Quaker in Tulsa, OK. All age ranges of men and women are needed, from late teens to seniors Performances of the eight selected short plays will run from Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010, through Saturday, Aug. 15, 2010. Actors will be asked to read cold and should be available for callbacks on Monday, June 21, 2010, when they will read for specific roles. Actors may be cast in more than one play, if they wish. Limit three roles maximum per actor. The eight plays to be cast are: “Jogging Memories” by Susan Apker “iZombie” by Kendra Blevins “Miranda’s Warning” by Nona Charleston “Dirty Shorts” by Stephanie Colburn “Shorts” by Steve Credell “Check, Please” by Marilyn Gates “The Manhattan Arrangement” by Jeffrey S. Wetterman “Cheering” by Michael Wright. The plays selected were read and rated by a panel of judges. Only plays by playwrights from the Green County of Oklahoma were considered. Heller @ Henthorne is located in the Henthorne Performing Arts Center at 4825 S. Quaker. For more information, call (918) 746-5065 or visitwww.hellertheatre.com. Heller Theatre and the Henthorne Performing Arts Center are part of the Park and Recreation Department of the City of Tulsa. Heller has been producing contemporary plays since 1981.
Grove Community Playmakers present “The Crane Wife” at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday performances and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees today through June 27, 2010, at The Playmakers, 121 W. Third St., Grove, OK. The recommended minimum age level is elementary school age. According to a news release, “The Crane Wife” is based on an ancient Japanese folktale, adapted for the stage by Barbara Carlisle. She has has formed the story into a stirring theatrical experience, with lovely imagery, stylized choreography, and a mixture of narrative and theatrical conventions adapted from Japanese theatre. This haunting tale is unlike any other Playmaker production and will entertain adults and children alike. The music by David P. Newsome underscores the stylized movement of the Village Chorus who use narration, masks, puppets, and mime to tell the tale. The play is produced with assistance from The Oklahoma Arts Council and by special arrangement with Anchorage Press Plays. Carlisle writes for a multigenerational audience so that children and adults can experience theatre together. The minimum age for this production is elementary school students. The cast of adults and youth include Villagers: Ashley Davidson, Jimmie Gwin, Hailee Gwin, Jaxson Oakley, Meghan Stowe and Sunny Uttley. The role of the peasant, Kokuro is performed by Justus Fletcher. Kirby Williams portrays the Crane Wife. Dancers are Emma Lawson and Kennedy Tackkett. Josh Fletcher and Bob Brogdon take turns in the role of a Samurai. The Playmakers have chosen to put the play in the Heian period, somewhere between the 9th and 12th centuries. Marge Chowning has designed the period clothing for the cast with historical accuracy as a guideline. Dennis Neff has produced the sound track. Masks and puppets are made by Flora Elmore and Vicki King. Set and prop construction is by Jimmie Gwin with set decoration is by Jonathan Elmore. Lighting is designed by the director, Suzanne Boles, with technical assistance from Keith Klickman. For more information, call (918) 786-8950 or e-mail 1groveplaymakers@sbcglobal.net. Adult tickets are $15 including tax; students (first through 12th-grade) are $8 including tax. Tickets are available online. Pay What You Can Afford seats are available at most performances.
