Comedian, music concerts, poetry readings and a holiday lecture highlight Fanfare's final week
Contact: Tonya Lowentritt
10/13/11
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COCTAIL PARTY WITH A KICK OR TWO – Southeastern Louisiana University’s Fanfare will present actor and comedian Larry Miller in “Cocktails with Larry Miller” at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts on Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Photo by Colette Blonigan.
HAMMOND – A “ghoulish” chamber concert, an incredible actor/comedian, readings in prose and poetry and a holiday lecture favorite highlight the final week of Fanfare, Southeastern Louisiana University’s annual October-long arts festival.
“Fanfare is entering its final week, but there is no shortage of great events to experience,” said Columbia Theatre and Fanfare Interim Director C. Roy Blackwood. “Aside from the always terrific lectures and readings, everyone can anticipate a very special cocktail party with actor, comedian Larry Miller, and a concert by the Southeastern Chamber Orchestra, featuring magnificent music, as well as a Halloween costume contest.”
Fanfare’s fourth week begins on Monday, Oct. 24, with a concert that combines the vocal talents of Southeastern’s Alissa Rowe and David Bernard. Scheduled in Pottle Auditorium at 7:30 p.m., the free concert features an evening of stirring vocal solos and duos. Their repertoire will include selections by Debussy, Heggie, Mozart, Gounod, and Donizetti, as well as favorites by Sondheim and Lloyd Webber.
On Thursday, Oct. 27, the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts will present “Cocktails with Larry Miller.” With over 50 film appearances, including “Pretty Woman,” “The Nutty Professor,” and “The Princess Diaries,” Miller takes to the stage in his new one-man show that has been described as “two parts comedy and one part theater with a dash of music and a twist of truth.”
Tickets range from $38 to $44 and are available at the Columbia Theatre box office, 220 E. Thomas St. in downtown Hammond, 985-543-4371 or on line at columbiatheatre.org.
Fanfare’s Then and Now Lecture series concludes Oct. 31 with the “More-or-Less Annual Halloween Lecture” by History and Political Science Department Head William Robison. He will present “The Evil Draught: Poisons, Potions and Preparations in History” at 11 a.m. in Pottle Music Building Auditorium. Robison will discuss the role, real and imagined, of deadly poisons, magical potions, quack medicines and other preparations in history.
Also on Oct. 31, the Chamber Orchestra will also present a Halloween concert at Columbia Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Under the baton of Yakov Voldman, the concert will feature a “ghoulish” concoction of classical favorites and fun, including a Halloween costume contest and candy.
General admission is $10, $5 for Southeastern faculty and staff and senior citizens, and patrons under 18. College students with university I.D. are admitted free.
Also during Fanfare’s final week:
▪ Printmaking Workshop with artist Xenia Fedorchenko Oct. 24 - 28 in Clark Hall, 2nd floor printmaking studio. Russian born artist, Fedorchenko has shown her work internationally. She currently lives and works in Beaumont, Tex., where she teaches at Lamar University. The workshop is open to all artists. To register, contact Dale Newkirk at dnewkirk@selu.edu. Fedorchenko will also give a free printmaking lecture on Monday, Oct. 24, at noon in the Contemporary Art Gallery.
▪ Reading Lives: Readings in Poetry and Prose from the Department of English continues on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 12:30 p.m. with Reine Bouton and Norman German. The free event will take place in the Contemporary Art Gallery. Reine specializes in creative nonfiction, especially travel writing drawn from experiences in leading a study abroad program in Italy. German’s novels include “A Savage Wisdom,” based on the life of Toni Jo Henry, the first woman to be executed by electric chair in Louisiana, and “Switch Pitcher,” a story about the baseball minor leagues in the 1950s.
▪ The Foreign Film Festival concludes on Oct. 25, 5:30 p.m., with the French film “Welcome to the Sticks” in the Student Union Theatre. The film focuses on the residents of northern France, gently poking fun at the region’s unflattering stereotypes to reveal the incredible warmth of the people. The free film is rated R and is approximately 106 minutes.
▪ The Then and Now Lecture on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. features Communication Professor Joe Burns, discussing “Parental Guidance Suggested: Rock and the PMRC.” In 1985 record companies began outfitting certain albums with a black and white sticker that read, “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content.” Burns will discuss the story behind the sticker and whether the hearings were about censorship, misguided do-gooders, or a media circus created to pass a new music tax. The free lecture will be in Pottle Music Building Auditorium.
▪ Also on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m., Fanfare will present author Susan Straight, the “Featured Writer for Common Readings in the English Department.” The free lecture will take place in the Student Union Theatre. A native of Southern California, Straight has produced many award-winning writings that capture the essence and complexity of life in California. Her work includes six novels, three children’s books and many works of short fiction, essays and articles.
▪ Reading Lives: Readings in Poetry and Prose from the Department of English concludes with Tim Gautreaux on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 12:30 p.m in the Contemporary Art Gallery. Gautreaux is Writer in Residence and Professor Emeritus in the Department of English. His published fiction includes two collections of short stories “Same Place, Same Things,” and “Welding with Children,” and three novels “The Next Step in the Dance,” “The Clearing,” and his most recent novel, “The Missing.” The event is free and open to the public.
▪ The Art Station will host an opening reception on Oct. 27 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Art Station, 146 W. Oak Street in Ponchatoula. The 4th Annual Art Exhibit, sponsored by the Friends of the Art Station, gives the public a glimpse of the wide variety of unique creations by adults taking classes at the Art Station. The exhibit and reception are free.
▪ The 4th Annual JamFest Indie Film Festival will be held Oct. 28 and 29 from noon to 9 p.m. in Pottle Auditorium and Pottle Annex Recital Hall. Founded by the Northshore Regional Endowment for the Arts, JamFest celebrates the independent filmmaker by finding videos from as far away as Iceland and Iran in addition to those from the region. The event is free. Visit strawberryjam.org for the schedule of films.
▪ Fanfare presents the All Star Cajun Comedy Tour, sponsored by the Amite Arts Council, starring Kent Gonsoulin and Murray Conque on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. at Amite High School Theatre, 403 S. Laurel Street in Amite. Join two of the funniest Cajun comedians performing today for a fun-filled evening of humor and entertainment for the entire family. General admission tickets are $7 and $5 for children under 12 and may be purchased at Amite City Hall, 985-748-8761.
Fanfare tickets are on sale at the Columbia/Fanfare box office, 220 E. Thomas Street, 985-543-4371. Some tickets may be purchased online at columbiatheatre.org. The box office is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. and one hour prior to Columbia performances. For a complete schedule, contact the Columbia/Fanfare office at 985-543-4366 or visit columbiatheatre.org.
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