I’m Ben Verstraete, student arts reporter here at KSMU. You’re listening to Arts News, your weekly calendar for the arts here in the Ozarks.
Music news:
The Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra will hold a concert at the Barley House at Moontown Crossing on Wednesday, April 24, and Thursday, April 25. Both shows start at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday is free, but on Thursday tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for children 12 and under. More information at the Missouri Philharmonic website.
Joplin’s arts org Connect2Culture is putting on a few events over the next two weeks. Saturday night, April 20, at 7, they’ll host a concert by Jontavious Willis, a Grammy-nominated blues singer. Tickets for that one will be free.
On Tuesday night, April 23, at 6 is a concert from Time for Three, a self-described “classically trained garage band.” It’s two violin players and a double bass player, and they do a sort of pop-classical fusion. It’s not, like, string quartet covers of pop songs, they do their own thing, pretty much. Tickets start at $40.
Then on April 26 at 7 p.m., C2C will host the New York Gilbert and Sullivan players performing a one-act version of The Pirates of Penzance, the classic comic opera form which the modern major general song is derived. That will be followed by a best-of Gilbert and Sullivan, including impromptu requests, if you want to hear something specific from, say, H.M.S. Pinafore. Tickets start at $40.
All of these events are taking place at the Beshore Performance Hall in the Harry M. Cornell Arts Complex. More information at the Connect2Culture website.
Theatre news:
Continuing its run this weekend is Springfield Little Theatre’s production of Mary Poppins, Jr. There’s a show Friday night, April 19, at 7:30, a 2 p.m. matinee as well as an evening performance Saturday, April 20, and finally a matinee on Sunday, April 21. Tickets start at $22. More information at the Springfield Little Theatre website.
Ozark Lyric Opera’s production of Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets opens Friday night, April 19. It’s got music and lyrics by Tom Waits and a book by William S. Burroughs. I got the chance to talk to cast member and operations director Sean Spyres about the show. Here’s that interview:
There’s a performance Friday night, April 19, at 7:30 and a matinee on Sunday afternoon, April 21, at 2:30. Tickets start at $27. For more information, visit the Ozarks Lyric Opera website.
There’s a touring show coming up at Juanita K. Hammons Hall. Pretty Woman: the Musical is based on the film of the same name, and yes they do sing the song. The original score is composed by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, the two guys who wrote “Summer of ’69.” It’s also got a book by the film’s original director and also its original screenwriter. The show runs this Tuesday through Thursday, with performances at 7:30 all three nights. Tickets start at $57, including fees. More information here.
Springfield Contemporary Theatre opens The Other Place next Friday. It’s an intimate drama following a successful neurologist as she begins to believe she has brain cancer, directed by Missouri State University’s own Karen Sabo. The show runs April 26 through 28, May 2 through 5, and May 9 -12. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $32 for adults and $10 for children. For more information, SpringfieldContemporaryTheatre.org.
The Springfield Art Museum
An exhibit opening Saturday, April 20, at the Springfield Art Museum is designed to lower the stress and anxiety levels of its viewers. KSMU’s Michele Skalicky has more:
Breath, Light, and Distance is sponsored by the nonprofit Springfield Black Tie. It runs through September 1.
Also, a collaboration with Missouri State University opens Saturday, April 20, in the Armstrong Gallery. Renaissance Works on Parchment and Paper is guest curated by Dr. Mitzi Kirkland-Ives with assistance from other faculty, museum staff, and many students. It’s pretty much what it says on the tin, an exhibit of works from the museum’s collection exploring the culture of the period when manuscript gave way to print.
Museum fundraising event “Art in Bloom” runs Wednesday, April 24, through Sunday, April 28. They’ll have both floral and fashion designers displaying their interpretations of works of art beside those works of art, with both jury prizes and people’s choice awards being given out. In addition to local vendors and activities for families, there’s going to be a watercolor workshop on Wednesday, a flower pounding workshop on Thursday, an embroidery workshop next Friday, a basket weaving workshop next Saturday and a floral design workshop next Sunday. These all cost money, and the museum encourages people to purchase tickets in advance. More information here.
Currently running at the art museum is the All School Exhibition, closing this Sunday, April 21; Ancient Artifacts Abroad, closing in mid-June; Survey of Ceramic Art and Creating an American Identity, which close late June; and Collection Focus: Bradi Barth and Glenna Goodacre, which don’t close until the museum closes long-term for renovations on September 2. As always, museum admission is free.
Film events:
Some special screenings are coming up at the Moxie Cinema soon. This Tuesday, April 23, they’re screening Sunset Boulevard as part of the theater’s Two Tuesdays series. It’s an absolutely seminal noir about corruption and madness in Hollywood. It’s paired with The Player, Robert Altman’s crime-thriller satire of Hollywood executives, which plays on April 30.
Then on May 1, Who Can See Forever, a concert film-hyphen-documentary following indie folk icon Iron & Wine.
In other film news, SATO48 registration is open. The 48-hour film festival challenges teams to create a short film in, you guessed it, 48 hours, based on an ‘Inspiration Package’ provided to each group. Kick-off for the event happens April 26. For more information, SATO48.com.