Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Renowned bass-baritone Darren K. Stokes will return to Ithaca Ciollege Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. to present a free recital of classical, spiritual and Broadway music, including a reprise of his solo of 'A Red Headed Woman' from Porgy and Bess, in honor of Black History Month. The concert, in Ithaca College's Ford Hall, will also feature the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers (DCJS).

Stokes has performed with prominent companies throughout the U.S., including the New York City Opera, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati May Festival, Boston Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, San Francisco Opera, Dallas Opera, Seattle Opera and the Cleveland Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, among many others. On the operatic mainstage, he has performed in Figaro, Il Trovatore, Carmen, Don Giovanni, Madame Butterfly, Faust, and Porgy and Bess, among many others. He played Crown in the October production of Porgy and Bess at Ithaca College

DSP Shows, a top talent buyer and concert promoter in New York and New England, recently renewed their contract with the State Theatre of Ithaca, Inc. as the exclusive presenters of live music and entertainment at the 89 year-old venerable venue.

"Dan Smalls and DSP Shows are the premier promoter and talent buyer in Upstate New York, and we are thrilled to have a new agreement in place with them," said Executive Director Doug Levine.

With the agreement, DSP Shows will continue to act as the Exclusive Talent Buyer for the State Theatre's performances.

Brooktondale, NY - Vermont based trio Pete's Posse will appear at a house concert at Canaan Institute Friday, February 3rd 7:00 pm followed by a jam session. Pete's Posse is composed of acclaimed musician Pete Sutherland (fiddle, piano, banjo, melodica and vocals), his talented protégé Oliver Scanlon (fiddle, viola, mandolin, foot percussion and vocals) and the uber-dynamic Tristan Henderson (guitars, mandolin, jaw harp, foot percussion and vocals). Twin fiddles in tight, wild harmony over high-powered guitar and pounding footwork with mandolin, clawhammer banjo, jawharp and rocking keyboards adding their voices to the mix. Songs and tunes, old and new, lyrical and driving: that's the multi-generational heart and mind of PETE'S POSSE, at work and at play.

Pete's Posse is three generations of musicians who have come together to create their own electrifying sound they call 'multi-generational roots music.' In 2013 Pete and Oliver, building on a long-time mentor/mentee partnership, asked Tristan to join them to play a contradance, and a match was struck! Gig by gig their chemistry grew, and the Posse quickly developed a reputation for being an innovative, driving, sought-after, can't-keep-your-feet-still power trio.

Civic Ensemble will remount their production of MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA!, Athol Fugard's gripping, eloquent drama about teaching and learning within segregated South Africa for four performances at the Kitchen Theatre Company February 16-18.

Beloved teacher Mr. M prepares Thami Mbikwana, a black boy, and Isabel Dyson, a white girl, to compete together in an academic competition. But right outside the window, the anti-apartheid movement starts to transform their country. These three soon find that their classroom is not immune from the conflict which accompanies overturning the old order. Thami and Isabel's educations are inexorably intertwined with the nation's politics. Mr. M attempts to persuade his students that education, not violence, is the answer to South Africa's problems, but as the competition draws nearer, it becomes clear that the nation's future depends entirely on how the younger generation chooses to act.

Kitchen Theatre Company kicks off 2017 with the world premiere of Wendy Dann's poignant and poetic Birds of East Africa, directed by Rachel Lampert, January 29th-February 12th. Previews begin Sunday January 29th with Opening Night on February 2nd.

Following the unexpected death of her husband, Marion, an accomplished ornithologist, finds herself without a place that feels like home. Not knowing where to land, she arrives on the doorstep of her college friend Stephen and his husband Nick but is quickly caught in the middle of their unraveling marriage. Stephen's career is all consuming, leaving little room for Nick, who has a chronic illness with symptoms that have begun to accelerate. The three mid-40's friends discover they are standing at a crossroads, and that what once seemed permanent and secure in their lives is now fragile and vulnerable. In a series of tightly wrought scenes moving back and forth in time, with dancers transforming into the birds so central to Marion's life, Wendy Dann's new play explores how we heal, find hope and move on.

Have you ever wondered how twisting the knobs on an Etch A Sketch® creates a picture? Or how those hungry hippos gobble up marbles with the touch of a switch? If so, then you'll love Toys: The Inside Story, opening January 7 at the Sciencenter.

With different hands-on stations highlighting the five toy components – pulleys, cams, gears, linkages, and circuits - Toys offers hours of exploration for guests of all ages. Experiment with simple and complex pulley systems while trying to draw a picture using a giant Etch A Sketch®, then peek inside the toy to see how it all works! Operate a Hungry Hippo® to see out how linkages create complex movements. Discover what happens when a circuit closes with an inside look at the game Operation®, and take the circuit challenge to try to keep a circuit open as you move a ring along a twisty rod.

"The Music Man," a beloved classic perfect for the whole family, kicks off the tenth anniversary season of Running to Places (R2P) Jan. 13-15 at the State Theatre of Ithaca. The joyous show is a perfect cure for the winter blues, with its crowd-pleasing music and big dance numbers.

Con artist Harold Hill (Joey Steinhagen) arrives in highly conventional River City, Iowa, and announces his intention to form a boys' band. The independent and educated librarian Marian Paroo (Lynn Craver) sees right through Harold, but her lisping brother Winthrop (Kii Kinsella) jumps at the chance to play in a band. Harold's old friend Marcellus (Nick Mras) tries to help him run his grift despite the efforts of rival salesman Charlie Cowell (Ari Cummings), who has evidence that could unmask Harold. As romance grows between con man and librarian and band supplies begin to arrive, change comes to River City – and to Harold.

Theresa Caputo, from TLC's hit show, Long Island Medium, will be appearing live at the Venue on Monday, March 20, 2017. Theresa will share personal stories about her life and explain how her gift works. She will deliver healing messages to audience members and give people comfort knowing that their loved ones who passed are still with them, just in a different way. Tickets go on-sale Day Date

'The Experience' brings Caputo face-to-face with her fans, as she lets spirit guide her through the audience. A video display ensures everyone in the venue has an up-close-hands-on experience regardless of seat location.

With over 10 Grammy nominations between them, jazz masters Branford Marsalis and Kurt Elling grace the historic State Theatre of Ithaca stage on January 19th at 7:30pm at the 7th annual Benefit My State Concert. Just over 87 years old, the not-for-profit State Theatre of Ithaca depends on community support to host over 85 events a year including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Performers, world-renown classical composers, hysterical comedians, community performances and just recently, classic films.

With its 1,625 seat capacity, The State Theatre of Ithaca is one of the area's most significant arts venues. Originally designed and built by local architect Henry N. Hinckley in 1915, it was originally an auto garage and dealership. In 1926, Cornell Theatres, Inc. purchased the building and hired celebrated theatre architect Victor Rigaumont to design and oversee the transformation of the garage and showroom into an atmospheric cinema and vaudeville palace. Opening night, December 6, 1928, was a memorable and entertaining spectacle featuring Paul Tremaine and his Aristocrats of Modern Music. The show promised "21 Peppy, Snappy Entertainers" and admission cost 50 cents.

Civic Ensemble, in collaboration with The History Center, presents Bah Humbug! A Rhiner Commedia Carol, a mashup of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and Ithaca's own history of the Rhiners and performed in the style of Commedia Dell'Arte. At the heart of Dickens story are his concerns about poverty and social injustice, themes that continue to resonate with our community. Bah Humbug! examines the hardscrabble lives of the Rhiners in order to illuminate the issues of housing, food security and community sustainability that Ithacans face today.

Bah Humbug! A Rhiner Commedia Carol is Civic Ensemble's second annual holiday offering. It is the next phase in the long-term development of a larger piece by conceived and director Freddy Villano.

The Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY is presenting two diverse performances in early 2017 as part of their CabarETC series. Villalobos Brothers, a contemporary high-octane Mexican folk group, will perform February 2nd and 3rd at 7:30 pm. Professional aerialist and cirque group ImaginAerial presents The Bizarre and Curious Quest of Killian Cog on March 2nd and 3rd at 7pm. All performances will take place at the Hangar Theatre, located at 801 Taughannock Blvd.

Tompkins County Public Library has announced plans for the opening weekend of "Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human," a traveling exhibit of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the American Library Association.

After-hours exhibit access and a first-look at "On Being Human," a complimentary, multi-media exhibit, will be available during Downtown Ithaca's Gallery Night, December 2 from 5 to 8 p.m..